Our spiritual Vitamix, the most neglected weapon

When I think of effective weapons, I think of my Vitamix. 

I know, sounds crazy, but for the kind of Sacred Mundane battle I face on a daily basis — that of feeding my family healthy foods prepared from scratch — there’s nothing else like this blender that’s basically a countertop lawn-mower.

Without this tool, so many of our favorite foods would be virtually impossible to make. No nut-butter protein shakes. No whole-fruit smoothies. No hummus. No Yumm sauce. No homemade ice cream. No blended fruit-wine. No butternut squash soup. No quinoa cupcakes. No apple-pancakes. So many things would be impossible (or much more difficult) if it weren’t for this one simple weapon that sits on my counter and pulverizes food with ease. What would take hours to accomplish by hand takes just seconds with this awesome tool.

Spiritually speaking, we have a weapon available to us that’s stronger than a million Vitamixes and has the power to push back forces of evil, open our eyes to sin, effect change in the spiritual realm, tear down strongholds and conquer invisible forces of darkness. We can pulverize the toughest situations by utilizing this weapon.

But, this most effective weapon is also the most neglected weapon.

Fasting.

Did your heart sink just a little? Were you hoping for something else? I get it. For years–YEARS–I tried to avoid this topic. Scripture reading? Awesome. Prayer? You bet. Fellowship? Bring it on. Church attendance? Of course. Loving people, tithing, discipleship, let’s do it all. I’m all in.

Give up my food? I’m squirming. Seriously squirming. People, I like my food. Look, I don’t really shop, I don’t watch TV, I don’t have guilty pleasures or things I do to check out or escape. My life is pretty basic. All I want is a good meal, let’s say 3 times a day.

Is that too much to ask? No, it’s not really. Of course God does provide food for us, but there’s no denying the clear pattern in Scripture–in times of great need, crisis, needing discernment, in times of wanting to draw closer to God or see Him move in miraculous, supernatural ways, the people of God pulled out the spiritual Vitamix.

They fasted. 

The specifics vary. Moses, Elijah, and Jesus all fasted for 40 days. Others fasted for 3. Daniel abstained from only certain foods. Some fasted in order to cry out for protection. Jesus refers to regular fasting, in conjunction with prayer. We see examples of personal private fasting, and corporate non-private fasting. Both are beneficial for different reasons and seasons.

We contemplated buying a Vitamix for years before we actually took the plunge and purchased one. I read dozens of reviews, heard testimonies from friends, and prayed about it a lot before making the investment. Why did it take so long?

Because of the cost. 

You can pick up a new blender at Walmart for $19.99 and if it doesn’t work you’re not out a whole lot of cash. A Vitamix is upwards of $300-700. Yikes! That’s a cost. Was it worth it? Would it really work? When I finally found an older model for $300 we were brave enough to make the leap. That was doable. We made the investment. And you know what?

I’m so glad. Because that thing works. I have used it nearly every single day for 3 years. (Yes, the photo above shows that we even take it camping. 😉

There is a significant cost to fasting too, yes? I tried to ignore fasting for years, trying to take an easier route, something that wouldn’t cost me so much. Anyone can pray, even invest a pretty good amount of time to praying. But giving up my food? I just wasn’t sure if there was anything I desired more than my food.

But in His grace and gentle kindness, the Lord kept putting fasting on my mind and heart. Now, hear me: I’m not talking crash dieting. I’m not talking starving yourself to lose weight. We’ll talk more details in days to come, but that is not fasting. I’ve done both of those things in my life, unfortunately, and it’s nothing like fasting.

Fasting is the most effective and neglected spiritual weapon, a lawn-mower kind of blender on the counter of our lives, just waiting for us to employ and pulverize the attacks of the evil one. I’m certainly no expert, but we just emerged from a 40-day glorious journey of fasting, and I’m convinced there is so much power, joy, freedom, effectiveness, VICTORY available to us if we’d embark on this adventure with God.

So, I’m going to write a series called, The 40-Day Fast for the Rest of Us: An Extraordinary Adventure for Ordinary People. It may turn into an ebook, but for now I’m just going to capture my thoughts in this space, and maybe you can help me make sense of it all. Deal?

Now, I’m off to make dinner: Walnut taco-meat made with the Vitamix. 😉

{Thanks for reading!}