Tag Archives: shame

Fasting: I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!

Missed any of our 31 Days of Fasting in January? All of the posts are in one place just for you, see them here! So thankful for everyone that has been here, whether you come every day for encouragement or pop in now and then, you are so welcome to gather with us. Be blessed as you fast unto the Lord.

How many of you have seen the commercial where the older woman is sprawled on the floor, obviously without choice, and calling into a little button,

“Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”

That phrase quickly became a byline for many a situation. Not that it was funny that an elderly person had fallen, it was catchy and memorable and it probably sold product like crazy.

If you have been on the fast for any length of time you may have fallen…off the wagon. There’s another one! Where did that phrase, fallen off the wagon originate? According to WiseGeek.com, when you say someone has fallen off the wagon it means they had vowed to stick with one thing but they failed along the way. It was especially referring to the consumption of alcohol. Dating back to the temperance movement, those that consumed were encouraged to get on the water wagon instead of drinking hard liquor. The water wagon was a horse-drawn cart that watered down the dirt roads to control the dust. Those that were encouraging abstinence said they would rather drink from the water wagon than even think of touching alcohol, so if they slipped up it was said they had fallen off the wagon. Who knew?

Maybe if you have been fasting for a few days or even a couple of weeks, you have possibly had something that you didn’t intend to have, found yourself sitting in front of a dessert or favorite food and took a bite before you even thought about it. Maybe you have been on a water-only fast and became so weak and hungry that you just had to have a little bit of nourishment. Either way, you gave in and then as soon as you did, Guilt showed up.

Guilt is not from God. Let’s get that out of the way. He doesn’t put shame or condemnation on His children, He doesn’t sit in Heaven shaking His head and rolling His eyes every time we fail!

Guilt and Shame come from the enemy. It is his specialty! He loves to make us feel as if we have failed, that we aren’t good enough and we might as well give up. Sometimes the pressure is so bad that we feel as if we have to pay penance for a wrong. We have to fix it, undo it or cover it up somehow by doing a good deed.

Friends, this is not what God intended! Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.…” Romans 8:1,2

There is no condemnation if you are walking with God.

He has set you free from Guilt and Shame!

If we do make a mistake, we ask for forgiveness, He hears, forgives and forgets and we pick right back up where we left off. Naturally, we do not think in advance that if we fail we can just say we are sorry and start over again. We don’t intentionally stumble knowing He is always gracious, which He is, but we try to do what is right, in this case with fasting, we pray and do our best to stay committed. But if we do forget, and absentmindedly eat something we shouldn’t, we don’t beat ourselves up over it. We just keep going!

If the enemy is whispering in your ear that you are a failure and that your fasting is all in vain, he realizes the power in prayer and fasting and would do anything to get you to stop. Don’t succumb to his pressure but pick yourself up, grab your sword (the Word of God), find a scripture or two that you can pray out loud and do just that.

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” Jude 1:20, 21

Have you fallen and feel as if you can’t get up? Jesus is waiting for you to grab His hand; He is your biggest supporter and He will encourage you to keep going because your relationship with Him is worth every sacrifice. Fasting changes the inner man, changes YOU and helps you hear the voice of God. Fasting breaks chains that cannot be broken by prayer alone. Warrior angels fight in the spirit world on your behalf!

Be encouraged in the Lord today, even if you have stumbled on your fast, just dust yourself off and keep going. Victory is ahead!

Don’t forget to grab your copy of The Daniel Fast Devotional! Good for any fast, it is a great, easy read with devotions for every day of a three week fast. Get yours on Amazon here!

If God Has Forgiven Me, Why Can’t I Forgive Myself?

If God has forgiven me, why can’t I forgive myself?

“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Psalms 103:12.

David J. Stuart says that if you get on an airplane and fly east as long as you want to, forever if it were possible; there will never be a time when you will all of a sudden be going west? And you can go west for eternity but there will never be a time you will reach the east.

But if you travel north, you can only go so far until you will eventually be going south. And if you travel south, and pass Antarctica, you’ll be headed up north again and so vice versa.

How far is the east from the west? They never meet!

This is why God said He has removed our sins “as far from us as the east is from the west”. This is one of the most beautiful symbolic portraits in scripture of God’s forgiveness. He separates it from us and doesn’t remember it anymore! He forgives AND forgets. We like to bring up our ugly past but God has wiped the slate clean. When we continually repent about the same sin over and over again I wonder if He is just shaking His head and saying, “My child, I already forgave you of that the first time you asked!”

If God Has Forgiven Me...

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” Isaiah 43:25. NIV

When our former sins come to our minds we can either dwell on them, and feel guilty all over again, or we can choose to feast on thoughts of the wonderful God that forgave us, and give Him the praise. “…Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8.

God is also not pleased with people who do not forgive themselves because they don’t really WANT to forget their former sins. They enjoy reliving them in their minds, but this is also a sin! A man, or woman, who lusts in their heart, is guilty of the sin of adultery, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  Matthew 5:28. Comparatively, every time we mentally relive our sin, we are committing that same sin over again. This is very dangerous in the life of a child of God. If you have repented of it, ask God to get it out of your mind!!

“He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:19.

There are also times we don’t feel forgiven when we have honestly repented. That is a lie from the enemy! The Bible says the devil is the father of lies. He puts toxic thoughts in our minds because he knows our past is forgiven, it is hidden, under the blood.

“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!” Psalms 32:1.

The Prodigal Son, who had squandered all of his inheritance on “wild living”, came to his senses and realized that the servants in his father’s house were living better than he was! Prodigal, by definition, is a spendthrift, or a waster, a squanderer; a person who spends money in a recklessly extravagant way. This young man insisted his father give him his inheritance while he could still enjoy it; and he did just that. He spent every last dime, and when it was gone, he found himself at the mercy of anyone who would give him even the literal slop that they fed to their pigs to eat.

But he swallowed his pride and went home to his father who RAN to him and welcomed him back with open arms! Phillips,Craig and Dean recorded a beautiful song about the Prodigal Son entitled, “When God Ran”, that tells the story so beautifully.You can listen to it here.

Are you struggling with letting go of something today? Is the enemy whispering past sins in your ear? Remember he is a liar, and everything he is telling you? The opposite is true! Your sins are under the blood and are remembered no more! “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1.

“Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman (caught in the act of adultery), ‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ ‘No, Lord,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.’” John 8:10-11.

Are you having trouble reliving your sin? For your sake, your family’s sake, let it go. You are already forgiven and it is time to move on. The more we dwell on things from our past the harder it is to forget them and make a fresh start.

And lastly, what if you are the UN-FORGIVEN? Not by the Lord of course, but what if you have clearly hurt someone or wronged them and then not only repented and made it right with God, but you tried to make it right with them as well, but they will not accept your apology? They will not forgive. They have clearly made you their enemy. They just refuse to reconcile.

Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies. We need to pray for good things to come into their lives. Pray for good health in their families. Pray for financial blessings. The Bible also tells us that God will not forgive those who do not forgive their brother so they definitely need Jesus. If they are a Christian, they will not have peace as long as they are not obeying the commandment to forgive so you need to just pray for them that their heart will be softened. Pray that you will not become bitter; you can’t make them forgive you so just keep praying for them, and loving them, from a distance, if necessary.

Whatever you have been struggling with, struggle no more friend. Jesus has already paid the price.

If you have repented of the sin, He has forgiven and forgotten, as far as the east is from the west.

Now that’s pretty far…

AS far as the east is

 Kingdom2