Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Fasting and Prayer

Yeah, not exactly easy to be diabetic and trying to do a fast.  But, I did make it through the day, having to finally eat something - so I limited it to something I particularly dislike.

When I was in college I reached a point where my income fell to $60 per month.  This happened to be exactly the amount of my apartment rent and so I was able not to live on the streets and for four months wrap up my education.  This also meant that I had NO other moneys, money in any form, and due to the economy in 1974 to 1975, there was no opportunity to even get work!  My tuition was covered under a grant but books I had to pay for myself.  So, I would write programs for local manufacturers, for incredibly low rates!, in order to pay for those books!

And of food?  Well, there was none during this time.  I had a box of crackers and would eat ten of them a day.  Not exactly a wonderful, well balanced diet, but it was what I had and I was thankful to God for it!  On the last month, I had to cut even the number of crackers in half in order to make it through the month!  I tried food stamps but it seems back then that if you were in school, it is assumed someone other than you is supporting you and you get nothing.  Six foot, five inches tall and I was down to 115 by then.  Yeah, the guy at the welfare office actually gave me some money from his pocket!  Tough times.

The starvation ended one afternoon when I went back to my apartment and there was a knock on the door.  It was my neighbor whom told me someone had dropped these four bags of groceries off during the day and he did not want them stolen.  What?!?!?!  I lived on prostitution row, you could not trust any of the other tenants with a dime much less a pile of groceries!  Talk about a God thing.....

No sooner had I put them away, with great prayers of thanksgiving, than there was another knock and two more bags of groceries appeared!  Talk about abundance!  But why?  It was decades before I found out the answers to that question.

So, every Monday since that afternoon, I have fasted - to remember God abundance, to remember what starvation was like, to thank God for His provision.  And then my health issues were diagnosed as diabetes.....

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And what of yesterday?  Yes, it was a horrible day.  My heart crushed by the pain inflicted by my family.  The looks of hatred and silent treatment continues.  But, God saw to it that my confusion concerning what to do was over, helped me find one of my old seminary professors to shoot an email to, and demonstrated that what I have been and am doing is right on with Him.

I also learned some new information on demonology I was not aware of.  I will have to consider more and deal with later.  Yeah, the world does not stop turning just because you entire family seems to be possessed at the moment!  Right now I have to prepare for tests this week in college and the next month will be super busy!  So family will have to suck it up for now until I am free to address their aberrations!  Please hold them up in prayer with me, until they can return to "normal"!

Unfortunately, for my family, I understand now where all of this going.  No, knowing that you will soon be a pariah is not exactly my idea of a fun future, but it does seem to be where God is pointing and they can come along or they can be comforted in their hatred for me.

Somehow I always expected that if you truly were walking the walk, talking the talk, being blameless before God and all men, that life would be a might easier because of it.....

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