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A lot has changed since I began this blog.

God called me back into the ministry of counseling and called me out of bondage. Find out more on

Renewing Your Mind Transformational Counseling and Coaching.







There will be some surprises here for some, others may be not so much. We all think our masks are on just right. You will notice the name change right off the back. It's strange saying it out loud, but I'm getting used to it. I'm getting used to a lot of things, good things, things other people take for granted because it's actually "normal" or what we want to be normal but isn't normal for far too many of us.

Read on.

"I'm Dr. Karen. I'm a counselor, coach, and speaker. I also wrote a little book about my own journey in letting go of the thoughts, beliefs, and spiritual lies that were creating depression, anxiety, chronic pain and fatigue, and how that resulted in my losing 40 lbs. without really trying. I called this 90 page book Effortless Weightloss: Small Changes That Lead to Extraordinary Results! and it actually became a best-seller - so it must mean that I am not alone in wanting something different, something more.

​

That was the first step in my journey to reclaim my voice, my body, my mind. A few years ago my marriage to a very unhappy man with a narcissistic personality, went from difficult but manageable, to absolutely intolerable, both to me and more importantly, my children. It wasn't until I realized the counselor (me) needed counseling, that a book was placed into my hands that made it impossible for me to deny that this was abuse - not like abuse, not at times abusive - but abuse. 

It was Why does he do that? Inside the minds of angry and controlling men by Lundy Bancroft. I felt like someone wrote my life down and didn't tell me about it. And I realized I was not alone, in fact, I was one of many highly functioning Christian women (and non-Christians) who was living in abuse and telling themselves it's just a difficult marriage and at least it's better than it used to be (this week).

I went through all the cycles that some of you are very familiar with: his denial that my experience was real (gaslighting), anger then physical intimidation, disappearing with no contact, controlling the money, threats and accusations, and then -  when I was packing up to finally - this time I mean it - leave, the inevitable tears, apologies and love bombing - but no actual change, i.e., no true repentance. 

Why? Because the cycle always ended up with his belief that his behavior and choices were in some way my fault. He wouldn't do this if I hadn't done that, whatever that look was I gave him or words I said that he knows what they "really" mean...I would see the shift in his mind, his eyes narrow, and I'd think, "here we go again."

I was trauma bonded, I wanted the lies to be true, addicted to Dr. Jekyll and disgusted by Mr. Hyde. I wasn't outside looking in the way I was with my clients, I was in the thick of it and it was spiraling out of my control. At its worst I realized I was exhibiting symptoms of PTSD, and that scared me even more. I said more times than I can count, "How can we be having the same conversations and arguments 20 years later? I really thought we had a breakthrough." 

Honestly, if my children had not shared with me that I was not "keeping it from them," I was not really "protecting them," and in reality, they were hurting, scared, and affected, no matter how hard I tried to make up the imbalance by being the perfect mom, the perfect wife, the perfect Christian...I would still be trying, and I would still be failing. I would still be hearing my ex-husband say, "What about you?"

 In fact,  it was God who changed my thinking by saying into my spirit, "If changing you would change him, it would have already happened. It's not about you. Believing it's you makes it easy for him to stay the same. He doesn't want to change, he doesn't want help, not now. But if you trust Me, I'll help you." 

That was the key, my ex-husband had coping strategies for life that were working for him on some level he needed them too, so why would he change? We don't change until the pain of staying the same is greater than the risk of changing. 

God reminded me that the only person who was ready to truly change was the only person I actually could change: me. He asked me to trust Him and it was one scariest times of my life, because I was so used to relying on me, me, me. So I held my breath for what seemed like a long time, then I said, "Yes." And I've never doubted that decision, not even once.

During that year of getting out, He comforted me, brought me into intense times of prayer and fasting, required me to be really honest with my pastor, my friends, and my ministry licensing head. He led me to study what was happening neurologically that enabled change, and how changing my beliefs, thoughts, and emotions had a physical effect on my body (freeing me from being overweight and being anxious) as well as an effect on my ability to cope, make decisions, and even express and receive healthy love. 

