Abiding is really relationship-building. God wants a relationship with you, one that is both give and take, one where you speak, but where you also listen. During the season of Lent, you develop a close relationship with God so that the communication flows between the two of you. This type of communication only comes through the act of abiding in him.

Isn’t it interesting how often we fall back on fear? Speaking for myself, falling into fear is easier because it happens without a fight. All I have to do is allow the enemy to fill my head with negative thoughts, worst case scenarios and the myriad of ways everything can go wrong so I can allow myself to be sent spiraling into an abyss of negativity. But it does not have to be this way.

You may be asking yourself what you should be focusing on during the Lenten season. Being intentional about abiding with God through prayer and studying the word is vital during your season of fasting.

We are in the middle of a “be still and know that I am God” season (Psalm 46:10). Everything around us, for the most part, has stopped. We cannot travel. We cannot visit with friends. We cannot fellowship at church. But what we can do is trust God.

When I arrived at the pottery class, I found at my work station a slab of clay, a plastic fork and a carving tool. Our goal was to make a flower pot. Our class was led by a young student from the local art school who provided step-by-step instructions on how we were supposed to work with the clay.