We had to be out by 8 a.m. on Thursday. Sure enough, the pest control company came stat on time, ready to start pitching the massive tent that would cover our condo building during a scheduled fumigation. The crew was pleasant but no-nonsense. We'd known for a week that this appointment was coming; we'd been given copious instructions on how to conduct ourselves accordingly.

Not trying to abuse the single mom card or anything, y'all...but, any busy mama (single or otherwise) will attest that packing a kid (or-yikes!-several of them), plants, a cat PLUS all human and feline food (praise God for canned goods) is no light feat. Finding a solitary place for all of these things to crash is even harder. Hence, I and all of my valuables (kiddo included) ended up spread across three homes. It's now six days later and I still have not recouped everything. Add a spur-of-the-moment camping trip in the mix and I doubt I'll reorganize at all in 2012!

Somewhere between searching for my keys and brainstorming on where the cooler could be, it dawned on me that there's insight to be had in this whole experience. Indeed, it struck me that fumigating the 'crib' mirrors a fast before the Lord.

Tenting your home requires lots of pre-work, but the ends justify the means.

Folding. Boxing. Labeling. Hauling. Lifting. Oh, and lists, lists, lists. It all felt a whole lot like moving to a new place. All told, it consumed my energy for three days prior...that is, for merely a day and half of fumigating.

Fasting unto the Lord is a lot like that. You'll need focus and preparation before you even enter the sacrificial, purging stage. Renowned pastor Jenetzen Franklin (whose on-fire churches are admired for their annual corporate fasts) describes in his book The Fasting Edge that "decisions must be made before the temptation comes." Fasting calls for a ready-made mind and supernatural determination. Without these, you're just starving.

You don't realize until AFTER that this drastic measure was oh-so-necessary.

The pest control company's supervisor joked to me, "We're doing this mainly for your house." I chuckled but, honestly, I didn't really think we had a pest problem...at least not my unit. The occasional cockroach was never enough to alarm me. Imagine my surprise when I came home and noticed not just roaches, but lizards and spiders to boot. And imagine my gratitude that the tenting took place, no matter the momentary inconvenience.

Fasting is such that you reflect and realize that it resulted in a mighty work in and for you. The lens of retrospect helps you recognize what God pruned, shifted, opened, shattered, released or suppressed on your behalf. You see evidence AFTER THE FACT of how it sharpened your spiritual axe.

Guard your valuables during fumigation.

It's just one of those things that is common in South Florida. Thieves risk their health to break into tented homes. Just watch here, here and here. Doesn't seem like a fair trade off to me-fatal poisoning versus electronics. Aware of this, I felt peace with the condominium's decision to post security just beyond the building all for the entire day and a half. Until I learned of the round-the-clock security, I was prepared to haul my electronics somewhere else.

Similarly, the enemy strikes at your most vulnerable state. Yep. Fasting leaves you tired and...well...hungry. Think of Jesus during his 40-day fast at the start of his ministry on earth. The extremity of fasting heightens your spiritual senses. In anger, the enemy looks to enter through any weak channel. Guard your spiritual gates, lest the enemy takes what's precious to you...your joy, hope, faith and stamina!

After the fumigation comes a wonderful opportunity to clean like never before.

The cupboards were already bear. Every cabinet door left open. The fridge and its doors remained propped as well. Perhaps only a mom would salivate at this golden, prime cleaning opportunity but it was a chance like no other to give the place a thorough wash down.

Fasting puts things back in order. Victory and divine power (New Testament uses the term Dunamis, meaning 'miraculous power' and a lexicon kin to the word Dynamite) come through fasting coupled with prayer.

Breakthroughs, clarity and spiritual discipline are by products of prayerful fasts. Friends, fasting gives us a fresh start, particularly after a successful run. Be a marathoner, not a sprinter, though; otherwise, your fresh start can end up a false start.

Ana Valeska is a not-so-naughty librarian, college instructor, book editor and--yeah,baby--NEWD columnist. Her forthcoming work, Tu Eres (You Are), is a devotional based on modern-day worship psalms. Ana Valeska longs to help redeem urban, young adult culture for the Lord Jesus. Her daughter, Selena, and cat, Puffles, have her wrapped around their little fingers.