Lent is the time before Easter during which the faithful abstain and fast in remembrance of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on Calvary.

It is a 40-day time of preparation before Easter, the memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which also motivates the faithful to focus on growing closer to God by abstinence and fasting.

The next Lent starts on February 10 known as Ash Wednesday involving fasting, repentance and intense prayers, among believers worldwide.

Preparatory to this religious obligation, clerics and other faithful have, therefore, stressed the need to be focused, steadfast and dedicated during and after the period to boost believers’ faith, physical and spiritual health.

Apart from the Lent, they note that fasting among various Christian denominations is a method of making prayers effectual.

They observe that Christians agree that fasting in combination with prayers at any period is a useful tool for obtaining favour from God and to boost physical and spiritual development.

Fasting involves a deliberate and conscious effort on the part of the performer to sacrifice certain pleasures in order to obtain forgiveness of sins, mercy and divine blessings from God.

In his sermon on the importance of fasting and prayer, Dr Paul Enenche, the Senior Pastor, Dunamis International Gospel Centre, enjoined Christians to build up their spiritual capacity by fasting and praying regularly even after the Lent.

He made the call recently in his sermon to end the annual 21-day fasting programme of the church on January 31.

“Maintaining a consistent schedule to wait on the Lord in fasting and praying is one of the requirements for maintaining spiritual intensity,’’ he said.

During the fasting, members of the church engaged in daily morning and evening prayer sessions for peace and stability of Nigeria and the restoration of dignity of the country.

Mrs Abigail Adoyi, a member of the church, said that she participated in the programme to energise her spiritual standing with God, observing that she witnessed many positive changes in her life during the period.

He said that she was able to develop an attitude of constant prayer to God for her salvation and the redemption of Nigeria from the current economic situation.

“I think this period has afforded me the opportunity to sincerely pray and worship God like I have never done before and I have really felt God’s presence around me this time,’’ she said.

Also, Mr Charles Momoh, a member of the church, said that fasting and praying were requirements that must be fulfilled by every Christian to stand strong spiritually.

“I have been doing this for more than 20 years now and it is helping me to grow spiritually and maintain a solid stand with God because I use the word of God as my life manual.

“Isaiah 40: 31 also tells us that waiting on the Lord helps us to renew our strength physically and spiritually. If your spiritual strength is weak, then you are weak in life,’’ he said.

Sharing similar sentiments, Mrs Julieth Agbo, a member of Living Faith Church, said that fasting had proved to be an important spiritual and medical exercise.

He described fasting as a period when Christians should set themselves apart and diligently seek God’s face and ask for mercy of God.

She, nonetheless, advised that fasting should be done as prescribed by the Holy Bible in order to receive the desired blessings.

“Whenever I want to fast, I take my time to do it well instead of suffering my body and not getting the blessings attached to it,’’ she said.

In the same vein, Mr Rotimi Lawrence, a member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, said fasting should be given priority.

Lawrence said that it was the duty of every home to uphold Nigeria in prayer, warning that no one should engage in fasting with wrong motives.

“Fasting is a very important weapon we can use to bring down the mercy of God on human race. We should ensure that our motive in fasting is pure and right,’’ he said.

But Mrs Atinuke Ogunkoya, a faithful, opined that fasting should be done unannounced because it should be a time to live a consecrated life between a faithful and God.

Irrespective of Ogunkoya’s opinion, a cleric, Pastor Jonah Michael, said fasting was one of the religious obligations to undertake and the attitude towards it must be right.

He advised Christians to key into fasting and prayer to prepare them for righteous living with God and man.

In his view on the Lent, Mr Elvis Inusa, a staff of MTN Nigeria, said that “fasting brings the faithful closer to God and strengthens the spirit.
“Every time I fast, I get closer to God; it seems my prayer life takes on greater power when I fast.

“There is power in fasting like there is power in prayer; God will give you what you are asking for before you ask for it’’.

According to him, fasting and covenant building develop and connect one’s relationship directly with God in heaven.

Also, Mrs Suzzie Gamba, a member of Abuja Breakthrough Chapel, said that fasting helped Christians to learn the importance of atonement, forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

“It helps us to realise how fragile we are as children of God and how much we depend on Him for things beyond our control.

“Fasting gets our minds back to reality and makes Christians to humble themselves in such a way that they will be in a sober mood to reflect on life and make amends,’’ he said.