19 Jun Who are we? Part 2
We normally don’t like to talk about the hard times in our Christian walk. The trials, tribulations, suffering, endurance and perseverance but if we do not, we simply will not have a complete gospel.
Acts 14:22 says, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Every prophetic word given to you, every destiny you have in you and every revelation will need to be tested to some extent in order to prove it has value and is worth pursuing. If it is not tested and tempered, it does not have very much value or significance. Our identity as well as our perseverance and vision will be tested in the wilderness.
This is a process that every one of us will go through just like Jesus did.
In Luke 4:1 Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit and that same spirit lead him into the wilderness.
The first key to our wildernesses is to be full of the Holy Spirit and be lead by him in and through the entire process.
Remember that is normally the Lord that leads us into the wilderness.
Hosea 2:14 says:
14 “Therefore, behold, I (the Lord) will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her.
15 “Then I will give her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor as a Door of Hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt”.
The valley is Achor is literally translated the valley of troubles. He transforms the valley of these troubles into a gateway of hope. Trouble would be turned into joy, despair into hope. That which had been a source of calamity would become a source of blessing. When you go through this wilderness and trouble don’t look for your escape, look for the opportunity and the door the Lord has there for you to walk through. That door is not the means to escape our problems or wildernesses but it is the blessing of the Father in that tough place. Sometimes we get so busy or preoccupied praying for the solution that we cannot see what is right in front of us. We should not desire to get out of the wilderness until we have been able to receive everything that he has there for us. It is never easy or comfortable, but necessary if we are to move on successfully.
The Lord even gives us vineyards in the wilderness. He gives us the opportunity to take care of and harvest fruit in the very place that should not produce anything, the wilderness.
That is supernatural.
Luke 4:3
“If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread”. The very first thing that satan tried to do was to get Jesus to doubt who he was, even after his Father had just told him who he was. It also shows that the enemy tried to get Jesus to turn something from the flesh (stone) into the spirit (bread, something that feeds us). This is a very common temptation among Christians.
The enemy came to Jesus and used scripture to temp him several times. This is such a great example of the religious spirit. Satan uses even the scriptures to try to accomplish his goals and plans. This is why it is so important know the scripture and to be filled with his Holy Spirit. He is our guide and who we judge by. We cannot judge only by the letters or the words but by the spirit also. Satan knew who Jesus was and tried to kill his identity and his destiny through perverted religious means. Jesus used the same word (scriptures) with the right spirit and with understanding to overcome the enemy. When satan realized that he could not use only the scripture against Jesus, he tried to undermine his identity and create doubt as to the last thing that his Father said to him. He tried to get Jesus to prematurely use his power and authority to fulfill his own destiny.
In verse 14 Jesus returned to Galilee from the victory in the wilderness in the Power of the Holy Spirit. He was tired and hungry but full of power. Power comes after we go through this resistance and conflict from the enemy and we overcome him. This process comes in stages and is not instant.
Only after this did the ministry of Jesus begin. Too many people pressure themselves or others to start ministries or to produce for the kingdom without knowing their identity and going through this tempering process. They are looking for fruit in their ministries but the fruit that is birthed out of the flesh at some point will not last. Let’s birth ministry that produces real and lasting fruit through the Spirit and by overcoming in the wilderness.
Randy Strombeck