“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).
I know it’s not November, but bear with me.
Sometime last year, my friend Annuli (above) told me about a thanksgiving fast. I was so confused because my understanding of fasting had been abstaining from food and water for a specific period of time, killing the flesh and allowing the Holy Spirit to live. She’s always challenging me and she explained what this fast is:
A Thanksgiving Fast is basically when you say, “God, I trust you to take care of me because you have been taking care of me. So, for a specific time frame I want to say THANK YOU!” You do not petition, you do not complain. You force yourself to see all of God’s beautiful work in your life. And you show your gratitude by thanking Him at any given moment…focus on Thanksgiving.
I was a bit scared, to be honest.
The both of us have done this a couple of times, and last month she asked me again to join her. I ended up not doing it, but I have been feeling as if I ought to do a thanksgiving fast, and for the right reasons– I genuinely and sincerely want to worship God for/in everything. So, I figured my birthday is coming up, I’m tuning 24… There was the inception of my 24-Day Thanksgiving Fast!
Why am I writing about it? On the one hand it’s going to be a challenge to consciously and consistently thank God for everything! My flesh is saying: but you have a lot of needs... I am learning to quiet my flesh. Furthermore, it’s a commitment to God– I haven’t been so diligent in my commitments lately, and I want to make my Father proud, I want to put a smile on His face. So, everyday till my birthday I want to thank God for something; and what I thank God for will correspond with the day. For example, today is Day 1, so I’ll thank God for one thing; tomorrow will be Day 2, so I’ll thank God for two things, etc… Up till my birthday!
So…
Day 1
Thanking God for: ASSURANCE OF SALVATION.
Passage: John 10:28, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (NIV).
Reason: There are many verses that reassure me about my salvation, but the one that really caught my attention today is found in John 10 (such a great passage). Sometimes when I make mistakes I doubt my relationship with Jesus, telling myself that He cannot possibly love me anymore. But because I believe in HIM and I am His sheep, it was very calming when Jesus told me this morning that I have eternal life in HIM! And this promise compels me to want to live passionately for Him for the rest of my time here on this side of glory.
Prayer: Thank you Jesus for choosing to die for me. Thank you for shedding your blood to cleanse me, for dying so I can live and have eternal life with you! Amen.
God For Everyday 