Wrestling Passion

Lent 2012 A Clean Heart, Create in Me
Friday February 24 Psalm 51:17

I have 2 fabulous high school wrestlers in my church. They have a passion for this sport that they need to in order to be successful. With a controlled diet and exercise plan, this is a sport of the mind as well as the body. They must be able to conquer the hungers of their bodies and the defenses of their opponent. I hope if they read this that they realize how they inspire me.
Fasting from anything is a spiritual discipline but only if its fruit brings us closer to God. Lewis puts it beautifully: "Ascetic practices, (one's that deny our bodily passions and/or split our attention), which in themselves strengthen the will, are only useful in so far as they enable the will to put its own house (the passions) in order, as a preparation for offering our whole self to God."
He asks us how can we love God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strengths if we are of a split will? So ask the Lord to break our stubborn denial to change our priorities from satisfying our passions to submitting to a diet of God that exercises our faith, so as we conquer the hungers of our bodies we may also be successful in the defeat of our opponents. May God be at the center of your living and loving today and may your fast bear fruit.