Spring Forward, Leave the Bondage Behind

This is the perfect time of the year where people tend to do their spring cleaning. They become overwhelmed with the long, winter sweaters in the closets and tired of looking at the cob webs in the corners of the ceiling. It is not an official day in the calendar; it is a personal choice. You choose the day to restock your closest with your new spring outfits.

My concept of a spring break fast is to clean out my “junk” that I carry in my heart, so that I may prepare a season of new life. I need to do a fast for a week to prepare and challenge my heart; it is to grow my faith. I choose to do a whole week with individual day-by-day fasts because my heart is filled with cobwebs and dirt that consumes my personal relationship with my Savior. Every day I hope to give up or take away a chain of bondage for that day. This will give me time to reflect, pray, dig deeper in the Word, and grow the seed that is inside of my heart. 

Seven items/sins that I will give up each one, one day at a time.

1.   Cell phone: One day during my fast I promise to fast my cell phone entirely. No texting, calling, and playing games for the entire day. I will leave my phone off. This will be hard, but I have Christ to strengthen me. 

I must note that owning a cell phone is not a sin. It is a sin when we put it before God in our rating scale of time. This is why I must fast my cell phone because my time that is for God goes to my phone, and it is not right at all. 

Also, it is important to note that every time I think or try to turn-on my phone, I will go straight to prayer for the Lord to keep my path straight and guard my heart. 

2.   Negative thoughts: I will fast negative thoughts regarding my life, my situation, or anything else for one day in hopes of making it a life-term commitment. I am generally a happy, smiley gal, but I still struggle with this issue of negative thoughts. I want to be able to praise Jesus in every circumstance that I go through. Giving up negativity is important to getting on to the walk of freedom. 

3.  Giving up pride and gaining humility: In one day during my fast, I would like to break down the wall of being prideful. I want to use this time to gain humility by serving my brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ. I have noticed lately that I put a lot of time investing in myself when I need to take time to be there for my siblings in Christ. I want to be able to listen instead of talking, and to actually hear what they are saying. 

4.   School work: This day will be a relieving for me personally. This semester has been time consuming. Yes, I am blessed to be able to go to school. However, it is getting to be so stressful that I worry too much about school all the time. Instead of focusing on what God has planned for me, I worry about homework, what’s due when, projects, and various tests. It has been stressful so I need to take a day to focus, pray, and ask God for wisdom. 

5.   Conquer complaining: I complain about the smallest events in my life, and it is starting to frustrate me. I feel that I need to stop that I can become content with what God has given me. I need to be giving thanks to my Father. One day in my fast I will try my very hardest to not complain about the situation that I am in or things that bother and instead praise Jesus for all He has been giving me. Praise Jesus for revealing this struggle to me! Now I can be set free from it. 

6.  Soda: I use to drink a lot of soda when I was younger. Then I started to drink more water. The purpose of giving up soda for a day is to reflect on the Living water called Jesus Christ. Every time I take a drink of water I would like to thank Jesus for filling me up with His Holy Spirit. This should become a daily reminder of what Jesus did for me on the cross. He gave me life.

7.  Hiding behind a mask: I promise to give up hiding behind a mask for one day during my fast in prayer that it will become a life-term goal. I want to be a transparent woman of Christ wearing my feelings on my face. But more than that I want to strive to tell my friends and family what is going on with me. I like to hide behind a mask because I do not want anyone to worry about me. Truth be told I am done with being this little girl who cries at night when no one can hear her. I want to cry, laugh, smile, and rejoice with those who I love. No longer will I have the burden of being a hypocrite to my feelings. 

Let’s pray! 

Dear Father,

I pray that you will fill me with your Holy Spirit, and give me the strength to clean my heart out. I pray that I will start the process of being set free. Help me Father! I want to make a positive impact to those around me, and it starts by what’s in my heart. Lord, I give you my list of things that I struggle with. Guide my every step. I praise you Father for everything that you have provided me with. Thank you!

In Jesus Name,

Amen