Lent is…

 

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights… (Matthew 4:1-2 NIV)

According to Dictionary.com, Lent is the period of forty weekdays lasting from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, observed as a time of penance and fasting commemorating Jesus' fasting in the wilderness. (see Matthew 4:1-11)

This is a rather very generic definition of Lent and several other dictionaries and publications use similar wording, but Lent is so much more than that.

Lent is a time when we ought to reflect deeply upon the Passion, Crucifixion, Resurrection and even the ascension of Jesus Christ.

Lent is a time for us to take an honest review of our Christian walk which should not just be confined to forty days but spill over into the entire year and beyond; it is a lifelong process of conversion.

Beloved, your walk with God means choosing mercy over indifference and courage over silence and Jesus’ time in the wilderness must be your example of what your spiritual journey should look like.

Let’s look at some other aspects of what Lent is…

Lent presses us to examine the substance of our allegiance

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23 NIV)

Lent clarifies where devotion rests

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33 NIV)

Lent reminds us that trust in God is expressed through trust in one another

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 NIV)

Lent strengthens patience that is rooted in promise

This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. (Habakkuk 2:3 NLT)

Lent trains us to respond to fear with remembered faithfulness

But when I am afraid, I will put my confidence in you. Yes, I will trust the promises of God. And since I am trusting him, what can mere man do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4 TLB)

Lent invites us to live faith through action

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17 NIV)

Lent forms people who seek healing for the world God loves

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV)

Beloved, Lent is a time of reflection, repentance, renewal and restoration; it is a perfect time to become grounded in truth, sustained by grace, and open toward the future God continues to form.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Lent is…” ©2026 March 9, 2026

(some parts used with permission from Revd Mark Robinson)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wilderness of Uncertainty

 

The season of Lent invites us into a wilderness experience, a time to honestly reflect upon our spiritual journey. In the wilderness there is much uncertainty, as that is the place where we are forced to examine the condition of our hearts head-on.

Beloved, Christ experienced the wilderness of uncertainty long before us, so now we can deal with our own journey into the wilderness trusting that He is with us every step of the way.

In this regard, allow me to share a reflection that is not my own but was written by Revd Mark Robinson and Revd Dr. Tessa Henry-Robinson.

Trust in the Wilderness

Scripture: Deuteronomy 8:2 (NIV)

Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart.

Reflection

Trust is often forged in wilderness places. Today’s scripture reminds us that the journey through uncertainty is not wasted terrain but formative ground. The wilderness exposes what comfort can conceal. It reveals where trust rests — in provision, in control, or in God.

Pressure clarifies allegiance. When resources feel thin and outcomes uncertain, the heart is uncovered. Lent invites us to examine what sustains us when visible security is stripped away. Trust does not deny vulnerability; it anchors vulnerability in the faithful guidance of God.

The wilderness does not last forever, yet it leaves its mark. In this season, God shapes a people who remember that survival was never self-made and that endurance is sustained by grace. Trust grows where memory and dependence meet possible.

Prayer

God of the wilderness, search my heart. Reveal what shapes my trust. Steady me when certainty fades. Teach me to depend on you in every season ~ Amen.

Invitation

Recall a difficult season you survived. Name how God sustained you.

Say quietly:

“God, you have led me before.”

What about Lydia?

 

What do you know about Lydia? Have you ever heard of her? Maybe you have but many persons haven’t. Has she been mentioned in any sermons? Perhaps, but for the most part she’s been overlooked.

Long story short…

Apostle Paul had recently met a young Christian named Timothy. Impressed by all the good things believers were saying about Timothy and recognizing that the favour of God was on his life, Paul invited this young man to accompany him on his city tour, going from town to town to newly established churches where they gave the believers the rules and decisions from the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. They told them to obey these rules. So the churches were becoming stronger in their faith, and the number of believers was growing every day. (Acts 16:4-5 ERV).

One night, Paul experiences a supernatural vision of a man beckoning him to come to Macedonia. Even though this place was not on his schedule, Paul immediately responds to the call and goes to the leading city in that part of Macedonia, a roman colony called Philippi and spends a few days spreading the Gospel.

On the Sabbath Day, Paul and the others who were travelling with him, went outside of the city gates to find a special place where some people met for prayer on a riverbank and that is where his encounter with Lydia occurred. She was with a group of other ladies sitting on the riverbank chatting and Paul took the opportunity to talk with them.

Lydia was a businesswoman from the city of Thyatira, a centre of commerce in the Roman province of Asia who lived in Philippi. She was a seller of Purple, a very costly dye extracted from a marine mollusc that gave out a milk like fluid that turned purple or scarlet on contact with air when crushed.

We aren’t told too much about Lydia, but from her trade we can deduce that she must have been a woman of great wealth. What we are told is that Lydia was already a worshiper of God who listened intently to Paul, and as she listened, the Lord opened her heart and she accepted all that Paul was saying (ref. Acts 16:14).

That day Lydia experienced a conversion and in this regard so did Paul, as she was his first convert.