I learned from practitioners trained in neuro-plasticity how to actually change the unconcsious patterns that had been keeping me not only stuck, but unaware that I was stuck, emotionally, spiritually, physically and even financially.

I was able to systematically let go of those self-limiting beliefs about...everything - and I mean really let go not just talk about letting go and saying I had let go, but feeling like I was neurologically a different person after each session, someone for whom it made no more sense to tolerate abuse than it did to tolerate slamming my hand in a drawer! Everything changed - my relationships with God, money, family, and especially with my kids. 

I also learned how letting go of relying only on me frees me up to accept love, help, money, friendship and success in every area of my life! There were so many blessings God had for me but I didn't know how to receive them, so it's like I sat there begging for help but not even seeing that He was sending me help and offering me help constantly -  but I had these blocks and blinders up that didn't allow me to perceive it! 

Jesus Messiah approached a man who had been laying in misery for 38 years. He asked him one question: "Do you truly want to be healed?" 

We might think, of course, that's what he wants, duh. What Jesus really meant was, are you ready to let go of the identity you have formed by being (your problem here)? 

To heal, it has to have become more painful to stay the same than to begin to change. We have to be more afraid of where we've been than where we might go. That man was healed that very day.

How about you? Are you truly willing to be healed? 
If so visit me at Renewing Your Mind Counseling and Coaching, or 

Schedule a FREE 30 minute call, 

​or email me at renewyourmindcoach@gmail.com

God has placed great value on you

God has placed great value on every person. In fact, before you were born, before the foundations of the world were laid, He planned you and wrote all He intended for your life in a book, according to Psalm 39. It's full of joy, and blessing, and love. Uh...so why don't we all experience that?

That's the tricky thing about being made in His image: like Him, we possess free will. We have the walk in everything that He predestined us to by making our own choice to love Him in return, or reject His love, and Him, and all that He offers.

Like any other child, He does His to demonstrate right from wrong, how to have a joy-filled life and make choices that result in blessings, or we can do it our way on our own as we see fit. That's ok. And may be up until the point of death, we can be ok with that.

We don't have God's blessings but we are doing ok working this system to get the money and success that we've been convinced is the goal, the dream, our purpose. Then we get to the sticky points. This is not the end. This wasn't even the beginning. This was choosing what's next and learning to let go, love, trust and enter in to the most rewarding and fulfilling relationship possible - with our actual Creator. Before us are two eternal choices, life or death. Choose life.

Welcome to spiritual adulting.

He paid a high price to ensure we had the option to truly love and be loved, or to stay right where we are, and all that comes with that decision. Only a human was eligible to take on the sin debt of all humans, and only God could actually accomplish it. Jesus was both...He could and He did. All we have to do is accept it. Is it available to everyone, of course, but that doesn't mean we receive it. It's like a gift sitting there unopened that was ours all along, we knew it was ours, but we never took the action of opening it and using it, so basically, it is as if we never had it at all. Our choice, always our choice.

Opening that gift opens a world of benefits, one of which is the security we really can safely and effectively fulfill God's purpose for us - everything written down in our books. This security and love drives out all fear!  No one in heaven is limiting us, in fact, our success in being and doing all we were created for is guaranteed! That's the trick though, isn't. Believing someone else might know what is better and even best for us, have more information than us, have actual control instead of the way we try to constantly take control - and decide their way is likely the better way. That's the limit for most of us - giving up our limited plan and our illusion of control for true power, true love, true success because it means someone else is the boss of me.

So I can keep making plans of my own and praying for God to bless them and prosper them and hope my plans actually are what is best for me...or, I can guarantee success by seeking what His plans are.

