Day Six Of The 10th Annual End Of Summer Fast & Detox: What’s Coming With You?
Not Everything From This Season Is Meant To Follow You Into The Next One
Only 24 hours left in the fast and detox!
I thought Day four was tough, but today was the toughest. I went to a baseball game without being able to have anything, it was different but I still was able to have a good time. I also spent the day in church, and it was a really good service.
We’ve gotten into a lot of good stuff already, and as I was thinking and praying about what I wanted to get into today, I kept coming back to the idea of environment.
On Day 3, we talked about “Where are you?” in the context of the fall, where are you after your mistakes? Where are you spiritually? And how many times do we get stuck there?
Today, I want to look at that idea differently.
Our environments have a way of shaping who we are and who we’re called to be. Our environments can shape our identity, but they can also affect our growth. Sometimes our environment can push us toward who we’re becoming, and sometimes it can keep us stuck in who we’ve been.
I think about Abraham, when God called him to leave his father’s house in order to get to the promise He had for him.
I also think about Jacob, when God told him to return after he had spent years building under Laban.
There are moments when God calls you into something new, and part of that requires you to leave something familiar.
Our environments are crucial parts of our lives. They are about more than where we are physically. It includes our mental environment, our physical environment, our relationships, our habits, what we talk about, what we consume, and the entire ecosystem surrounding us.
Today, we’re stepping outside of ourselves and taking a closer look at our environments. Take a look around.
What Is Your Environment Like?
Who are the people in your life? What are your habits? Who are you connected to?
You are what and who you’re around. I know people hate the saying “birds of a feather flock together,” but it’s true. I’ve heard it said before, “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future,” and there is truth in that.
Our environments are so important, and they play such a role in shaping our outcomes and our identities. Think about it. Plants need the right ecosystem in order to grow. Why would it not be the same for us?
The growth of a plant and food is directly impacted by the environment it’s in. You can’t grow pineapples in Michigan because it’s too cold.
So what if the thing stunting your growth is your environment? What if the thing stopping you from getting to the next level isn’t that you don’t have the ability, but that you’re trying to grow in an environment that isn’t conducive to your growth?
Now, I understand that everyone isn’t at a place where they can physically move or completely change their circumstances. There are still ways to clean up your environment and your ecosystem without physically moving.
Maybe the assignment that you have on your life requires you to change what you’re allowing around you.
What are you feeding yourself? I’m not just talking about food.
What are you listening to? What are you watching? What are you reading? Who are you talking to? What are you constantly consuming? Whether you believe it or not, it directly impacts you.
Check your environment. Is it conducive to the person you are becoming, or is it only comfortable for the person you’ve been? The makeup of our environment includes where we go, who we talk to, what we spend our time on, and what we allow access to us.
Today, we’re checking our relationships and our physical environments because, whether you believe it or not, your house and how you live directly impacts how you operate.
Think about it.
Abraham was very specific about the wife he wanted for his son. That’s how important relationships are to our lives. Our relationships can breathe life into us, or they can slowly drain us.
Whether it’s friendships, dating, intimate relationships, family, or whatever other relationships exist in your life, they are a major part of our environment.
I’ve been watching a series by Pastor Dharius Daniels called Relationshipology, and it ultimately looks at how we do relationships through culture versus the Kingdom’s way.
Are your friends and the people in your life pushing you to be better or keeping you stagnant?
Take it a step further.
Who are you following on social media?
Does it make you better or make you worse?
Does it make you think about your life or make you compare?
How does the music you listen to influence your life?
And then there’s your physical environment.
How do you upkeep your space? Your car? Your house? Your workspace?
Is it organized? Is it clean? Because this directly affects your mental space more than you know.
Ultimately, this is also about being a good steward of what God has placed in your hands. If you don’t steward well the things He’s given you, why would He give you more?
If you’re praying for God to bless you with a new house or car, are you taking care of the car you have now?