When Lydia went to the special place of prayer by the riverside that Sabbath day, she never could have suspected that her life would be forever changed. This was a pivotal moment for them both and for the ministry’s development at Philippi.

Lydia and her entire household were then baptized after which she urged Paul and his fellow missionaries to make her home their headquarters in Philippi (ref. v 15) and according to verse forty, before they left, it was where they met with the believers and preached to them.

Yet another barely mentioned protagonist who played a crucial role in the growth of the Kingdom. Additionally in Philippians 4:15-17 (GW) it is written,

You Philippians also know that in the early days, when I left the province of Macedonia to spread the Good News, you were the only church to share your money with me. You gave me what I needed, and you received what I gave you. Even while I was in Thessalonica, you provided for my needs twice. It’s not that I’m looking for a gift. The opposite is true. I’m looking for your resources to increase.

Lydia’s generous hospitality may have been the catalyst for this unique financial relationship between the Philippian church and Paul.

Beloved, in this season of Lent, let us be encouraged by this brief encounter with Lydia, a faithful follower of Jesus who allowed Him to open her heart to receive and accept His message. Let us be generous in our hospitality and in our giving to others and towards the building up of His Kingdom here on earth.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “What about Lydia?” ©2026 March 6, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Come to Me”

 

“Are you weary, carrying a heavy burden? Come to me. I will refresh your life, for I am your oasis.” – Matthew 11:28 (TPT)

We always feel that we have to be rid of our heavy burdens before going to Jesus, but Jesus is calling you to Him just as you are, a weary burden bearer.

Jesus’ “Come to Me” isn’t meant for other people, it’s meant for you. He sees you spiritually, physically and emotionally dehydrated and is offering you to be refreshed by Him as your oasis in a parched life. He wants you to come to Him with your real life, unpretentious.

“Come to Me” with your problems

“Come to Me” with your stress

“Come to Me” with your busyness

“Come to Me” with your grief

“Come to Me” with your tight finances

“Come to Me” with your hungry belly

“Come to Me all who have everything under control” is not the offer. If you have it all figured out then good for you, ignore the call. The rest of us weary people will go to Him. Of course I’m just joking. Jesus’ call to come is open to everyone.

Every one of us is carrying a burden of some kind; a burden of being depended on, a burden of listening to a friend’s problems, a burden of care, a burden of your own making – we are heavy laden with this and that, holding on to burdens like a ship carrying precious cargo and still we wonder why we’re so exhausted all the time.

Beloved, stop waiting to come to Jesus, His invitation is for right now and Lent is a great time to accept it. Jesus is telling you to come to Him as you are – come with your mess. He is telling you to come and unload your burdens on Him, whatever those burdens might be, even those invisible burdens that you don’t realize you’re carrying. Jesus is longing to refresh your whole life, the only thing He wants from you are your burdens.

“Come to Me”, I come to You Jesus, weary, carrying heavy burdens that I can’t keep holding. I give them all to You. I release every one of them now. Thank You for relieving me of these burdens, for refreshing my life and for being my oasis.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Come to Me” ©2026 March 5, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

To Return

 

The act of changing your mind and turning the direction of your life toward God, is repentance; to repent may simply mean to return but the process is a profound journey which moves you from self- and sin-centeredness to God-centeredness.

In both the Old and New Testaments there are several examples of persons who, remorsefully changed their minds in choosing to return to God and in so doing their lives made an about turn. They repented.

The King James Version of the following verses, describes God as repenting,

Exodus 32:14

And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Jonah 3:9-10

Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?  And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Jonah 4:2

And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

In these verses, God changed His mind about people who had changed their minds and repented. Please do not see this change of God as a change in His essential character and nature, it isn’t, however, what it reveals is that God does change His intention toward a people  who habitually change their minds and their direction.

These three verses demonstrate that God changes His mind from wrath to mercy, but He also changes His mind from blessing to judgment as in the case of king Saul where God told Samuel,

“I repent that I have made Saul king; for he has turned back from following me, and has not performed my commandments.”  – Samuel 15:11 (RSV)

Saul, appointed by God and blessed to be king, had turned back from God. Many times, we too turn away from God, but God is merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness and He is willing to show us grace, but we must be willing to turn back to God, to change our minds, to turn the direction of our lives, to return to Him in repentance.

Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection heralded an era of grace and under this wonderful dispensation, we must make a conscious decision to turn from disobedience and our own way of living to the better way found only in God through Jesus. We have to return to God if we are to survive the evil that is pervading the earth even now. We cannot and must not wait to return.

Beloved, to return to God in genuine repentance, is the only response to the gift of grace He has afforded us. Jesus, in Matthew 4:17, preached the need for repentance and in Acts 2:38, Peter said, “Every one of you must repent”. Yes, every single one of us must repent.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “To Return” ©2026 March 5, 2026

 

 

 

Return

 

We are in the midst of the season of Lent, when we ought to be reflecting on the circumstances leading up to Jesus’ sacrificial death upon the cross at Calvary and His resurrection.