They are always good, they are always for me and never against me, they are always designed to give me a great future and a hope. I think I know that, but what act on is the believe that I know what I truly need inside my spirit, what my soul longs for. How can I? I don't have all the information. I'm just trying to get my needs met, trying to heal what's broken, what those people did to me, back then.
There is one who knows what my real needs are, what my purpose is, what will bring me joy and ecstasy and even financial blessing (yes, I said financial - look it up, it's in the Book).

The difference is that without the relationship with the source of blessings (He has a name and it is not "Universe") the more money we have, the less joy and sense of purpose we experience. That's what we do though, we worship the creation instead of the Creator.

With Him, the more joy and purpose we have, and the more we handle money His way and in relationship with Him, the more of all that, including money, we have at our disposal as well. The reason I am dwelling on money here is because the world system has us convinced that is our ultimate goal - money, power, success. Money by any means is safety and security and power. How is that working for your spirit? If that were the case the richest people in the world would feel the happiest, safest, and filled with purpose, but that is not the case. There is nothing wrong with money, it's our serving, and grasping at, and seeking more and more money that keeps us in bondage.

Money is necessary in this system, granted, acknowledged, buys lots of great things. I am not arguing the necessity of money. I am arguing what making money a god does to your spirit and to your finances.

Money with God results in open hands - open to receive and open to give. Money on our own results in clutched hands, closed to give and closed to receive. Sure we give to charity, give out a few bucks to the man on the corner, make ourselves feel good, but never more than we feel we can afford, because after all, it's up to us make the money, manage the money, and decide what to do with the money. It's all on us.

What if it didn't have to be all on us? What then? Now we are getting into another teaching. After all, one of our problems is that we want God's blessing without attributing those blessing to Him or being willing to be accountable to Him after we receive them. Just show me the money and get out of my life.

So let's start there. With Him, and being truthful with our relationship with Him, and whether or not we want more.

Please sir, may I have some more? Why yes, yes you may!


Psalm 39
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Galatians 3:13-15
Romans 8:31
Jeremiah 29:11
Matthew 6:33
Romans 1:25

Thank you to Dr. Kevin Zadai, WarriorNotesSchool.com whose Introduction to The Agenda of Angels sparked the thoughts leading to this blog post.

After the fast

It's early, so I'm going to take stock throughout the day, notice how I feel, notice what has changed...

One change, in previous fasts, I was daydreaming and watching food videos all throughout, just waiting for day when the fast is over and I could eat again. I probably ate too much, too soon.

Today, I wasn't chomping at the bit to start eating. I knew it would happen, but it didn't need to be immediately. I had some hot water with lemon instead and focused on what was more important. It was an hour and a half later that I slowly chewed a small slice of watermelon, and I was good. I went back to what was more important. I like that - answer to prayer number 1.

I wake up early (God's idea, not mine). But, since He wants to spend time with me at 5 am every morning, I want to spend time with Him; often groggily to begin with, but that's what you do when you love someone with your whole heart - you spend time with them. That's our time and believe me, no one in this house is awake to interrupt me at 5-7 am and that's nice.

So, before I am fully awake I begin to pray in the spiritual tongue God gave me. Why, because everything in His Word that He gives to children, to those who love Him with their whole hearts, I want that.

"You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, with every thought that is within you, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment. 31 And the second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.’ You will never find a greater commandment than these.”'(Mark 12:30-31, The Passion Translation)

For years I have been fascinated with and continue to find greater meaning in these verses. At times I focus on verse 30, in passionately loving God with everything I am and have, and continually opening more and more to Him. Today what I see anew is in verse 31.

In the way that The Passion Translation (from The Aramaic texts) quotes Jesus here, I notice that the second commandments is we must love others in the same way we love ourselves. I realize now that this is both a command to our will, to choose to actively love others, but it is also a law that describes how we unconsciously love others - bear with me, this is good.

