"...we must recognize that all power belongs to God. In this age, it is God the Holy Spirit who is responsible to direct the work of God. Thus, we must recognize the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit to direct all spiritual work." Three Absolutes by Theodore Epp

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2

'Why have we fasted,' they say,
'and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?'
"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
"If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
The mouth of the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 58:3-14

"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation." Matthew 12:43-45

These passages speak VOLUMES to me right now, but I can't possibly do it all justice. So instead, a few notes: I need to remember that it's not my power, but the Holy Spirit working in me. Depend on him always. I need to remember that being a living sacrifice will require me to take stands like this for the rest of my life. I am offering my body to the Lord, presenting it as pleasing - this is an act of WORSHIP. I need to remember that there is always a mental component to whatever I am doing with my body, and that my mind needs to be continually being renewed by God's word. I need to remember that fasting for fasting's sake is NOT what God wants. He wants me to do it for the same humble and loving reasons I would help the needy. When I do this, the Lord will be my satisfaction and joy. I need to remember that any time I try to simply remove sin, I hang a "vacancy" sign for other sins to check in if I don't fill the empty spaces with Truth and Love.

Do you see empty places in me, Father God? Are there vast expanses left unclaimed by You, or even just open hallways between the rooms You rule? How many "smoking" rooms has Satan reserved? Thank you that you own my entire hotel: you own all the keys to open the locked doors of darkened chambers, a Holy Maid who can scrub them spotless, and the authority to refuse service to any evil that wants to take up residence.
Thank you for walking me through this so slowly, deliberately, showing me compassion that is new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness!