"The Wilderness Perspective"

"In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren".  2 Corinthians 11:26

I have a word for someone this morning who is going through a wilderness in their lives.  We all find ourselves in a wilderness at some point.  The word is-- change your perspective of the wilderness.  We often see the wilderness as a place of defeat, despondency, hopelessness and barren.  Let's look at the wilderness this morning from God's perspective.

Sometimes the wilderness we are experiencing is "God intended".  God led the children of Israel into the wilderness through Moses.  The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  When the Lord leads you into the wilderness, He has a purpose behind it.  He does not intend for you to stay there forever.  Jesus only stayed for forty days.  The Israelites stayed forty years because of their rebellion.  

The wilderness is a place where you see God's miraculous provisions.  Jesus was supernaturally sustained by God physically while He was fasting in the wilderness. The Israelites saw the Lord do miracle after miracle during those forty years in providing for them.  They ate manna, supernaturally provided daily.  They drank water from a rock, not a dug well.  Their clothes and shoes didn't wear out.  

The wilderness teaches us how to trust the Lord. Jesus had to trust God to see Him through. Each and every day in the wilderness the Israelites had to trust God to take care of them. 

The wilderness is a place of transformation.   When Jesus came out of the wilderness, He was empowered to start His ministry.  The Israelites were released slaves when they went into the wilderness, but when they came out, they were warriors who conquered the inhabitants of the land. 

The wilderness is a place of victory.  Jesus defeated the devil in every area of temptation while in the wilderness.

I could go on and on, but it would be a book instead of a devotional.  But let the things that we have talked about this morning change your perspective of the wilderness that you are in.  Stop seeing it as a place of defeat but of victory.  Stop seeing it as a place of hopelessness but a place where hope, trust and faith can be renewed. 

Have a great day.  Change the way you look at the wilderness you are going through.    

"Celebrate A True Victory"

" And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it".  Colossians 2:15

Several weeks ago, we celebrated the crucifixion of Jesus-- Easter.  It seems odd to celebrate a death.  Normally we mourn and weep over a death.  But the day Jesus was crucified there was a whole lot of celebrating going on. 

The Jews, namely the Pharisees, were celebrating because this "deceiver" who claimed to be God was finally out of their way.  They celebrated the fact that the people would turn back to them as their "voice from God".  They celebrated what they thought was a victory-- a victory for them and their religion.

The devil and demons celebrated.  They celebrated because they had "defeated" God.  They celebrated because they had killed the Son of God and now satan would have the power that he always wanted-- to exalt his throne above the Most High.  They celebrated what they thought was a victory-- a victory over God Himself because they knew who Jesus was.

For those of us who follow Jesus our celebration was not because an enemy has been killed.  It was not because a deceiver got what he deserved.  It was not because a foe is out of the way and we don't have to be bothered by him again.  We celebrated because we know that it wasn't men who killed Jesus-- it was the will of the Father that He die for our sins.  We celebrated because our relationship with the Father has been restored through His death.  We celebrated because we can now enjoy eternal life.  We celebrated because our enemies have been defeated.  We celebrated because the great love of the Father has been extended to us.  We celebrated because through His death and resurrection we see how Mighty, Victorious, and Glorious Jesus really is-- He is Who He said He was and did what He said He would do.  When we celebrated Jesus' death and resurrection, we were not celebrating something that we only "think" was a victory, but what truly was and still is a victory!

Have a great day.  We have reason a to celebrate the death of Jesus-- daily-- because it is a time to celebrate a victory!

"Acquainted With Both"

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not".  Isaiah 53:3

While the cross was the place where the payment for our sins was made, there was much more happening at the crucifixion.  It was there where we see how acquainted with what we face that Jesus was.

