There is a spiritual blessing coming soon, that is available for every Christian, but most Christians choose to pass on it. What is it? LENT. LENT is 40 days of special, intensified times of prayer, repentance, Bible study, confession, etc. It isn’t a legalistic thing like the Pharisees were known for. It is a season of personal choice to emphasize the spiritual things in our life, even more than we normally do. The tool used to help the believer during these 40 days is a giving up of something that we enjoy, to help remind us each day to spend more time in prayer, in God’s Word, in scriptural meditation, etc. It is a time of choice for the increased pursuit of spiritual things in our life.
The key to this sacrificial choice is choosing wisely. What will impact your life and help you remember to pursue spiritual things more than normal, won’t necessarily make an impression on my life at all. I know a young man who chose to give up his watch one year for LENT. Sounds trivial, huh. But to him it made such a daily impression. He never realized how often he looked at his watch. Each time he looked and it wasn’t there, he remembered to say an extra prayer or take an extra moment in God’s Word or spend a few extra moments in confession of his faults. It wasn’t some church mandate, it was a personal decision to draw closer to the LORD. And it worked.
In the sporting world, it could be compared to 3-a-day workouts. No team uses 3-a-day workouts for the entire season. They use them at the beginning of the season to “get in shape”, so that they can play at their best through the upcoming months. LENT can have the same effect on a believer and for me, that is exactly what it does.
Now it is true that this increased time for “getting in shape spiritually” could be done anytime. So why do LENT? First, since it can be done anytime, LENT qualifies as anytime. Second, there is a sense of unity and even comradery and fellowship, just knowing that you are joining with other believers around the world in this special season of spiritual pursuit.
LENT was begun as a remembrance of the 40 day time of testing of our LORD Jesus Christ in the wilderness. Jesus truly sacrificed during those 40 days, eating nothing. And it wasn’t some kind of miraculous fasting either; no special help from heaven. He could have miraculously provided food for Himself, but He didn’t. He humbled Himself before His Father so that His flesh could be prepared for the upcoming time of Satan’s testing. That is why LENT is 40 days.
You and I also face times of testing every year, but sometimes those battles are intensified beyond what we ever expected from the enemy. Those times could use some 3-a-days of preparation, days to increase our strength for the upcoming warfare that Paul speaks about in Ephesians 6. LENT can help in that preparation.
Is LENT required? Of course not; it’s a season of personal choice. But just like all spiritual things, if we choose to “pass” on it, we will miss out on the blessing of LENT. I’m encouraging you NOT to “pass” on it. Choose to take advantage of LENT this year.
LENT this year begins on Feb. 22 and ends April 8. All you need to do is choose something that significantly impacts your life and give it up for those 40 days. It could be Facebook/Tic Toc/Twitter/WhatsApp/Instagram time, your favorite food/drink, television, your favorite music, eating out, etc. Just remember this; it cannot be giving up something that is wrong already and should be given up year-round anyway. In other words, you can’t give up getting drunk because it is wrong and should never be part of a believer’s life. It must be something that is OK, something we have a right to, but choose to give it up anyway.
Oh, one more thing. Sundays are for celebration and are not part of the 40 days. Including Sundays, there are 46 days between Feb. 22 and April 8. Remember that Sundays are not part of the giving up, so if you’ve given up your favorite soft drink, drink away on Sundays. The 40 days are a symbol of our LORD’s 40 days, so keep your focus on that number of days.
Prayer: Holy Father, we ask Your guidance in our choice to participate in LENT this year. We want these 40 days to truly prepare us for the battles and times of testing from Satan and his forces that lie ahead. Help us choose wisely, something that will make its mark in our life, so that we will be prompted to spend more personal time with You in prayer and more time in Your Word. Please, use these days to humble and strengthen us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
