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Isaiah 58

1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

“Then the word of the LORD Almighty came to me: ‘Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?” Zechariah 7:4-6

Please choose the length of fast you will participate in, commit to it in prayer, and get ready for it appropriately as suggested and outlined in previous posts. For those of you participating in a 40 hour fast this week please take caution with the meals before and after your fast. It is especially important that you not have meals such as those outlined in previous emails (extremely fatty, containing a lot of meat, or containing a lot of dairy).

This week our readings will focus around the passage in Matthew 4:1-11 regarding Jesus, his 40 day fast, and his encounter with temptation. Please read this passage in your Bible, then read the excerpt from the blog provided below, and then journal about the questions that follow the reading below.

Throughout your week try to pay attention to the different ways in which you are tempted, especially during your time of fasting, and how you respond to those temptations, how you feel you can be better prepared in the future, and then journal and pray about these things each night of this week. It might be helpful to read the journal questions below before beginning your time of fasting so you will know what to be thinking about through that time.

Excerpt from Barefoot Soul Blog:

“In today’s reading from Matthew, we see Jesus confronting temptation and successfully resisting it. Since he is our great Exemplar, we want to be like him. Therefore it behooves us to notice what Jesus did in response to temptation from the Adversary. We must first note that immediately after his Baptism by John, “… Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness… [specifically] to be tempted by the devil (Mt.4:1). This was the way God wanted Jesus to begin his ministry – to be tempted by his enemy right off the bat. Fasting quiets the mind and the soul, making us more open to God and heightening our spiritual awareness. It gets God’s attention, because it lets Him know we are serious about our intention. Fasting also leaves us physically vulnerable. In a famous example of understatement, Matthew tells us that “…after fasting forty days and forty nights, he (Jesus) was hungry. (4:2). Jesus was spiritually in tune with God but physically hungry. The Devil knew that He was going to be a formidable enemy , so he was quick to try to undermine Jesus’ ministry with several temptations. As we begin to consider this in terms of our own lives, I think we need to ask ourselves some pointed questions.

Do we even believe in the Devil? – That he is real and personal, that he hates us and has a terrible plan for our lives?

Do we believe that the Devil tempts us to sin?

Do we even believe in Sin and its real effects upon our spiritual life?

Author CS Lewis tells us that: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” (Screwtape Letters).
Most of us don’t have the latter problem so much. Instead we wrestle with actually disbelieving their existence. But to quote Hal Lindsey, “Satan is alive and well on planet earth”. He is a real personage. Lucifer, God’s worship leader, arrogantly thought he could take over God’s throne and rebelled against Him. War ensued and God tossed Lucifer – now Satan, the Adversary, out of heaven, along with a third of the angels – all of whom now serve Satan as underdevils. Satan and his minions are real and they “prowl around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” (I Pet. 5:8).
We need therefore, to “Be sober-minded and … watchful…, mindful that the Enemy of our soul does indeed try to tempt us. For an interesting and entertaining study of the temptation tactics Satan and his ‘lowerarchy” employ read CS Lewis’s “The Screwtape Letters.” It will enlighten you as to how subtle our enemy really is.

Sin
In 1973, Psychiatrist Karl Menninger wrote a book called “Whatever Became of Sin?” He caused great consternation in many circles by asking whether we had become so psychologically oriented that the notion of sin had become passé. But I’m here today to tell you that sin is real and separates us from God. Sin is any action or thought that goes against God’s will for us. It’s not just our actions – though these are extremely important, but our thoughts as well – just as Jesus told us when he said that even to look upon a woman lustfully was sin (Matthew 5:28). Sin is birthed in our hearts and then comes to life when we give attention and energy to the desire of our hearts. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” says Jesus (Matthew 15:19). Sin grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30) and Separates us from God:

“…your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Is 59:2)

The Good News is that because we have been saved and adopted as God’s children, this separation is not eternal leading to damnation, rather it a temporary disruption of our relationship with God, that can be healed after we repent of our sin. Nevertheless, unconfessed sin in the life of a Christian can lead to very grave consequences, even death. (I John 5:16) “Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:15). So….Sin is real, and it has real impact in our lives. Satan is real and He really does tempt you to sin so that you will be at odds with God.

