Have any Lent Plans?

 Do you have plans for Lent? I've been working on something.

Traditionally people give something up for Lent like social media, sugar, carbs, etc. I am all for fasting, in fact, I am trying to learn more about biblical fasting to incorporate more of it into my life. It's attached to prayer in scripture, and prayer is a passion of mine.

I want to caution us though, including me, to be careful in our giving something up for Lent.

I don't want us to miss what God really wants: our hearts. 

God himself says that He doesn’t delight in sacrifice, but the sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite heart. He wants soft, moldable hearts, unentangled by sin and able to love and be loved.

So, we can totally give up the things, the chocolate, the social media, the caffeine (I don't actually suggest this one), but let's be careful to remember the point: repentance.

Lent is traditionally a time to prepare our hearts for Easter. It’s a return to God, which is what repentance actually means, it’s not so much of a confession as a turning around.

God wants our hearts to return to Him. He wants us to hunt down every place we've let our heart wander and bring it back to our first love. He wants us to repent so that He can refresh us, not so that He can say I told you so.

I love how this verse in Acts paints repentance:

"Repent therefore and turn back that your sins may be blotted out

and that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, 

Jesus, whom heaven must receive

 until the time for restoring all the things

about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago." 

Acts 3:19

Isn't that beautiful? Repentance brings refreshing form God's presence! This should make us eager for repentance.

I am intrigued by the second part of this verse. I am not going to pretend I totally understand it, but doesn't it seem like Christ's second coming has something to do with repentance? Our restoration is a step to the "restoring of all things".

If repentance ushers in refreshing, what if it also ushers in Jesus’ return? I know that Jesus only waits because He is patient with us "not wishing that any should perish but that all should reach repentance" (1 Peter 3:9).

I want the refresh. I need God to untangle the sins that have entangled my heart. It's something I can't discern on my own. I need Him to show me the places that I need to see. The thing about sin is that it's easy to fall into and hard to recognize. 

I have compiled verses that lead my heart to God. I’ve written my own prayers in response, and I want to share these with you this Lent. It’s a simple and easy couple minutes of your day that repeat a theme of realigning our hearts. There is so much distraction and discouragement in my head on the regular. I need this reset. If that is you too. I hope you join me.

If you are already a subscriber, you can do nothing, and you are going to get these daily verses and prayers to your inbox. You can also follow me on Instagram @laurenmitchellwrites I’ll be talking about and posting these.

This is a fantastic prayer from Ezekiel that I will be praying on repeat during this Lenten season. I challenge you to join me. The repeat is important because God in His kindness does not show us all our sin at once. My heart needs the repetition because it is desperate and in need of God's touch.

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean

 from all your uncleanness, 

and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 

And I will give you a new heart,

 and a new spirit I will put within you.

And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh

 and give you a heart of flesh. 

And I will put my Spirit within you,

 and cause you to walk in my statutes 

and be careful to obey my rules."

Ezekiel 36:25-27

Father, open my eyes to the places that I am harboring sin in my heart. Help me let go and confess. Cleanse me from the idols that I have loved above You. Forgive me. Remove the places that sin and bitterness have callused over my heart. Forgive where unbelief has left me stoney. Give me a new heart and a new spirit. Cause me to walk in obedience with a power and joy from Your Spirit.

I hope you join me ...all my love,