_edited.png)
Welcome to the Fifth Guest Post in Faith In Every Day's Transformation Series! Where other bloggers are sharing their transformations: Mind, Body and Soul in Christ! It has been such an inspiration and encouragement to hear these ladies stories!
If this is your first time reading this series make sure you check out the other transformation posts:
This final guest post is Ruth from Valued Mom.
Though I have never fasted I can definitely see the amazing clarity from God that can come from it! I mean if they do it in the Bible to hear from God, we should too!
Take a few minutes to read the inspirational post Ruth wrote about how God transformed her life!
You Make Me Brave
It was January 2013. A new year, a new opportunity, a renewal of energy and ambition.
My church planned to do a Daniel Fast. A Daniel Fast is where you eat nothing but fruits, vegetables, and whole grains for a period of time. Some people do the Daniel Fast in order to lose weight. Our church does the Daniel Fast because, with all the newness that a year brings, it’s important to us that we seek God first and pray about what His will is for our life as we go through the year.
The Daniel Fast is based out of a scripture in the Bible in the book of Daniel, Chapter 10. In this scripture, Daniel fasts for three weeks in order to get a Word from God. After those three weeks, Daniel is visited by an angel, hears from God, and God gives Daniel a vision.
Likewise, we do the Daniel Fast seeking a Word from the Lord about various circumstances in our life and the lives of others that we care for. It’s a time to completely devote ourselves to God and show God that nothing is more important than Him – not even our desire for yummy, delicious food.
In place of eating our regular food, we eat according to the Daniel Fast guidelines (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) and every time our stomach growls for something else or the temptation to sneak in a cookie at the work place comes along, we pray to God for strength. In our house, we not only pray during the day at each meal and every time temptation comes along, but we also have family Bible Study every night and we spend individual time with God every night instead of watching tv.
The truth of the matter is that I don’t like the Daniel Fast. Not because of the time devoted to God. I am a “prayer-er” and I pray throughout the day. BUT… I am a “sugaraholic”. I’m addicted to sugar. To go three weeks without sugar is dreadful for me.
I couldn’t fully participate in 2012 because I was pregnant. I did what I could and fasted from television for the three weeks as my husband watched what he ate and followed the Daniel Fast guidelines. I knew that the next time we did the Daniel Fast I wanted to fully participate. In 2012, God had opened so many doors for us and blessed every situation we prayed and fasted over. When the time came around again in 2013, I was pretty excited to participate. I knew I had some things I needed God to work out for me.
First and foremost, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I felt like God was calling me to leave my business but I just wasn’t quite sure. After all, when you pour sweat, tears, and blood into something, it’s hard to just let it go. I was at a place where I couldn’t do it alone. Even though I thought I could, I couldn’t. I couldn’t make huge decisions about my career without first seeking God and I needed to hear from God Himself.
As I went through the three weeks of fasting, I prayed that God would give me a clear sense of direction with what I should be doing with my life – either become a Stay-at-Home Mom or continue to own my business. God brought me to several scriptures that became my cornerstone for the decision I ultimately made.
The first story that He brought me back to over and over again was the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt in Exodus. That story became my map for what to do. I knew that God was going to take me to a promised place, a place of milk and honey, but I needed to make sure I was being obedient to Him so I didn’t get stuck in my own wilderness for 40 years!
The second scripture that God pointed out to me directly was in Nehemiah, Nehemiah 6:3 to be exact. Part of the verse says “I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down.” I felt like God was telling me that it was time to do a great work and despite the temptations of the world – ego, pride, accolades, financial success, career success, etc – I needed to continue to be obedient to God and not allow anything to distract me. With that, I decided to walk away from my business.
Becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom was never my “career plan” or even in the realm of possibilities for me. I have always been an overachiever in school and in my career so to become “just a mom” and not doing “anything” was really not something that I was looking forward to. God, however, has shown me that motherhood is my calling and raising my children and being a supportive wife are my ministries. This was His plan for my life, not my own.
It took a lot of courage to walk away from it all and to focus on the priorities that God has laid out for me… God, my spouse, my children, and then everything else. My life was prioritized much differently prior to becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom. My life revolved around ME and what made ME feel good and what I thought was best for ME. In fact, my husband has often said publicly that becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom saved our marriage.
Being brave in God transformed my life completely. It saved my marriage, it has helped me become a better parent, and it has enriched my life in a way that work, education, and money never could. Making huge changes in life such as career changes or relocation or parenting can be terrifying! But when God calls you to it, trust and believe that He has it worked out for your good. He sees the long-term plan. And when you’re scared, as you will be, allow God to make you brave.
About Ruth:
Thank you so much Ruth for taking the time to share with us God's plan for your life! I know all too well how hard it is to walk away from something you put all of your efforts into but Gods plan is definitely worth it as you mentioned!!
Comments