Cutting Edge Prayer: The Power of Fasting

I haven't written about Lent this season, but it's on my mind. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter. The Upper Room describes Lent as "a season of the Christian Year where Christians focus on simple living, prayer, and fasting in order to grow closer to God."

Sweets, breads, and meats are foods that are often "given up" during the Lenten season, but this is not a holy weight loss plan. 

Lent is a dedicated time of repentance of sin and restoration of a right relationship with God. It's a time for examining priorities and rearranging our lives to bring honor to God.

It's easy to think of a Lenten fast as merely a time of discipline, but fasting is so much more. My friend, Aletha Hinthorn, wrote about the importance of fasting in her daily email today. It was so well said that I'm including a portion of it today. 

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"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds" (2 Cor. 10:4 NKJV). 

"One of those weapons God gives is fasting combined with fervent prayer. 

Prayer aligned with fasting puts a "cutting edge" to our prayer lives because it indicates an intense desire for God.

The moment we approach Jesus, the first thing he gauges is our desire. Denying ourselves food makes a powerful statement. He knows that if we omit food and pray, we are in earnest." 

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (James 5:16).

"While fasting, you will be treading on holy ground, accomplishing far more than you know. 

Satan is terrified and will object! He will seek to convince you that nothing is being done. Ignore his lies and continue as you planned. Despite hunger, headaches, the "blahs," more tension at home, extra busyness, difficulty in focusing on prayer, know that your self-denial will be rewarded."

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"When you fast...your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Matt. 6:16, 18)."

Even if we don't participate in the entire forty days of the Lenten season, a period of prayer and fasting will not be in vain. As we pray, let's focus on more than ourselves and our families. Let's spend focused time praying for our nation and the body of Christ. 

Times are hard and likely to grow more difficult. The best preparation begins with prayer and fasting.

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In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links: Nothing is Impossible: Ayman al-Zawahiri,  Morning Quiet Time: Who Speaks First, Changing the World: What One Man (Or Woman) Can do, When Hard Times Come: Pressing On, Friday Night with Friends: Sara Foust, Hand Washing and Heart Cleansing, and The Wonder Dogs Run In Circles.

#lent #prayerandfasting #fasting #disciple #repentance #JesusChrist

Bahamas blogging #12: Lent

Admittedly, there has never been a worship bulletin with such a wealth of inspiration for my writing as the one from First Baptist Church, Freeport, Grand Bahama of 3/16/2014. I have saved the wonderful letter written by the pastor for our Good Friday topic. 

In the Christian calendar, Lent traditionally goes from Ash Wednesday to Easter Eve. It is a time when believers "give up something" or fast as a means of sacrifice in memory of that much greater sacrifice our Lord Jesus made for us. The forty days of the Lenten season are intended to be a time of personal introspection and corporate worship, but also a time of mourning for sin, both individual sin as well as the corporate sin of mankind. In contrast to Advent, a joyful time of anticipating the birth of our Savior, Lent is a time of anticipating the brutal death of that long-awaited Messiah. 

The agony of the cross is easily overshadowed by the joy of the glorious resurrection we commemorate on Easter. In the midst of our Resurrection celebration, however, we must not lose sight of the price Jesus paid in order to make that empty tomb possible. Beaten, betrayed, humiliated, shamed, crucified, He died a criminal's death. It was what I deserved. It was what you deserved. Yet, because of His great love and mercy, He took our place. Our place. We must not lose sight of that fact. 

He died instead of us, that we might live eternally with Him. It was also His intention that we might live free this side of heaven. He longed for us to be free from the bonds of sin that so easily entangle us. He broke those bonds with His death and resurrection. We can accept freedom. Much to our shame, we can also choose bondage, as well, and often we do. 

The words Rev. Dr. Mitchell wrote are so timely that they bear repeating here. "Lent is that time of preparation when we prepare for our most wretched memory - the betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion of our loving and obedient Lord; but it is also the time of preparation for our most glorious celebration - the resurrection if our victorious Christ!

