40 Days In The Desert
Matthew 4: 1-4 – “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” NLT
It seems as though we just started 2021 and now we are already in the month of February. The month of February is full of many things this year, including the beginning of our Lenten season, starting with Ash Wednesday on February 17th.
As we begin to look ahead to our season of Lent, may we remember where Jesus started his earthly ministry. He was baptized in the Jordan river by his cousin John. God spoke those famous words, “This is my Son with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus immediately went into the desert, or wilderness, to be tempted by the devil for forty days. The temptation process was to ensure that Jesus was the Son of God. He would resist all temptation and therefore realize that He was who He said He was. Jesus was not tempted out of fear, or threat of power. Jesus was alone, quiet, and in a place where He was reliant on His heavenly Father to bring him through. All of this took place before Jesus healed a single person.
Our lives can spiral out of control at times and the busyness of life can begin to be too much. We are pulled in every direction and we feel as though there is not enough time for anything. During this season of Lent, may we pause to remember that it is in the quiet, alone times with God that He does His best work in us.
My prayer for you during this season is that you begin to prepare your heart. Wherever there appears to be a hardening towards someone or something, allow God to soften that part. I pray that you will have the courage and strength through the Holy Spirit to move in close to God, find time to be alone with Him, and let Him into those places that you do not want to talk about that often.
I pray that this season of Lent will bring you great growth. I pray that the Holy Spirit moves in every area of your life and that you will come to Easter morning with less baggage than you carried before. Let this season of Lent be healing, and fruitful for you.
~ Pastor Mike
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