Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a 40-day period that represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness praying and fasting in preparation for the Test. Matthew 4:1-4 (MSG) says:
"Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first Test: "Since you are God's Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread. Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: "It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth.""
Passing the Test is essential because only after that will we be able to do the good work.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) says: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Knowing that we are all assigned to do good works, the question is, if Jesus had to prepare to do His good works, shouldn't we?
Over these next 40 days, I am preparing for the work. I am also making my book The Fruit of a Spirit-Led Leader available for free so that you have a resource that'll help you prepare during this period.
When you sign up to receive your free e-book copy of the book, I will also give you access to my 7-week mini-course called Pruning to Prove, which will walk through biblical principles being uncovered as I journey through these 40-days of prep. As an added bonus, you can join The Spirit-Led Leader Facebook group, only open to those who have a copy of the book, where I will go live so that we're able to chat & connect during these 40 days.
In Matthew 3:11-12 (MSG), John the Baptist says,
"I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama—compared to him I'm a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He's going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He'll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he'll put out with the trash to be burned."
Jesus passing the Test allowed Him to do this good work, which He completed (Resurrection Sunday), in turn, giving us access to the kingdom with the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us. Now, we're able to do the good work God prepared for us to do. Being Spirit-Led helps us lean into what God has promised and walk out His principles so that we may be fruitful and multiple.
Sign up now to walk this journey out with me.
Download the "Root of Your Burnout" workbook to take action and assess the root cause of your burnout and identify the impact. Claim back your Time and Peace of Mind!
Join the conversation!
If you are interested in participating in a virtual roundtable discussion, please complete the form below to inquire. We will reach out to share details and align on dates.
Note: Your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