As always, we must take seriously the cross, with all of it's brutality and ugliness; we must not gloss over it on our way to Easter Sunday. Yet , we must be exuberant in our declaration: He lives! he lives !"

On this Good Friday evening, I invite you to join me in focusing on the price that was paid for our sin, and the agony it involved. I cannot envision loving mankind enough to suffer so greatly, and yet our Lord went willingly for us all. 

Remember, and choose to live as one who has been redeemed.   

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In honor of Silent Saturday, when believers waited while Jesus was entombed, there will be silence on the blog, with no posts until Easter morning. May we be radically changed by the One whose death and resurrection made change and redemption possible. 

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The link for last night's post is here: 

http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/04/blood-red-moon-part-3.html

Lenten series #9:The Sure-Fire Formula For Success

Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:3, 5-9 NASB)

"Every place on which the sole of your foot treads" was the promise God gave Joshua. That promise brought with it the unspoken assumption that Joshua, too, would be a "walker".  He was about to begin his walk with God in an entirely new way. 

After Moses' death, his faithful assistant Joshua was appointed by God as the next leader of the wandering children of Israel. They were about to enter the Promised Land and Joshua had many difficult battles ahead. When God called him, Joshua had a pretty good idea of the task ahead of him, and he must have been terribly frightened of what was to come. God told Joshua three times in these six verses, "Be strong and courageous."  Courage and strength in his actions and leadership were not automatic. They were a choice Joshua would have to make on a daily basis and we would do well to make that same choice today. 

What is amazing about these verses is that God gave a very specific "recipe for success".  If Joshua did what God said, he would prosper. These instructions are worth understanding. 

1) Be very careful to obey all the law. He was not to pick and choose what best suited him. He was to obey everything God said. 

2) Meditate on the law day and night. Don't let it depart from your mouth. Joshua could not obey the law if he didn't know the law. Studying God's word was like insurance against failure. 

These two very simple rules would be just as effective in our lives as they were in Joshua's. Study Scripture so you know what God says, then do it. Every single time. How simple is that?  The most amazing thing about this whole formula for success is that it comes with an astounding promise from God. 

"I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you...the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

If that doesn't make you want to study and obey, I can't imagine what would! 

Lenten series part 8: bought with a price

"...and the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to the Lord. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven." (Leviticus 4:35 NASB)

The children of Israel had lived under Egyptian rule and according to Egyptian law for four hundred years. They were accustomed to being slaves, but none of the current Hebrews (other than Moses) had any experience in administration, govenment, or law. God had chosen them to be a nation under God alone. They were not to have a king. Instead, God would be their king and their judge. His plan was for them to police themselves by obeying a clear set of rules.

The law God gave Moses for the people was specific in many areas. There were very clear laws for dealing with intentional sin as well as unintentional sin. All sin, however, was dealt with by a blood offering. An animal would be sacrificed. The blood, fat, kidneys, and liver all belonged to God and were to be offered as a burnt offering. (They were burned completely on the altar) Everything else was taken outside the camp and burned. Through the process, the priest would make atonement for (or cover over) the one who had sinned and he would be forgiven. (Leviticus 4)

Just as in the Garden of Eden, sin was covered over by the blood that was shed, and always resulted in the death of the sacrificial animal. The problem with this plan was that one sacrifice only covered one event of sin. There was always more sin so that more sacrifice was always required. It was a never-ending process. What was needed was a perfect sacrifice that would be a once-and-for-all payment for sin. No animal would be sufficient for this great a payment. Ultimately, only the Spotless Lamb of God (Jesus) would do. 

The reason Jesus became a man and came to earth was so that He could live a perfect life and become the perfect offering for the sin of the world. He would be the final, complete payment for sin. His blood would be the atonement that brought forgiveness. It was a horrible thing to do. It was a dreadful thing to experience. It was a shameful thing that we needed it. It was an astounding thing that our God willingly and freely provided what we could not do for ourselves. 

The blood of Jesus. It is the only thing that can wash away our sin, and, as such, it is the most valuable gift ever given. It is a treasure beyond compare. This payment for our sin is the reason for the birth of Christ as well as the death and resurrection of Christ. 

