Romans 8:5-6
5 For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those
who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death,
but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Have you ever looked up at your ceiling fan blades or in the deep recesses of your couch cushions and noticed the filth that builds up over time? Even though we might clean on a regular basis, there are times when we need to go…a little deeper. We realize that what appeared to be clean on the surface was in all actuality, quite filthy.
The same thing can happen spiritually. As we go about our daily lives, there are things that can build up over time. Even if we regularly worship, pray and read our Bible, the different pressures and cares of this world can quietly build up, and end up consuming our lives. Without even realizing it, we can lose our peace, our joy, and our passion for the things of God. Our service to God, which used to fill us with life and excitement, becomes a duty that we must fulfill.
Fasting is the deep cleaning that helps us take our mind off of the things of this world and instead have a refreshed focus on the things of the Spirit. It is an incredibly effective way to get into the nooks and crannies of our soul and bring all those dusty old habits, broken mindsets and rusty attitudes out into the light of God’s truth. In fasting and prayer, our service to God returns to something we want to do rather than something we have to do.
As you pray and fast today, ask God to show you any areas where you could use
a refreshed spiritual focus. Like David, in Psalm 51:10-12, pray that God will
cleanse your heart, renew your spirit, and restore the joy of your salvation.
Pray with confidence, knowing that He wants to fill you with His life and peace.
FATHER'S DAY IS JUNE 19.
Day 8 & 9
ReplyDeleteWow! We're on week 2. Sunday we had 14 days to go. The last few days have been crazy so I'm having to post later than normal, but I pray everyone is doing great and God is blessing you all. I'm posting a few more recipes that we've tried over the last few days.
God Bless!!
Sunday:
Breakfast - Baked Oatmeal
Lunch - Peas with Potatoes and Carrots
Supper - Taco Soup
Monday: (The kids weren't home so I didn't cook breakfast or lunch.)
Breakfast - Fruit Salad (Mixture of bananas, strawberries, peaches, apple, and orange)
Lunch - Banana and Almonds and Raisins
Supper - Beans and Sauteed Vegetables with Hummus Wheat Wraps
The wheat wraps had hummus in the middle with romaine lettuce and spinach leaves, tomatoes, onions on top and italian dressing drizzled over the lettuce. Very tasty.
Baked Oatmeal
1 1/2 cups oats
1/4 cup chopped raisins
1/4 cup pecans
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put all ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Transfer to a 9 1/2 x 4 1/2 baking dish (small bread loaf size) that has been lightly coated with an olive oil cooking spray or rubbed with oil. Pour oatmeal mixture into dish and bake 55-60 minutes or until slightly crispy on top. Makes about 8 brownie size squares.
I put it in a 9 x 13 pan and it was a lot thinner - more like cookie squares.
Taco Soup
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (didn't use)
1 can corn, drained
1 can tomatoes (or 1 tomato diced and 1 cup tomato sauce)
1 TBSP taco seasoning *directions for homemade below*
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Saute' the onion in oil. Add the beans, corn, and tomatoes. Add seasonings. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to combine all the flavors. You could add rice to the dish.
Taco Seasoning
Spoon 1 TBSP minced dried onions in a small bowl or cup. Add 2 tsp chili powder. Add 1 1/2 tsp salt. Add 1 tsp garlic powder. Add 1 tsp of ground cumin. Add 2/3 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper or hot paprika. Stir to blend. Makes the equivalent of a 1 1/4 ounce package of taco seasoning mix.
Homemade Italian Dressing
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp salt
Mix together. You could add 1 clove garlic, minced.
Hummus
1 can chickpeas
1/4 cup water
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, packed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Place ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process, scraping sides of bowl often until mixture is a smooth paste. You can either refrigerate at this point or serve immediately. Use as a dip with fresh vegetables or as a spread on a tortilla.
Beans and Sauteed Vegetables
2 cans white beans, drained OR any beans
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup celery, finely diced
1/2 cup carrot, finely diced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Drain the beans and set aside. Heat olive oil and then add the prepared vegetable to the pan and saute until just done. Add beans and heat thoroughly. This is a good dish to use up your leftover beans. The vegetables give it a good taste.