If you’re asking God for a spouse, are you taking care of the relationships that you’re already in with your friends and loved ones?
Today, we are checking our entire ecosystem and aligning it with the person we’re becoming. So many times, we outgrow things and people, and we hold on because of blind loyalty. Sometimes holding on causes more damage than letting go.
I want you to check the different spheres of your life today.
1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for ‘bad company corrupts good character.’” This shows us that no matter how pure your intentions are and how “clean” you may think you are, if you continuously place yourself in the wrong environment, eventually it will affect you.
Iron sharpens iron.
Don’t get caught up in thinking your environment is only the people you’re around, because it’s so much more than that. Step outside of yourself and look at yourself in your environment with fresh eyes.
Does the person you’re trying to become fit in your current environment?
Does your environment support where you’re going?
Or does it keep pulling you back toward who you’ve been?
Maybe it’s time to grow.
Maybe it’s time to shed some things.
Maybe it’s time to purge.
Now, Bringing It Into the Detox
Now, stepping outside of the biblical lesson for a second, I started thinking about how this applies to the detox.
The detox is physical. We’ve spent these days being intentional about what we’re putting into our bodies, what we’re consuming, and what we’re choosing to go without. We did a mission statement and dug into our legacy.
It made me think about how easy it is to focus on what we’re removing physically while never stopping to ask what else needs to be removed from our environment.
Because even outside of the spiritual side of this fast, our surroundings affect us.
What is sitting in your refrigerator?
What is in your closet?
What is taking up space in your house?
What is filling your phone?
What are you constantly consuming?
Sometimes a detox makes you realize how much you consume without even thinking about it. Maybe that’s the same question we need to ask about our environment.
What am I surrounded by simply because I’m used to it?
What am I holding onto because I’ve had it for a long time?
What am I consuming because it’s available, not because it’s actually good for me?
That’s where the physical side of this detox started connecting with what I was already thinking about today. Not because the two are the same, but because they both require intentionality.
You have to be intentional about what you allow into your body, and you have to be intentional about what you allow into your environment. Both require you to stop, take inventory, and decide what still belongs.
As a certified hoarder, it takes me so much time to release things. I’m learning, that until I make room for what I want, I don’t have the space for it.
That is just as mental as it is physical.
I want you to check your environment, too.
What are you surrounded by?
Does it look like where you’re going?
Look at your contacts. Your social media. Your clothes. Your home. Your car. Your routines.
Does your environment reflect the life you’re praying for? Because if it doesn’t, it may be holding you back.
This is about purging. It’s not always easy to let go.
Sometimes we hold onto things because they’re familiar. Sometimes we hold onto people because of history. Sometimes we hold onto habits because we don’t know what life looks like without them. Holding onto something simply because you’ve had it for a long time doesn’t mean it still has a place in your life.
So, as we slowly bring this thing to a close tomorrow, I want you to start preparing for the things you want.
We’ve spent so much time getting clear on our goals, how we want to walk into this next quarter, and how we want to have a pure heart. Now ask yourself, does your environment match all of that?
You can pray for something new while still holding onto everything that belongs to the old. You can ask for more while still being surrounded by things that keep you stuck.
So today, don’t just think about what you want to add.
Think about what needs to go.
Make the room.
Clean the space.
Check the relationships.
Change what you consume.
Release what you’ve outgrown.
And prepare yourself for what you’ve been praying for.
Sometimes you don’t need more. You need more room.
Worship Song Below
Today’s Prayer
God, thank You for today. Thank You for this fast and detox. I pray that people’s lives are being transformed and drawn closer to You. I pray that people see themselves the way You see them. I pray that You give us the strength and courage to walk away from anything or anyone that You’ve called us from. Help us to release anything we’ve been holding onto. Anything that we need to release in order to become the version of us that You see. Help us see ourselves the way You see us and our environments the way You see them. Break any strongholds or ties that these things have over us, and give us the courage to walk away without looking back. Help us make room for what You are doing next.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
