Wilderness

Farmgal refered to a sermon she listened to and I thought maybe all the pastors had received the same word and delivered it a bit different. My pastor has been teaching on the Wilderness and the Wilderness Experience, and it has really gotten me thinking. The teaching comes from here and here

After Jesus was baptised, the Spirit of God came down, heaven opened and a voice said ‘this is my beloved son……’. Then Jesus was led to the wilderness.

What is a wilderness?

A place of
1. isolation
2. dryness
3. emptiness
4. lack
5. burreness

We try so many things but we remain empty. We get frustrated as we try. We bear no fruits. We seem not to enjoy life. We live by the day and we feel alone. Believing becomes hard, commitment is non existent and we lack direction and motivation. When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, He felt like quitting, but He told God to do His will.

But nothing just happens without a reason. When we are pressured in life, or when burdened, God wants to bring out something in us.

We go thru the wilderness because

1. God wants to purify us. We often sin and disobey God, but when we are faced with difficulties, we turn to God and repent.

2. satan wants to test God’s word in us ‘if you are the son of God’…, but God had already confirmed ‘this is my beloved son….’. Confusion comes and you've no idea what to believe. Always remember, before childbirth there are labour pains, but they do not last forever, and when a child is born, you remember the pains no more, just like the tests. So don't be confused by what the devil tries to preach to you.

3. God wants to empty you of yourself. God wants to teach you to rely on Him as we often think we can do without Him. .

4. God wants you to listen to His voice. You have to mature spiritually. You have to differentiate the trials and temptations, whether they are from the enemy or it’s God trying to teach you something. Later on, you can pick the lessons you learnt from the experience.

The enemy looks for those moments when you are weak and vulnerable (Jesus was hungry after fasting for 40 days). ....‘turn these stones to bread…..’ watch out your weaknesses, coz satan will target them and use them to his advantage while you are confused and in unbelief. ‘throw yourself down ….angels will catch you’, you test God unnecessarily. Lack and loneliness cause one to compromise.

So next time you are in the wilderness, learn from the experience, listen carefully coz God could be telling you something. Remember that satan had to get God's permission first before testing Job.

For the last 6 months God has really taught me to be humble, and to rely on Him in everything I do. I have (like Cheri once said) come from 'bank to grass', except mine's not bank, but grass I've hit. The light in the tunnel can be seen from a distant, coz He's faithful, He'll never leave or forsake us. But for us to grow or for God to use us effectively, the wilderness is inevitable.