We actually do love other people in the way we love our selves! Let me explain - if we inwardly hate ourselves, we will treat others with hatred, if we don't trust ourselves or God, we won't trust other people. Whatever we hold against ourselves, we will hold that against everyone we try to be in relationship with. If we are to have any hope of loving others in the way God created us to, it must begin with healing ourselves, in learning to forgive, then accept, then love ourselves.

I'm not talking about behaviors, sometimes we need to learn new ways of doing things and often we need to make restitution for ways we have harmed someone else.

I'm talking about doing what needs to be done inwardly so that we can love, so that we are able to grasp with our mind and heart what love truly is and where it originates. We cannot give to anyone what we do not possess. Proverbs 23:7-9 describes it this way:

"For as he thinks within himself, so is he.
He will grudgingly say, '“Go ahead and eat all you want,”'
but in his heart he resents the fact that he has to pay for your meal.
8 You’ll be sorry you ate anything at all,
and all your compliments will be wasted."(TPT)

Yes, yes, I know, we all feel the emotion we describe as love and I personally believe the closest emotion we feel that God would agree is love is how we feel towards our children. What we often call love might more accurately be identified as concern for the welfare of others, it might be a desire to please God with our attitudes and actions, it might instead be infatuation or lust, or it might be possessiveness or emotional need. But is it love as defined by the One who first loved?

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says that we can do things that outwardly look like love, but without love in our hearts, they are may benefit others (still a good thing) but they we have gained nothing, we remain empty inside, it's all a sham, a show, an act:

"If I were to speak with eloquence in earth’s many languages, and in the heavenly tongues of angels, yet I didn’t express myself with love, my words would be reduced to the hollow sound of nothing more than a clanging cymbal.

2 And if I were to have the gift of prophecy with a profound understanding of God’s hidden secrets, and if I possessed unending supernatural knowledge, and if I had the greatest gift of faith that could move mountains,  but have never learned to love, then I am nothing.

3 And if I were to be so generous as to give away everything I owned to feed the poor, and to offer my body to be burned as a martyr, without the pure motive of love, I would gain nothing of value." (The Passion Translation)

Verses 4-8 describe how you know you have true love within yourself, it is no longer something you strive to do, it is a way you have become:

"Love is large and incredibly patient.

 Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous[g] when blessing comes to someone else. 

Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. 

5 Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. 

Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense.

6 Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. 

7 Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.

Tell me more! As much as we value the spiritual gifts, God values love even more:

8 Love never stops loving.It extends beyond the gift of prophecy, which eventually fades away. It is more enduring than tongues, which will one day fall silent. Love remains long after words of knowledge are forgotten."

Where in this list is your conscience pricked? Is it taking no delight in what is wrong (I think of t.v. shows, or relishing someone else getting their comeuppance) or is it being easily irritated (may be with our children or spouse), or is taking offense or dwelling in a failure and making it your new identify? 

Instead of feeling condemned (Satan's tool, not God's) be convicted to give this over to God, to repent of this attitude and lack of love, and ask Him to give you more love, to fill you up with love for yourself as His child as well as for others. That is my daily prayer, that my ego decrease, and that He increase so that I am more and more walking-talking LOVE. (John 3:30 TPT "So it’s necessary for Him to increase  and for me to be diminished.")

NOTE: Love is not staying within abuse. The most loving thing you can do is no longer participate/condone someone else's lack of control or desire to hurt you. Staying without requirements to change coupled with enforceable consequences is not love, not for yourself, certainly not for your children, and not for your partner. That's right, it is good or loving for the abuser. They continue to live in a cycle of anger, jealousy, self-loathing, and loss of love. They have no chance to change, while they have "permission" to continue as is. 

A person who has love for themselves, who recognizes their innate value to God, does not abuse themselves or others, and does not remain in abuse.

Fasting day 7

Well, this was it. 7 days of water fasting.

I prayed today that I finish strong. That I not get swept up into fantasies about what I'm going to eat tomorrow. That's a downhill slope toward overeating and to me, dishonors what I have done this week.

