Day 6 - Taste and See that the Lord is Good (and so is healthy food)

Today I chose to fast a meal so you will see only Breakfast and Dinner listed.  I do this for spiritual and physical reasons.  Matthew 6:16 says WHEN you fast... not IF you fast, and the Bible contains many examples of God's people fasting for particular breakthroughs or to break strongholds.  I like the way the Message tells it: Matthew 6:16-18 “When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don’t make a production out of it.   If you ‘go into training’ inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face.  God doesn’t require attention-getting devices. He won’t overlook what you are doing; he’ll reward you well."

Two of the best resources I've read on fasting are these two:

Fasting | Jentezen Franklin

The fasting movement seeks to honor God and let you get closer to God like never before through a 21 day fast.
www.jentezenfranklin.org/fasting

Miracle of Fasting - Bragg Live Foods, Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar ...

With the complete knowledge of fasting and The Bragg Healthy Lifestyle, as outlined in this book, you can banish all your fears of premature ageing! ...
www.bragg.com/books/mof_excerpt.html

Breakfast:  Ham, cheese and Bread n Butter pickle sandwich with Kettle Bakes, lightly-salted potato chips (contain no modified food starch)

Dinner:  Pizza (cheese with Laurie's black-bean salsa on top),  salad with grated carrots and fennel topped with Drew's Garlic Italian vinegrette, cooked carrot sticks with drizzle of lemon-olive oil and Salt Sensations autumnberry salt (cranberry powder, salt, orange oil, herbs and spices).

After dinner dessert/snack:  Almost-Tirimisu (Anna's thin cappiccino cookies, cream cheese, whipped cream sweetened with stevia and agave nectar, cocoa mix, butter, instant coffee) Only 45 calories per cookie.  I was going to have one, but there were the broken pieces....so I counted two.  I will see if the topping freezes well because I like variety and the batch made enough for the whole package of cookies - about 24 cookies.  This would be a unique dessert to bring to any gathering.  You know how kids can cringe when you offer them something you call healthy.  My granddaughter Kim is a choosy eater and she approved these cookies!  (Besides I knew what you were thinking and now you know what happened to the rest of the cookies on the plate.)



Now back to the fasting.  Most Bible interpretations for Matthew 18 suggest we should fast in secret.  It is going to be hard for me to fast 'in secret' this year as I am doing the blog and reporting my daily intake.  I will not be sharing why I fast, or be attempting to dramatize it, but fasting is an important part of my prayer life, and I do not want to cheat my dear readers, by not sharing something that has been so meaningful to me.  I always feel energized and clear-headed when fasting, probably because I do hydrate constantly with water, broths (especially Emeril broth), vegetable juice and occasionally a kiefer smoothie with or without protein powder.  

In closing, I just want to note that there are many different ways to fast.  Most, if not all, scriptural fasts refer to abstaining from all food or certain food, such as when Daniel and his men ate only vegetables and "health" food, refusing the king's rich food.  Food-fasts benefit you physically as well as spiritually.  Some people also find it meaningful to fast from other things that control their lives, such as television, shopping, reading other materials before reading scripture, or whatever their obstacle or addiction might be.   In 2008 my husband was concerned about my health so that Christmas I gave him the gift of 90 days of no shopping for myself and no eating sugar.  I was shocked to find it was harder not to shop.  I'm glad I gave (and survived) that experimental gift because it revealed things about myself about which I was in denial.  Another layer of the veil removed.  


Victory: Almost forgot to add - lost another 1/2 pound!