I pray you and yours are doing well. I'm doing well, thanks be to God! So today marks the 20th day in my fast during the Lenten season, that means I've completed half the journey. Another awesome thing about today is that it is February 29th, a day that we only observe in a leap year (every 4 years). Over the past 20 days, I have learned and experienced a lot and I am thankful to God for all the blessings and lessons. So here's what has been happening during the 20-day mark, I have broken them down into 2 blog posts sharing 3 lessons/actions each.
Praying and Praising More
Praying and engaging in praise and worship more were one of my top goals entering into this Lenten season of fasting. To God be the glory, this is being accomplished. As I have previously described for my fasting routine, I break my fast in a time of communing with Christ in prayer and worship. Ideally I like to commit about 30 minutes or more as the Spirit leads to prayer and praise/worship before I break my fast at 6 p.m. or later, but sometimes I don't have enough time to do all that. However during this time, I have dedicated this practice to throughout my day. Praying in the Spirit as much as possible, as well as listening to praise and worship songs. I have noticed how this is making a positive impact in my life. It has been lifting up my spirit. Just like many people, I have highs and lows, days I'm on a mountain and days I'm in the valley; but prayer and praise have been my support for perseverance. In the past 20 days, I have encountered moments whereby I have gotten angry, envious, and even though the devil tries to pollute my mind with these emotions, I push through and seek God in prayers and praises. By doing this, I am edified and the Lord takes me to a better and brighter place. Be reminded by what Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5:18-20, Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Engaging in Things That are Christ-Centered
Yesterday and today, I've had conversations with a brother in Christ and we talked about the importance of guarding our hearts. We must stay focused on Christ and fix our eyes on Him, who is the author and finisher of our faith. In Proverbs 4:23, we are told that Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. I watched a sermon by Pastor Rick Warren last week and one of the things he mentioned that resonated to me was the importance of staying clear off things that will interfere with our relationship with God. He mentioned that if we feel that we don't discern God's voice clearly anymore, then we must evaluate our lives because there must be something that is coming between us and God. I could relate to that and it truly convicted me because I have been feeling this way over the past couple months. During this time of fasting, I have been dedicated to reading the 40-Day Lenten Devotional in the Bible App; the topics covered, scriptures used, write-ups, and prayers have truly been blessing me and have found them to be in alignment with things in my life. On February 14th, I attended the Winterjam Concert which consisted of 10 christian bands and artists. I had a great time there and shared this amazing time with thousands of followers of Christ from across the country with music, sermon, and testimonies. For many months, my little brother has been telling me to watch "The Passion of the Christ" and I finally watched it last week. This is truly a great movie. Although most of us know about the crucifixion of Christ by reading the Word and through teachings, it is also important to see the graphic presentation of this moment and how much Christ endured persecution as a criminal even though He was holy and blameless. Additionally, I participated in social media fast last week and stayed clear of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. During this time, I dug deeper into God's Word, watched sermons, read, and engaged in praise and worship more than ever. With the elimination of social media distractions, I truly fixed my eyes and time on the things of God. Although I am back to using these accounts, I returned with a mindset of spending less time and using them with a Christ-centered purpose.
Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:8 says, Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. During this time of fasting, I have been seeking Christ in guiding me and practicing godly discipline. Specifically talking about evaluating my friendships and commitments. I have been seeking more spiritual guidance from friends and folks at my Church that are mature in their faith. Additionally, I have been evaluating and ensuring that I am not making an idol out of people in my life as well as things in my life. Even when it comes to texting or talking on the phone, I have ensured that my words and time spent on it are life-giving and Christ-centered. No idle conversations, and to make no room for conversations that could lead me into acting out of my flesh. I have become conscious of the times I call folks as well as receive calls. No late night calls and texting.
God bless you.
Jesus loves you.
Restored woman living for God's Glory,
Ruby B. Johnson.
Have you gotten right with the Lord? Have you given your heart to God? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal savior? If you die today, will you make it to Heaven? If no or you are unsure, do not waste anymore time and receive salvation now.
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