Lenten thoughts through the bible

And so onto our 40-day Lenten season. The process of transformation begins as soon as we will it to begin.

At the most basic level it is simple: A Christian is a person who has put faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ, including His death on the cross as payment for sins and His resurrection on the third day. And their fruits (works) shall be love for others and obedience to God’s Word. 1John2:4. (CCC 457)

You are now a new creation

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2Corinthians5:17.
No one reaches sinless perfection in this life, but the believer is being sanctified (made holy) day by day, sinning less and hating it more each time he fails. Yes, we still sin, but unwillingly and less and less frequently as we mature in Christ. Our new self hates the sin that still has a hold on us.

This is part of what Lent is about – reflecting on what it is to be a new creation in Christ – knowing that he paid the ultimate price for us. The new creation is no longer a slave to sin, as we formerly were. We are now freed from sin and it no longer has power over us Romans 6:6-7.

“So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.” Romans 6:11–12

Jesus in the desert

Temptation of Christ – Eric Armusik

Consider the temptation of Christ in the desert. How did Jesus deal with being tempted? He used scripture at every turn to counteract what the devil was offering. Three times Jesus quoted scripture from Deuteronomy in perfect response to the devil. 8:3 ; 6:16 ; 6:13.

Jesus was born without sin and so was not naturally inclined towards it as we are. But this is how he showed us that worldly desires are to be defeated.
Jesus’ experience in the desert helps us to see these common traps we fall into that keep us from serving God effectively.

Out of a myriad of temptations that come our way, all have the same three things at their core: lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The word ‘lust’ here is often off-putting and we think it doesn’t apply to us, right? Wrong. Substitute the word ‘lust’ for the words ‘want’ or ‘need’ and add in just about anything you can think of and you’ll see it fits right in.

He tempts when you’re hungry, angry, lonely, tired and also when you’ve had a wonderful, spiritual event in your life.

Most of the time you wont recognise temptation at all. Its cleverly disguised and does not look like the bait that it is – half-truths and disguised lies. That’s the devils job and he’s good at it.
We can only recognise and combat these temptations by saturating our hearts and minds with the Truth.

The sword of the spirit

Read scripture, know your bible and most importantly USE your bible. God’s word “is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” Hebrews 4:12
Put on your armour – The sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God Ephesians 6:17.

We shall keep on going – asking God for forgiveness, making reparation for sin where possible and making, ever-increasingly, the right choices for our lives.
This Lent add scripture reading to your daily routine – even one verse – will change your life forever.

All scripture quoted is taken from The New Revised Standard Catholic Edition and linked by passage and verse to Bible Gateway