Breakfast with God

My Honey and I are at the mid-point of a 21-day Daniel fast. I share that not to say, "look at us" but to lay the foundation of this posting. Our intent in the fast is to draw nearer to God and His plan for us. In a Daniel fast, you are not giving up all food, but fasting meat, sweets, breads, processed foods. This means a diet of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.

My breakfast menu this morning was a meal of veggies cut into bite size pieces and sautéed in a little olive oil:

1 small potato

1 porcini mushroom

1 jalapeno pepper

5 stalks of asparagus

Small piece of onion

I took the time to prepare the meal and did not rush through. I used the time to visit with God, asking Him to show me the areas I needed to focus on as I continue to prepare for the upcoming mission trip. I felt peaceful and purposeful. God being God showed me all I asked and more.

Typically, I have to interrupt my writing to prepare and eat breakfast. I'm diabetic, not eating is not an option, and I need something in my tummy on which to bounce all the coffee. Since I am well into my work routine by the time I know I have no choice but to stop and eat, I find I sometimes resent the interruption and rush through. I usually eat at my desk as I work. This morning I made a point of using that time to visit with God and I could actually 'feel' the difference it made in my body, my mindset, and my spirit.

God led me to Isaiah 58 where the people cried out to God asking why He did not acknowledge their fasting. His reply through Isaiah was to say they were outward rituals to get want they wanted, not to honor Him. Check your motives! Often, we need to fast the way we live our lives, foregoing anything that is not spiritually healthy or God ordained. The 'junk food' of ungodly living can kill you.

If you do not really want to hear from God, don't ask questions. If you are not open to hearing spiritual truths about yourself, don't ask questions. If you tend to justify instead of rectify, don't ask questions. God is not bashful or hesitant to answer.

I felt God outlined the areas of me - my personality, my tendencies, and my perceptions that were not honoring Him, revealed one by one, as I thoughtfully chopped veggies. No condemnation, just factual outlining…I DID ask, after all. Scenes and situations of my life with these shortfalls - live and kicking - played before my spiritual eyes. You can't deny what God shows you in living color. Spiritually naked we come before Him, nowhere to hide any unpleasing behavior. All your fleshly ugliness flaps in the breeze. Still, no condemnation.

I saw enough. I was humbled by the love I felt from Him even as I came face-to-face with my 'issues'. What I do at this point is up to me. I can take what He showed me and learn from it or not. I thanked Him for showing me my ugly side, for loving me in spite of myself, for the unconditional love, for forgiveness and the chance to cultivate better fruit by pruning away the bad branches. Breakfast with God is completely satisfying!

Know What You're Getting

Twice a year, my Honey and I do a three week Daniel Fast to focus on hearing from God in serving Him. A Daniel fast is not a full out fast where you abstain from all food but follows the dietary practices recorded in the Book of Daniel. We fast meats, sweets, breads, dairy, and anything that is not natural and healthy. We can have whole grains, legumes (beans), vegetables, and fruit. This is a healthy fast. My body deals with diabetes and I cannot do a full fast. The Daniel fast is awesome.

I have a book titled "What Would Jesus Eat?" No hamburgers and fries there, I assure you. It did not say Jesus was a vegetarian either. He ate natural, healthy foods, walked everywhere, got plenty of sunshine and nary a processed food product passed His lips. We would do well to follow His example.

There are a number of vegetarian products out there to replace meat. Some of which taste quite good. In fact, a regular breakfast for me includes a Spicy Black Bean (soy) Burger (it's a patty) topped with an egg. Protein, great taste and a satisfied tummy & tongue. I add salsa once and a while because it diminishes any salt cravings. It looks like meat, functions like meat but is completely meat free. It has 73% less fat than ground beef, only 120 calories, and 17% of my daily protein needs and well within my Daniel fast commitment. I eat this regularly, not just when fasting.

Why, you might be asking, am I sharing this with you? I said all that to say this, my Spicy Black Bean Burger looks, tastes and functions as real meat…it is made to appear as such to appeal, psychologically, to people. People may be choosing not to eat meat but they like their non-meat to look like it meat anyway. This same principle is happening in the world of faith and church, as well. People can build a building that looks like a church and sounds like a church but is not the real Church…not the Church Jesus came to build. Anyone can stand behind a pulpit, doesn't make them a minister preaching the Word of the Living God. That old saying, "If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck" does not hold true in all that looks and sounds like a church.

The Bible tells us to be on guard for false teachers are out there. I do not believe we are instructed to do so merely as a precaution. It's a threat to the Christian community and to humanity's eternal salvation. We should take this seriously. Entire denominations teach that Jesus is not the Son of God. This, Folks, constitutes an antichrist doctrine. We are told in 1 John that anyone denying the Lordship of Jesus is an antichrist. By definition in the original Greek, antichrist means someone that denies or opposes Jesus. We know Scripture tells of THE Antichrist to come in the last hour, but the word antichrist used in that context means 'false Messiah' and is a synonym of the original Greek word use which means 'denies or opposes Christ.'

I think it is imperative that we see these people as lost souls. They are ministered to by antichrists and they become antichrists. Can we, as Christians, sit by and watch from the bleachers while multitudes are spreading out like ants taking an antichrist message to the world, even to our own doorsteps? I think not! I think some righteous indignation is called for and a call to arms to stand up and refute that message loudly and often! Hey, my Spicy Black Bean Burger tastes good, I like it…..it's still not meat! These false teachers can make their false doctrines just as palatable…it still isn't the truth!

The difference? I do not believe my little black bean patties ARE meat. I am not deceived into thinking that. The words on the package clearly state exactly what goes into making them. People under the leadership of false teachers are spoon-fed lies and relish every bite. False teachers claim to be the real deal serving up an authentic message. It is a 'fast of the truth' and their people do not even know they are fasting.

FYI – my Honey and I usually do the Daniel Fast in January to kick off the new year but this year we will be in Costa Rica on a mission trip. We are fasting, instead, November 28^th thru December18th. Notice that is between Thanksgiving turkey and Christmas! If you'd like to join us on the fast, let us know so we can encourage one another. And, Honey…no matter how often you say it, ketchup is NOT a vegetable!