Five Tips for Growing in Intimacy with God during Lent:

1) Raise your awareness of what is going on in your heart; start paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, desires, and memories – at any moment. When you start practicing this, you can do it throughout the day and night.

2) Grow in the habit of choosing to entrust what’s in your heart to God honestly and consistently. That’s key: honestly and consistently. Say, “I give to you Lord. . . (whatever is your temptation).” And do it over and over and over.

3) Strengthen your ability to understand which things in your heart are from God and which are not. This is very important. So many things come into our mind and heart throughout the day. Which are truly from God? Ask Him. Which are from the Enemy? You’ll know. Which bring you peace? Which bring you constant upset? The ones that leave you in peace are from God. The ones that leave you in constant upset are from the Enemy.

4) Learn how to generously receive what is from God and to vigorously reject what is not from God. Generously receive means to be thankful throughout the day for what God is doing. Praise Him. Adore Him. Thank Him. Laugh. Smile. Enjoy all the blessings you become aware of. Vigorously reject means to cast out, renounce, get away from, anything that is

tempting you to sin.

5) Grow in the assurance that God’s love is unconditional and is powerful to overcome any difficulty or obstacle. Assurance is faith. Grow in it. Unconditional means no matter what, God loves you. His power can and will overcome anything. We can grow in faith and assurance of God’s unconditional love and power by daily prayer, Bible meditation, regular confession of our sins, and Holy Communion in the Body and Blood of our Lord. Join us on the Fridays of Lent for the Stations of the Cross; another great way to witness God’s unconditional love and His power to overcome anything

Rev. Mark Zacker

Pastor