preparING our hearts to draw closer to the Lord
It is very appropriate that this year, Ash Wednesday falls on February 14, the day we celebrate Valentine's Day. Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love. Lent is a time to reflect upon the ultimate love of God, who sent His son to die for us so that we could be reconciled to enter into a relationship with Him. The dual significance of Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday underscores the greatest love the world has ever known. As you participate in the daily devotions, may your heart be drawn closer to the essence of divine love and the call to live out his love in our broken world.
THIS WEEK'S REFLECTION
by Kathy Phillips
I was with a friend recently who talked about going on a diet and fasting to rid her body of toxins she worried might make her sick. And that got me to thinking about Lent. Lent is a time to look within, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to deal with the toxins in our hearts. These toxins separate us from others and the Lord.
These next 40 days will be a time of reflection and examination as we ask the Holy Spirit to search out our hearts and show us if there is anything blocking our relationship with Him. In order to do that we have to walk in humility, not puffed up full of our own self-righteousness, but bowing low and asking the Lord for His oversight. My challenge to you as we begin this season of Lent is to clothe yourself with humility and ask the Lord if there is anything he wants to deal with in your life. Wait on Him. I have learned that the enemy of our souls will slam us with an overwhelming feeling of guilt and condemnation. But the Lord’s conviction of our sin is very different, it is redemptive, not overwhelming. He is very specific and constructive.
If there is something He wants to bring up He will do so with a heart of love for you with gentleness putting His finger on one thing at a time He wants you to deal with. When He convicts you of a specific sin, your job is to repent, which simply means to turn, to stop going your way and turn to go His way. Confess your sin to Him.
The word confess conveys the meaning to say the same thing as…if He calls it a sin, and something He wants to deal with, don’t excuse yourself or blame someone else, call it a sin too. Then receive His amazing forgiveness. This is a process that can be repeated again and again during these forty days and beyond. Let’s embrace humility and renewal, let’s get rid of those toxins in our hearts this Lent.
I was with a friend recently who talked about going on a diet and fasting to rid her body of toxins she worried might make her sick. And that got me to thinking about Lent. Lent is a time to look within, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to deal with the toxins in our hearts. These toxins separate us from others and the Lord.
These next 40 days will be a time of reflection and examination as we ask the Holy Spirit to search out our hearts and show us if there is anything blocking our relationship with Him. In order to do that we have to walk in humility, not puffed up full of our own self-righteousness, but bowing low and asking the Lord for His oversight. My challenge to you as we begin this season of Lent is to clothe yourself with humility and ask the Lord if there is anything he wants to deal with in your life. Wait on Him. I have learned that the enemy of our souls will slam us with an overwhelming feeling of guilt and condemnation. But the Lord’s conviction of our sin is very different, it is redemptive, not overwhelming. He is very specific and constructive.
If there is something He wants to bring up He will do so with a heart of love for you with gentleness putting His finger on one thing at a time He wants you to deal with. When He convicts you of a specific sin, your job is to repent, which simply means to turn, to stop going your way and turn to go His way. Confess your sin to Him.
The word confess conveys the meaning to say the same thing as…if He calls it a sin, and something He wants to deal with, don’t excuse yourself or blame someone else, call it a sin too. Then receive His amazing forgiveness. This is a process that can be repeated again and again during these forty days and beyond. Let’s embrace humility and renewal, let’s get rid of those toxins in our hearts this Lent.
Heavenly Father,
We begin the season of Lent by taking the ashen mark of the cross on our brows. We proclaim that we are your children, followers of Jesus. With this mark we look within with an attitude of penitence and self examination. We ask you to do a deep work of cleansing in our spirits during these 40 days. Show us if there is a spiritual discipline you want us to commence or if there is something you are calling us to fast from. Give us the resolve to walk closer with you each day. May the lessons of humility and repentance we learn during this season be seeds planted deep within our souls, growing throughout the year and bearing fruit in every season of our lives. Thank you that through the deep work of Lent you prepare us for Resurrection Day! In Jesus name, Amen