Convinced that I was making up dialogue in my mind, I actually regrouped and restarted my prayer only to receive the very same word from the Lord, 

“Don’t speak today. I want you to be silent.”

Voice fasts are a discipline that I never knew people were practicing until the beginning of my time on the Race and upon experiencing a teammate observing a day of silence in our first month, I knew that it was a fast that would challenge me, but would inspire an immense amount of growth in me. Talking is one of my favorite hobbies and in recent times, I’ve found myself talking quite a bit more than I’m listening, so though I knew it would stretch me, I committed to fasting my voice whenever God would ask me to. 

The time had come. May 25, 2021, Aaron Wesley Moore did not say a word…. Kind of. ;P

For the majority of the morning, I wrestled in my thoughts about whether or not this was the authentic, genuine, absolute, sure voice of God. As the day progressed, I rested in assurance that this was indeed a command of the Father. I had not made this up on my own. Praise the Lamb. 

At the conclusion of this lovely day, I sat and I wrote about my experience, specifically what I’d learned from this fast. Check it out: 

• It’s alright to not express your opinion. You’re not so right that everyone needs to hear what you have to say. 

• You’re a much more intentional listener when you’re not thinking about how you’ll respond. 

• I learned more about what it looks like to pray without ceasing. 

• Oof. I learned how frequently my words are not kind or uplifting. The only words that passed through my lips today were “Man. These things are freaks.” (i was talking about geese, but still)

• God gave me a voice, but that’s not even what He loves most about me. He’d still use me for His purposes even if I didn’t have a voice. 

• I had the opportunity to watch my team discern the voice of HS while I knew clearly what He had been speaking to me about our plans for the evening. That was SWEET!

Whoa. What a sweet time to spend with my Father. He was the only person that I could talk to for the whole day and we had some really intimate conversation that granted me permission to climb into the lap of my Heavenly Dad. Because I took the time to listen to Him, I now get to know Him more deeply and that means so much more to me than speaking a thousand words to any human being.

But wait… There’s more. 

He asked me to do it again the following day. That’s right. May 26, 2021 Aaron Wesley Moore did not say a word.... For real this time. ;P

I found this day to be a bit more simple. Honestly, I’d quickly acclimated to my inability to respond to my friends or to speak in general. Today was less of a challenge for me, so I decided that I’d wander deeper into the city on my own than I had on day one. After a trip to the grocery store to purchase a healthy portion of sparkling water, I settled in the park near our home and whipped out the book I’d been reading, “The Way of the Violent” by Parker R. Green. (sidenote is that while this book is written to men from a man, I believe that every person would benefit from some time with this work.) 

I’d only been reading for about ten minutes when I felt my Spirit stirring within me, but I kept reading and it only got stronger as I read more about this theory that we, the Body, have allowed individuals and local institutions to fabricate our own renditions of who Jesus is and the Good News He proclaimed. We’ve rewritten a story that seeks to serve us and our own well being. Whoa. That’s me and I knew it. 

Conviction.

God spoke to me and He said “are you willing to make a fool of yourself?” 

“Of course,” I replied with confidence. 

“Will you fall on your face in repentance in this park?” He asked. 

Though I hesitated for a moment, I did resolve to meet my Papa where He requested me to be. He was so gentle in His prompting me to crawl to him on the ground. Unbothered at the idea that people might see me or laugh or even care what was going on, I fell to my knees in repentance and cried out to Him. He filled me up again and I felt it. 

My dry season is over. The rain has come. 

I broke my fast in service to my team the next morning and we took to the streets that evening for some street evangelism and worship and I experienced zeal for the work of Jesus to be done like never before. Oh baby, I was praying for radical healing that I never ever thought I’d believe in and though I didn’t see the man on crutches walk away completely healed, I rest in the truth that the spirit of the living God encountered his suffering and will never leave him. 

Yes, if you’re wondering, I am even more freaky now and I’M PROUD OF IT!!!! But know that's it's all a byproduct of my love for Him and His for me. 

Let Him fill you up. Take a chance and meet Him where you know He is. Don’t allow the challenge to scare you away. I’m here to champion you, so let me know what ways He is growing you. Maybe if you do a voice fast, I wanna hear ALL about it. 

I love you. 

AWM