Lent: A Special 40 Day Season Of Surrender To Jesus

“Lent becomes an invitation to uncover the love of Jesus in a far greater way than we had ever imagined.” ~ Asheritah Ciuciu

I have to confess- I only recently started observing the 40 day season of Lent. I saw it as an old tradition that only Catholic churches associated with. However, a few years ago, my daughter explained it to me in such a sweet way that it changed my perspective on Lent. She helped me realize Lent has little to do with tradition or denomination, and more to do with a special forty day season to get closer to the Father. It’s another way to build intimacy with our savior, Jesus Christ. I now intentionally observe Lent which has not only enriched my relationship with Jesus, but has also made Resurrection Sunday an even more special celebration.

I look forward to this special season to spiritually and emotionally prepare my heart to celebrate Jesus’s death and resurrection as the victorious King.

What is Lent? Dr. James Dobson’s instagram page posted this: “Today is the beginning of Lent for many Catholics and Protestants. This is a time of prayer and repentance to prepare our hearts and minds for Easter. Let’s use this special season to draw closer to God and focus on His death, burial and the awesome glory of His resurrection.”

“Lent is meant to be a time of repentance. These 40 days are set aside to praise and worship the Lord; to read the Bible more, and to pray more often. Christians who observe Lent correctly anticipate deeper intimacy with the Lord” writes Candace Leucy of Christianity.com

This is my third year observing Lent. I’m looking forward to the forty days ahead to fast, pray and prepare my heart and mind to all that our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ did for us. It helps me to work with a devotional specific to Lent. I highly recommend “Uncovering the Love of Jesus” by Asheritah Ciuciu. This year I am going to try the “40 Days with Jesus” by The Daily Grace.

It’s important to fast during these forty days. The idea of fasting is to remind ourselves of our humanity and our need for a savior. The key to fasting is to give up something that is hard to give up, hence making it a sacrifice for you.

As we make our sacrifice to fast, we can reflect on the sacrifice Jesus made for our sake.

Spend some time in prayer and ask the Lord to show you what He may want you to surrender to Him. For me, the Holy Spirit showed me that I still haven’t surrendered my anxious thoughts. Therefore, I am being led to fast my old defeating pattern of behavior, which is my anxious thoughts-my worries and fears. God spoke this to me through the devotional, I hear His Whisper, which said, “Prophesy to your heart that you will be filled with grace to move into the future without worries. Embrace the truth. Change your expectations. Let hope and faith arise.”

What you fast is up to you. You can fast food, social media, or like me, a bad habit. You may want to fast a desire you are holding very tightly to, like wanting to date or get married.

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what you could fast.

Fasting is a sacrifice. You are making the choice to give something up and being willing to submit to God. Fasting helps you practice self-control over your earthly desires, which is a good discipline for us. Basically fasting is surrendering something that you would usually rely on in exchange to wholeheartedly rely on the Lord.

It is equally important to spend time in prayer during the forty days of Lent. Substituting prayer every time the temptation or desire comes to reach for the thing you are giving up is part of fasting. Moreover, prayer strengthens our relationship with God and further prepares our heart for Resurrection Day.

Even if you do not choose to fast, Lent is still a special time of reflection. I encourage you to see Lent as an invitation not an obligation. Take this opportunity to meditate on all that Jesus did for us. See it as a sweet act of surrender to God, a special forty day season to surrender to Jesus and cultivate deeper intimacy with Him.

“For forty days and forty nights he fasted …“~ Matthew 4:2