In 2010 i learned one of the most important lessons in my life. I attempted to articulate it all in an email i wrote to a friend who was going through some hard stuff at the same time. Having just come across it again, it's pretty powerful... made me want to share it with you all !!
Do you know about the Israelites and how they were captive in Egypt for hundreds of years ?
God saved them. He rescued them from captivity, brought them through the red sea, then they ended up in the desert, at the foot of Mount Sinai. There, they received Gods holy spirit, as a cloud by day and a fire at night. He was with them & this was the sign. Then they set out on an 11 day journey to Canaan. Canaan was the promised land, they had been promised it for hundreds of years. Everything in their heritage was leading them, hoping for this promised land... flowing with milk and honey, right !!? So, if God had promised it them, and they all knew it and believed it… if it was an 11 day journey, why did it take them 40 years ?
In scripture, fire is the symbol of testing, of purification, of purging. Gods Holy fire was with them. He wanted to purify them. The reason they stayed there for 40 years is because they didn't clean their act up, they didn't pass the test.
God provided for them… Mana, and water. Hundreds of thousands of people each day were fed and watered... in a desert !!! The mana would go rotten if they tried to gather more than they needed for that day, so they had to learn to trust that it would be there at dawn, the next day… and it was, everyday !! But before long, they were all complaining about it. They started to moan about being in the desert, baring in mind that they had been beaten each day by the Egyptians, but some of them would rather be back there than get stuck in the desert..
"I can't believe that God brought us out of there to stick us in a desert... where is this promised land ?? The desert sucks !!!"
"I'm sick of this mana, we want meat !!!" etc. etc..
No gratitude, no thankful heart !!
So, if you were God trying to purify your beloved people... do you think they would represent you in the world well by moaning and complaining and being ungrateful ?? Nope… so, he left them there… for a bit !! Eventually, they get to Canaan... they can see it across the Nile but they don't know what or who to expect so they send in 12 spies, which spend 40 days there. When they get back, 10 of them tell the tribe...
"man there are giants there, we gonna get our butts kicked !!"
The other 2, Joshua and Caleb come back and say...
"Yup, they be giants.. but you know what ?? God is so much bigger !! We gonna kick butt !!!
Unfortunately the 10 negative spies send fear into the hearts of all the nation & God keeps them in the desert… one year for every day they were in the land... so 40 years. In the end that generation dies there because they don't have the faith or believe that God is bigger than their trials. God put them up against them, promised them the land, so why would they doubt that they wouldn't be given it ? Lack of faith. The only two people who had faith… Joshua & Caleb, are the only two people who make it to the promised land !!!
Now... let's relate this to our lives.
We have dreams. We have a purpose. God made us for a reason and gave us those dreams, but you know what ?? If we are going to get to the heady heights that God has created us for, we need massive amounts of faith… because firstly, if he told us His plans now we would never believe him, and we would get too scared… then we would start to try to work them out our way !!!
The battles we face to get there require us to have a pure and unblemished faith in God, one that doesn't doubt His power, plan, love or sovereignty.
When we get there, we will be tempted and attacked… in ways that are incomparable to now because the good works we are here to do will glorify God so much. The devil wants to stop this at all costs. So we need to be deeply firmly routed in God and He needs to know that we trust Him absolutely. He would rather we died 'saved' in the desert, not fulfilling our dreams... than go to hell because we got tore apart in the place of our dreams.
He's got big big plans for you, for me... for each of us. But this time now is a time for you to seek God and learn to rely, to depend upon His strength… and trust that He will take care of you, and provide for you… whatever happens in life. This means ALL of your needs.
But this starts with you. You determine the time you spend in the desert.
God will reveal to you the ways in which He wants to purify you, but when He does, you need to respond & the sooner the better. This is so hard, especially when you know what he is asking is not what you want to do !!! You will never be successful with any of this if you try all in your strength. You need to go to Him each day, and ask that He will be your strength, and trust with absolute faith that he will get you through it.
My friend... the first thing you need to do is to start going back to Church, because no matter what i've told you tonight or how you feel now, you need supporting and loving and praying for by your Christian friends…not me behind a computer !! I am happy to help when i can, but i can't be here every time you need encouraging. God works through His church.
Now i know that God will start to talk to you loads from now on, but you need to talk to him back & ask him what He wants you to do when things get tricky. Ask him to tell you how to get through them, and he will !!! Eventually you will be able to face the hard times with a smile on your face… when you really trust him… when your faith has been purified. Because behind it all you know that everything that's happening is actually for your good.. in the long run.
The first passage of the book of James (Jesus brother) defines this perfectly...
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
He makes a direct link between the trials of life and the testing of our faith, with the result being the development of our character… so we have the ability to endure and persevere. He says that you must persevere, so that you may be mature and complete in your faith. Now it's hard to consider any hard times joyful, no matter who we are or whatever we've been through… but he says consider them 'pure joy' ?? The greek word he uses here is implying that these trials are the best thing that has ever happened to you !!! This is not easy to digest at all… but he doesn't leave us there, next he instructs us how to do this…
"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt"
James is talking about the wisdom we need to face the trials… and joyfully !!! He says that God wants us to pass the test, that He doesn't want us to fail of keep wandering in the desert… he will give is the answers, without holding anything back, no matter what we have done or how we have failed previously. His only condition is that you truly believe God will help you !!! Thus, reinforcing the purification of your faith !!!
In verse 12, James gives us hope...
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test,
he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."
When we've trusted God & stuck it out, we will have made it through servanthood to become rightful sons & daughters of God, and share in His glorious riches.
You know, when John the baptist was preparing people for Jesus coming, he told them...
"He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
There is a direct link between us receiving Christ in to our lives, and this purifying fire that is the Holy Spirit.
After Jesus came to John to be baptised, Matthew 4:1 tells us…
"At once Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil."
It was the Holy Spirit that led Jesus there… it was Gods will for Him to be tested and proved. It was nothing to do with His actions, His failings, or sin… it was to prepare Him for His purpose, His ministry.
'Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit… proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"… and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.'
In these passages we see that Jesus, having been baptised, symbolically received the Spirit and was then lead by the Spirit. Having been strengthen by the Spirit, He then went out in the power of the Spirit.
As disciples of Christ, we are ultimately trying to be like Christ. Christ's life is our model. The same Spirit is leading us and we know that He never changes…
When we give our life over to Christ, we will be tested… to be purged & purified, to be strengthened, to be prepared and empowered for our ministry.
"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live ! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
When we relate to God as our heavenly Father, and see ourselves as true sons & daughters of our heavenly Father, the hardship we suffer at His hand, no matter how hard to comprehend, can only be down to the purest form of love, wanting the very best for us. Luckily for us, our heavenly Father sees all things from an eternal perspective we will never have. Through faith, through trusting in Him, we can be assured that everything we endure in this life, no matter how big or small, or how difficult… praise God, has purpose in our eternal destination.
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