Fruit, raw salad, vegetable soup. There, done.

I asked God to accomplish everything He wants done in me through this fast. Of course I had my own hit list of what I was dedicating this fast for. People I care for, people I counsel and my own needs.

I am amazed that I did it - and I am well aware it was accomplished by His power and not my own. I barely made it through a 5 day fast last year that I did for cleansing and restorative reasons, but I did that for myself, and not for God.

This was different. Completely given by God, enabled by God, and blessed by God, and and all I had to do was say yes. I've said that before, after yes, it's all easy.

I can't wait to see what is different from this day forward!! I praise Him, through Him all things in my life work for my good and in everything that is good I give thanks! Romans 8:28

Fasting day 6

What defines a spiritual fast versus any other kind of fast? 

A spiritual fast, like other fasts, involves denying the body food for a certain period of time, in order to move the mind's focus away from the body and its desires and toward God.

 It might be one meal, one day, several days, several weeks, and so on. At times we feel called to fast by the Lord. Other times we feel a sense that a fast is necessary for breakthrough or answers.

Common motivations for spiritual fasting include:

• Mourning

• Seeking redemption

• Renewal of faith

• Seeking a sense of purpose or direction

• Struggling with a major life choice

• Overcoming addiction or a crisis

• Seeking intervention in the lives of loved ones

The physical act of denial is an act of faith. It is also an act of discipline and self-control over the flesh. It can remove addictions, clear our mind of distractions so we can listen to God, enable us to see that we are more than our cravings, and develops discipline over many areas in our lives.

It's not about what we are going without, it is about what we are exchanging that time spent on food for, and what we are subsequently gaining.

In Matthew 6:16 Jesus says, "When you fast," not if you fast or some people fast. It's an expectation that fasting is a part of spiritual Christian life. 

He said don't go around looking like you are "miserable, gloomy, and disheveled" as if a fast is some terrible burden on you, as if others should feel bad for you or praise your martyrdom. 

Fasting is a gift and should be undertaken with joy and humility, with an intention to not only fast from distractions such as food, secular t.v. and music, and other activities that do not help you contemplate your spiritual direction or what it is you are seeking to address with the Lord during this time.

"Whether it’s strengthening earnest prayer (Ezra 8:23; Joel 2:12; Acts 13:3). Or seeking God’s guidance (Judges 20:26; Acts 14:23) or his deliverance or protection (2 Chronicles 20:3–4; Ezra 8:21–23). Or humbling ourselves before him (1 Kings 21:27–29; Psalm 35:13). Or expressing repentance (1 Samuel 7:6; Jonah 3:5–8) or grief (1 Samuel 31:13; 2 Samuel 1:11–12) or concern for his work (Nehemiah 1:3–4; Daniel 9:3). Or overcoming temptation and dedicating ourselves to him (Matthew 4:1–11). Or best of all, expressing love and devotion to him (Luke 2:37), and saying with our fast, “This much, O God, I want more of you.”' ("The Secret Benefits of Fasting," Desiring God.org)

Fasting is a reminder that Jesus is the true food, and the true drink, the one that refreshes, the one that renews for eternity, not just for the five minutes we sit and scarf and then it's gone and all the momentary pleasure with it.

"Jesus answered, “If you drink from Jacob’s well you’ll be thirsty again and again, but if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never thirst again and will be forever satisfied! For when you drink the water I give you it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit, springing up and flooding you with endless life!” John 4:13-14 

Fasting day 5

Today I am thinking about what I am going to eat to break my fast. This is the first time I've even thought about food. No real trauma, just thinking about it and wanting to be wise and not pig out. That's a quick route to pain, bloating, and trips to the bathroom!

I'm thinking fresh fruit sounds good then later some vegetable soup. That's as far as I dare think, I don't want to go down that road of food fantasizing, that's the worst thing to do when fasting.

