A Walk in the Wilderness

God established His covenant in the Old Testament with the nation of Israel, The physical descendants of Abraham. Today, God’s covenant is with the church, the spiritual descendants of Abraham.

Everything that happened to O.T. Israel was recorded as an example to the new covenant people, the church. All that happened to Israel in the physical realm will happen to the church in the spiritual realm.

For example, the children of Israel were brought out of bondage in Egypt, and spent 40 years in the wilderness. For the church, Egypt represents the world, the world system, the world’s way of doing things without dependence on God.

After coming out of Egypt, Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness. It was in the wilderness that they learned to trust God to meet all their needs. Many of those who came out of Egypt failed to learn that lesson and died in the wilderness, never entering into that promised land.

Likewise, as new covenant believers, God takes us out of the world (Egypt) and allows us a time of grace during which we are expected to learn to rely on Him. When you were first born again you were a babe in Christ. You still had many of the ways of the world (Egypt) in you. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that they were still babes (1Cor 3:1). He said that they were still on milk and were not mature enough yet for solid food. Paul’s job as an apostle was to help bring God’s people to maturity. That is the job of all apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

Many in the church today have the wrong idea about the wilderness experience. To most, the wilderness represents struggle and lack. Today you hear many people talk about going through the wilderness when they are facing lack of finances, sickness, marriage problems and that sort of thing. This is not true.

Even though the children of Israel complained in the wilderness, they lacked nothing. All their needs were met. God fed them and gave them water. They had dwelling places, their clothes never wore out and the only time they got sick was when they sinned and God sent sickness to chastise them. The purpose of the wilderness experience is to separate you from the world and teach you to depend on God.

The author of Hebrews writes in chapter 6 that it was time to leave the basic principles of the doctrines of Christ and go on toward perfection. This is when our wilderness experience should end and we are ready to enter into and possess our promised land.    

Again, most do not have an accurate understanding of what it means to enter into the promised land. Some of you seem to think that we won’t enter the promised land until we get to heaven. You see the promised land as a time of peace and prosperity, a time when we have no more struggles or problems. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The children of Israel had to fight to enter into and posses their promised land. Or rather I should say that they had to learn to obey God so that He would go before them to drive out the inhabitants of the land. When they obeyed God and did exactly what He said, their enemies were defeated. But when they disobeyed, they always suffered defeat.

In the wilderness we learn to trust God just like a newborn baby trusts his parents. In the promised land we learn to obey God so that our enemies will be defeated.

Just like O.T. Israel, our promised land is inhabited by enemies. We must drive them out one by one so that eventually we will fully posses it. The difference is that in the O.T. the promised land was a physical land. In the new covenant, the land is spiritual. The land we must conquer is in our own wicked hearts.

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:21

Before Israel could posses the land promised to them, they had to drive out the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  God told them to utterly destroy each one of these enemies and He said if they didn’t, the ones that remain will be “pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell” (Num 33:55).

Many people in the church struggle today because they haven’t understood that entering into the promised land is a battle. They haven’t been taught that we must obey God fully in order to drive out our enemies. Because they don’t obey God, their promised land is still inhabited by enemies. Because they don’t utterly destroy their enemies, the ones who remain cause them problems all their lives.

Who are these enemies? They are the works of the flesh. When we were in bondage to Egypt we depended on our flesh, our own abilities for everything. When we depend on our own ability we are guilty of all the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21.

Many people come into the church and never learn to crucify the flesh. To crucify the flesh means to depend less and less on our own abilities and more and more on Gods ability. When we obey God we are led by His Spirit. As we are led by His Spirit, He reveals these enemies to us one by one. As He reveals them we must decide to repent and trust in Him in that area of our lives. Each time we do this we conquer an enemy. As we conquer each enemy we are ready to move on to the next one just like the children of Israel conquered one city at a time before moving on to the next one.

Do you find yourself facing the same problem over and over in life?  Even though the circumstances may differ, do you find yourself running into the same wall time after time? When this happens do you seek God and look for the real source of the problem, or do you seek to justify yourself and avoid facing the truth.

Most people seek to justify themselves. They think that the problem is always someone else’s fault. They think that if they just change the circumstances everything will be all right. Are you having a problem in your marriage? No problem, just get a divorce and that will solve the problem. Do you have a problem in your job? That’s easy, just get another job. Things will surely be better if you just leave the problem behind.

Of course you eventually will run into the same wall again. Changing the scenery never solves the problem because wherever you go, you take the problem with you. You will never be able to move past this problem until you face it honestly and allow God to deal with it from your heart.

This is true repentance. To allow God to reveal the sin in your own heart. To acknowledge it, to turn from it, and to obey God in order to overcome it.  This can be painful. You may have to admit your faults to someone else and ask their forgiveness. You may have to get rid of some things you like and want to hold on to. This is the battle. This is how we enter into our promised land.  

Jesus began His ministry by saying:

….The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Mark 1:14

The kingdom of God is our promised land. To enter we must first repent. That means to turn from, to change directions, it is an act of will.

Then we must believe. To believe doesn’t just mean to acknowledge. It means to trust in, rely on, adhere to. It means to commit to.

The gospel is defined in 1 Cor 15 as the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul calls this the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).

Salvation means more than just make it to heaven. You need salvation every day. You need salvation from every enemy that currently inhabits your promised land.

This is how we defeat our enemies. We repent from trusting in our own ways and abilities. We trust in and commit to the gospel which is the power of God. Salvation comes as each enemy is defeated

I urge you today, by the Spirit of the Living God to take that first step across the Jordan. Begin to enter into your promised land. Allow God to reveal your enemies to you. As each is revealed, obey God so that He can defeat it. Stop trusting in your ways and your abilities. You do your part and God will do His. Your part is to trust and obey God. He will then go before you and drive out those enemies one by one. 

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. Ex14:13-14

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Steve Lumbley 2004
www.apostasywatch.com
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