As we journey through the Lenten season, let us be ever mindful that it was MY sin that required the blood of Jesus to purchase forgiveness. It was YOUR sin for which Jesus died. It was OUR sin for which atonement was purchased with our Lord's lifeblood. That understanding is vital and should influence how we live our lives. It should cause us to live grateful for what was purchased at such a great price and yet freely given to us who were so undeserving. 

During this season of Lent, live grateful. Live free. Live as one who has been redeemed. 

Lenten series #7: Moses part 2

and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, "Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?" Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." (Numbers 20:10-12 NASB)

To refresh your memory about the events in this passage, Moses and the children of Israel were at Meribah for the second time, and they were once again complaining about the lack of water. Previously, God had told Moses to take the rod, strike the rock, and he had done just that. Water had poured forth. This time, God told Moses that he and Aaron were to assemble the people, and he was to speak to the rock. Water would come forth. Moses was obviously frustrated with the people and their incessant complaining. Surprisingly, the most humble man on earth had a prideful moment. Instead of speaking to the rock, he spoke to the people. He took partial credit for providing the water. (Shall WE bring forth water...). After those two blunders, he still did not speak to the rock. He hit the rock, not once but twice. After decades of faithful service, he made a series of horrid blunders in the space of just a few minutes. He didn't believe God and he didn't obey God, and to make matters worse, his disobedience was done in the full view of the entire nation of Israel. 

God couldn't overlook it, but He waited until He had Moses and Aaron alone to give them their consequences. They would not be leading the children of Israel into the Promised Land. Here's the hardest part. Aaron died before long, and Moses still had to lead and deal with the children of Israel, but he no longer had the help of his brother. He was responsible for them to the borders of the Promised Land. All the way, Moses continued to meet with God face to face, he continued to obey, and he continued to lead. There is no indication that he spent time being angry, pouting, or rebelling further. He did not grumble or complain. He accepted the decision of God and got back on the path of obedience. 

I've had my share of faith blunders, and you probably have, too. When those are public blunders that result in significant consequence from God, the "natural" response is to be angry, defensive, and even to take a step back from service. It is much harder (and rare) to accept consequences with grace, learn from our mistakes, and continue serving God without a moment's hesitation. 

Perhaps we could learn from Moses. When he experienced discipline for his mistake, he accepted it with grace and kept right on serving. He didn't lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. Instead, he entered his own Promised Land in Heaven where his new home was waiting just for him. How about that? Only a loving Father would discipline His children by giving them something better than they would have had! 

What is your response to discipline? What changes are needed?

Lenten series # 6: Moses

"The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, "Because I drew him out of the water." Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand." (Exodus 2:10-12 NASB)

The Pharaoh in Egypt was killing all the Hebrew babies, but Moses' parents took one look at him and loved him. They were desperate to protect him. After three months, it was no longer possible to hide him, but his mother had a very unusual plan. She put the baby in a floating basket and put it in the reeds at the edge of the Nile, then she set his sister nearby to see what happened. Amazingly, Pharaoh's daughter found him and decided to adopt him. In an even more amazing twist to the story, she hired his own mother as Moses's wet nurse. When he was weaned he became her son, he lived as a prince, and grew up in the palace, where he was trained in the leadership expected of Pharaoh's grandson.  

When Moses was grown, he saw an Egyptian beating one of the Hebrew workers. Pharaoh's daughter might have pretended he was her son, but it is clear Moses knew about his Hebrew heritage. He saw the man beaten and was enraged. In fact, it was a rage that resulted in the murder of the Egyptian. In an attempt to hide his crime, Moses buried the Egyptian in the sand, but his crime was discovered, and he ran for his life. 

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Moses went from being a Hebrew baby in a basket to an exalted prince of Egypt to a fugitive murderer. Here is where the story takes another twist. He fled to the wilderness of Midian, where he became a shepherd. 

