Is Lent Really Worth It? Resetting Your Faith With the Jesus Challenge
Is Lent Really Worth It? Resetting Your Faith With the Jesus Challenge
For many people, Lent means giving up something you love and miserably waiting for Day 40 to roll around.
❌ No sugar.
❌ No coffee.
❌ No social media – until you accidentally forget and slip up.
Basically, it’s a countdown until Easter when you can finally get back to normal life. A long, joyless, 40-day struggle of you trying really hard to be holy.
Sound familiar?
I used to see Lent as nothing more than proving that I was strong and self-controlled. That I could survive without sugar and TV. So if you’ve thought the same, you’re in good company!
But I was very wrong. 🫣
Lent is a dedicated time to purge ourselves of the distractions that keep us from being fulfilled in the Lord.
The goal of Lent is to help us fully align our hearts with the Father, eliminating those things (yes, even if they’re great things!) that keep us from FULL surrender and RADICAL obedience.
The reward you gain after 40 days is not the pride of knowing you gritted your teeth and proved you could push through. 🙅🏻♀️ It’s reprioritizing and relishing the deep intimacy with God that slipped to the sideline in your busy schedule.
That’s why I created the Jesus Challenge! To help you regain that connection with the Lord through 40 days of real, lasting spiritual growth. Not just surviving for the sake of doing something hard, but truly refocusing your heart on eternal things and coming out stronger than before.
So, if you’ve ever wondered, “Why bother with Lent? Isn’t it just a religious, half-hearted diet plan?” you’re in the right place! Let’s talk about what Lent and fasting really mean and how these 40 days can change your life forever. 👇
What’s the Point of Lent?
The purpose of Lent was never to make you hate your life by losing the things you love. The real purpose of fasting is to clear space for God.
Think about it.
How much noise fills your day? 🤔
We wake up and immediately check our notifications. 🤳
We rush through emails, to-do’s, lists, and responsibilities. 🏃
By the time we slow down at night, we’re too tired to do anything but zone out on Netflix. 🥱
No wonder we’re exhausted and disconnected from God. He didn’t design us to be this distracted and busy!
THAT is why Lent matters. You’re making room for something far more important and valuable than the thing you’re giving up.
Think About It This Way:
If you want beautiful flowers to bloom in your yard, would you be satisfied with the carpet of weeds covering the soil? No way!
You’d actively prepare room for the flowers. This means pulling up weeds, clearing rocks, and adding fertilizer. As you rid the garden of these “lesser” things, you make room for bigger, more beautiful flowers to flourish.
Lent isn’t a passive, ride-it-out situation. It’s an active battle for your full, reckless dedication to the Lord. 🛡️
For example:
⚔️ If you fast from social media, fill that time with prayer or reading Scripture.
⚔️ If you fast from sugar, take those cravings as a cue to stop what you’re doing and seek God.
⚔️ If you fast from negativity, replace it with gratitude and worship.
Even Jesus Fasted
Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before doing a drop of ministry. He wasn’t just sitting around, avoiding temptation, waiting for Day 40.
He actively removed distractions, busyness, and hindrances, making room for deeper communion with the Father. He prepared, listened, and realigned Himself with God’s Word, strengthening Him for His purpose on earth.
Lent is a chance for you to do the same. It’s not a punishment for you to suffer through. It’s an opportunity to grow, hear from God, and clear your “garden” for something much bigger and better God’s prepared for you. 🌻
Do I Have to Fast? What if I Fail?
Alright, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: fasting is hard.
If you’ve ever tried giving something up – whether sugar, social media, or scrolling Pinterest – you know how real that struggle is. By day three, you might already be justifying why one little cheat doesn’t make that big of a difference. 😅
⚠️ Here’s the honest truth, friend: you are going to mess up.
📍 You might forget.
📍 You might cave.
📍 You might accidentally hop back on Instagram without even meaning to.
📍 You might do it intentionally.
But messing up is NOT failure.
👉 Failure is deciding it’s too hard and quitting altogether. 👈
Successful fasting requires persistence, not perfection.
Think about running a marathon. If the runner trips and falls during the race – after all his months of hard training – does he say, “Well, I guess running isn’t for me,” and walk off the course? No! He gets up, brushes the dust off his knees, and keeps running.
You don’t quit because you stumbled. You refocus, recommit, and get right back in the race. 💪
How to Fast When It’s Especially Hard
Fasting isn’t easy, but it’s incredibly powerful.
Here are a few ways to stay strong when you feel like giving up:
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Know Your Why – Don’t fast just because it sounds spiritual. What do you want to see God do in these 40 days? Write it down. ✍️ Keep it in front of you.
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Replace Instead of Remove – Don’t create emptiness – fill it with Jesus. 🤲
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Expect Resistance – The enemy wants you to give up. He’ll throw distractions, cravings, frustrations, whatever he can, your way. 🎯 Recognize it as a spiritual battle and keep pushing.
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Accountability Changes Everything – If you’re doing the Jesus Challenge, you’re not in it alone. Let people know what you’re fasting from, and lean on them when it gets hard. 🤝
The point of Lent isn’t to see if you can grit through 40 days without chocolate. It’s to lay down ANYTHING in your life (yes, even the good things like chocolate) that keeps your heart, mind, or lifestyle from being fully surrendered to God. And that only happens when you stick with it, even after you fail.
