5 Helpful Books to Inspire Your Faith During Lent

As Lent begins, I’m always looking for a great devotional to carry me through. I’ve selected five books to recommend to you, and I prepared a new free resource for my subscribers. Keep reading to learn how to get the free 40-day devotional I’ve prepared for you!

The Fruitful Life

I wrote this book as a Lenten study. It’s a study on the fruits of the spirit and their opposites. You can win your own signed copy by entering below, and if you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll also get the study guide and other free resources related to the book.

40 Days of Faith and Fitness

Marsha Apsley has prepared an excellent 40 day devotional that uniquely combines faith and fitness. She has offered to give a free signed copy to one special winner! 

I enjoyed Marsha’s humble, gentle voice with such a positive tone. What makes this book different from other fitness-related books is how Marsha deals with the deeper issues of faith connected to our body image. She speaks to you like a trusted friend, not someone pushing an agenda.

These devotions are brief, which is perfect for busy women. Marsha shares personal stories of her struggles with weight, her spiritual transformation, and her journey of self-acceptance. Each day also includes ample space for recording thoughts, which I appreciate since getting fit is such a personal process. The space allows me to jot down not only what I eat and how much I exercised, but what I learned about God through the devotional.

Hello Mornings

Years ago, I stumbled across a Hello Mornings online Bible study group, and it helped me establish a routine of getting up early and spending a few minutes in God’s Word. This practice has changed my life in every way, and I’m grateful that Kat Lee has put her methods into book form.

This book is a practical tool to help you prioritize time with God in the morning. It is full to the brim with practical help and suggestions. Her main idea is to start with a three-minute, three-pronged approach to morning time with God. She knows most of us feel like time with God doesn’t “count” unless we have at least 30 minutes to set aside. But she argues that we can get major benefits from even three minutes with God, and I agree.

The days I begin with God go much more smoothly because my mind is focused on him all day long. The days I don’t start with him, the whole day is off, and I realize later it’s because I neglected my morning time with God.

Easier Ways to Carve Out Time With God

My time with God doesn’t feel like checking a box on a to-do list. It’s more like taking my allergy medicine. When pollen is in full swing, I can instantly tell when I forgot to take my Flonase. As long as I take it every morning, I am better protected against irritants and don’t notice them nearly as much. God’s Word protects me in the same way.

I’ve also become more attuned to his voice throughout the day by familiarizing myself with his Word first thing in the morning. Kat knows that regular Bible study will do this for us, and more. Her friendly, down-to-earth, positive tone sounds like a girlfriend’s positive encouragement. I also enjoyed her sense of humor and her grace-filled advice that squashes any guilt.

After 15+ years of reading the Bible every morning, I can attest that Kat’s method works. This is an uplifting read with loads of practical encouragement. If you want to start a daily quiet time but don’t know how, or if you want to get more out of your daily quiet time, this book is for you.

The Booklook Bloggers Program provided a free review copy of this book.

Who Do You Say that I AM?

Want to dig deep in a study about Jesus this Lent? Here’s the perfect book for you.

This book is a true Bible study. It’s similar to a workbook, because there are several scriptures and many questions to help you dig deep into Jesus’ “I Am” statements. The author also shares a brief devotion that contains her personal stories, which are engaging.

This is an eight-week study, which will fit nicely into Lent and spill over a bit. Each day is structured with a brief devotion and/or an explanation of the scripture, an invitation to Explore with further study, a section to help you Reflect with personal questions, a Praise section which often includes song selections, and a Memorize prompt to help you keep God’s Word in your heart.

Deep Bible Study for Lent

I enjoyed this deep method of study. I also enjoyed Becky Harling‘s honesty and vulnerability in her stories. She talks about how God strengthened her faith after childhood abuse and helped her deal with insecurities and ministry challenges. Even though this is primarily a Bible study, I felt like I got to know her. The primary focus of this book is knowing Jesus better, and she helps us do that through this study.

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book:

A little bit of Jesus was not enough. I wanted all of him, and I wanted him to have all of me. My life circumstances didn’t change, but I sure did. I became confident in Christ. My doubts settled down. My fears quieted, and my faith flourished.

Netgalley gave me a free review copy of this book.

40 Days of Decrease

You’ve probably heard a lot about living a simpler life. In this book, Alicia Britt Chole develops that idea in an unexpected way.

This is a deep, rich book, meant to be sipped slowly. Here’s a quote to give you a taste:

Faith, in general, is less about the sacrifice of stuff and more about the surrender of our souls. Lent, in kind, is less about well-mannered denials and more about thinning our lives in order to thicken our communion with God. Decrease is holy only when its destination is love.

She spurs us to fast from heart-level things like these:

• Lent as Project
• Regrets
• Collecting Praise
• Tidy Faith
• Speeding Past Sorrow

Another unexpected bonus of this book is the historical notes about Lent. I also like the thoughtful quotes she often uses. This book is expanding my mind and helping me get in touch with what really matters.

I purchased this book on Amazon, and I’m thankful for it! It’s inspiring me to think more deeply about the meaning of Lent.

Two more goodies for you:

You can get my step-by-step instructions for building a resurrection garden here.

Also check out my 40-Day Lenten Devotional and Scripture Writing Plan HERE.

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Disclosure: If you purchase a book from a link on my page, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Your purchase helps me offset the costs associated with my writing ministry. Thank you in advance!

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