{"id":1595,"date":"2015-02-17T14:13:04","date_gmt":"2015-02-17T21:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/?p=1595"},"modified":"2015-02-18T09:22:42","modified_gmt":"2015-02-18T16:22:42","slug":"why-ignoring-lent-is-hazardous-to-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/?p=1595","title":{"rendered":"Why Ignoring Lent Is Hazardous To Your Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

In many evangelical churches, Lent is by and large ignored. \u00a0Yet ignoring Lent is hazardous to your health. \u00a0When we ignore Lent, we are\u00a0really ignoring Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. \u00a0Let me explain why.<\/p>\n

\"Ignoring<\/a><\/p>\n

Lent is the 40 day season of the Christian calendar before Easter where Christians actively practice repentance. \u00a0As such, Lent doesn’t get much publicity from the pulpit or the pew. \u00a0Nobody likes repenting because nobody likes to feel guilty over their actions. \u00a0We prefer “3 Steps to a Happier Life,” or “The 5 Keys to Make Our Lives Better.” \u00a0 When those don’t work, we prefer to blame others for our bad behavior. \u00a0It’s really easy to do. \u00a0All we have to do is place our sins in the category of “I was misunderstood,” or cleanse our sins\u00a0by renaming them as\u00a0“unintentional.” \u00a0The truth is we avoid repentance because we have an identity to maintain. \u00a0We like seeing ourselves as essentially “good” people who happen to slip up now and again. \u00a0If we confess we really are a “bad” person, we will lose our identity. \u00a0So because we don’t want to lose this identity we don’t like repentance which is what Lent is all about.<\/p>\n

Yet, when we downplay\u00a0our relational sin that is driven by our desire for satisfaction now at whatever cost to others, we end up downplaying the cross and resurrection. \u00a0You see if we don’t really have a desperate and personal need for Jesus’ sacrifice for our own sin, then we don’t really have a need for Jesus to die and rise again on our behalf. \u00a0If we don’t have a compelling need for Jesus, then our Easter celebrations will continue to\u00a0focus on colored eggs, chocolate, and a strange bunny that lays eggs.<\/p>\n

We need Lent in order to help us regain our posture of\u00a0worship before Jesus. \u00a0The purpose of Lent isn’t so we can all feel bad for a time, but rather the purpose of\u00a0Lent is to help\u00a0make us more like Jesus. \u00a0In order to motivate us to celebrate Lent, let’s read one of John’s letters again. \u00a0Here’s how John coaches us in his first letter:<\/p>\n

1John 1:5 \u00a0\u00a0 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.\u00a0 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.\u00a07 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all\u00a0sin.<\/em><\/p>\n

1John 1:8 \u00a0\u00a0 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.\u00a09 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.\u00a010 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.<\/em><\/p>\n

John tells us that if we are going to walk with God, we need to repudiate all darkness. \u00a0In order to repudiate all darkness, we need to begin by confessing the darkness in our own heart. \u00a0The evil that should be\u00a0most troublesome to us isn’t the evil in\u00a0the world outside of us, but the evil that resides in our own hearts. \u00a0Lent gives us a structure to help us confess this evil. \u00a0That’s why a Lent that is focused on giving up coffee or ice cream is insufficient on its own. \u00a0The thing that we choose to give up for Lent should work to call attention to our need for\u00a0repentance – to\u00a0confess\u00a0the darkness that remains in our own heart. \u00a0When we repent, we can get on with walking with God in the light.<\/p>\n

Yet, when we confess our sins the thing we fear most does occurs. \u00a0We do indeed lose our identity as a “good” person. \u00a0However, a new and better thing happens as a result. \u00a0John tells us in verse 9 that if we confess our sins Jesus will forgive us. \u00a0What we gain in repentance far outweighs what we lose. \u00a0We lose an identity that is consumed by self. \u00a0What we gain is a new identity that is consumed by Christ. \u00a0Therefore, we can be called pure and holy as a result of Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection from the grave. \u00a0In the face of our own darkness, that change is worth celebrating! \u00a0This kind of repentance isn’t life-sapping, instead\u00a0it is life-giving!<\/p>\n

So here are 8 things\u00a0we\u00a0can give up for Lent that help us practice the\u00a0life-giving act of repentance:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Procrastination<\/strong>\u00a0– Let your desire to put off what needs to be done lead you to confess that what you really want is to be served. \u00a0Instead take action on\u00a0doing the things you are supposed to do in order to take on the character of Christ who served us.<\/li>\n
  2. Television<\/strong>\u00a0– Let your desire for distraction at the end of the day lead you to confess that what you really want is to avoid the hard stuff in your life. \u00a0Instead, let the silence lead you to find your rest in the story God is telling in\u00a0your life.<\/li>\n
  3. Food<\/strong> – Let the desire for a meal or a particular kind of food lead you to confess your desire for satisfaction here on earth. \u00a0Instead let the\u00a0absence of a meal or a particular kind of food\u00a0help you embrace being a stranger who longs for your home with God.<\/li>\n
  4. Complaining<\/strong> – Let your desire to complain lead you to confess your entitlement\u00a0to live\u00a0an easy life. \u00a0Instead accept the Spirit’s empowering work in you\u00a0to love others no matter what circumstances you face.<\/li>\n
  5. Sleeping In<\/strong> – Let your desire for comfort lead you to confess that you would rather be comfortable than have Jesus do what it takes to refine your character. \u00a0Instead, get up early and use the time to seek Jesus’ heart for you and how he wants to shape your life.<\/li>\n
  6. Buying Something You Want, but Don’t Need<\/strong>\u00a0– Let your desire for a want lead you to confess your false hope in the things of this world to bring you happiness. \u00a0Instead let the unmet want\u00a0turn your heart to crave the happiness Jesus gives.<\/li>\n
  7. Not Saying What Our Hearts Are Thinking<\/strong> – Let your desire to play it safe in relationships lead you to repent of your self-protection. \u00a0Instead find ways to love and bless those around you with an encouraging word.<\/li>\n
  8. Stinginess<\/strong>\u00a0– Let your desire for dollars lead you to confess the\u00a0treasure you are trying to build on earth. \u00a0Instead find your freedom by giving away a significant amount over the next 40 days\u00a0of Lent to a church, a nonprofit, or an individual in need.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Lent is a gift hidden in our calendar that shouldn’t be ignored. \u00a0Take the time this year to give something up that will lead you to true repentance. \u00a0If you do, Jesus will use your repentance to lead you to health. \u00a0He will get your life in shape to look\u00a0more like his. \u00a0You won’t have to work so hard to prove you’re a “good” person any more. \u00a0Instead Christ will do the job himself of making you pure and holy from the inside out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In many evangelical churches, Lent is by and large ignored. \u00a0Yet ignoring Lent is hazardous to your health. \u00a0When we ignore Lent, we are\u00a0really ignoring Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. \u00a0Let me explain why. Lent is the 40 day season of the Christian calendar before Easter where Christians actively practice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1600,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theawakenministry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Ignoring-Lent-is-Hazardous-to-your-Health.001.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1595"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1617,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1595\/revisions\/1617"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theawakenministry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}