restriction vs. freedom

Each spring at NewPointe we like to encourage our people to engage in a 40-day fast leading up to Easter. It's kinda like a Lent thing but we just take the 40 days immediately preceeding Easter and ask anyone who's willing to fast something during those forty days...in other words, give up something (could be a particular food, say, desserts, or junk food, or pop, or it could be something like TV, or Xbox). The fast is about growing your relationship with God. I believe God's not as concerned about what is in your stomach as He is about what is in your heart. Basically the fast is a spiritual discipline we do in order to deepen our relationship with God and to walk in step with His plan and purpose. Typically we get there through substituting our regular food (or TV, etc.) intake with Bible reading, praying and journaling. The overall goal is to experience a genuine hunger for spending time with God.

I've fasted in the past. Unfortunately, I haven't made it a regular discipline. I probably should.

Recently I read about something called a "Daniel fast." Have you heard of it? Daniel made a decision to not eat the king's food was an outward symbol of an inward commitment he had made to God.

Typically there is no definitive list of foods for the Daniel fast, it is truly the spirit of Daniel's decision that gets imitated over a set period of time (sometimes 21 days). The Daniel Fast is a partial fast, meaning that some common thingsget eliminated from the daily diet, but generous options are usually available. Most Daniel fasts that I've heard of focus on eating fruits and vegetables that are pure and simple.

As I was reading, a question was asked that struck me:

During this fast, have you focused on the freedom or restriction? We are free to eat of all the fruits and vegetables God has created. There is no way to count all the possibilities. Yet, with all the freedom we have been given, it is tempting to focus on the few restrictions.

Satan can manipulate the freedom God has given us in many areas of our lives. He can make God’s freedoms feel restrictive.

And so I started thinking...how huge is that? Man, that question/statement rings so true. My tendency when I'm fasting, no, in life often times is to focus on the restrictions rather than the freedom I have. If I'm truly free in Christ then I should live like I am. Following Christ isn't about keeping a list of dos and don'ts. It's about experiencing freedom! It an abundance mentality vs. a scarcity mindset. The restrictions, see, aren't really restrictions. In fact the "rules" that God gives us are actually guidelines for successful living. I'm learning that God's way is always the best way. It's just tough to get it through my thick skull sometimes.

Restriction vs. freedom. What's it gonna be? 2 Corinthians 3:17 says: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. That's huge!