Beloved, Lent is a time for you to return to Jesus just as you are, broken and lost and failing at faith. He is certainly not expecting you to come spiritually perfect, without flaws but desires an honest reencounter.

In this regard, allow me to share a reflection that is not my own but was written by Revd Mark Robinson and Revd Dr. Tessa Henry-Robinson.

Turning and Trust

Scripture: Joel 2:12–13

“Even now,” declares the Lord “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.

Reflection

Let us return to God with honesty and openness. God seeks hearts shaped by love, justice, and mercy. Turning toward God means releasing patterns that damage life and choosing ways that restore relationship. God’s compassion meets people in truth and leads communities toward healing and renewal. Lent continues as a journey of returning — grounded in grace and shaped by the faithful love of God.

 

Prayer

God of compassion and truth, 

Turn my heart toward you. 

Loosen what binds me to harm.

Deepen what grows love and justice.

Teach me to walk in your ways

With courage and humility ~ Amen.

Invitation

Place your hand over your heart.

Breathe slowly.

Say quietly:

“God, I am returning to you.”

 

 

Oceans and Seas

 

The Word of God is filled with symbolic expressions and figurative language; we see this throughout the bible but especially in the Old Testament.

The bible’s authors use of inanimate or abstract objects and things found in nature is rampant, therefore, if we are to truly understand what is being conveyed in the pages of bible, we must determine to recognize and learn this language, through Holy Spirit-led research.

It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. (Proverbs 25:2 ESV)

It is not enough to simply read the text, we must desire to know more, to dive deep into His Word to gain divine insight for ourselves. Too many of us get lost in the theology without ever once experiencing the reality of it.

Take for instance the symbolism of oceans and seas. Today is as good a day as any to understand what these represent spiritually rather than literally, for hardly anything written in the bible carries a literal meaning.

The oceans and seas represent the godlessness of the world and its systems which are dead to God. In the bible oceans and seas can symbolize a satanic world system. When we are told to not love the world or the things in the world (1 John 2:15), it refers to the system, not the world that God created.

John even goes on to say that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). The world system which the oceans and seas symbolize cannot sustain life, that is, spiritual life.

We may be walking around and seemingly getting through under this system but there will always be something missing, causing us to be forever searching for another level of motivation, the next high but unless we encounter the sustainer of life, Jesus Christ, we will continue to feel an inward emptiness gnawing at out souls.

Beloved, understand that Jesus is the creator and source of all matter, He holds it all together.

Colossians 1:17 (ESV) clearly states that Jesus is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Jesus is the source of the invisible yet tangible force that glues everything together at the very core of its structure.

Look at what Job 12:10 (ESV) says,

In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.

Without God in your life, you are subjected to this world’s system of confusion, chaos, oppression, injustice, exploitation, evil, and wickedness. You may seem to be alive but you’re spiritually dead because the ocean not only represents the world but also the underworld – the abode of demons.

Fixated on the things of the world a person becomes a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable beast (Revelation 18:2 ESV). This verse illustrates that there is a connection between the realm of the flesh and demonic activity.

Look at all the debauchery that has been revealed recently, the hedonistic activity that supposedly intelligent persons, holding high office and held in high esteem have been indulged in for years –  sexual assault of the very young, the killing of innocent children, alleged consuming of the dead and other acts of depravity – theirs is the epitome of a demonic lifestyle.

don't sin against the truth by boasting of your wisdom. Such wisdom does not come down from heaven; it belongs to the world, it is unspiritual and demonic (James 3:15 GNT)

This world system has produced leaders of nations who are depraved. Ironically, oceans and seas also symbolize the nations. Just as the oceans and seas can be calm or raging or turbulent or dangerous so can nations. There are nations that are at peace and those at war; leaders who choose peace and leaders who choose war.

Powerful nations are in commotion with a sound like the roar of the sea, like the crashing of huge waves. (Isaiah 17:12 GNT)

Beloved, there are several Scriptural parallels of the oceans and seas to the world system, even more than are quoted in this blog post. But despite the connotation here briefly outlined, there is something that you must never forget, God not only treads upon the waves and high places of the sea (Job 9:8 AMPC), also,

The sea is his, for he made it (Psalm 95:5 ESV)

You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. (Psalm 89:9 ESV)

He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. (Psalm 107:29 ESV)

though the waves toss, they cannot prevail (Jeremiah 5:22 ESV)

Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb (Job 38:8 ESV)

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” (Mark 4:39 ESV)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (Revelation 21:1 ESV)

And in Matthew 14:25-26 (ESV),

And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.

Jesus is no ghost, He is real and He has dominion over the oceans and seas and though the seas may be raging, to Him those roaring nations are nothing, no more than a drop of water; The nations are nothing at all to him (Isaiah 40:15, 17 GNT).

So let us not be fearful but be faith-filled, focusing on Jesus and not on the tumult of the oceans and seas, trusting that in due time, He will give the order, and the raging waves will have no choice but to cease and there will be calm (ref. Luke 8:24).

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Oceans and Seas” ©2026 March 3, 2026