Over the weekend we went to the Encounter God retreat with the rest of our Church.  During that time I received a quick glimpse of something from the Holy Spirit. Here it is as best as I can describe it.  The words first and the accompanied image after.

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Be a man with a Ram's Horn on his back ready to call forth and declare the Glory of the Lord in all places at all times against the powers of darkness for the joy and edification of the righteous. Call forth the Glory. Call forth the Favor. Call forth the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, of the Sacrifice of the Savior, of the spirit of the Father, of Other.

This was accompanied by an image of a man in gray pants and a gray flannel shirt with a big Ram's Horn strapped to his back loosely like a quiver of arrows standing on top of a rocky crest.  I had the sense that he was always ready to blow that Ram's horn to call forth the armies of the Lord God.

As you all know, I'm diabetic.  I've been diabetic since I was 25 when one day a switch just turned off inside me and I started getting sicker.  I produced insulin before that day and stopped producing insulin on that day.  So for the last 7 years I've had to take insulin to survive.  Since I came down with this, my resistance to insulin has steadily increased to the point where as of 2 weeks ago I would have to take 50 units of Novalog minimum for every meal.  Novalog is my fast acting-insulin that I take when I eat.  I also take 200 units daily of Lantus which is the slow acting insulin that lasts the entire day and gives me a steady supply of energy.  Well last week, I attempted to fast for 2 days. A liquids only fast where I wouldn't eat any solid food unless it was in a soup or something.  I failed miserably the first day (Monday) but I succeeded fasting on the second day.

Since that day I've been checking my sugars and eating as usual as I perceive it, however...I have not had to take as much insulin.  Not nearly the amount of insulin that I normally go through.  I would usually go through a bottle of insulin in about a week and I'm working on 2 weeks into this bottle without it even half gone this time.   I've been having to worry about hypoglycemic reactions lately rather than hyper ones.  This is a miracle in my eyes.  And I am still continually amazed every time I look at my sugar levels. 

When I got home today I was at 65 for my sugar levels!  I haven't seen a sugar level over 160 for 10 days.  Thank you lord and praise you!

With love and with amazement.

Dan Gidman

For the last 3 weeks I have been doing the Daniel fast ^{(Dan 1:12)} with the rest of my fellowship at the Rock of KC.  This is a corporate fast that is conducted every year in January for 21 days.  The purpose of the fast is to come into greater communion with God for this time and be devoted to seeking God's face, will and touching him.

For me, this was my first fast ever and was an interesting experience.  I entered the fast struggling with an apparent withdrawal of the presence of God in my mind and perception.  A time of dryness is what it felt like. Its why I haven't been writing since Christmas time here, because I have been struggling with the lack of the Holy Spirit in my day to day existence.  Of course, I realize that the Holy Spirit doesn't really ever leave you, he is always there, just as God is always there as it is God's Holy Spirit.  But I was listless without that manifest feeling of his presence.

During this time, the revelation of what I was reading and what was in the bible was also absent for the most part.  If you have never experienced it, you may not understand what I'm talking about, but I'm referring to that moment when a connection is made in your head, totally outside of your own study and mind, a eureka moment of understanding that is totally inspired revelation of the Holy Spirit.  Its an exciting moment and feeling to get that eureka moment.  Those moments are what drive me to write and record my thoughts because I don't want to lose them in the hum drum of the day to day.  So, the lack of those moments meant I really didn't have an instigation to write and put down a marker of this moment.

I'm rambling on a bit and I apologize for that, but I wanted to get out the journey I've been on here.

So, I started the fast on the 7th of January and it ended today with a communion at the Portal (that's the name of the building we all have teaching and worship in on Sunday). During the communion I also recieved my first "Eureka" moment since before the fast started.  I'll get to that at the end here.  However first I want to share what I learned during this fast.

• I learned over this time that without God I can easily fall into my sinful ways and do it even though I hate it at the same time.   
• I learned that even if I don't feel God with me, I can pray, trust in him and have faith regardless and the strength, anointing and perseverance will be there to draw upon.  
• I learned to turn to him even when I don't feel like it or fell close to him.  
• I learned that I can fallow Jesus, not because of the great feeling of being in his presence, not like a junkie who needs the next fix, but rather like the traveler who has seen the promised land, seen the destination and so has hope and perseverance to continue on because he knows where he is going.  Well in this case, knows who he is going to see. 
• I learned that even when I don't like the God that I read about in the Bible, I still love him.
• I learned that my God is not someone I can put in the lovey-dovey box, that he is bigger and more complex than I can ever figure out.
• I learned that faith is difficult, but its still a decision, an action of saying "I trust you Lord" and then doing what he tells you too.   Sometimes that thing he tells you to do is simply wait.
• I learned that I love my Jesus

More mundanely I also learned that I kind of like the Daniel fast.  Not only is it named for me (ha ha), its very agreeable to my taste buds. About the only thing I truly missed was my sandwich that I get once a week from Tiende Casa Paloma.  Yes, I just did a plug for my favorite Mexican restaurant.  I'm looking forward to next year when I can focus more on God in the fast then being as enamored with doing my fast for the first time.  I think I may start doing a weekly or bi-weekly day of fasting and see how that works out.

Moving on...

We had communion tonight, it was short and to the point.  It was preceded by a song or two of worship and praise of God then some pray, communion and fellowship for about half an hour.  Jesus created the practice of the Lord's Supper as it is known.  Its recorded in Mathew like this:

Mt 26:26–29 (ESV) -Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

I think the order in which Jesus does this is very intentional.  But God instituted the Lord's Supper thousands of years before.  Consider:

Ge 1:29 (ESV) -And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

Jesus first took the bread, the product of the plants that yield seed.  He said that it was his body, it was sustenance and food for the soul.  God gave to us before our fall the plants and fruits of the garden and of the world to be our food and sustenance.  One of those plants given was the Tree of Life.  He specifically did not give us animals to eat in the 6 days of creation.  God set up the model years and years before hand to illustrate Jesus as being the sustenance of the soul and spirit, the bread of life.

Immediately fallowing the fall of Man the first sacrifice, the first sin offering is made.  I am surmising its a sin offering as it is not explicitly told us that it is a sin offering.  However its a pretty solid interpretation given the context of the rest of the bible.

Ge 4:4 (ESV) -and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,

Jesus then took the cup of wine.  He said that it was his blood, the shed blood (poured out) for the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus was the firstborn of God and was the choicest portion.

So Jesus is our sustenance our life giver and sustenance, just as the fruit and vegetables given to us by God in the beginning was the sustenance of our physical selves.  Jesus was also the firstborn sacrifice for our sins.  His shed blood covered our punishment, just as the firstborn of the flock covered Abel's and Israel's punishment.

So now I see.  Gen 1:29 & 4:4 is basically one of God's foreshadowing of Jesus who institutes a remembrance of himself within the Lord's Supper. ^{(Mat 26:26-29)}

Now that is just cool.  Thank you Lord Jesus for your word to me this evening.