Forty years later, he saw a burning bush, God called to him, and he approached the bush. When he realized that it was God calling, he was afraid and hid his face. In that instant, God's plan began to come together. The years of training in administration and leadership in Egypt, followed by the years as a shepherd in the wilderness were not wasted. They were part of the essential preparation for the most important job Moses would ever undertake. He was to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt and to the promised land. 

Over the course of the next forty years, Moses walked with God. In fact, he became a friend of God, so much that he met face to face with Him. Afterwards, his face shone so much that, instead of hiding his face from God, he had to cover his face with a veil and hide it from the people. (Exodus 34:34) Being in the presence of God left a change in Moses that everyone could see. His experiences caused another change, too. Instead of the angry, vengeful young man, Moses became the most humble man on earth (Numbers 12:3).  That humble man led millions of Hebrews to freedom from slavery as he walked with God. 

Remember the people in Sodom? Those people weren't humble. They were filled with pride, arrogance, and selfishness, and it ultimately led to their destruction. Moses, on the other hand, left his world a different place because of his humility and his faithfulness to God. Despite his rocky start and his immense sin, our God of second chances gave Moses a fresh start and the opportunity to change the world, and Moses ultimately embraced it.

Perhaps you, too, have made mistakes and have had a rough start to your life thus far.  In the shortest time imaginable, you can answer the call of God and He can begin to unfold your second chance.  He can reveal His plan to use all the mistakes in your past to make a difference in your future. No matter how far you have run, how low you have sunk, how long you have been mired in sin, our Lord can deliver, cleanse, and transform. We can't do it on our own. That's why we needed Jesus. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think. The most amazing thing is that He can use people like you and me to accomplish that work!  

  

Lenten series #5: Abraham

Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him... (Genesis 12:1-4 NASB)

Terah had two sons, Abram and Haran. After the death of his son Haran, Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, along with Sarai, Abram's wife, and left Ur of the Chaldeans, where they were living. His plan was to move to Canaan (later known as the Promised Land). They made it as far as Haran, where they settled. 

After Terah died at the age of 205 years, God spoke to Abram. "Start walking, Abram, and I will show you where to go.  I'm going to make you a great nation, bless you, and bless everyone who blesses you." Those weren't the exact words, but you get the idea. Abram was 75 years old, but he didn't whine or complain. There was not one word about how stiff he felt in the morning, his fading eyesight, or his elderly wife. He loaded up his family, his household, and his possessions and headed out. 

Along the way, Abram had many adventures, considerable difficulties, and a few foolish decisions with consequences that persist to this date. The most important part of his journey, however, was that the God who called him to the journey accompanied him on that journey. Even better, the God who accompanied him also spoke to him personally. 

There came a day when his nephew Lot had moved to Sodom. Sodom and Gomorrah were extremely wicked and God had decided to destroy the cities. He sent two angels to tell Abram, who pled for the city, asking God to spare it if just ten righteous men could be found there. Ultimately, there were not ten righteous men, and both Sodom and Gommorah were destroyed. 

The wickedness leading to their downfall is often presumed to have been sexual sin. According to the prophet Ezekiel, however, that was not the case. 

"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it."(Ezekiel 16:49, 50 NASB)

The sins of Sodom were:

Arrogance

Refusal to help the poor and needy when they had abundance 

Haughty attitude

They were prideful, arrogant and selfish people who would not help those in need despite having abundance of their own. They were haughty toward God and did whatever they wanted. Those in need had cried out to God, He searched for even ten righteous men in the town, there were none, and it was destroyed. There is nothing here that is specifically about sexual sin. The sin was arrogance and selfishness. Wow. That puts things in a different light, doesn't it?

Ten righteous men in one city could have changed the course of history for that city and all who lived there, but they were nowhere to be found. It always makes me wonder what Lot had been doing all those years. 

What a contrast between Noah, who walked with God and was the instrument of redemption for mankind, and Lot who failed to be salt and light in his city and ran for his life rather than try to save a single soul there. What a difference between Lot and his uncle Abram, who pled with God for the lives of a city full of strangers! 

