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LENT.

  • Thread starter Thread starter MISFIT
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MISFIT

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Today is the first day of lent I am observing it for the first time this year and I know most of us protestants don't do the lent thing, but I feel it's a great faith strengthening time. Any one else observing Lent? I'm sure all our Catholic friends here are I would still love to hear from you, but I would really like to hear from any other Evangelicals that are.
 
I don't use wiki often but it's a good article...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lent
Lent, in some Christian denominations, is the forty-day-long liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter.[1] The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where according to the Bible he endured temptation by Satan.[2] Different churches calculate the forty days differently.

The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believerâ€â€through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denialâ€â€for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Western Christianity (with the exception of the Archdiocese of Milan which follows the Ambrosian Rite), Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes on Holy Saturday.[3][1] The six Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter", a celebration of Jesus' victory over sin and death.[2]

In those churches which follow the Byzantine tradition (e.g. Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics), the forty days of Lent are calculated differently: the fast begins on Clean Monday, Sundays are included in the count, and it ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday. The days of Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week are considered a distinct period of fasting. For more detailed information about the Eastern Christian practice of Lent, see the article Great Lent.
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very interesting you doing it misfit, don't often hear of non catholics doing it.

But thinking about it, it is a good time for christians to fast before Easter, whatever in our lives that can take over, be it fasting from food, the internet, TV etc so we can spend more time in quiet time with God.
 
Ginger said:
very interesting you doing it misfit, don't often hear of non catholics doing it.

But thinking about it, it is a good time for christians to fast before Easter, whatever in our lives that can take over, be it fasting from food, the internet, TV etc so we can spend more time in quiet time with God.
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:amen I know I though it was odd that my good buddy and first pastor does it. I'm a die hard "fundy" and never thought about Lent, but I like it. I'm giving up energy drinks and praying far more often than normal. One day in and I really feel the presence of GOD today.
 
MISFIT said:
Ginger said:
very interesting you doing it misfit, don't often hear of non catholics doing it.

But thinking about it, it is a good time for christians to fast before Easter, whatever in our lives that can take over, be it fasting from food, the internet, TV etc so we can spend more time in quiet time with God.
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:amen I know I though it was odd that my good buddy and first pastor does it. I'm a die hard "fundy" and never thought about Lent, but I like it. I'm giving up energy drinks and praying far more often than normal. One day in and I really feel the presence of GOD today.
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well praise be to God :amen I love hearing uplifting, praise things.

You have got me thinking that it would be a good idea for me to deny myself and fast from something I love coming up to Easter, going to think of something and do it as I think it would be a good thing.
 
So when you fast it can be the withdrawal from anything? Like i could not play drums for "X" period of time and with the extra time pray and such?

Fasting,lent etc are areas that i have very little knowledge.
 
John said:
So when you fast it can be the withdrawal from anything? Like i could not play drums for "X" period of time and with the extra time pray and such?

Fasting,lent etc are areas that i have very little knowledge.
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Yes! It's all about self-sacrifice and devotion to GOD.
 
Well, it's not X ammount of time though. Lent is specifically the 40 days before easter not including sundays. What ever you fast from should be fasted from for the whole time. I do not plan on observing it this year, but last year I gave up Soda. and the year before that i gave up obsessive spending. I did it more for me than for God, so I'm not doing it this year.
 
and the year before that i gave up obsessive spending
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I think its good to do that all the time, i myself have an impulse buying problem :crazy
 
Our church practices lent and it's Pentacostal. And I got to admit after that fourty days of fasting and prayer, man what an awesome time with God. Everyone in our church writes out their prayer request on the paper provided, put our names to them, and lay them on the prayer altars up front before the pulpit. We come in 40 days/nights to those altars and read and pray over the prayer request. And I don't know what it is, but praying over their heartaches, and troubles, illnesses, lost family members, etc. etc. etc. everynight after night your heart goes out and the next thing you know you're crying out to God with your own broken heart over your brethern with such desparate needs. But your fasting and prayer makes you come to a point as you pray, you can feel the very presence of God surround you. It's like no other thing in the world can take its place and give you more joy. And the changes Jesus does in you praying over your brethern, is just amazing how your walk with HIM becomes closer.

John to sacrifice/fast your drums for 40 days/nights, yes this is a sacrifice for you especaily if it takes up alot of your time and your enjoy them alot. Mine one year was "Mountain Dews", and it was a big sacrifice for me cause I used them to keep me going through my slumps of energy. Man had headaches, lost lots of weight, but more than anything....my walk with HIM was so much better and closer.
 
I know some at our church will only partake of unfermented fruit of the vine for 40 days and nights on this prayer and fast. Then we have a revival at the end of the 40 day fast. Lord, I could live at church during those times and never leave watching the Lord move/do a work in people. The sweet presence of the Holy Spirit while there's prayer covering some 3000 prayer request on the altars, where brethern have opened their lives, and pour their tears out on the altars before you, seeking answers to their request....so humbling, and stirs a tidal wave of emotions/compassion in your spirit.
 
Carol Lowery said:
I know some at our church will only partake of unfermented fruit of the vine for 40 days and nights on this prayer and fast. Then we have a revival at the end of the 40 day fast. Lord, I could live at church during those times and never leave watching the Lord move/do a work in people. The sweet presence of the Holy Spirit while there's prayer covering some 3000 prayer request on the altars, where brethern have opened their lives, and pour their tears out on the altars before you, seeking answers to their request....so humbling, and stirs a tidal wave of emotions/compassion in your spirit.
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Why do they then stop after 40 days ? I figure, if the Lord blesses our coming to Him and praying like this, why would anybody only want to do this for 40 days a year?
I am not talking about fasting all the time LOL, only that it seems to me, that the normal Christian life is only done for 40 days and then its back to usual.

Would be kind of nice, if we could always bring our prayers to the Lord in this manner. If we could always sacrifice our idols to Him , every day of our lives. If we could always "fast" from those things that jumps in , in front of us and separates us from Him.


We should relent :-) and let go of our old lives and take up the life of Christ every day .
 
Rom 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind.
 
I believe 40 days is about the limit the body can take without some real sustenance, nourishment. After that dire things can begin to occur.
 
Cornelius said:
Rom 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind.
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Romans 14:5 AND 6 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord.He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

Lent is just fine if done so for the Lord.
 
Losing my life for the cross of Jesus is my daily lent.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Matthew 16:25
 
Deny oneself yes.
We are to become more of Him and less of ourselves. When we focus on "self" we are bolstering ourselves rather than increasing with His nature. Fasting is a very good reminder of this for we deny our physical hunger, our physical self and in doing so we become aware that indeed we can deny ourselves for His sake.

One day all of our nature will be replaced with all of His. And as individual as we are in the sinful nature so shall we be with His nature. Yet, through the sinful we remain apart but through His we become as one.
 
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