Lent Begins – A Prayer Journey – Episode 132
Lent begins and it is a journey, the forty days before Easter. It is a time of prayer and reflection and it can be life-changing if we take the time to spend some time in quiet with God. Are you ready for the best Lent ever?
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Mark 8:36 “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
Do we consider this as we live our daily lives? What is in it for me is how most people think about their journey and they are surprised when their relationships fall apart especially their relationship with Almighty God. I believe that Lent – whenever that is for you – is a time that God gives us these forty-days to do some serious soul searching and introspection. What are we about – what is this thing called life – do we want eternal happiness with God in heaven or do we want death and damnation Those are real choices and we have the free will to make them.
Have you heard the saying – to live in joy is to die to self. This is a truth – when we chose -whatever that choice is we live our lives freely and that choice becomes the way we live our life. Let me ask you what you would think about someone who is very wealthy but got that way because he cheated poor people out of their money? You probably would not think very highly of that person. Right?
Some things – some truths are black and white – very clear but others are not.
Our pastor shared this quote, “He is no fool who gives up what He cannot keep gaining what He cannot lose.” Think about that.
Our lives are temporary but how we live our lives is what the journey is all about. The Lenten journey is a forty-day journey of victory that started with our Lord Jesus Christ in the desert. He was tempted by Satan who used the Scriptures against Him and Jesus answered back with the Scriptures. Jesus lived, died and rose again in a victory that has saved those who believe.
In the history of the Bible, we see Moses and the people of Israel wandering in the desert and never seeing the promised Land because they continued to give in to the temptation and sin.
Adam and Eve when tempted fell into the lies of the evil one and sinned.
You think that was then but this is now? Friends – the sins of the past are universal.
Sins such as pleasure, power, and prestige are ones that can be used to destroy those around them. How about futility – disparity – hopelessness – why bother because of nothing matters?
What about pessimism or shortcuts – attaining things fast while cheating others ?? Procrastination, unforgiveness, putting things off –
We all sin. It is a human fact but the wonderful thing about this time of prayer is that we can turn things around for the better and while we can try to do it alone we have our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who comes alongside us and says, I am here always until the end of time!
The true translation of the Lord’s prayer – where it says, Lead us not into temptation
In Greek the translation is: Lead us so we do not fall. Lead us, Lord, away from sin – lead us Lord far from temptation.
The temptation is a suggestion that someone disobeys and commits sin – why does God allow it – because we have free will we are not puppets of the Almighty – he gave us the ability to chose. It is to the temptation that is the sin it is what we do with this temptation and how we act upon it. God gives us the grace to overcome and Jesus gave us this example in the Scriptures – he experienced temptation and remained obedient to the Father.
Praise you and thank you God the Father in heaven that you have set us free – that you lived, died and rose again so that we could have eternal life. I thank. You for this time of Lent this time to pray and discern what we should give up in our lives – to be aware of the temptations in our lives – the sin of unforgiveness, the sin of hopelessness, the sin of pessimism or despair. Dear Jesus forgive me of my sins especially these I now pray about… dear Jesus I lift up and pray for the following… And I pray this in Jesus Name, Amen!
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