Noah and Abram had something in common that Lot lacked. They both walked with God. Because of that relationship with the Almighty, they both left the world a much better place. Lot, however, stood by while his portion of the world was utterly destroyed. 

Walking with God. Two men in one family faced the choice, but only one man embraced the journey. 

What about you? Are you walking your own path or embracing the walk with God? If you asked Noah or Abram, they'd tell you that walking with God was worth every difficulty they encountered along the way. As we move through this Lenten season, spend some time pondering your walk with God. Is it all it could be?  Is it all it should be?  If not, what are you going to do about it?

Lenten series #4: Noah

Enoch walked with God, and then he was not. Everyone must have been so surprised! His son Methuselah and his grandson Lamech might have searched and searched. They might have searched, but perhaps they knew their dad and grandad and the depth of his friendship with God so well that they were not at all surprised. You might wonder what kind of legacy a man like Enoch left. His grandson had a son born after Enoch went to heaven, and his name is likely familiar to you. Noah. He probably heard the stories about his grandaddy so many times, he could tell them himself! Genesis 6 tells us about the legacy of Enoch. It doesn't call it his legacy, but that's what it is. You're going to love it!

"But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord... Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:8, 9 NASB)

There are those beautiful words again. He walked with God.  

Noah knew God so intimately (because of all that time he spent walking with Him), that when God said, "Build a boat. I'm sending a flood," Noah did not waste a minute asking, "What is a flood?" Scripture tells us that God told Noah to build an ark and he did. Just like that. Noah was so accustomed to doing what God said that he didn't hesitate. He started sawing planks. 

Noah was walking and obeying during a very difficult time on earth. Mankind was wicked, every intent of every thought was evil, and God was sick of it. In fact, He was sorry He had made man. God's plan was to take the one man left on earth who walked with Him, and just start over. 

Noah built the ark, loaded the animals and his family, and waited. That was exactly what God had told him to do. Then, he had to wait for seven days before the rain started. God had warned him about the rain delay, but it still must have been a long week, and there must have been at least a little second-guessing. Regardless, Noah stayed right where God told him to be. 

The rains finally came, the flood rose, and every living thing on the earth died except those who had taken shelter in the ark. All those people who laughed at Noah had an extra week to move to safety and not one person chose life. Not one person chose the protection God had provided. When the flood finally started, the door to the ark was already closed. 

There is still great news in this very sad story! Because of Noah's walk of faith with God, mankind was given a second chance. The earth was renewed, and abundance was restored. Noah was so grateful for surviving that he offered a sacrifice of animals, a blood sacrifice, on an altar to God. When God smelled the aroma, He acknowledged that man is evil from the youth up and promised never to destroy the earth with a flood again. Those beautiful rainbows are a reminder of His promise. 

Once again, we see the response of our Righteous God to the sin of mankind. He once again tempered judgement with mercy. Once again, He offered a second chance. The faith walk of just one single man became the instrument of redemption in the hands of God.

Perhaps you feel as if you are a tiny light in a world of darkness. Noah probably felt that, too. He wasn't building that ark in an attempt to save the world. He was building the ark because God told him to build it. There was a plan, but God was in charge of that. All Noah had to do was build. All Noah did was obey, and that's what you and I need to do, too.  

Noah is not the traditional Lenten character, but perhaps he should be. His walk of faith was in stark contrast to the evil in the world around him. His is a story of God's response to the sin of mankind, and shows us that God cannot ignore the wickedness of man. It turned out that the ark was only a temporary fix for our sin problem. More was needed, and eventually God would have to provide the "fix" Himself in the form of His Son. 

Lenten series #3: Enoch

Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. (Genesis 5:22-24 NASB)

When Enoch was 65 years old, he became acquainted with God and began to walk with Him. He walked with God 300 years, and then God took him. Frank Pollard was my pastor in the late 1970's, and he explained this story so well. He said that every day God and Enoch walked together. For three hundred years, they walked together every day, and at the end of their walk, Enoch would always say, "Well, here's my house. I'll see you tomorrow."  One day, they walked as usual and, when they got to Enoch's house, they were deep in conversation. They were having such a grand time that neither of them wanted their time to end, so God said, "Enoch, why don't you go home with Me to My house today, and he did."