Instead of thinking about eating, a spiritual water fast involves spending that time I would have in thinking about food and preparing food and eating food instead in prayer, Scripture reading, or watching or listening to solid teaching and preaching.

Feeding the spirit instead of the body. Coming out on the other side refreshed and restored and renewed inwardly. I can't wait to see what God is up to and what He is working for my good during this time!

So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together to fit into God’s perfect plan of bringing good into our lives, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose. Romans 8:28 TPT

Fasting day four

This week God has answered one specific prayer so far: to bring me more people to join with in prayer and fellowship in Christ.

Those with whom to pray softly and proclaim loudly, to praise and to sing, to soak in His presence, to hear and speak wisdom and knowledge that can only come from His Holy Spirit. If you haven't experienced it, I probably can't explain it or convince you, and if you have then you know exactly what I am talking about.  

So, answers....starting with the beginning of the week I spoke with a long time friend who shared she is one such prayer. Another friend told me about a group at a local church who happened to be meeting tonight (yes it was awesome!) and then there's another group walking and praying the Psalms together tomorrow. Plus I have two groups I pray with each week. My cup runneth over. Psalm 23:5b (You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.)

Often we aren't aware that the answers to our needs have already been provided, we simply need to ask. Then be on the lookout, assume God heard you pray the first time, be thankful.

Today the fast went much the same as any other day this week: His yoke is easy. It's easy to pull the weight, it seems like nothing at all for He does the heavy lifting. My job, and the hardest job in my mind, is to say "Yes." After that, it's all Him.

Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. James 4:8 The Message 

Fasting day three

Today is always one of my favorite days: I start Wednesday mornings early meeting first with my online prayer group, during which time we pray in English and in the Spirit, always having an interpretation or prophetic word and always feeling the presence of the Lord in such an amazing way.
After wards, I meet another prayer group at church lifting up our church body, our town, our leadership, even our president, in prayer. With all that prayer, you know it's going to be a good, good day. 

Especially while fasting. Every sense is more acute. Smells are stronger, touch feels more sensitive, and as I said, the presence of God is very palpable. Today after my morning online prayer, I felt so filled with the Spirit, so much of the glory fire on me, I wouldn't have been surprised if my face was glowing like Moses! 

I still went to the gym, and worked slightly lighter but not by much. When I am fasting, I do feel more tired, however the energy always appears when I need it. I feel that especially with this fast, which is a Biblical fast, not a cleanse or weight loss jumpstart fast. I feel a sense of well-being that I have not felt from day one when I have done cleansing fasts, although by day 3 in any fast, the desire for food pretty much ceases and there is a focus and clarity, much the same way.

So, you may be wondering how to do a Biblical fast.

Biblical fasting can be defined as abstaining from food specifically for spiritual purposes.
You may sense God leading you to fast, as I did this past weekend, or you may need breakthrough in an area, the way Esther and Mordecai did (Esther 4:3), or David did for intervention and for healing (Psalm 35:13; 2 Samuel 12:17,23), or to commit a ministry to the Lord or confirm the appointment of elders (Acts 13:2; 14:23), or to gain power to cast out demons as did the disciples (Matthew 17:21), to gain answers (Nehemiah 1:4), or even to spiritually prepare for a challenge, as did Jesus before He was tested in the wilderness (Luke 4:2)

"John Piper writes in his book Hunger for God: 'Christian fasting...is also a chosen weapon against every force in the world that would take that satisfaction (in God) away."

Marylin Hickey describes her experience with Biblical fasting and breakthroughs:

"That breakthrough might be in the realm of the spirit. It may be in the realm of your emotions or personal habits. It may be in the realm of a very practical area of life, such as a relationship or finances. What I have seen repeatedly through the years-not only in the Scriptures but in countless personal stories that others have told me -- is that periods of fasting and prayer produce great spiritual results, many of which fall into the realm of a breakthrough. What wasn't a reality . . . suddenly was. What hadn't worked . . . suddenly did. The unwanted situation or object that was there . . . suddenly wasn't there. The relationship that was unloving . . . suddenly was loving. The job that hadn't materialized . . . suddenly did.

