Do Not Be Afraid - resources for your sugar fast

We're about to begin our 2nd Annual 40 Day Sugar Fast. And I'm excited, but a little fearful if I'm honest. Sugar's like crack cocaine to plenty of women I know - myself included - and detoxing coffee creamers, afternoon brownies, and that late night scoop of ice cream is no small thing. Over in our private Facebook Group, 40 Day Sugar Fast, thousands of women are already gathering, confessing to one their addictions... right along with their fears of failure. I thought to myself earlier today, "Wendy, you need to begin this fast immediately, like right now! These ladies need to be covered in prayer." So I did. I started my sugar fast a few days early, to prayerfully intercede and get my heart ready to lead the charge. Two hours in... everything started falling apart. My homeschooled kid couldn't focus, the other two came home from school emotional wrecks, and my husband came down with an intense headache. I'll tell you the truth, I wanted to cave because I couldn't use SUGAR TO COPE! You should have heard my inner dialogue back peddling. "Aw come on, girl, you never told anyone you were starting early. Self-medicate with a that leftover Easter cake."

And all I have to say is: Be afraid, be very afraid!

But here's the truth, we don't need to fear. We have the spirit of The Resurrected, sin-conquering, life-renewing, "I can do all things through Him" Savior of the world! Does that mean there won't be opposition? No. This will likely be tough for many of us. However, we don't need to fear! We are more than conquerors through Him who gives us strength! We are making the active, healthy, faith-filled, God-honoring choice for change.

[Tweet "God's Holy Spirit is all about changing and transforming the hearts and health and homes of people in bondage. Always has been! "]

"I came to set the captives free..." Jesus read from the scroll, fulfilling  that ancient prophesy. And so we can trust: the same Savior who died for our sins, rose again, overcoming every sin and snare, is powerful enough to walk us out of this mess we're in.

"The same power that raised Jesus from the grave lives in us." We just sang it Easter morning, let's live like we believe it!

"The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1) I read these words just this morning to my boys. I'm reading them again tonight for myself, and passing them along to you. Fear not! "...because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

We are going to be clinging to scriptures just like these in the days ahead. Our next post will give you plenty of Biblical truth to feast upon as you  fast. However, if you would like another book or two to accompany you upon this journey, here are a few suggestions:

 

Lysa TerKeurst's, Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food. Doesn't the title just about say it all? Here's a short description: "Made to Crave is the missing link between a woman’s desire to be healthy and the spiritual empowerment necessary to make that happen. The reality is we were made to crave. Craving isn’t a bad thing. But we must realize God created us to crave more of him."

Similarly, Lysa's other book, Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions, is a great resource for those moms who simply can't hold themselves together. (Our sugar intake, may be contributing to the problem!) This may be a good time to address some of these issues.

Triggers: Exchanging Parents' Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses, is another parenting book that address those shameful times we explode inappropriately at our children, rather than react with gentleness and grace. These forty days would be well spent addressing some of our emotional, sugar-induced parenting problems.

For those of you looking for some help with how to eat a more raw / whole foods diet during our fast. Let me suggest trying Rick Warren's, The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life, or The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom by Melissa and Melissa and Dallas Hartwig.