Enoch's always been my favorite Bible person (other than Jesus, of course). His entire life can be summed up by the four sweetest words. He walked with God. That's it. He didn't defeat a giant, lead an army, write a book, or accumulate great riches. He didn't do any of the things that are generally considered "important", and yet God favored him so much that he was "taken" to heaven without dying. While Enoch didn't do a thing that most people consider important, he clearly did the one thing that God considered most important. He walked with God.

The story of Enoch is not the usual Lenten devotional thought, but it should be. Sin was introduced into the world when two people wanted their own way rather than to walk with God. In case you don't remember, Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden every evening until they disobeyed, then everything changed. Their story shows us the result of living our way.  Enoch's story shows us the result of living God's way. 

We are still early in the Lenten season. There is plenty of time to choose an Enoch faith walk and experience Lent in the most amazing way imaginable. You just have to do what Enoch did. Every morning, he woke up and said, "I'm going to walk with God today!" and every day that is exactly what He did. It was a decision he made on a daily basis, and one we would do well to make, too. 

What better epitaph than the one Enoch had? He walked with God. It wasn't too hard for Enoch, and it's not too hard for you. Why not start right now? Walk with God today!

Lenten #2: the beginning.

To understand Lent, we need to start at the beginning. That means we have to go all the way back to the Garden of Eden. In the first two chapters of Genesis, God created everything above, below, and on the earth.  Man was the final part of His masterpiece.  God placed him in a lush garden, where he had everything he needed.  Well, he had everything except a wife, so God created her, too.  

When Adam, the first man, was put in charge of the garden, God gave him strict instructions. He could eat from every tree except the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil.  If he did that, God said, he would die.  It was Adam's job to bring Eve, his new wife, up to date on the rules, but the transfer of information did  not go well. Either Eve didn't understand or she was a born drama queen, because she totally jumbled the rules.  When temptation came her way, she was quickly deceived, and did the one thing she was not supposed to do, then convinced naive Adam to join in her disobedience.

When God came to walk with Adam and Eve in the evening, as He always did, they were hiding, having just noticed that they were totally naked.  They ended up confessing the whole thing, both trying to place the blame elsewhere.  As a result, God assigned consequences and discipline.  To the tempter, God gave the first prophecy of Christ.  

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." (Genesis 3:15 NASB)

This verse indicates that the tempter (Satan) would cause an injury (bruise) to the man who would one day be born, but the man would deliver a fatal blow (head) to him.  We know that Jesus came, the enemy succeeded in bruising him by the crucifixion, but it was not a fatal blow, because Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.  One day, Jesus will return and He will defeat Satan and all his demons.  It will be a fatal blow.  

It is easy to focus on all the consequences and miss one important point.  When they ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they gained the knowledge of good and evil.  In so doing, they recognized their sin and their nakedness before our sinless God, and they were ashamed.  Now, God did not have to do this, but He acted from love and mercy.  He made them clothes.  These were not just any clothes, though.  "The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them."(Genesis 3:21 NASB). God killed an animal (we might call it the first blood sacrifice) and used the skin to make their clothing.  Blood was shed to cover their sin and shame.   

From the beginning of time on earth, sin has required a blood sacrifice as payment. Ultimately, the sin problem was so enormous that God, in yet another act of mercy, once again covered our sin with a blood sacrifice, this time using His own Son as a once-and-forever sacrifice. How could a Loving Father do that? He could see past the Cross all the way to Resurrection.  He knew it was a temporary terribleness that would bring a permanent solution to our sin problem. 

It's hard for me to understand that kind of mercy and grace, and far too easy to take it for granted.  God clothed Himself in frail flesh and walked among us, died to save us, and rose to redeem us.  As we begin our Lenten Journey, we start by recognizing that sin is the problem, we are the ones with the deadly sin affliction, and Jesus is the only solution.  It's mind boggling, and even though we cannot understand it, it demands a response of us.   You and I must respond to Jesus and His outrageous sacrifice on our behalf.  It's going to require change. You might as well know that from the start, and get ready. 

