How’s your fast going? Is it difficult?
If your answer is yes, I think you’re on the right track.
During this year’s fast, the Holy Spirit has been revealing to me that I am going through a change in my body, mind and spirit.
I felt the Lord tell me that I was going through Spiritual Ketosis.
For those of you who don’t know what Ketosis is, it is a metabolic state that occurs when your body burns fat for energy instead of glucose.
People who diet may be more familiar with this concept as it stems from the “Ketogenic Diet.”
Ketogenic Basics
The ketogenic diet is a very low carb, high fat diet that shares many similarities with the Atkins and low carb diets.
It involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. This reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.
When this happens, your body becomes incredibly efficient at burning fat for energy. It also turns fat into ketones in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain.
What the Holy Spirit revealed to me was that I was training myself to tap into a new source of energy. Where I once used my flesh as a means of energy, I am now learning to tap into my spirit.
The process requires us to consume more of the things of the Spirit and less of the flesh. This is what we are doing when we fast. We are choosing to feed our Spirits with the Holy Spirit so that we may ultimately no longer rely on our flesh for energy but the Holy Spirit.
I want to also let you know that just like any diet, there will be initial side effects as you learn to adjust and adopt a new way of doing things and finding a new source of energy.
If you eat high carbs 11 months out of the year and you spend 1 month eating low carbs and high fats, your body and mind are going to have a serious reaction. Your body is going to reject what you are trying to do because it is used to feeding off a particular energy source. Your mind is going to try and convince you it’s not worth it and to go back to your old ways.
Let me tell you something: your flesh is going to fight you. If you’re fasting food your body is going to crave what you’re denying it. If you’re fasting television your mind is going to convince you that you need it to survive.
In this new season of Patient Endurance, we need to tap into a new energy source. Our flesh and pure will will no longer suffice. We need something that can sustain us in difficult times. We need something that helps us go beyond our own capabilities. We need the Holy Spirit.
Father, I pray that in this season of Patient Endurance, that we would lean into you more. I pray that we would tap into your Holy Spirit as it is a source that never fails and never runs dry. I pray the words in Ephesians 3:16 (NLT) “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.” I pray this all in the powerful name of Jesus, Amen!