Day 14 of 40 Day Spiritual Fast
I am doing a 40 day fast for spiritual reasons. I decided to break it up into 4 periods of 10 days (first 10 days a raw food diet, second 10 days juice, third 10 days water, last 10 days juice) that way, I’m always close to an end and have something to look forward to.
The raw food diet went very well, a few cravings for meat and bread but managed well, today is Tuesday, day 14 on Juice and no problems at all, no hunger, no cravings, no cramps, no running to the bath room… (this time it is surprisingly easy) Sunday will be my last day on juice and Monday starts 10 days of water, so I’m looking forward to the intense cleansing to begin then. (fortunately I will be on a little vacation Monday and Tuesday away from work)
Spiritually I am seeking a deeper, closer relationship with God. I have drifted into a selfish pattern of not spending quality time with Him in his Word, of enjoying sensual thoughts in my mind, and I know it’s damaging relationships for me. I have an intensly spiritual job, my clients are all pastors, so this selfish pattern has also affected my business. (Not that I believe God is punishing me, because I don’t view Him that way, but I do get a deep sense that He is not blessing my business right now)
I need this to be successful for many reasons: 1) I need to see God in a differnt way (closer/involved). 2) I need business to provide for my family and pay obligations. 3) I have a significant amount of debt that I need to get rid of. 4) There are several financial obligations aproaching that I have to resolve before year-end. 5) I am seeking a renewal of my mind, new thought patterns that replace the old damaging ones. 6) I want to see healing and restoration in the relationships I have hurt by this. & 7) As a leader of men, I need to be a good example.
I will update on my health progress and my spiritual growth as this deepens, i think i am still too near the start to feel the full effects on my mind & body. I still need a prayer and reading plan, here I am day 14 and i still don’t know what book(s) to read, or scripture passages, and I usually map out a prayer plan to stay focused, any help via comments would be appreciated. thanks,
Good day! Enjoyed your post and am interested at many levels. I use to fast every Sunday when I was in college but that was several years back. I do a 24 hour fast when I’m chaplain at our church camp each summer but that’s the extent of it. Thank you for posting. I am inspired to seek new levels and frequencies for fasts. I am a pastor and am interested in what your business is. If you can share my email is pastorjim@davisstreetcc.org thanks!
What a terrific idea. I have done lots of fasting in my life but when I did a water fast recently I had a very tough time. I had problems with an overly sensitive sense of smell and taste. Drove me crazy – the worst was the taste of laundry soap and dryer sheets in my mouth from the clothes I was wearing. I switched to organic laundry products and plan to try again. I am also looking for organic and unscented shampoo and soap. Any tips are appreciated. I love the way you broke up the 40 days into 4 parts and plan to try that the next time I start a fast. Thanks and good luck to you.
jennyjenny: Bert’s Bee makes a really nice bar soap as well as liquid. I prefer the bar as I believe it lasts longer than the liquid. Tom’s of Maine makes a great flourideless peppermint toothpaste, and Loreale makes a sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner.
I agree with the taste thing. I recently went on a 40+ day fast, and the discovery phase of the fast was amazing. The senses were in high gear!