Daniel Day 18

• You cannot make yourself unworthy because YOU ARE THE TREASURE OF GOD, and what He values is valuable...because its value lies in God's sharing Himself with it and establishing its value forever.
• Let us glorify Him Whom the world denies.

Yesterday, I made it until lunch time on water only. Then last night, as I was having a bite to eat, I realized that I was having the same old thought, "I didn't eat this morning so I can over-eat now." I recognized the thought. I also realized that had I been playing free cell on the computer at the time I was eating, I would have been powerless over that thought and gone on to obey it: over-eating (even Daniel foods) and then experiencing guilt and feeling shame. If you are trying to quit anything (drinking, drugs, sex, coffee, TV, smoking, etc.), this thinking is how you live your life.

Here is what I have been doing, how I have been living: I cheat the present by basing it on past or future gluttony or presumed goodness. It becomes time for contemplation: living according to this thought is not living according to Holy Spirit's thinking. The thought goes very deep into every area of my life. Praying for healing of this thought, for everyone, brings freedom from bondage for us all. Goodness is only in the now. Captivity is to say, "I can be bad now (over-eat) because I am going to be good later." Being good later almost never happens. Even if you are good later, you paid a price in shame no matter what.

Fasting is renouncing the world: worldly programming that it is ok to cheat the present (want some shame-producing-thing of the world) because you can make it up later. Fasting is finding the pearl of great price: Fasting removes the soil from the knowledge of God's presence within (my true heart) and helps me to want that more than any unhappiness. Fasting brings about the return of the prodigal: Fasting lifts our head from the pig food and causes us to want to come home to our Father; and we discover how much he loves us, giving us pure food.

God wants us to be free and stand in His light. All I have to do is step out of the shadow now, not later. "YOU ARE THE TREASURE OF GOD." Let this thought sink in. You will see that the way you treat yourself and others completely changes; especially since "they" (you know, those people you can't stand) are also the treasure of God.

My life is about content, not form. The rules of fasting which I follow are a form. Forms don't matter. Within the form, I find content. Content does matter. It is the only thing that matters. My thoughts bring me to heaven or keep me out. Forms come in many forms: illness, aging, athletics, career, busyness, debt, addiction, religion, etc. They all have content. Spirituality is living in the content not the form. Contemplation is discovering the content.

Fasting is not difficult if you do it right: no suffering involved.

Here is an interesting link: http://worldpeacediet.org/images/WorldPeaceDiet07.pdf