When Is Lent? What To Give Up For 40 Days Before Easter
Lent is coming, so prepare to grow your faith.
Pexels This year, Lent starts on Ash Wednesday, February 26 and the last day is on Thursday, April 9, 2020. Lent involves 40 days of fasting where a person gives up something in order to grow in their faith.
What should you give up for Lent?
Sometimes people set both personal and spiritual goals when planning what to give up before Easter.
Lent is a time for Christians to set new resolutions. It's a spiritual cleanse to become closer to Christ.
This Lent is the first of many to come. 2020 was not only a new year but a new decade, too. With all the excitement surrounding the new decade, it only makes sense that we devise plans to make sure it’s a prosperous year.
Why fast during Lent?
Each year we find ourselves making brand new New Years’ resolutions, in hopes of improving our lives. Among the most popular would be to lose weight and save money.
Did you ever think improving your spiritual life during Lent in 2020 could be a resolution? You can start with a 40-day fast during Lent and give up something that brings you closer to God and strengthens your faith.
The Bible tells us that God is the one who guides our steps. Growing in faith can lead us in the direction we should take in our lives.
God has a purpose for each and every one of us and he wants us to prosper. In order to know what that purpose is we must draw nearer to him.
You must consistently work on your relationship with the Lord, like any other relationship in order to see improvement. Stagnant relationships are just as good as dead relationships.
To prevent stagnation all year, you must commit to proactively growing your faith.
Just going to church every Sunday is not enough! You need more time with the Lord to build an actual relationship with him. Believe me, I grew up church my whole life and I never truly had a relationship with the Lord until I made the conscious decision to believe.
Believing was the first step, but that was only half the battle. I had to grow in faith to see a true transformation in my life. I noticed that I was more optimistic, joyful, trusting, and bold because I knew that the God that I served was so great that no one could stand against me.
My favorite verse, Psalms 46:5, “God is within her, she will not fail”, affirmed my belief that I could do anything.
Keep reading to find out all the steps that can help you to feel spiritually confident — and how giving up something and replacing it with a new habit helps grow your faith, which can begin at the start of Lent.
You have to make the choice to believe even though you’ve never met Jesus or seen God. As believers when we experience miracles and blessing we are aware they’re from God.
He makes it clear within our spirit by challenging us to do things we would never do on our own. In order for your faith to grow, you must first step out in belief and say even though I can’t factually prove this exists I still believe.
Give up feeling hopeless for Lent.
Pray.
When you pray, you show thankfulness. Faith is all about hope. So when you pray be hopeful. Remember that the Lord’s grace is made perfect in our weakness. Allow him to hear the desires of your heart and entrust in him to make your situations better.
In our moments of prayer, it’s extremely important to thank God for all he’s done for us. Showing gratitude serves to strengthen our faith and to allow us to trust the Lord with more.
Give up not going to church for Lent.
Find a church home.
Going to church is an amazing way to experience the presence of God and meet like-minded individuals. Not all churches are built the same, so it’s understandable that some may not be the right fit for you.
That being said it's totally ok to explore different options. Whatever church you decide to attend should be a Bible-based church that focuses on the truths of scripture.
Finding your church home is all about finding a church that makes you excited to attend each Sunday, aligns with your beliefs, and makes you comfortable.
As you search for a church home, don’t be discouraged. Remain in prayer and in due time God will reveal where you should attend. In the meantime, many churches have live streams to make the service accessible worldwide.
Give up loneliness for Lent.
Make Christian friends.
1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”Your friends are the people you spend the most time with, so they have the most influence on you.
It’s important that you surround yourself with people of faith. They can act as accountability partners and help you achieve your goals. Their faith will begin to rub off on you and improve your relationship with God.
It’s important to be reminded that just because you are growing your faith and desiring to lead a more Jesus like life, you shouldn’t alienate nonbelievers from your life.
They shouldn’t be your closest friends, but you could still hang out with them in appropriate settings.
God can use these friendships to grow your faith because you’ll likely be asked why you believe. It gives you an opportunity to glorify God by sharing your testimony.
Give up an hour a day for Lent.
Study the Bible daily.
Your Bible is the instruction manual for living a Christian life. It provides us with encouragement when in need and reveals harsh truths.
Some believers have never heard God audibly talking to them or have the ability to speak in a tongue, so the Bible is a way to get direct access to him. A lot of questions we have can be answered in the Bible.
Don’t simply read the Bible, study it. Meditate on the words, take notes, and see how you can apply the teachings to your own life. Simply reading the Bible is useless, if you don’t apply it.
In order for you to be able to study and apply what you learn you must be able to understand it. The Bible comes in various translations and languages, so there is something for everyone.
There are traditional Bibles, journal Bibles, and even an app. Don’t expect to be able to do two hours of Bible study on day one. Read scriptures in any format and pace that feels right for you.
Give up memorizing pop songs for Lent.
Memorize motivational scriptures instead.
Being a Christian is not easy! You will still face the everyday struggles of life. God does not promise a life without trials, he just promises to guide you through it if you believe in him.
As a believer, you understand that the obstacles you face are meant to glorify God and increase your faith.
When the going gets tough it’s so helpful to memorize motivational scriptures. The scriptures will give you hope when you recite them in those tough moments.
Give up sad songs for Lent.
Review your music choices.
What you listen to molds your mindset. If you routinely listen to music that doesn’t align with biblical teachings that will show in your life. If you want to grow in faith listen to music that will allow you to do so.
Great examples would be Christian and Gospel music. You don’t have to exclusively listen to Christian and Gospel music, there are great non-Christian songs that aren’t explicit. Just be mindful of the message the song conveys.
Give up fear for Lent.
Listen to the Spirit.
As your faith grows you’ll start to think of things that advance the kingdom of God, which at times can make you uncomfortable.
That’s the holy spirit convicting you to step out in faith. God is stretching your faith through the holy spirit to prepare you for bigger and better.
When you are obedient and step out in faith, you will be blessed with more. The blessings you will acquire through listening will make it a little bit easier to step out in faith the next time.
It even gives you memories to look back on to justify how faithful God is.
Give up feeling alone for Lent.
Remember that you serve a supernatural God.
You must recognize that our God is a supernatural God. We cannot box Him in with our earthly expectations. The Bible tells us scripture on scripture what has done and it does not scratch the surface of what He’s capable of.
The same miracles God performed thousands of years are possible today. In the news, we hear stories of people beating impossible odds. That’s all God!
Give up impatience for Lent.
Remain consistent!
You can’t do these things once and expect your faith to skyrocket instantly. It takes time. Remain consistent in prayer, Bible study, and the spirit and you will see how your life transforms.
Tamara Sanon is a writer who covers pop culture, astrology, Bible, and relationship topics.