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?