The 30 Day Fasting Challenge

Well hey, at least you're trying! You can learn a lot from trying. At around 4:45 I got in my bed for a good two hours before waking up. I remember when I did this challenge before, the sleeping on the ground was (I believe) the only one that I failed at. Who knew that would be so tough! It sounds easier than it is.

 

Today's challenge needs a bit of explaining, so here it is. You'll have to be creative with this one.

Day Three: Fast from Independence

"Maybe I need Africa more than Africa needs me." - An American Christian

People living in extreme poverty do not have the option to be totally independent and self-sufficient. For sheer survival purposes, villages and families must join together to share food, shelter, water, transportation, skills and more. In America, however, we are not accustomed to being dependent on other people for our daily survival. Perhaps, living in such a way where we truly need one another isn't shameful, but beautiful. Practice being highly dependent on someone else today, like borrowing something important from your roommate, asking a friend for a big favor, or sharing a "life together" moment where you are only the recipient. Hopefully, you will catch a glimpse of the kind of community the poor are uniquely privileged to experience.

Instead of typically being in the position to give, or teach, or offer our skills to the poor, why is it important to also be a receiver? How do we "need Africa" sometimes more than "Africa needs" us?

Acts 2:42-47

 

Well, I relapsed today... Kind of a big one, binge-style. But to look on the bright side, what better way is there to realize your dependency on others? My APs came through for me, as always, and helped me last far far longer than I would had without them. At the end of the day, I just sabataged myself by not allowing my urges to go away. I wanted the quick fix more than I wanted the better long-term path, and for that I can only blame myself.

 

Thank you so much for sharing this! I've been looking for some good video blogs about NoFap. Also, instant forgiveness has been such a huge part of my success so far. Shortly before I found NoFap, I had a huge spiritual awakening at a Women of Faith conference that totally changed my life. I realized, at that point, that in my 22 years of being a Christian, I had never fully experienced, felt, and understood God's unconditional love and grace for me. But that day, I finally got it, and that has changed everything, allowing me to experience instant forgiveness and not live in shame. It is such a useful tool!

Also, curious question, do you know where this guy is from? He has an interesting little accent that I can't place.

 

Thank you for the encouragement! I actually don't usually tend to go on crazy binges... Usually immediately after a relapse is my strongest moment, because I'm all excited to get back on the horse and be better next time. It tends to be about a week later that I start feeling the temptation again.

And yeah, today was a strange one. I was reminded today of women I used to work with when I was housekeeping at a hotel who had to take the bus to work, and I always felt so stressed out for them because I'm a planner and I would hate to have to be dependent on someone else's schedule. So I was going to take the bus today to some stores I wanted to go to, but I am rather ashamed to admit... I was too intimidated. Haha I looked up the bus schedules and tried to figure out how they worked exactly and I just got confused and didn't want to have to admit to the driver that I had no idea what I was doing. haha so anyway...

Before my relapse, I suppose I practiced my dependence by having my mom help me write my author bio for my book. I'm not very good at talking about myself, so I really needed a fresh set of eyes to take care of that for me.

 

Day Four: Fast from Electricity

"Violence done to women and girls is on the rise since troops were forced to abandon 'firewood patrols,' which once escorted them to collect wood for fuel." - A voice from a refugee camp in Darfur, Sudan

Jesus said that his followers are the light of the world. Sadly many people in his world live in literal darkness with no access to electrical power for miles. This means they must gather fire wood in order to cook their meals, boil water, or have warmth and light when the sun goes down. When girls must venture far from home to find the needed fuel, they are often subjected to terrible harm. Choose today to go without electricity in some way so you can remember to pray for those who go without it everyday. Perhaps unplug your chargers and appliances, do your homework by flashlight, or only eat food that doesn't require heat to prepare.

What would you do if having light, heat, energy, and hot meals required much more work than flipping a switch or turning a knob?

Matthew 5:14-16

 

You know what's kind of ironic? We just finally got the electricity back in our kitchen, after remodeling. lol I guess I'll enjoy that tomorrow!

 

Of course! Just keep going with day three there aren't any rules, really.

