Sleep, Please

I can't seem to fall asleep, so I thought it would be a good time to update....I guess it was what I meant to get posted earlier today, but I figured the other one should come first. It made sense in my head.

On Tuesday I'm starting a 40-day fast....TV, video games, movies, sugar, and Facebook. It may not seem huge, but put those things together and you basically have my boredom busters. I think I may go crazy, but at the same time I am very excited to see God work in my life over the next monthish. Strangely enough, I'm actually slightly (though not completely convinced yet) excited about getting those things out of my life for a bit. I think it will really help me focus on more important things....which is how life should be.

Anyway, all that to say that I will be using my online journal during my fast. I want to keep track of my progress and what God is doing, so I'll be using this along with my regular journal ;)

I've been thinking a lot about purity lately. And not like most people think about it.... I've been thinking about a pure heart. The bible has something to say about that, both in the old and new testaments, which I think is cool. Psalms 24 talks about who can ascend the mountain of the Lord, which to me represents his presence. Anyway, it says that if you have clean hands and a pure heart.....your heart represents your soul, which is your mind, will, and emotions. I find it interesting that God doesn't only require purity out of us, but he desires us to have a pure mind, pure will, and pure emotions. Wow! How many of us can say we are there?

Later in Matthew 5 (the Beatitudes) Jesus talks about the pure in heart seeing God....like, freaking yeah. Who doesn't want to go there? Seeing God is also a representation of his presence. So, I guess you could also say that I've been learning a lot about God's presence, too. Think about it. Where are we going to spend eternity? In the depths of the Father's presence.... its huge in the Kingdom. I don't know, its just like the shallow stuff isn't cuttin' it anymore. God looks at the heart first, and I so understand that. But there's something about coming together as a body with an understanding for how the King and his Kingdom function....and what the presence of God can be like. It totally changes the atmosphere of worship.

Ok, well I think I have everything said that I need to say :) maybe I can sleep now. Have a wonderful night/whenever you read this, and remember that God's heart for you is to know His love in your life!

Abby