The Lenten Season

The lenten season, the season leading up to Easter, is a time when most reflect on what was taking place back in the days of Jesus, walking this earth. Or at least we should be reflecting on those times and what actually took place, all for loves sake, for our sake.

During this time so often I hear of those fasting "something" for lent. What does that actually mean? Why are you doing this?  For whom are you doing this for? I will go out on a limb here and be bold. I think most of the time the act of fasting is being done for the wrong reason. Especially what is being fasted from. Sugar, or chocolate, or soda, or alcohol, or snacks, or some other luxury that doesn't really matter in our lives. Does that really glorify Jesus? Does it really bring us to a place of intercession and prayer? I doubt it.

You see when Jesus asks us to fast it is usually because we need a deep cleansing from God, or we need something very specific and important in our lives, or perhaps we need healing.  One thing I know we all need is forgiveness.  Yes, forgiveness. Because none of us are perfect and blameless until we go to be with the Lord for eternity. 

In my opinion, and I repeat, my opinion (yours may be different), fasting from sugar or chocolate or alcohol isn't going to bring me to a closer place with Jesus. What Jesus wants is when we fast to spend that extra time with Him in prayer.  For the hour you may fast from your favorite TV show, He wants us to pray. That is how we get to that closer place to Jesus. 

The lenten season is about us digging deep into our hearts and searching for cobwebs that need cleaning out. It is about us finding a renewing of our spirits from Christ Jesus. It is about us walking in integrity with the Lord.

I know Jesus desires that more intimate relationship with us. But it is up to us to take those steps and dig deep. It is up to us to call out to Jesus and ask for His redeeming love and mercy over us.

Jesus already did the hard part. He walked that road, being mocked, being ridiculed, being spat on, being beaten, being nailed to that cross, suffering the most horrible death on that cross, all for loves sake. All for our sake. 

He then rose from the grave, and went and snatched the keys to hell, defeated the devil, all for loves sake. He then rose to heaven, in victory, and sent His Holy Spirit to be our comforter, our counselor, and to be with us always. We are never alone. 

So let me ask you, why are you fasting, if you do? Why are you celebrating Easter, if you do?

Do you remember what took place that Easter week almost 2000 years ago? Do you remember why?

I can think of many reasons to fast and pray. Desperate reasons. But the most important reason is for our relationship with Jesus Christ to be strengthened, and to be more meaningful in our lives. That is the most important reason. Without that we have nothing. 

I encourage you faithful readers, this Easter season, search your hearts, search the Word of God, search and seek more of the Holy Spirit in your lives. Pray for more of Jesus in your lives. I know you will come away from that being so much more enriched, feeling so much closer to Jesus ,and feeling so much more loved from Jesus. 

That is priceless! That is worth fasting from something more important than sugar. It is worth every moment spent in prayer, and every moment spent worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Psalm 26:

Prayer for Vindication

1 Vindicate me, Lord,

because I have lived with integrity

and have trusted in the Lord without wavering.

2 Test me, Lord, and try me;

examine my heart and mind.

3 For Your faithful love is before my eyes,

and I live by Your truth.

4 I do not sit with the worthless

or associate with hypocrites.

5 I hate a crowd of evildoers,

and I do not sit with the wicked.

6 I wash my hands[a] in innocence

and go around Your altar, Lord,

7 raising my voice in thanksgiving

and telling about Your wonderful works.

8 Lord, I love the house where You dwell,

the place where Your glory resides.

9 Do not destroy me along with sinners,

or my life along with men of bloodshed

10 in whose hands are evil schemes

and whose right hands are filled with bribes.

11 But I live with integrity;

redeem me and be gracious to me.

12 My foot stands on level ground;

I will praise the Lord in the assemblies.