The Nature of Temptation
Let’s now think a little bit about the Nature of Temptation. James tells us that no one is tempted by God, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (1:14) Desire is what tempts me. And what do I desire? I want what I want when I want it! - Whatever makes me happy, whatever I think I want, whether that be an object, an experience or a relationship – or to put it crudely: ‘Money Sex and Power” (see the book by the same name by Richard Foster). Really, what we are talking about is Idolatry, that is: asking a thing or a person to do something for you that only God can do. This Idolatry has within it the seeds of self-sufficiency. I want to fulfill my perceived needs and wants my way – just like Frank Sinatra. I don’t’ care what God says, I want what I want when I want it! Temptation appeals to our basic desire to be self-sufficient and thus is a type of Pride.
The Blessing of Resistance
Now over against this basic desire to do things my way, God promises us something very good for doing things His way: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:15). Successfully resisting Satan and his temptations brings us the Crown of Life – that is life in fellowship with God – Divine Favor plus human happiness, all that a human being could reasonably want. So with all that in mind as prologue, let’s consider how we imitate Jesus in his resistance of temptation.
How to resist temptation like Jesus: Fast, Pray, and Apply the Word
Fasting increases spiritual awareness – and as we observe with Christ, also opens us up to the attack of the enemy. Praying to God shows my dependence upon God. I’m not doing thing in my own power, but in His. Applying the Word correctly give us the ammunition we need to resist the Devil when he comes after us. ‘Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee” says Ps. 119:11. Satan twists the Word to His own purposes; he is a subtle and deceitful enemy and not to be trifled with.”
Author: Andrew Counts
http://bare-foot-soul.blogspot.com/2008/02/on-resisting-temptation.html

Journal Questions:

1) In what ways did Satan try to tempt Jesus in the reading from Matthew 4?
2) How did Jesus respond to Satan? What did He say to him?
3) How do you see fasting and prayer relating to temptation and our fight against it?
4) What temptations have you faced this week? During your time of fasting? What areas does Satan know you are weak in?
5) How did you respond to those temptations? What helped you fight them? When you gave in to them, why do you think you did? How were you weak?
6) Do you, for yourself, see how times of fasting and prayer can be a part of a spiritual process through which you grow closer to God and grow stronger at fighting temptation?
7) When we “fast” from being “of the world” in different ways how do we see ourselves being tempted and falling back in to the ways of the world? What are your personal areas of temptation or struggle? How will you plan to battle the temptations better?

May God bless your week and your time of fasting!

Please chose which is best for you at this time in your study on fasting- either a 24 hr or a 36 hr fast. Please look over the guidelines from previous weeks if you have any questions regarding the specifics of these types of fasts and how to prepare for them. For those of you continuing with a 36hr fast again this week you will need to prepare yourself well for a 40 hr fast next week. We will talk further about that in next week’s outline. Forty hours will be the longest fast in our study and will only occur during the last two weeks of this study.

This week we will be focused around the idea of spiritual disciplines in general, why we study and participate in them, and what we are supposed to/can get out of them. Our reading this week will come from the book “Conformed to His Image” by Kenneth Boa. At the end of the chapter are several questions that I would like you to answer in your journal this week. They will help us focus on the importance of the disciplines, how we normally respond to the idea of them, and how we can better study and participate in them.

I hope this reading and this focus for the week helps us remember why we chose to do these spiritual disciplines together and helps encourage us regarding their importance and what we can learn from God. I hope you are enjoying meaningful prayer time during this study about fasting and the things you want to learn from it or the ways you want to learn more about God and Jesus through it.

Also, spend some time in meditation during your fasting time this week (maybe 30 min or longer if you can). Sit quietly and reflect on what you thought of the study before beginning it, what you feel you have learned or gained so far, and what you hope to still learn about it or ways to grow in it- even if you don’t expect to learn all of those things or grow well in all of those ways by the time this particular study is over. Also, just be quiet and listen to God as well. You can journal about this time when you have finished.

I’ll leave you with this quote from the book we will read from this week:

“The disciplines of the faith are never ends in themselves but means to the end of knowing, loving, and trusting God. As we implement them in a consistent way, we cultivate holy habits. As these habits grow, they guide our behavior and character in such a way that it becomes more natural for us to live out our new identities in Christ. Our daily choices shape our habits, and our habits shape our character. Our character in turn guides the decisions we make in times of stress, temptation, and adversity. In this way, the godly actions of maturing believers are outward displays of increasing inner beauty.” Kenneth Boa

God bless your week and your fasting time!

