Thursday, March 3 / Day 2  

…and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost...     — Isaiah 55:1b

Yesterday I asked if you were thirsty for a deeper relationship with God, and what you might have to set down to more fully explore that relationship. Did you decide on something?

Lent is about repenting, but also about fasting. Usually just mentioning the word “fast” scares people. We do not like to go without, and fasting means we stop something for a set amount of time.

If you have not already chosen, I       encourage you to pick something in your life you sense is crossing the line from           enjoyment to addiction, something you feel you inappropriately depend on. Pick something whose absence will leave a hole in your life. Choose to put that thing down until Easter.

Once you have made the decision, the hard work begins. You have to let    yourself feel the emptiness that thing has been filling. You have taken away the crutch. Now you can see how you have been propping yourself up with something other than God.

What is coming to your mind? What has become “too big” in your life? Maybe it’s caffeine or alcohol or sugar. Maybe it’s social media—it began as a way to   connect with people but now you just mindlessly scroll. Maybe it’s TV—it began as a way to relax and became a way to escape problems or a constant distraction in the background. Maybe it’s junk food—it has become more than an occasional treat. Maybe it’s…you fill in the blank.

The first few days of fasting are always hard because there is a detox. You will feel cravings and be tempted to put that thing back in your life. When you feel that way, pray to God for strength, and remember why you chose to fast from it. In the long run, it will be worth it.

To Think/Pray About Today

What has become too big in your life? What can you give up whose absence will let you feel hunger and thirst again? Commit to it by writing it down, and tell someone else. Both writing it down and being account-able to someone else make you more likely to follow through.

Prayer Focus: Beans -n- Cream