He knows exactly where you are, how you feel and what you are going through. He knows what it is like to agonize over the will of God-- if it be possible let this cup pass from me.  He knows what it is like to be falsely accused.  He knows what it is like to be betrayed by someone you are close to-- betrayed with a kiss.  He knows what it is like to walk the long rode of suffering.  He knows what it is like to be abandoned by those whom you love.  He knows what it is like to be mocked, ridiculed, beaten, cursed, made fun of, bullied and blasphemed.  He faced it all.  No one else may know what you are going through, but He does-- He's been there and done that.

But He also knows what it is like to be victorious.  The empty tomb showed us that.  He was victorious over all the things we have named.  Yes, He went through them, but He came out on the other side victorious.  Yes, He suffered, but He was still victorious.  Through the crucifixion and the resurrection we see suffering and victory. 

When we look at our lives, sometimes we only see the suffering-- the cross we are bearing.  But keep in mind, through the suffering, that there is also victory-- an empty tomb.  Jesus suffered for us.  He took our sins, bore our shame and guilt, suffered and bleed for us on the cross.  But He also rose from the dead victoriously for us.  So that sin could not destroy us, condemnation could not defeat us and death could not overcome us.  He turned His victory over to us so now, though these things "touch" us, we can still walk through them victoriously.   

Have a great day.  There may be a cross in your life but there is also an empty tomb.  
 

"My Gethsemane"

"And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt".  Matthew 26:39

We all come to a place in our lives where some things have to be settled.  I am primarily referring to the fact that we have to settle in our hearts that we are going to follow the Lord and surrender to do His will no matter what or what it may cost us.

For Moses this place of "settling" was on the back side of a desert at a burning bush.  For Joseph it was in Potiphar's house.  For Daniel it was "settled" in Babylonian captivity.  For the three Hebrews it was while standing before the threat of a fiery furnace.  For Jesus it was in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

Sometimes we wonder why we are going through certain trials or are in a hard place.  It is in that place that the decision to surrender to the Lord is settled.  It doesn't, and didn't for the ones we named above, happen on a bed of ease and comfort.  It happened in the wilderness, in the dry places, in the threat of destruction, in a captive place, etc.-- this was each ones Gethsemane.  We all have to come to our own "Gethsemane".  Our Gethsemane may be on our job when we have to chose between the will of God and our bosses demands.  It may come when the doctor tells us we only have months to live.  It may come when a spouse walks out on us.  It may come when we find ourselves facing homelessness.  Regardless of how it comes, when it does, we have to make a decision.  We have to either turn away from the will of God and following Him; or we have to settle it in our own hearts and declare-- "nevertheless, not my will but Thine".

Have a great day.  We all have to come to our own Gethsemane-- the place where we settle in our own hearts that we will surrender to the Lord's will.
 

"It Shows Us God"

"Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him".  John 9:3

If there had not been a Red Sea in front of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, they would have never seen that God is the great way maker-- making a way even where there seems to be none.

If Joshua and the Israelites had not faced the walls of Jericho, they would have never known that what looks impossible for men is possible for God. 

If Daniel had not been thrown into the lion's den, he would not have known that God is the great protector-- able to shut the mouths of lions. 

If the three Hebrews had not been thrown into the fiery furnace, they would never have known the great delivering power of the Lord.

If the disciples had not faced the storm, they would not have seen the mighty power that the Lord has even over nature.

If Lazarus had not died, Mary and Martha would not have seen the power that the Lord has even over death.

The point I am trying to make is this:  without facing some problem, some obstacle, some trial, some difficulty, something that looks like it will destroy you, you will never see the power and glory of God. 

The blind man, because of his blindness, saw the healing power of Jesus.  The lame man, because he was lame, experienced the healing power of the Lord.  Mary Magdalene, because she was demon possessed, saw the delivering power of the Lord. 

It is in facing those hard times that the glory of God can be revealed.  It is like the song says, "If I never had a problem, I wouldn't know that Jesus could solve them".  This is one way all things work together for our good.  The thing that you are going through is an opportunity to see the delivering, healing, overcoming, glorious power of the Most High God.

Have a great day.  It is only when we face trying situations that we see God as we may have never been able to see Him otherwise.