Halfway There: Reflection, Fasting & Realignment With God
As I signed off from work yesterday afternoon, it suddenly dawned on me:
Tomorrow is July!
Half the year is gone.
For some, that thought feels exciting. For others, it feels heavy.
Maybe you started 2026 with vision boards, prayer points, goals, and expectations, only to find yourself here wondering, What happened?
Maybe life happened to you in ways you never planned.
Perhaps you hoped many things would happen for you, but instead you found yourself navigating disappointment, delay, grief, uncertainty, or fatigue.
Wherever you find yourself, here is my encouragement:
The halfway mark of the year is not a verdict. It is an invitation.
An invitation to pause.
An invitation to reflect.
An invitation to realign.
Scripture reminds us:
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
Romans 12:2
Transformation requires intentionality.
As humans, we are susceptible to error, distraction, comparison, fear, comfort, and discouragement. Yet the Word gives us hope:
“Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again…”
Proverbs 24:16
Falling is not the end.
Staying down is.
This is why I often spend the halfway mark of the year taking stock with God.
I ask questions like:
What has God been teaching me?
Where have I grown?
Where have I resisted growth?
What habits are helping me?
What mindsets need to surrender?
And if I’m honest, one of the greatest ways I do this is through fasting. Many people think fasting is something we only do in January. But fasting is not merely a New Year practice. It is a lifestyle of surrender.
Not starvation.
Not punishment.
Not a religious performance.
Alignment.
Fasting creates room for clarity.
It weakens the noise of the flesh so we can hear the Spirit more clearly.
Jesus said in Matthew 6 that fasting is not meant to be performative but relational. It draws us closer to the Father.
Fasting doesn’t only get you things from God.
Fasting gets you closer to God.
And when you are aligned with God, everything changes.
Your mindset shifts.
Your discernment sharpens.
Your spirit grows stronger.
Recently, I reflected on a season of my life that felt deeply like wilderness.
Last year, I resonated heavily with Hagar.
I identified with the pain, rejection, mistreatment, and loneliness of her story.
I sat in self-pity longer than I realised.
And self-pity is dangerous because misery loves company.
But God recently showed me something I had missed.
Hagar was so overwhelmed by mistreatment that she did not even realise what she was carrying.
She discovered something life-changing in the wilderness. She was pregnant. And not just with a child. With a nation. That revelation shook me.
Sometimes we are so focused on our pain that we fail to recognise the promise we are carrying. Wilderness seasons can distort perspective. But wilderness is often where revelation comes. Hagar encountered God there as El Roi — the God who sees.
So if this year so far has felt heavy, painful, slow, or disappointing, I want to encourage you:
Do not assume nothing is growing simply because everything feels difficult.
Pressure often precedes revelation. Diamonds require pressure. Gold requires refining. And faith often deepens in hidden places.
I’m reminded of the Hebrew boys in the fire. They were not alone. There was a fourth man in the fire. God was with them. And perhaps that is the greatest comfort of all.
You may feel under pressure. But pressure with God refines. It does not destroy.
So as we enter July, I want to challenge you:
When was the last time you fasted?
Not for a breakthrough alone.
Not just for an answered prayer.
Not only because you want something.
But simply to draw near.
James 4:8 says:
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
Perhaps July could become your month of realignment.
A fast for clarity.
A fast for discipline.
A fast for renewed devotion.
A fast for a breakthrough.
Do not give up on what you believed God for in 2026.
Half the year may be gone.
But God has not run out of time.
Scripture reminds us:
“God is not human, that He should lie…”
Numbers 23:19
If God said it, He remains faithful.
So breathe.
Reflect.
Pray.
Fast.
Realign.
You are not behind when you are walking with God.
Prayer
Father, thank You for bringing me this far in 2026.
Help me not to measure my progress only by worldly timelines, but by spiritual growth and obedience.
Reveal where I need realignment. Renew my mind. Strengthen my spirit. Give me grace to surrender habits, mindsets, and distractions that pull me away from You.
As I enter the second half of this year, refine me, strengthen me, and draw me closer to Your heart.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
OZ x
