Isaiah 58:6-8 (NLT)
No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.
Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
YAHWEH amazes me everyday. Only GOD could have created our bodies with such intricate detail and symbolism. Take this for example…
When you invite JESUS into your life, the Holy Spirit (GOD-in-you) becomes your life. It encourages your spirit and purifies your life (among many, many other things). Your physical body has something remarkably similar- the liver! The liver is of vital importance to the human body. Despite not receiving the hype of the brain, heart, or lungs, the liver is just as important. It performs over 500 functions for the body, including filtering the bloodstream, removing toxins, processing carbs, fat, and proteins, and eliminating waste. Even the hardest skeptic would agree with me that we should nurture it. But how?
1. Eat right
2. Fast
In previous LifeTogether devotions, fasting has been discussed- but only through a purely spiritual view. Today, we’ll see fasting in another light, from a physical standpoint. Fasting, you will recall, is abstaining from anything that can, and does, take time away from relationship building time with YAHWEH. The vast majority of time, people fast food (no pun intended). This is both Biblical (fasting is mentioned over 70 times in the Bible) and beneficial. Fasting food not only allows you extra time to spend resting with the Redeemer in spirit; it also allows your body- and your liver in particular- to slow down and rest. To catch a break from having to digest and distribute all that food we cram down our gullet. Imagine your liver getting to taking a power nap and coming back stronger than ever, just like we have to do from time to time. Start with one meal or snack time. Spend that time praying. And watch as your whole life (body, mind, heart, and spirit) start aligning with that of GOD.
Application: Live life in the fast lane- for the benefit of your body and your spirit. Pick a meal to skip and pray or read your Bible instead. Thank GOD for changing your whole person to be more like Jesus.
Nutrition Tip: Digestive Probiotics. If you have stomach and/or digestive issues, invest in some Green Superfood Powder from GNC. Among its qualities, it contains digestive probiotics which will help you dispose of the junk in your system as well as alleviating medical ailments which plague many people. And without all those pills which treat the symptom not the problem!
Exercise Tip: Push yourself! Most people- even the athletic types- stop working much to early. Like your spiritual walk, which requires sometimes painful growth past your threshold, your exercise regimen should push you. If you lift, add a few reps. If you walk, go ¼ mile further. If you do 10 push ups, do 12. If you do Zumba, do one more Brazilian samba. Push yourself in all areas of your fitness and enjoy the results.