The Fast God Desires

In the evangelical churches I had attended, fasting was seldom, if ever mentioned, and all I knew about Lent was that it was somehow connected to Mardi Gras.  I had no idea what a powerful instrument of spiritual growth this discipline could be. 

Several years ago, however, I had a friend who was completely serious about her Lenten fast.  She prayed for weeks about what to give up, and her time of sacrifice became an opportunity to draw closer to her Lord.  One year she invited me to join her, and the experience radically changed my heart.  Over the years, I fasted everything from shopping to meat to everything except liquids.  

The year God called me to fast from sin was the most life changing of all.  I was studying Isaiah 58, and felt led to do “the fast He chose.”  God’s fast, Isaiah explained, involved loosening the bonds of wickedness, undoing the bands of the yoke, letting the oppressed go free.  It was dividing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and clothing the naked.  

“How do I do this fast, Lord?” I prayed.  Ever so gently, that still, small Voice explained that pride and selfishness were bonds of wickedness in my life that needed to be loosened.  It hurt to hear that, because I was so busy and focused on the needs of my family, I often overlooked the needs of those around me.  I had plenty of “good deeds” others could see, but few things only God could see.  

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Isaiah 58:8-12 explains the benefit of such a fast.  God promises light in the darkness, guidance, contentment, and productivity.  Best of all, He promises intimacy beyond your wildest dreams.  “Then you will call and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.”  

Just as He promised, God worked in me during that Lenten season, and became as intimately personal as my next breath.  When I cried out to Him, He answered, “I’m right here, dear one.”  At the end of those forty days, Easter was a glorious celebration of my life in Christ and the renewal my spirit had experienced.  

This Lenten season, why not ask God to reveal and remove your “bonds of wickedness”?   Your life, and your faith, will never be the same again.  

Looking towards Lent

The monthly Blue Springs Board of Aldermen meeting was tonight. We had several members of the community who came as guests. They were interested in knowing about ordinances and wondered how they could keep informed if new laws and ordinances were being made. One nice lady wisely said, "I'm a law abiding citizen but I've realized if I don't know what the law is, I can't abide by it."

Well said! We explained the way things worked as well as the system for public notification. Our attorney explained that there were laws in place that governed the entire process. In our little town, we try hard to be sure we obey the law in the way we do business. It makes everything run smoother. 

After the meeting, I was thinking about how well our system works. There are checks and balances in place, but public participation works as a kind of check and balance, as well. I'm glad to see people be a part of the process (especially before a decision is reached rather than afte ).  In general, we have a great system of government that works because it's of the people, by the people, and for the people.  Citizen involvement is a critical part of the process, but it's surprising to me how few citizens actually get involved or bother to stay abreast of current law. 

I'm often surprised by how little many Christians actually know about God's Word. I feel like the lady who came to our meeting. I want to obey God's law and live the way He wants, but I can't do that if I don't know what He expects. That's why Bible study is so important. It's why you will often see a Greek word study in my morning devotions. I want to be sure that my teachings are as clear and accurate as possible so that those who read what I write will have a clear understanding of what God expects from us. 

With all that said, I've been thinking about the Lenten season. Christmas is really important, but Easter is where Christianity draws it's meaning. In fact, without Easter, there is no meaning. That's a pretty bold statement, I guess, but it's true. Over the next forty days (the Lenten season), I will be writing more evening devotions than confessions. I've spoken extensively over the years on the subjects of prayer and fasting. You can expect some evening lessons on fasting, as well as some posts about the journey to the cross. My goal is to help us understand what Lent is all about, what the cross means to us, and why resurrection is so critical to our faith. 

I realize today is Fat Tuesday and people use it as an excuse to indulge in all kinds of excess, but let me suggest you use this evening to consider a 40-day journey to the cross. Start with me tomorrow as we look deeper at this Jesus who came to earth in order to go to the cross. I'm praying this will be your best Easter ever because you will see resurrection morning in a whole new way. I can hardly wait!