 

Hey everybody.

So I'm going through an unexpected, incredibly difficult time in my life right now, so I don't think I'm going to be able to participate in this challenge right now. Even if I continued to participate, it would feel out of obligation and I don't think that's a good way to do a challenge like this. I'll keep posting the challenges, though, for anyone who wants to continue. I wish you all the best.

 

Day Five: Fast from Running Water

Water is life; because we have no water, life is miserable." - A voice from Kenya

Women and children in developing countries usually spend around five hours a day just fetching water. Imagine if you woke up today and all around you every fixture with running water was gone. If you had to make several trips, on foot, to your nearest river or pond, even the simplest tasks like washing your hands or drinking glass of water would become very difficult. Additionally, your nearest body of water could be disease-ridden and may introduce deadly parasites into your body. The quest for clean water would being to completely dominate your day. choose to experience the reality of 1.2 billion* people by relinquishing your water supply in some way. (Try filling up a large container of water and using only that today for drinking, brushing your teeth, etc.)

How much water do you think you use or consume on an average day? What if you found out is was all unsafe?

John 4:4-15

*I forgot to mention, statistics like this are several years old, as this booklet was made in 2012 or 2013, I believe. In case you were wondering, some of these numbers may have changed by this point.

 

My prayers are with you,Sis. May your life turn out to be more peaceful after this difficult time. Have faith and do your best and everything will be alright.We all are here to help.
Loads of love and support.

 

Thank you so much, dear. I really appreciate that

 

Day 6: Fast from Possessions

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

Do you possess your possessions, or do they possess you? When we forget that our earthly treasures will one day pass away, it is easy to hold our belongings with a tight fist. But when we live like we believe that our real treasure is only found in Jesus, we can consider "everything else as rubbish." What if our possessions had so little control over us that we would happily give someone the coat we were wearing, or the shoes off our feet, or even the keys to our car? And instead of feeling a sense of loss, we felt liberated. Choose today to experience the freedom of giving something away... maybe not just the stuff you don't like or don't need, but something you do like or do need.

How can you practice storing up your treasures in heaven, for "there your heart will be also"?

Luke 12:13-21

 

Day 7: Fast from Options

"Many of the poor in our world own only the clothes on their backs. They have no closets." - Richard Stearns

Our closets are FULL of various options, and yet how often do we complain, "I have nothing to wear!"? We easily grow discontent from season to season, wishing that our dressers and drawers didn't provide such a "limited selection." But what if we had NO other options than the clothes on our back? Our choice in the mornings would certainly be easy and maybe our contentment would be found elsewhere. Today you get to experience what "life without a closet" would feel like and choose to wear the same clothes you wore yesterday.

Do you think you would care as much about wearing the same clothes two days in a row if everyone you knew only owned a few outfits?

Matthew 6:25-33

 

While I'm not doing the official challenge anymore, I have to say, this is one thing that speaks volumes to me and I will definitely be going through my plethora of "options" soon and giving some things away. It is kind of ridiculous how often I complain about not having anything to wear, and how often I buy new things when I already have so much. I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with getting new things, but I do think we should be wise and kind with our money, and it's also not a bad idea to employ the method, "get one new thing, get rid of one old thing."

 

Day 8: Fast from Friends

"It's not that rich Christians don't care about the poor, it's that we often don't know the poor." - Shane Claiborne

Jesus spent a lot of time with the sick, the sinful, and society's outcasts. When he told His disciples that the poor would always be with them, perhaps He meant that the poor should always be with them... that if His disciples would show such unconditional love and acceptance, the poor would be irresistibly drawn to them. For Jesus, the lowly and the unlovely weren't charity cases, they were His friends with whom he would laugh and eat, and from whom he would learn. They weren't projects, they were people He loves deeply and knew intimately. Don't spend time with your usual friends today; instead choose to make a new friend -- maybe someone easily ignored or judged. Discuss each others' interests, families, future hopes, etc.... just like you do with any of your friends.

How closely does your circle of friends resemble the wide range of people represented in Jesus' circle of friends? What might you do to broaden the scope of your friendships?

Luke 14:12-24