Day 2

So Day 1 is over. Not so bad. Maybe this won't be so tough after all... but wait. You remember that The Office is on tonight! Wow! Temptation is everywhere! Even now... you can think of that favorite song or favorite TV show... So what do we do with Day 2?

Remember, this is not so much what you are staying away from... more of what you are moving towards. The key this month is to connect with God instead of connecting with something that may not be centered on God. So here is today's thought and Scripture:

We are in a a battle over our minds. We are transforming the way we think (remember Romans 12:1-2). To do this, we have to learn to concentrate on other things that center on God. So let's use prayer (can be verbal, mental, or written) and whenever we think of something that we are missing (music, TV show, etc.) pray for the actors, musicians, directors, producers, advertisers, fans, etc. Pray that God will make Himself obvious to them. That they will realize the gifts and abilities they have a gifts from God. Pray for their souls, that the Holy Spirit would grab hold of their hearts and turn them to God. It might be good to write down your prayer. Maybe it's one that goes on all day. But every time you think of what your missing, pray about it and for those who are being influenced by it.

Before you go anywhere, take some time to open your Bible and read: Psalm 33. Read it whenever you get bored or tempted. Remember to READ, THINK, DISCUSS, LIVE

Day 1

The first day is always the toughest. Not because it's hard to start fasting... it's hard to remember that you're fasting. Jesus took 40 days away from the noise and chaos of His time and went out into the desert to fast and pray. He had removed himself from the people, food, and noise. For us, that might be a bit tougher. Our loved ones might get a little freaked out if we just took off into the desert for the next 30 days. So we have to continue on with life and deal with the noise and things tugging at our mind, while trying to control the media we listen to, watch, and read.

To say this will be a tough journey is a bit of an understatement. But that is where God steps in. The goal for this month is to do whatever we can to remove the "not-God-centered" noise from our lives and focus our attention and minds on "God-centered" things. One of the most effective tools we have to help us with this is the Bible. People often say, "If I could just get to know God or see Him, I might believe." This Bible is His message to us, revealing who He is and who we are. The more we saturate our minds with His Word, the more we will see Him, all around us, despite the noise.

So today, take a few minutes to start off this fast with a simple exercise. It's a simple method that, if we follow, we will get to know God on a level we never thought we could. So start off today with this:

• READ: Romans 12:1-2
• THINK: What is this saying? What does each word or phrase mean?
• DISCUSS: Find someone to discuss this with... maybe a friend, parent, you could even journal it (or post your thoughts on ourthirty.com)
• LIVE: How does God want you to live this out?

Pretty simple. Over the next month, there will be more exercises, like prayer (including prayer for Hollywood and the media) and expressive opportunities. We will also hear from other leaders, students, and pastors from different perspectives and insights. So get ready... Day 1 has already started... have you?