Lent is the 40 days (not including Sundays) from Ash Wednesday to the Saturday before Easter. Lent is often described as a time of preparation and an opportunity to go deeper with God. This means that it’s a time for personal reflection that prepares people’s hearts and minds for Good Friday and Easter.
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Perhaps you’ve grown up practising Lent, or maybe this is your first time even hearing about this 40-day (not counting Sundays) period leading up to Easter.
Whichever camp you fall in, Lent is simply a season of focusing on what Jesus did for us on the cross and an opportunity to go deeper with God. Typically marked by three things—prayer, fasting and giving, the idea is for us to acknowledge how much we truly need Jesus and to use this set apart time during Lent to draw closer to God.
Prayer and fasting seem to be more internal calibrations—spiritual practices to intentionally shift our gaze back to God. They call us to repurpose our time or give up something that might hamper our relationship with Christ to realign ourselves to what truly matters.
However, giving or charity, is then the complementary call-to-action for us to respond through our behaviour. As James said, so also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:17). This is not to say that giving is a task to be checked off, but rather, done from an outflowing of our realigned hearts as we understand how much has been given and done for us.
Here are three thinking points to consider around Lent and giving...click here to read the full article!
So you're ready to explore prayer, but you're not sure where to start. Here are some ways for you to begin.
What to do when God isn’t moving the way you hope or expect.
Since prayer is our main form of communication with God, prayer itself is the relationship. Here are 4 ways we can look at our relationships with people to learn about our relationship with God.
Fasting is one of the ways the Holy Spirit strengthens and transforms different areas in our lives. This spiritual practice is a gift from God meant to grow us and draw us into deepening relationship with Himself!
Your personal guide to fasting
Not sure where to start?
Not to worry! We've got you covered - from understanding the purpose of fasting, to practical handles on dealing with hunger, to tips on spending time with God, all you need to know is in our Fasting Starter Kit!
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Everyone is different! As you seek God to decide what to fast from, be honest with yourself as you reflect. Some questions you can ask yourself are:
To slow down and focus on how Jesus has delivered you from sin, death and darkness by His death on the cross.
To set aside and spend time with the Lord and be reminded of His love for you.
To help with this, we have a Lent devotional you can use - "From Ashes to Resurrection"
Devotional books
Articles on Lent
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