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Is There A Way Out of the Desert?

I am here to tell you I don’t think there are short cuts into true Kingdom living.

  • You want to walk with God?
  • You want to grow up in Him?

Then there’s going to be testing.   I’ve learned that kicking and screaming my way through does not move God.  He even told me once that though He loves me, He isn’t moved by my attitude.

If you have been guilty at looking at someone else’s exciting faith filled life and wish you could be like them to the point of envy, I would say to you; are you ready to walk in their shoes awhile?   Do you have any idea of the perils and trials they have endured to get to the large place they are in now?   It’s NOW that you notice their fruit.

  • But did you notice the pain?
  • Did you see them in their desert place?

Were you even there as an encouragement when they were suffering?

Did you see how long they suffered to get to this place?

No one who is truly used of God, out there where the multitudes are in the marketplace, has escaped the growing up period and seasons of total silence, when it looks like all of the gates of hell has broke loose against you.

Consider the time these guys out of the Bible spent waiting on God in their lives when God seemingly disappeared.

  • Jacob laboring 14 years to earn his bride (Genesis 29-30) 14 YEARS!  I am sure the bride felt like she was going to be an old woman before she could marry him.  I mean, really!
  • Joseph, falsely imprisoned, pleading to be remembered by the man whose life he saved, and then “…2 YEARS PASSED and he remained in prison…” (Genesis 40-41)  Do you think he had times of discouragement?  Feeling forgotten?  Anger?  He was human!!
  • The great angel, sent as an answer to Daniels prayer, held up for 21 days, in a great battle in the heavenlies against the prince of Persia… (Daniel 10)  This says a lot about warfare.  We have an enemy, who is dumb enough to think he has defeated us when he sees us in our misery.  He never sees God’s purposes when we are miserable.  There is a lot going on that we can’t see, folks!
  • Abraham, known as the “father of nations”, was nearly 100 years old, and still the husband of a barren woman… (Genesis 15-17)  All I can say is “poor Sarah”…

Jesus says it plain and simple:

  • “Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

I recently read a blog in Ransomed Hearts Ministries blog page that quoted A. W. Tozer’s teaching on this in Pursuit of Man and it says this:

  • “In my creature experience I am often caused to wish that there were some way to bring modern Christians into a deeper spiritual life painlessly by short, easy lessons; but such wishes are vain.  No shortcut exists.”

I realize in many ways I have been tempted by shortcuts in my work, my health, my fitness, my finances, my parenting, my spiritual life…the list goes on.  Wouldn’t it be grand to not have to grow through adversity?

Maybe… But for me, I don’t think I would appreciate what it really means to lean heavily into Jesus as the sole means for my survival if I weren’t forced into it.  I would take the easy way out, wouldn’t you?

Do we really know what is coming in our country in all its entirety?  How many believers will fall apart when all of their natural means of survival is tested to the point that all they have left is Jesus?

Best we learn now and welcome our testing’s of patience and long suffering and faith so that not only can we help others of weaker faith when the time comes, but so that we won’t be blindsided with sudden terror for our own survival.

We know the definition of faith.

  • Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]. (Hebrews 11:1)

NOT REVEALED TO THE SENSES!!! Standing on thin air to the carnal eye, but a solid rock of faith that I can’t see!

We say we walk by faith.  Faith is believing something YOU CAN’T SEE!!!   Really think about that.  You see it in the spirit, but in the natural, you see NO WAY OUT!!

Will we stand the test?  Will we persevere without giving into fear?

Will we let ourselves free fall off that cliff, giving full surrender to His purposes in our lives?

I want life. This is what Jesus said to me this week.

  • “Hang on my child.  I have you.  I love you and will not let you down. I am healing your life.  I want what you want. I want you to not be affected by what you see or can’t see. I don’t want you pulled back and forth.  You must determine to focus on only me and no other. I am lifting you up above the attack. Warfare is all around you for your life but I assure you it will not succeed in destroying you.  A miracle is getting ready to transpire.  Be watching with your whole heart.  I love and delight and desire all of your heart as my bride.”

When you exhaust all of your resources and having done all you know to do you keep on standing.   God has a plan…Whew, this way of living is not for the faint of heart I have to say.