Fasting...What did it reveal? Much....

Every year Ramiro goes on a fast. He has been doing this since 2000. His fast's vary. Sometimes they last a few days and have lasted all the way to a full forty days. They consist of refraining from various things. Every time Ramiro goes on a fast the Lord is always faithful to speak and move in our lives. Although I have seen the hand of God through Ramiro seeking for Him through fasting, I have never had the determination, desire or discipline to join him. BUT...this year was different. For some time now I have felt a great need and desire to get healthy. My weight was skyrocketing and I felt awful. So in complete honesty I started a forty day fast with Ramiro on January 1st in an attempt to get healthy and lose weight. Up until January 16th it had pretty much been a cake walk. It was not hard to refrain from eating. I was simply just sticking to water, juice and broth and I was fine. BUT then the Lord spoke to me. You see inwardly, much more then my weight, I was struggling with unforgiveness and shame. The Lord told me I was hiding and embarrassed because of the falling out I had with another person. I could see how unhealthy and unwhole I was. I was walking with fear and I just didn't know how to let it go. I remember on Monday night, January 17th, standing at my sink, washing dishes, thinking about what was going on in my heart. I began to pray..."Lord I don't know what to do anymore. I am consumed by this. It has affected every area of my life and I just don't know how to let it go. I don't even know what it looks like to lay this situation down at your feet. All I know is that I am going to do it and trust you will somehow help me, because Jesus I need you. I really need you!" Well the very next morning I was doing my BSF homework and low and behold the answer to my prayer came. As I studied Isaiah 37: 9-17 I saw a word picture of King Hezekiah learning thru a message that the Assyrian army was coming to destroy Judah. With great fear he took the message and LAID it before the Lord in the temple and worshiped the Lord. To me, that was a picture of what it looks like to lay something down before the Lord. Needless to say, the Lord helped King Hezekiah and I was hopeful He would help me too. Two nights later, I followed my husbands lead and went to embrace the very people I feared. The Lord gave me courage, strength and humility to do what I needed to do to receive the healing I so desperately need to be healthy and whole. I needed to let go, trust God and forgive. But I could only do those things with the help of the Lord. As of today I feel so cleansed. The fear, the shame and guilt is gone. I am so thankful for God's greatness and for being my Lord. Well, needless to say I was encouraged to continue the fast BUT it got harder! It was harder to stay away from food. All I wanted to do was eat and I craved everything. Well I lasted until the 30th of Jan. Again the Lord spoke to me. After the 17th the fast became about losing weight not seeking Him. The Lord showed me to get healthy physically it was going to require hard work on my part, a sacrifice, which I was not willing to do because I'm...LAZY!!! But I realized I couldn't go on starving myself. I learned that I need to learn how to eat! I need to watch what I am putting in my mouth and how much!! And... I need to started exercising!!! So I am doing those things. It has been hard! But I determined to change my bad habits into good ones, get healthy and keep the weight off. All to the Glory of God!!!

Keep me in your prayers.
I need them.
Phileo,
Patsy


^{Isaiah 37: 9-17
9} Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, was marching out to fight against him. When he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: ¹⁰ “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ ¹¹ Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? ¹² Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver them—the gods of Gozan, Harran, Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? ¹³ Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?”

Hezekiah’s Prayer

 ¹⁴ Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD. ¹⁵ And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: ¹⁶ “LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁷ Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.

Me in December 2010 at 150 lbs.

Me as of February 1, 2011 at 132 lbs.