The very simple and direct conclusions I draw are these: First, if the Bible teaches us to do something, I want to do it. I want to obey the Lord in every way that He commands me to obey Him. And second, if fasting and praying are means to a breakthrough that God has for me, I want to undertake those disciplines so I might experience that breakthrough!"

I agree!!

You can read the original articles here:
https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/fasting/how-to-do-a-biblical-fast.html
https://www1.cbn.com/spirituallife/the-power-of-prayer-and-fasting

Fasting day two

If you have been following my fasting posts, you will remember that yesterday was a good, good fasting day. No cravings, no hunger even, and peaceful. Today?

Pretty darn good! I had time to get up, spend some time reading my Bible (in love with The Passion Translation right now and its Aramaic conversational translation) then praying in the Spirit - always the best way to start my day.

The main effect of Day Two was I felt more tired than usual this afternoon, however, the truth be told (run-on sentence alert) I was up late two nights at a women's retreat, then came home and had a movie marathon with my youngest son (uh, can you say 3 a.m.) Sunday, and was still up till midnight last night despite my many declarations that I couldn't wait to get to sleep. Jeepers, my fingers are tired now. Plus, I drove to the dentist (1.5 hours away) so I would probably be tired no matter what.

(And you win the prize for busiest, therefore important, person award - I think I will give myself a Eutaptics session on that little nugget.)

Thankfully, fasting does give me a sort of ethereal sense of being very relaxed in general. It's easier to stop the running and doing and have more being. I find I am reading instead of rushing. Yeah, it's good stuff.

That said: I vow to fall asleep by may be 11 p.m. tonight, may be, hopefully, we'll see... What does God say, "Let your yes be yes and your vow be vow...?"

OK, I would like to be asleep by 11 pm - happy, sleep police?

 At each and every sunrise you will hear my voice

as I prepare my sacrifice of prayer to you.[c]

Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on the altar

and wait for your fire to fall upon my heart.[d] Psalm 5:3 TPT

Fasting day one

On the first day of fasting.....you sang it, right? I sang it while I wrote it.

I'm almost chagrined to say it, but this has been the most wonderful, dare I say it, easiest first day of a fast I have ever experienced. That's all God, right there. He asks me to do something, I ask Him to give me all I need to do it, that the burden be easy and the yoke light. He is Good.

For all that I require of you will be pleasant[a] and easy to bear.” Matthew 11:30 TPT

I've read some interesting Bible verses about fasting, including

Matthew 17:21:"But this kind of demon is cast out only through prayer and fasting.” 

Sometimes the only way to break spiritual oppression is through both prayer and fasting. 

Today I set my intention for the purpose of this fast as I understand it. I spoke to God about who and what was on my heart, where I feel oppressed or where those I care about are suffering. I gave Him this day as I do everyday, trusting Him to bring about His plans, because they are what is best for me.

 He knows the plans he has for me to prosper me and not to harm me, to give me a future and hope. Jeremiah 29:11

And I went about my day: gym with my kids, on to helping my daughter with her coursework, seeing clients, back home for reviewing school work with my son and daughter, winding down with my oldest son and sharing our day and laughing about, well, stuff we think is pretty funny. Now, I'm listening to my younger son play a game (it's his "weekend" off from work so he gets to stay up late one night) while I talk to you, and reflect on a normal but very good day. 

Everybody went to bed friends with everybody else, and there is much to be said about the joy of a peaceful home.  

I found it interesting (and frankly wonderful!!) that I wasn't hungry at all today. Not one craving, no rumblings, just at peace inside and out. I think I told Him thank you about 20 times today because that to me is so cool, so Him. 

Goodnight, good fast