Please begin your fasting time this week by reading all of Matthew chapter 6. Especially take to heart during this time the parts focused on fasting, not doing things to be seen by others, your personal relationship with God, worry and anxiety, and the promises God made to provide us with all we need.

Then, after reading, spend time in prayer thanking God for all that you were given that day. Be specific about the ways you felt very blessed or taken care of that day. Ask for God’s strength as you are beginning your fast and for Him to watch over you as you go through your fast this week. Go ahead and thank Him for the food you know will be waiting for you, probably anything you want it to be and in abundance, when you will break your fast. Talk with him about the time/goal you are setting this week for your fast. Hopefully this reading and prayer time will help you feel spiritually ready to begin your fast.

This week you may choose which is better for you at this time: a 24 hr or a 36 hr fast. It is more important that we continue to grow in our desire to learn something, our desire to pray to God and to listen for Him, and our desire to best experience the fast for ourself and our relationship with God. If this study is not what you had hoped it to be yet and you feel forcing or pushing through a 36 hr fast is not the most beneficial at this time for you, then please go back to a 24 hr fast if you feel that would be better for you this week.

My hope in the beginning had been for us to continually be increasing and getting used to longer and longer fasts. However, it is also good for us to review how we are doing in the study, which we did last week, and to see what we want to continue with. It is more important that each person continue in a way that is best for them in their growing relationship with God, and personal experience with fasting, than to force something that is not as helpful and is only being done for the sake of doing it that way. I don’t want anyone to worry about which type of fast they do this week. It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to try a longer fast next week.

There will also be another reading attached to the email from the book “God’s Chosen Fast” by Arthur Wallis (pgs 21-31). We have read from this book before. This week we will be focused on what God has to say about fasting; why we do it and when we do it. The first chapter is also focused some on Matthew chapter 6.

Lastly, for your journal time this week I will ask that you write in your journal one time every day. This could be best to do right before bed. I will ask that you pick one major topic in your life (can be something that is important for someone else in their life but, is also close to your heart to pray about for them) and you journal about that topic, why you picked it, and what you want to pray about regarding it. Think about this topic, pray about it, and journal about it each day of this week. Especially spend some time thinking about it and praying about it during your fasting time. See if God reveals anything to you about it this week or if you feel guided in some way by Him.

I hope and pray your week and your time of fasting is blessed!

I hope you are all getting better at and enjoying your time of fasting each week! This week our length of time will increase. I will ask that you prepare yourself mentally, spiritually, and physically on Monday for a 38 hour fast. This means your fast will begin at the same time, after Monday’s dinner, and last until breakfast on Wednesday. Please know that you do not have to increase your amount of dinner on Monday night to sustain you even longer. With a 36-38 hr fast you should still be able to eat a normal dinner and break it with a normal breakfast on Wednesday. Fresh fruits and vegetables are a great way to prepare for, begin, and end fasts. Large amounts of meats, cheeses, grease, etc. can cause problems as mentioned before. It will be important that you pay attention to how you are feeling and if at any time you feel too weak or dizzy you should have a small glass of juice and then see how you feel.

This week our focus will be more outward than before. Last week we prepared ourselves by looking inward and seeing how we can empty ourselves more and humble ourselves before God so that we may better hear him and better be in-tune with our Holy Spirit. I pray that focus has continued for you even outside of fasting. This week we will focus more on those around us who have needs we can help meet. Whether this actually occurs during your time of fasting or another day of the week does not matter. The point this week is to be listening for God to guide you to help another person in need. This requires being aware of those around you in need and being in tune with your Spirit. Your help can be in the way of food, clothing, time, service project, etc. I look forward to seeing how this goes for all of us. The gesture doesn’t have to be grand. An important point is that we are spending time disciplining ourselves to listen to God and to see those around us and see their needs and how we might can help them.

Our readings this week will be from the following: (have your Bible with you and also read the scriptures suggested with the below readings)
- An excerpt from Richard Foster’s book “Celebration of Discipline.”
- A blog I recently discovered: http://www.watersedge.tv/disciplines_fastingfrugality.htm. (The excerpts from this website are already pasted below).

