Today is Ash Wednesday. I’ve previously talked about how some years I’m prepared for Lent when it begins, and other years the season has sneaked up on me. This year has fallen into the latter category, and if I’m honest, the more I’ve gone on in life, the more often it has done so. That was this year, until Monday when I received an email from a friend of mine who is of the Lutheran denomination (and with whom we have mutually agreed to set goals for each season in life and hold each other accountable) who mentioned Lent’s approaching, stated some of his goals for the next six-plus weeks, and asked me what mine were.
As of this blog post (which I wrote on Tuesday and scheduled to run on Wednesday), I have no idea what I’m going to do for Lent, in large part because I’ve already made so many changes and am experiencing Jesus in this midst of my current trials. Due to ongoing inflammation in my body, I’ve already been on a fixed diet for quite some time, and even more recently I’ve been cutting back on worldly media in favor of God’s Word and prayer. So, I might argue that I began observing Lent early, and will likely need to do so for quite some time. (And that’s OK.)
As I was preparing to write, I came across a helpful article that Biblegateway.com sent to my email this yesterday morning that I’d like to also share with you:
How (and Why) to Observe Lent as a Christian
Specifically, I want to highlight the passages in the Bible that show how Jesus resisted temptation:
From Matthew’s account:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.
From Luke’s account:
1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you,’
11 and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”
13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
This is what we must do as well if we want to be serious about following Him:
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25, NKJV
One comment I’ll make about the above article is that I don’t think it goes far enough in describing spiritual warfare and its significance. It does offer a nice, concise summary of what it is for those who are unfamiliar with it:
Spiritual warfare is complex, often misunderstood, and can be dangerous. But at its most basic, it is simply the process of taking a hard look at where you are being tempted — not by other people, but by the whispers of the Enemy in your own heart — to act selfishly, destructively, and contrary to God’s good design — and to put up a shield against him.
However, I would counterargue that this needs to be talked about more. It’s not only about “the enemy in [our] own heart[s]” but it’s also the enemy at large, the devil. I have found that it doesn’t matter whether someone is a Bible-believing Christian, a non-believing regular churchgoer, an atheist, or a follower of a different religion... the devil regularly tries to find people to lead astray, to corrupt, to steal, to kill, and destroy:
And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Job 1:7, NKJV
And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Job 2:2, NKJV (yes, this exchange actually happens twice!)
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8, NKJV
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10, NKJV
I say this because, even though I grew up Episcopalian (unfortunately about as debased a church as any out there), I faced spiritual attacks. This continued whether or not I was attending church, it continued whether or not I claimed Jesus as my Lord and Savior, and it still continues today. Although resisting temptation is indeed very important, as shown below:
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:12-17, NKJV
...and although the Bible promises that God will give you what you need to endure:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13, NKJV
...spiritual warfare is not limited to resisting only temptation. It must include resisting all schemes of the devil:
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:10-13, NKJV
...and above all, humbling ourselves and submitting ourselves to God:
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:6-7, NKJV
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7, NKJV
As for me, I’m going to observe Lent by continuing doing what I am doing now, to the best of my ability. My advice to anyone reading is that the focus needs to be on replacing worldly habits with Godly habits, and that it really shouldn’t be “just” for Lent. But making this change for Lent is a good start. Further, receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord, King, and Savior is the most important decision that you can make. It determines not only your life here on earth but also your eternity. Jesus suffered temptation for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness for you, and He gave His life on the cross for you as well, paying with His blood the ultimate penalty for sin, which is eternal death and separation from God (in other words, hell). Lent is about taking another step forward in prioritizing a relationship with Jesus if you haven’t done so already, and for those who have, further prioritizing your relationship with Him. May these steps forward that we take in Lent extend well beyond Resurrection Sunday and through the rest of our lives and our eternities. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
