There comes a time in the spiritual life when one of the major things God desires is to lovingly help us see ourselves more clearly. Lent is a time when we are called to wake up to the darkness within and invite the light of God’s presence to shine there. Just as winter and spring -light and darkness-seem to be fighting for dominance during this season of the earth, Lent is a spiritual season for seeing, naming and confessing our own darkness until eventually it gives way to God’s marvellous light

This Lent we are providing personal resources for our own Lenten journey, we will be providing a weekly thought here in our Saturday Contact and we are starting a new Sunday series called ‘Every Day Altars.’

Why ‘Everyday Altars?’ Altars can mark significant places in our lives. They can also be places where we meet with God and in Exodus 30 we see a challenge and call to ‘make an altar.’ In the light of this challenge the Lenten Sunday series focuses on how altars are reminders of Gods faithfulness and how they remind us that the God who has carried us to this point will get us to where He wants to take us in the future.

This first week of Lent we focus on identifying areas of compromise, sin, and places that need healing through the gift of confession. Confession isn’t about punishment, it is a path that God gives us towards freedom. 

“Lent is a time for discipline, for confession, for honesty, not because God is mean or fault-finding or finger pointing but because he wants us to know the joy of being cleaned out, ready for all the good things he now has in store.” N.T. Wright 

Bringing light to these areas of sin, darkness, secrets, hidden lives, and places we want to see breakthrough, is an opportunity to come out of hiding! Often when we are living with unconfessed sin in our lives, it can have a power over us and keep us further in shame. When we confess our sins, bring them into the light, we break the lie of the enemy over our minds and the power it has had over our lives.

You might like to spend some time journaling, praying and asking:

• Where in your life is there compromise? 
• What continues to distract/hinder you from being the person you want to be? 
• Ask yourself, “What am I afraid of if I confess or expose the sin in my life?” 
• What does the bible say about sin and confession? 

 Once you have done this, it’s important to receive the forgiveness from Jesus that He freely gives. You can pray a prayer similar to this one: 

Father,

I want your heart on what I have confessed. Holy Spirit, refresh my soul with a renewed sensitivity towards you. To love what you love and to turn away from what you don’t.

I want to be set aside for Your purposes only. Teach me to embody Your character and live as a new creation in Christ. I put to death the old self and put on the new self, in Christ. I receive the forgiveness that cost you everything and the grace which has been freely given. I hear the words of Jesus, “Go, and sin no more.”

In Jesus name, Amen.