I had a sweet friend text me last night about Lent; she is wanting to add something to her daily lent, something she can read to learn more about the Bible and was asking for recommendations.  I love her desire to not just give up something but add something to enrich these 40 days and grow in her faith.

Here were some of my suggestions:

~You Version Bible App has a great 40-day Lent reading plan that takes you through the gospels.  I have not done this reading plan, but one can never go wrong adding time to read the Bible as one practices Lent; after all, isn’t the purpose of fasting to turn our hearts towards Him?  And isn’t that what He is truly after, our hearts?  What better way than to get into His Mighty Word!  The book of John is another great place to start!  It has 21 chapters so you could read one chapter a day then pick another book to read.  Romans and then 1 John would be good follow ups and there are others too!  Let the Lord guide you on this and He will!

~On Calvary’s Hill, 40 readings for the Easter season, is a book by Max Lucado and is full of Scripture and is an in depth look at the final days in the life of our Savior.  It is beautiful; I absolutely love the way Mr. Lucado writes.

~Rick Warren’s the Purpose Driven Life is another 40-day devotional book that can change your life.  It answers the many questions of our true purpose on Earth and living out the Greatest Commandment and Great Commission.

~Prayer.  Prayer is a huge part of fasting, taking our eyes off ourselves and the things of this world and focusing on God.  Fasting isn’t always easy, but if we praise the Lord and pray Scriptures when we desire what we are fasting from, it will help us avoid what we are giving up but most importantly take our focus off of ourselves and onto Him and His amazing sacrifice for our souls.  Again, isn’t this the purpose of Lent?  Let Him hear from you, He loves it!

~Memorizing Scripture.  Focus on one a week or maybe just pick one to meditate on during the 40 days of Lent.  There are so many to choose from but one of my favorites is Zechariah 4:6, “‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord.”  Especially in the realm of fasting (and raising kids ha), this verse can help get our focus off of what we want with His help.  His Spirit is unending and overwhelming inside of believers!  Let’s put it to good use!

I have to admit, I have never officially practiced Lent, but I enjoyed reading and researching more about it from various denominations viewpoints.  I have no doubt that God can work in amazing ways anytime we turn our hearts toward Him, get in His word and pray.  What an exciting time Lent can be and it doesn’t have to stop there!  May we continually seek the Lord every day of the year. 🙂