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Fasting Day #40! I made it! The longest fasts mentioned in the Bible were 40 days. It seems to have some kind of significance, but I don't know what it is. Well, anyway, I'm there. Lost 1/2 pound this morning (well, probably it was more like 1/4 pound, but my "weights and balances" doctor's scale doesn't measure except in half-pound increments.
The fast is going along nicely. Still sleeping less ("only" 8-9 hours now, whereas I was sleeping 11-13 hours a day before starting the fast). Still have more energy and motivation than before fasting. (I still have a mental block of some kind about folding and putting away laundry - it sits in the basket for a couple of weeks before I break down and do it -- usually because I need the basket to wash another load.)
Only got in six 8-oz bottles of water yesterday. I usually get in 10-12 cups. Going to do better today. Still doing physical therapy exercises twice a day, even though it is only "required" that I do it once a day. I can feel that my knees are getting stronger and more stable. I used to take at least one cyclobenzaprine for my neck each day, but now I haven't been needing to take any, except for one day. My back doesn't hurt as much when I do dishes or other standing activity. Making progress in all three areas - knees, back and neck, PTL!
Got a real downpour last night. Hope my pole beans will survive the drenching. Still having a problem with the bottom leaves turning yellow and falling off. Looked at a picture from 2019 of my beans, and it's obvious that this year's crop are very puny compared to those!
Had a good time with the 5 and 10-year-old grandkids yesterday. They were very excited because their 14-year old cousin was able to get out of school early and come and join them for the last hour of their pool time. He actually lives downstairs from me (my son's step-son), but he rarely gets to join the younger kids because of having school later than the 10-year-old. My 5-year-old will be starting this fall. He'll be one of the oldest kids in the class because he'll be almost six when school starts (birthday in January). I hope he will get a good teacher, because I think he will really enjoy being around other kids and having structured learning time. I think he will do well.
Well, that's my life - thanks for joining me for it!
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207.5 lb
Lost so far: 51.5 lb.
Still to go: 57.5 lb.
Diet followed 100%.
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losing 3.5 lb a week
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 Comments
thanks for sharing it with us. it's very encouraging and a wonderful testimony to where my strength needs to come from. my email today talked about the types of power and the Greek and Hebrew words for them. time for a slight life tweak. I get so busy and easily distracted. but God always brings me back gently.
10 Jun 21 by member: HeBrewZ
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Hopefully when you go off the fast & start to eat again, you can continue to focus on the positive habits you have been developing...exercising, working around your house & getting a normal amount of sleep. I think having an aversion to finishing laundry is common 😀 I do always put mine on hangers & fold it but it often sits in the laundry area for awhile til I get motivated to put it away. You're getting close. I hope you meet your goal.
10 Jun 21 by member: SherryeB
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glad your knees are feeling better! my pole beans just started flowing, and my bottom leaves are also yellowing. it's my first year growing them, from 2019 seeds so it took a few tries to even get them to sprout!
10 Jun 21 by member: Asarver
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10 Jun 21 by member: Asarver
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Glad it's going better, especially with your knees. I often forget about the Lord when I'm doing things in the house. I finally washed the kitchen floor today. Because of my back going "out," I wasn't able to get down on my hands and knees. We have wood that extends into the kitchen so that is the only way it's safe for the floor. Thank you Lord! Now I will go lay down for a little, which I do several times a day.
10 Jun 21 by member: Snowwhite100
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You are really doing well. Keep in mind God will never give you more than you can handle. Though it is always appropriate to remember the words of Mother Teresa. "I know God will never give me more than I can bear, I just wish sometimes he didn't trust me as much."
You got this
10 Jun 21 by member: Texson3
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Dude that's a brilliant quote. Love it.
10 Jun 21 by member: HeBrewZ
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Wow! 40 days!! I haven't fasted for decades but my longest fast was only 1 week. I'm curious. Was this a religious fast?
10 Jun 21 by member: russkey2
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No, @russkey2, it wasn't a religious fast, though I am a devout Christian. I have fasted for religious reasons in the past - but it is usually to break satan's stronghold in my stomach. @hebrews1036, @Texson3, @Snowwhite100, @Asarver, and @SherryeB, thank you all for following my progress and for encouraging me on to the finish line!
10 Jun 21 by member: Debbie Cousins
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Jewish scholars have identified the 40 days/40 nights references sprinkled throughout the bible to be a casual expression of the time, much like we use "in a minute" or "just a sec." In other words, 40 days just translates into "a long time" and not an actual 40 days. "In a minute" doesn't translate into an actual minute/60 seconds, either, and it would be a mistake for someone a few hundred years from now to believe things literally happened at those speeds.
10 Jun 21 by member: JustBananas
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Thanks for the insight, @JustBananas. I haven't seen that before (but not sure I believe it). Thanks for sharing, though.
10 Jun 21 by member: Debbie Cousins
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I got it from the orthodox Jewish Rabbi that I used to work with at my local Jewish community center. He taught classes and this question came up.
10 Jun 21 by member: JustBananas
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I’m going to study that JB. Interesting. Certainly not what I’ve learned from my Bible College days. My hubby is well versed in the Greek NT. Great new study for me. Thanks.
10 Jun 21 by member: wifey9707
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I REALLY JUST APPRECIATE YOU!!!! YOUR STORY TESTIMONY TRIALS AND TRANSPARENCY!!!! THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED TO SEE I THANK GOD FOR YOU FIGHTING TEARS AS I TYPE!!! GOD BLESS YOU
10 Jun 21 by member: Qua83
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1 Corinthians 10:13 states: "There hath no temptation taken hold of you but such as is common to man. But God is faithful; He will not suffer you to be tempted beyond that which ye are able to bear, but with the temptation will also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
Rather than pain or a burden that verse speaks of temptation. I have had pain I couldn't handle, and I've heard of soldiers or people being tortured that couldn't handle the pain. I don't think that usually, the Lord gives us pain but Satan has been given a measure of control or influence in this fallen world so we now have death and destruction. Also being given free will others sometimes hurt us, and some of the time we do things that hurt us also. Thank you, Lord, for helping us.
10 Jun 21 by member: Snowwhite100
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@JustBananas, sounds like you got your information from a great source. Like @wifey9707, I never was taught this in Bible College. My husband is a pastor, and I will check with him to see if he ever heard anything like this in seminary. For the mot part, I believe that things mentioned in the Bible are literal translations (there really was a big fish that swallowed Jonah, etc.)
11 Jun 21 by member: Debbie Cousins
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