Fasting: Finding Food That Is Out of This World
What is fasting for?
The primary purpose of this practice is for focusing on God. Early on in this practice, the pangs of hunger may serve as reminders to focus our hearts on God. As we develop in this practice, fasting will result in an increasing spiritual sensitivity. We will be more “tuned in” to the Spirit’s leading. We will be more aware of our own inner condition. We will be more aware of the needs of others.
When Jesus was fasting in the desert he was tempted to turn stones into loaves of bread, but he said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Another time, Jesus’ disciples urged Jesus to eat some food (here, Jesus was not said to be fasting), he responded, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about…My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish the work” (John 4:32,34). In abstaining from food and/or drink, we discover an alternative source of strength.
If you recall, one reason for practicing spiritual disciplines is to eliminate the things that keep us from experiencing the fullness of life in God. Through this practice of abstaining from food and/or drink, God can break our bondage to satisfying ourselves. Fasting reveals the things that control us.
From time to time, I unintentionally fast from eating chocolate (it is unintentional because there is just none around!). When I finish a meal, I enjoy a small bit of chocolate. But when there is no chocolate, I realize how much I am imprisoned by it. This is not an example of a discipline, but it is, nonetheless, very revealing.
Fasting will, however, reveal much more than our dependence on food. As we focus on the character and presence of God instead of food, our character will be revealed to us. We will have a heightened spiritual awareness not only of God, but of our own hearts. As Richard Foster writes, “Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear-if they are within us, they will surface during fasting.” This is a benefit to us because with these things revealed, they can also be addressed.
What isn’t fasting for?
Fasting is not commanded. Jesus said, “When you fast…” (Matthew 6:16). As with any discipline, there is the danger to turn it into law (as the story in the beginning of this section illustrates). But we must not make it so. As Paul said, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3:6). That said, it is, nevertheless, assumed to be a normal part of the life of the disciple.
Fasting is not for impressing others. Jesus essentially said, “When you fast, don’t make a big show of it.” If you fast, it does not make you superior to others. In fact, if you think yourself better than others because of it, that will only display your spiritual poverty.
Fasting is not magic. The teaching of some may imply that fasting can be used to influence God to act. We do not go on hunger strikes to force God’s hand-that is an attempt to manipulate God. Neither do we need to make extravagant pleas to move Him to action (Consider the parable of widow and judge in Luke 18:2-8; also Jesus teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:7-8 and 7:7-12). Fasting is not to try to get God to change his mind, but to help us “see more clearly” what God is doing.

How do we fast?
1) Keep your focus. As you begin the practice of fasting it will be important to keep reminding yourself of the purpose of fasting. Your body will argue (grumbling, weakness, headaches), but don’t let those things distract you from your goal. Allow them to serve as reminders to pray or to be still before God.

2) Start out small. Take baby steps into it by fasting one or two meals, one day a week. Then you may increase that as is appropriate (allow me to direct you to Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline. His chapter on fasting has some very practical guidance).

3) Meditate on Jesus’ teaching and practice of fasting along with related Scriptures. Read Matthew 4:1-11, 6:16-18, 9:15; John 4:42-34; Luke 12:22-34; Phil 3:19; Rom 16:17-18; 1 Cor 6:12-13). (Please read these during the week as well)

Resources on Fasting:
Richard Foster, “Celebration of Discipline”
David R. Smith, “Fasting: A Neglected Discipline”

Service: Downward Mobility in an Upwardly Mobile World

Jesus taught that the way up is to go down. He taught his first disciples that the secret to becoming great is to become the servant of all. He illustrated his teaching by putting on the dress of a lowly house servant, and washed the grimy feet of his students.
Service is not merely a spiritual discipline-it is a way of orienting one’s entire life. However, practicing service as a discipline will help in directing that orientation.
The discipline of service frees us from resentment. Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17). In service we learn the secret that our significance is found in God.
There is no hierarchy of values in service. Read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. Whose service is more valuable: a preacher or the woman changing diapers in the nursery? When the woman changing diapers discovers her service is equally pleasing to God, her resentment vanishes.
The discipline of service frees us from the need to be in control. Richard Foster wrote, “When we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge.” How foreign this idea is to us! We live in a culture that celebrates self-determination.

