Fasting & Prayer - Day 3

Good morning,

We have entered the 3rd day of fasting and prayer. Day three is significance in many ways. First, your flesh has begun to recognize that your eating habits have change; therefore, to compensate, it has jumped into survival mode, where the body relies on fat burning for energy. This is called autophagy, a process that involves recycling and renewing old cells. Depending on the length of fast between meals, by day three your body will actually thank you for the sacrifice by giving you a boost of energy, enhancing your mental clarity/focus and stabilizing your mood. Of course, these benefits are only for those who have fasted the entire 3 days or intermittent fasted as we have committed to doing for more than 12 to 16 hours each day.

As the natural man is being renewed so is the spiritual. You should notice by now that your prayers are taking less effort, becoming more fluid and you are more focussed, which is leading to longer praying time. You will also notice that your mind is sharper, less foggy similar to turning on your wiper blades during the onset of rain. Your spirit should also feel lighter, more acute, and less repressed. This is a good thing. Fasting is a cleansing for the body soul mind and spirit.

Take note of the biblical significance of the number three. It represents divine wholeness, completeness, and perfection. Jesus rose on the third day, therefore day three is the day of resurrection.

I want you to know that today is the turning point of your fasting and prayer, On day one, by committing to fast you died to self; day two you buried your appetite and your will to feed it. And now on day three, there is a payoff: a resurgence of spirit, body and mind, a resurrection . While you may have a long way to go, you can rest assured that from here on in you have resurrection power to overcome because you fought and came through one of the toughest periods of fasting which is the first three days.

From this point, the struggle will be more mental than physical. Keep in mind, your body has already been crucified; it can survive in this holding pattern without food now for the next 21 days if you choose to go the distance. However, your mind will not capitulate or give in so easily. Your mind houses your memory, and memory doesn’t leave us just because our bodies are hijacked. Every-time you pass the fridge or see an image of a hamburger, or smell a familiar scent coming from the lunchroom at work, your memory will trigger, causing you to desire food once again. Don’t give in, it’s just your mind playing tricks on you.

So pray and ask the Lord to renew your mind today. Lord, purify my mind, toss out bad memories that occupy spaces which I need cleaned. Erase the unused files and free up my mental storage so that I can think on things that are lovely, pure, just and of good report. Help me to load only what is pertinent to the development of my spirit. Reset my mind Lord. Please let my mind to be fluid and unencumbered so that I can focus on my future and the things you have for me. Help me to execute all the goals, purposes and plans using the gifts and grace I know you’ve given me to secure my destiny. This I ask in Jesus name.

Be blessed,

Pastor