How to Pass the Test in a Wilderness Season
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Ever felt like you were being tested? Things may not be going as you planned or as you thought they would go. Matter of fact, you may have made some moves that you felt were totally from God, but then once you got over into the new thing, you realized that it wasn’t as easy as you thought it would be. If you’re totally honest with yourself, it’s quite hard. Okay, it’s super hard. And you know that God brought you to it, so why does it feel like you’re being tested. Is this the devil’s doing? That’s who we often give credit to for testing times, but what if I told you that God does the testing in the wilderness seasons. Wait, why would God bring me out of a crazy situation and put me smack dab in a wilderness? For the same reason He did it to the children of Israel.
This morning the Holy Spirit reminded me yet again that I don’t have to figure anything out on my own. Do y’all know that He keeps reminding me of this because I sometimes revert back to the old way of thinking. You know what I mean, right? That thinking of this is how I used to do it. Or the last time I was successful I did this. Or just plain ole overthinking. But God said, I have brought you out of that life of slavery. That life of being bound by your own thoughts of how to do things. And yes, that is definitely a bound lifestyle when you think you can do life all by yourself. Or you’ve had some meager success of doing things your way.
For the Scriptural Bible Study, y’all know we are studying the book of Deuteronomy and I am so thankful to be studying this Old Testament book during this season of my life. It is totally helping me get some clear understanding on why things don’t look like I thought and why depending on God and not myself is exactly the wilderness I am in this season.
Reading the 8th chapter of Deuteronomy has taught me that God often tests us to see what’s really in our heart. He wants to see whether or not we will keep His commands. He wants to see if you still gonna do what you used to do…like overthink or stress out about money. He wants to see if you’re going to still cuss people out when they make you mad. He wants to see if that old you still has residue!! My goodness! That’s definitely bars right there! (Bars are super dope rap lyrics that evoke high emotion to the hearer). LOL!
See through these tests, like God gave the children of Israel, we learn who God is! Let me say that again…WE LEARN WHO GOD IS. In my journal this morning, there is a quote at the top of the page. Why does the quote go right along with today’s Bible reading and message from Holy Spirit? Because He super awesome like that. That’s why. But the quote by John Piper says: Consider Jesus. Know Jesus. Learn what kind of Person it is you say you trust and love and worship.
When God has us in the wilderness, it’s for a specific purpose. We learn WHO GOD IS, because even during the test, He is with us! He provides for us! Even during the tests, which He orchestrates to humble us, He is still with us. That part right there. Dr. Tony Evans says, God’s classroom for teaching the Israelites (and us) humble dependence on and obedience to him was the wilderness, where he tested them (and us) to find out if they (we) would keep His commands. God (not the enemy) is testing us in the wilderness to see where our heart is. Will we obey Him when we are tested?
Dr. Evans continues by saying that in a sense, all believers must go through a wilderness of testing before God will let us reach our destinies. You want to know why it hasn’t happened yet? Maybe you haven’t passed the wilderness test yet. Maybe your heart ain’t quite right yet. Maybe you still depending on yourself, your job, your way, instead of depending completely on God for everything. Maybe you are keeping only part of His commands. I remember that I used to say stuff like, I am doing good in every area of my life, BUT THIS! What is your BUT THIS! Mine definitely had to do with the S word. Remember the S word from yesterday’s podcast/blog. And this time, I ain’t talking about scripture either.
So how do we pass the test in the wilderness? It took the children of Israel 40 years. Lord, I pray that it doesn’t take us that long. But even though they were on that long journey that was originally supposed to be short, God was with them and He was leading them. Yes he let then go hungry so that they could depend solely on Him for manna everyday, something they didn’t know nothing about and had never seen before. What is God trying to do in your life that you have never ever known or seen before? God was showing them that you can’t live on bread alone though. We must live on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. And speaking of the mouth of the Lord, I went back to my prayer journal entry from one year ago today and guess what Holy Spirit said on October 6. 2019? “Continue to study my word and learn in dept what these scriptures mean for your life and how you can apply them.” This is what the Lord said to me a whole year ago. Have I done that? Not as best as I could. That’s why I believe He has us in these Scriptural Bible Studies, so that I can pass the test of knowing how to pray His word. So that when things come up in the future, I know how to pray the right way. Yes my prayer time with God is consistent, but that’s not all He wants me to learn. I can’t just live on a consistent prayer life as my bread and butter. I am to live on every WORD that comes from the mouth of the Lord. That means I got to EAT THIS WORD EVERY SINGLE DAY!
So back to passing the test in the wilderness. I got the cheat sheet y’all!! You ready for it? Here we go.
The Bible and God’s past provisions are the ultimate cheat sheet during a time of testing!! Yes Yes Yes!! We will pass the test when we keep God’s Word and what He has already done at the forefront of our minds. This the answer key to our spiritual victory. This is the answer key to pass the wilderness test.
Now don’t think the devil hasn’t created a counterfeit cheat sheet telling us that we can do things in our own strength and we can rely on how we did it in the past seasons. Nah, that’s the wrong answers. You ever cheated off someone’s paper who was a liar and a manipulator? They put a few wrong answers and then let you cheat off their paper, then they end up changing their answers before turning in their tests. You looking like a fool when you get your scores back wondering how they scored better than you. Then they say something like, oh I actually went back and looked at one of the questions I wasn’t sure about and changed it. Naw, this didn’t happen to me…I am just saying. LOL!
So don’t listen to the enemy on how to pass a wilderness test. It ain’t numbing yourself in this season with addictions in hopes that you somehow just magically move into another season. It ain’t complaining about being in the wilderness either. It’s not gossiping about the wilderness with folks who gas you up. It ain’t about using your old way of doing things or your old way of overthinking.
The key to passing the test is keeping God’s commands. How do we keep His commands? Know them. Obey them. Depend on God for everything.
Also, this is extra credit right here. Don’t be thinking you are out of the wilderness because you experience some success. That success is part of the test. God wants to see if you will give Him glory for it or act like you did it yourself with your little degrees or your network. He wants to see your heart when you get the big promotion or get the million dollar deal or whatever success. He wants to see will you still keep his commands with that money, with that new ride, that new job, that new friendship or relationship, that new house, that new thing. He wants to see what your heart is going to be like. Warning from Deuteronomy 8:14:
Be careful that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. Deuteronomy 8:14 CSB
God doesn’t bless us to live lavishly. He blesses us to be a blessing to others. That’s part of His Kingdom agenda. Don’t let prosperity pull you into the plan the of enemy of forgetting WHO GOD IS and WHO IS YOUR SOURCE for everything that was made. Because here’s another warning: If you do forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and see them and bow in worship to them, you will perish. Bottom line: Don’t getting to act out. Dr. Evans says, you get to acting out and He will treat you like the people who act out. God doesn’t play favorites and He doesn’t let HIS PEOPLE live as they please. So we got to be obedient and keep His commands.
How do you pass the wilderness test? Keep God’s word and what He has done in your life TOP OF MIND and do what His word says to do. Then you will have the victory and pass the test!
SALVATION PRAYER
If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and you’re not a believer, but you have a desire to be, all you have to do is openly confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). When you pray that prayer, you are saved. Get connected with a good, bible-based church in your community, stay connected to other believers, and start having daily conversations through prayer with God every single day. Welcome to your new life with Jesus Christ!!!
ASSIGNMENTS
What did the Lord God say to you in your conversation with Him this morning?
Heart check! What is really in your heart right now? Are you keeping God’s commands? Are you being obedient and depending on Him daily? Leave me a message on the podcast.
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