The Question No One Talks About: Is It Worth It?
If fasting were easy, everyone would do it. But most people don’t observe Lent because it requires sacrifice. It stretches you. It forces you to confront the things you rely on MORE than God. 😮💨
And that's why it’s so powerful.
Most people talk about Lent in terms of what they’re losing, sometimes bragging about how hard life is without it.
☕ Coffee.
🍫 Chocolate.
📺 TV shows.
🗣️ Complaining. (My personal favorite)
But no one really talks about what you gain.
Look at the people in the Bible who fasted – Moses, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, Jesus. Every single one of them saw…
🌿 Breakthrough
🌿 Miracles
🌿 Direction
🌿 Strength
🌿 Intimacy with God
… on the other side of their sacrifice.
ALL of that is available to you too – if you’re willing to give up temporary earthly treasures for a greater gain.
What Do You Gain From Fasting?
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Clarity – When the noisy distractions fade, you hear God’s voice clearly, confident it was actually Him and not your own scattered thoughts.
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Strength – You realize how heavily you depended on temporary things, and you learn to rely on the unchanging foundation of God’s character.
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Breakthrough – Fasting often brings spiritual shifts and brand-new perspectives that don’t happen any other way.
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Deeper Connection – You start craving time with God in ways you never have before. He becomes your Everything.
So back to the question at hand: is Lent really worth it? Well, that’s up to you. 🤷🏻♀️
If you’d rather enjoy the temporary pleasures of fickle, fading, earthly treats, no one is stopping you. But if you choose that, you forfeit a depth of friendship with God you cannot experience while still depending on earthly treasures. ⚖️
If you choose to release those treasures for a time, you’ll get a taste of the matchless joy of God’s abundance and power in your life – and you’ll never want to go back! And even better, you can enjoy those treats and pleasures again! But in a healthy way where they don’t control you, but point you back to their Creator.
How the Jesus Challenge Makes Lent Practical
So we’ve talked about what Lent IS – getting rid of distractions, making space for God, and hearing His voice more clearly.
But HOW do you make that happen practically?
That’s exactly why I created the virtual Jesus challenge.
The beauty of the Jesus challenge is that it takes the heart of Lent – the deep, intentional relationship with God – and makes it practical, achievable, and fun! You don't have to figure out all the details – it's all laid out for you, every step of the way. 🛣️
Here's what the Jesus challenge involves:
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A 40-Day Spiritual Journey ⚓
Just like the 40-day periods we talked about in my last blog, the virtual Jesus challenge guides you through a 40-day commitment that mirrors those biblical experiences. This journey is not to teach you how to survive for 40 days until it’s over. The goal is to transform your heart, mind, and body with a steady diet of God's Word.
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Daily Bite-Sized Challenges 📅
Each day, you’ll walk 1 mile, read and meditate on a pre-assigned portion of Scripture, and participate in optional daily challenges. I intentionally designed this Jesus virtual challenge to fit into your life without overwhelming you. No guesswork. No confusion. No complicated plan. Just practical, small steps to align your heart with God’s.
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Focus On God’s Presence ✨
Each element of the Jesus challenge helps you reconnect with God so you can experience his presence in ways you never have before. Whether you choose to fast from food, media, attitudes, or something else, this challenge gives you a practical way to replace that space with God's Word and presence.
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Community Support 👥
You don't have to do this alone! My virtual Jesus challenge is a community-based journey so you have accountability and encouragement every step of the way. When you sign up, you’re welcomed into a private Facebook group, full of people seeking a deeper connection with God just like you. It's the perfect place to share prayer requests and victories and ask fellow believers to hold you accountable to your commitment.
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Grace, Not Guilt 💗
If you slip up during the Jesus virtual challenge, you don't have to start over. There is no shame here! Just loving encouragement to pick back up and keep pursuing progress, not perfection.
I would hate for you to white-knuckle through your fast, hoping you make it to Easter so you can get back to your normal life. The Jesus challenge is the missing piece that helps you actually fulfill the true purpose of Lent – clearing out the distractions, making room for something better, and surrendering your daily life to the Lord.
Join the Jesus Challenge for a Total Life Reset
This is where the rubber meets the road. 🤩
If you're questioning the value of Lent and fasting or wondering if the sacrifices are worth it, give the Jesus challenge a shot! It's a practical, simple, and fun way to reset your lifestyle and put God first in everything you do.
But first, I have more good news for you! If you missed Lent this year, you don't have to wait until next year to experience this transformation!
The virtual Jesus challenge is available SIX times a year so you can jump in at any point and experience the growth, breakthroughs, and spiritual renewal you’ve been craving. 😍
When you commit to the Jesus challenge, you chose to:
📈 prioritize God's presence over distractions
📈 make room for him to move in your life
📈 see what's possible when you go 100% in with your faith
📈 set aside all hindrances, and run full tilt towards God
📈 start on a simple but powerful journey that mirrors the most pivotal moments of faith in the Bible
All it takes is a commitment to sign up and let God do what He does best: transform you, lovingly, carefully, and fully.
So if you’re ready to stop going through the motions and experience a deep friendship with God, don‘t wait until next Lent. Sign up for our new Jesus challenge today!