Media Fast Challenge | Week 1

Today my husband and I have officially completed the first week of the Media Fast Challenge, which consisted of fasting Television, Netflix, Youtube, and Video games with the purpose of being closer to God.

Wait, you did what? Are you nuts?! Not nuts, but yes we are doing the Media Fast Challenge, and we encourage you to do so too.

Ups and Downs

And you know it was surprisingly easier than expected. For the most part, we were pretty self-controlled, except for last Tuesday when we watched a French flick at the Theather for date night. Random Fact we are trying to learn French, but that’s a topic for another day.😎

What I did notice was an annoying habit to grab the controller every time we were going to eat, it seems as if I’ve been having more intimate dinners with my tv than with my husband. Thankfully the fast provided more quality conversations during meals and an awareness of how streaming movies has kept that from happening more often.

The most eye opening experience so far has been loads of free time, to the point of being able to read and study 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Luke and some Psalms. As well as start a book I’ve meant to read for some time, Letters to a Doubting Thomas.

Talk about reaching the goal of spending more than 15 minutes a day in the Bible App! I’m so excited If you could only see my face, it probably looks like this.😃

Withdraw to Desolate Places and Pray

This week while studying Luke some verses stood out that I want to share with you.

But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.  But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. Luke 5:15-16

Jesus reached a point in His ministry where thousands of people gathered from different towns to be healed and to hear His teachings. As you can imagine there was much to do, but in the middle of that Jesus withdrew to desolate places to pray.

One might quickly judge and question why He would just randomly leave those people in need of healing and encouragement to pray in a desolate place.

But it wasn’t random at all as He acknowledged that the more He served, the more He needed the Holy Spirit and communion with His Father without any distractions, hence a desolate place.

In the same way, we will always have something to keep us busy, whether that is watching movies, serving in ministry, cleaning the house, work, etc. And there is nothing wrong with any of that, but it’s important to withdraw to a desolate place and pray.

Time with Him without distractions fuels our soul, puts our to-do list into perspective and helps us to be more like Him.

Application

• Take time this week to withdraw to a desolate place, wherever that may be, a park, a room in the house without wifi, and pray. If it’s been awhile and you’re having a hard time focusing, you could write out your prayers in a journal, that always helps me.

• Join the team by doing the Media Fast Challenge and let us know how it goes in the comments below.

Dieu vous bénisse, Grecia