Jesus spent forty days in the desert where he prayed, fasted, and faced temptation. The temptations he faced were similar to the ones we face today--the temptation to use our gifts and abilities to serve only ourselves, the temptation to put the things of this world above our relationship with God, and the temptation to try to bend God's will to our own. Just as Jesus was able to overcome those temptations, we, with the power of the Holy Spirit, can overcome temptations in our own lives.

The forty days of Lent are a reflection of Jesus forty days in the desert. They are days meant for fasting, praying, searching, and meditating. They are also days when we are called to confront head on the temptations of our lives. But how do we do this? Ephesians 6:10-17 teaches us that the best way to deal with temptation is to put on the full armor of God. It says, "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

This season of Lent we invite you to join us as we look at the Armor of God and how we can use that armor to not only protect ourselves in difficult days, but to also witness to those around us.