Tags
CHRISTIANITY, Egypt, FAITH, HOLY SPIRIT, JESUS, Joyce Meyer, LENT, Wilderness
Most of the generation of Israelites that were freed from Egypt’s bondage never entered the Promised Land and never enjoyed the abundance of what God was giving them.
The thought of wandering in that wilderness called “life here on earth,” set free by our Savior but never REALLY EXPERIENCING THAT ABUNDANT LIFE that Jesus has promised us, is very sad. Tragic. But I suspect that is what happens for a lot of believers….
I’ve certainly wandered lost and bewildered by huge, perilous, depressing and scary circumstances that seem like they will never end – where the proverbial “light at the end of the tunnel” is nowhere in sight. Haven’t you? Of course, the Ultimate Promiseland, flowing with milk and honey, is already ours but what about THAT ABUNDANT LIFE? The one Jesus talked about? The one that is supposed to be ours HERE? On earth? I want that.
My life is pretty good…at least when the Spirit leads me OUT of those wilderness times. But abundant? I’m talking grapes-so-big-they-need-to-be-carried-by-2-men-on-a-pole-abundancy! Don’t worry…..I’m not referring to material abundance (although I pray for the easing of financial difficulties all the time). Jesus and I have been discussing this for longer than I’d really like to admit – yes, I’ve been learning about HOW to have it for a while. But I still long for those grapes….
The First Sunday of Lent, our sermon focused on Jesus being tempted by Satan. My Bible version says He was in the desert. My pastor’s Bible version says He was in the WILDERNESS. Very interesting. And to me personally, more profound. He was actually “led by the Spirit into the wilderness,” and we also are sometimes led into the wilderness by the Spirit. Our time in the wilderness is a time of testing, a time to learn, a time to grow. Seems like we would want to be good students and learn our lessons quickly, doesn’t it? The wilderness is not a fun place.
“Some people live in a wilderness, while others are a wilderness.” Joyce Meyer in Battlefield of the Mind.
Are we destined, like the Israelites, to wander in the wilderness much longer than is necessary? It is [only] eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea [on Canaan’s border; yet Israel took forty years to get beyond it]. Deuteronomy 1:2 (The Amplified Bible)
Stay tuned for more….
Dedicated to my Life Group. Thanks for the discussions and the GCs!
Learning to Be 
One of the difficulties of the wilderness is knowing whether God is keeping you there or you are keeping you there. Thanks for sharing.
So true! And that is the focus of my next couple of posts. Thanks for visiting and sharing your thoughts!
Cool, Chrystal. I look forward to your thoughts!
Hi Chrystal, so glad you came across my blog! It’s great how God is speaking to many of us, giving us clarity on our journey.
I like how you compare the wilderness to our life on the Earth, while my approach is tied to us striving to move forward with our God-given dreams. In either case, the wilderness that we all go through serves the same purpose, shaping our very core to become more like Jesus, and in the case of our dreams, making us able to survive the fulfillment of those dreams here on Earth instead of giving in to temptation!
Many blessings on your journey, looking forward to sharing it!
Thanks Petri! Can’t wait to hear more about how you are moving toward your Big Dream. I’m still working that out with God…:)
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