Here are some guidelines for the practice of Service as a discipline:
1) Begin with a right orientation before God. Examine your heart and ask yourself if you are doing it to please God or to please people? Whatever you do, do it in the name of Jesus.
2) Whenever possible do your service in relative secrecy. Do not use deception to conceal your service, and don’t be bothered if someone finds out.
3) Pay attention to your desires for recognition, appreciation, and admiration. Humility is about taking your mind off yourself and focusing on God. Meditate on Jesus words in Matthew 6:1-4.
4) Keep yourself open to serve anyone who you meet. Don’t force yourself on someone, but don’t refuse anyone any good deed.
5) Identify with people of low position. Look at people through God’s eyes as someone who is in need just like you. Dallas Willard encourages us to see ourselves as “a particularly lively piece of clay who, as (a) servant of God, happens to be here and now with the ability to do this good and needful thing for that other bit of clay there.”

Suggestions for your first (36 hour) Fast (internet source for this particular length of fast)

* On a weeknight of your choice, consume a vegetarian meal as your final meal. Popcorn is a good final snack to have before the fast. Consuming meat or dairy as the final meal will complicate the fasting process due to the high content of protein and possibly dangerous substances like sodium nitrate. (can cause headaches later on in a fast this long)

* On the morning after your first full day without food, enjoy a healthy vegetarian “break” fast. Again, you may be surprised to find that by the 36 hour point you are no longer hungry and you will have increased energy. For this reason you may decide to go longer periods as you gain experience with fasting.

References: The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants by Doris Kindersley, A practical reference guide to over 550 Key Herbs & their Medicinal Uses.

“Similarly, fasting is peculiarly suited to glorify God in this way. It is fundamentally an offering of emptiness to God in hope. It is a sacrifice of need and hunger. It says, by its very nature, ‘Father, I am empty, but you are full. I am hungry, but you are the Bread of Heaven. I am thirsty, but you are the Fountain of Life. I am weak, but you are strong. I am poor, but you are rich. I am foolish, but you are wise. I am broken, but you are whole. I am dying, but your steadfast love is better than life (Psalm 63:3).’” A Hunger for God by John Piper

Our fast this week will be the same length of time as the previous two weeks. Next week our fast will be longer so, this week you should prepare to remember the ways and times in which you struggled most so you can guard yourself better and better to fight the temptations.

We will spend time during this fast giving thanks for the many ways in which we are blessed by God, both spiritually and physically. We will be trying to capture a better posture of humility and thankfulness. We are abundantly blessed by God and it is good for us to take time to reflect and to thank him (not saying that you don’t already regularly do this). Doing this while fasting will help us have clearer minds, be less distracted and be more focused on God, our spirit and the things that come to mind as we spend time reflecting.

1. On Monday after dinner (any time in the evening before bed) take some quiet time for yourself and make a list in your journal of all the ways you were blessed by God in that day. Be specific when you can be. Then, spend time in prayer thanking him for all of those things and people. Also pray for your focus and strength during your fast.
2. On Tuesday, for breakfast, spend time writing in your journal about the ways God has blessed you over the past three months. Spend some time in prayer about these things and give thanks to God. Read Psalm 33
3. For lunch on Tuesday do the same journal exercise as above but for the past year. Spend more time in prayer about these things and praising him. Read Psalm 34
4. After dinner on Tuesday, anytime before or at bedtime, spend time thinking about and thanking God for the gift of Jesus and the blessing he is to us. Spend some time reflecting over his life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection. Then spend time in prayer thanking God for him. Read the passage(s) of your choosing from the life, death, and/or resurrection of Jesus. You can journal about anything that comes to mind and about your readings and why you chose them.

Hopefully by dinner on Tuesday we will feel even more humbled by, thankful for, and aware of the many ways God has blessed us over the last day, last three months, and last year. Get excited about your dinner on Tuesday; be thankful for it and tell God; praise him for all that he provides us with. Something I enjoyed from our reading last week was to take your hunger and let it first be a reminder to hunger for God. Seek him first, pray to him first, recognize that He is our source of life, then give thanks for your food and enjoy it. It comes from Him and it is good!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Eph 1:3

“3 [God] humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’ 18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” Deuteronomy 8:3-18