A Comfortable Home

Today is a blustery and cold day. Even in a warm and cozy home the wind makes you feel cold.
My husband and I were talking about how the people in the 1800s and early 1900s dealt with this type of weather. Extreme cold, snow, blowing snow, blizzard type conditions and living in a one room log cabin. No electricity, the only heat was a fire burning in the fireplace. Having to retrieve food from hunting or what you had grown in the warmer months.  No inside restrooms. And many families had several children. So think about it. Here they were, all snuggled in together near the fire, probably telling stories of days gone by, and cooking dinner on the fire. They may have felt very comfortable. That is what they were used to. Hard workers, and managing with what they had. With what they built with their very own hands.
Could we be comfortable like that? I would love a log cabin, with heat and electricity that is. And an indoor restroom, a stove to cook on, and food bought from the local market. Most of us would agree, that would be nice. But like the 1800s, I do not think most of us could manage that today.
Then I opened my devotional and began to do my morning time in the Word and praying. The title of today's word was "You are a Shrine for the Holy Spirit". The Scripture reference :
1Corinthians 6:19-20.
19 Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 
20 for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
Our body is the sanctuary, temple, home for the Holy Spirit. That's right, He lives in you.
Do you think this is a comfortable place for the Holy Spirit to live? When we first ask Jesus into our hearts we are still babes. We may have things we are still holding onto. We may be full of pride. We may be full of doubt. We may not feel worthy at all. Is this a place we would want to live? I would not feel very warm and cozy surrounded by all that baggage. But you know what, Jesus doesn't care.
He isn't looking for the best home in the neighborhood. He isn't looking for the most ornate palace to live in. He isn't looking for the largest house with the most rooms to live in. He isn't looking for the newest, most pristine home to live in.
He is looking for the most vulnerable, sincere, most "unfinished" home to live in. The Holy Spirit wants to come into our hearts, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and clean house. He wants to come and minister to us, clean for us, heal us, and love us. He will make it comfortable for Him. He will adorn His new home the way He desires. He loves us regardless of our shortcomings.
We do not have to be perfect. Jesus desires to come into our hearts and clean us, mold us, prepare us, teach us, heal us, and love us everyday. For all eternity, He wants us to be with Him.
Think about that. How awesome is that. The God of the Universe, our Creator, our Maker, our Lord wants us to be with Him forever.
So often when we may be expecting visitors we clean the house top to bottom. We want everything to be perfect. That is for a temporary visitor. But Jesus tells us He will come live in us forever, and He will do the cleaning. Even though we know this, we still have a responsibility to live in a manner that glorifies God. We know the Holy Spirit will continue to work in us. The last part of the Scripture above says "Therefore glorify God in your body". We must try to keep His home clean and tidy for Him.  When we clean our homes we do not like it if someone comes in and messes it up. We expect that respect. Well Jesus deserves that respect.
Let your heart, the home of the Holy Spirit be comfortable for Him.

Fear is a Liar!

Most of us, actually I'd say all of us have dealt with fear at one time or another. Everyday of our lives it would be easy for fear to grip a hold of us and ruin our day. Fear is one of the enemy's most useful weapon. Anytime we face an uncertain situation, fear could grip us. The devil wants us to live in fear. Then he would have a grip on us, manipulate our minds, and cause us to crumble in fear.
But we have a MAJOR advantage. We have Jesus! Jesus already defeated fear and the devil. And we have the power of Jesus in us, therefore able to defeat that fear or the tactics of the enemy.

Mark 4:37 A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.
 4:38 But He was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him up and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?”
4:39 He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
Jesus instantly calmed the storm that the devil meant to harm them with. The disciples became afraid, gripped with fear. Jesus spoke, and the storm was silenced. The devil tried to cause harm again, and failed again.
The devil will try and try. But we need to remember to stand firm in our faith in Jesus. Rebuke the devil and he will flee. We have that power in Jesus' name.
We all face fear. We are not exempt. In fact, when we follow Jesus the enemy really wants to bring us down. We have victory. We have the power of the Holy Spirit in us. We have the strength of our Lord Jesus. And Jesus has given us authority to rebuke the devil and cause him to fail.
Jesus gave us the armor of God to be clothed in. He gave us His Holy Spirit to always be with us. And He gave us the victory.
No matter what lie the enemy is tormenting you with, he is a liar. God made you to be who you are, to look the way you do, to speak the way you speak. He loves you more than anything. So much so that He has given us the power and authority of His Holy Spirit. Jesus died to set us free. We are free indeed.
We do not have to listen to the devil, the cause of most of our fear, because he is a liar.