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FWM
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Surviving
the Wilderness
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His Word
Just to rest upon His Promise. Just to know thus saith the Lord
Jesus, Jesus, how I love Him. How I prove Him o'er and o'er
Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus. Oh for Grace to trust Him more.
At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people. Thus saith the Lord, the people who were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
Jeremiah 31:1, 2
The Book of Jeremiah primarily deals with Jeremiah's prophesy concerning the fall of Judah into the hands of the Babylonians. The falls was brought about by Judah's stubborness and transgressions of God's law. Jeremiah's prophesies are often seen as prophesies of doom, however, in this 31st Chapter, his prophesy has turned from doom to one of hope and reasurrance that despite their present condition in the wilderness, God is able and willing to deliver and restore them. He assures them that they will find grace.
The word "wilderness" in Webster's College Dictionary, is defined as "an extensive area that is barren or empty -- waste, or something likened to a wild region in its bewildering vastness, perilousness, or unchecked profusion." In other words, going to waste. A wilderness is usually considered an undesirable land.
Scripture is replete with references to the wilderness.
-The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness of Sin for 40 years.
-Joseph was abondoned by his own flesh and blood and left to die in the wilderness
- Job experienced such great hardship, degradation and ridicule in the wilderness that he asked to die.
-Even our Lord and Savior was tempted of satan in the wilderness.
All of these wilderness experiences were undesirable and no one wanted to be there. The difference is, however, some used the wilderness to find a greater understanding of God's divine will, while others just spent a lifetime of confusion, bewilderment and peril, never realizing God divine will for their lives.
God's saints often find themselves seemingly trapped in the wilderness.
-Our loved ones have abandoned us and left us lonely
-We have become over burdened and weighed down by the cares of life that have caused us to feel overwhelmed and underloved.
-The lack of responsibility on the part of others has left us in dire straits and strapped with responsibilities that are not righfully ours.
-And sometimes we just feel misdirected and lost.
God promised that we would find grace however if we just survived the wilderness -- and how do we do that? We must establish right relationships in our lives.
-We must understand God's relationship to us
-We must understand our relationship to God
-We must understand our relationship to humanity.
FIRST of all, we must understand who God is. Job said "I have heard of thee by the hearing of my ear, but now I see you. In other words, he finally understood who God is.
He said that he would be the God of all the families - the head of the family - the father. The word father comes from the word "Abah" which means to show kindness. God wants to show kindness to his family. He is God Jehovah - the unchangeably faithful father - the self-existent God.
-Jehovah Jireh - I will provide for your every need
-Jehovah Rapha - I will heal you
-Jehovah Shamma - I will be with you always - no matter who forsakes you
-Jehovah Shalom - I will give you peace
He is God Elohim -- the Triune Godhead -- God Supreme and All Powerful. Elohim expresses the might of the Creator who is able to do exceeding abundantly above anything that we think or imagine.
He is Lord Adoni. His Lordship--Ruler over all Heaven and Earth. He is in control, Saints. Psalms 139:7 says "whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither will I flee from Thy Presence? If I ascend up into Heaven; Thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there."
God's relationship to us is that of a Father who gave the ultimate in sacrifice for His dear children when He worked His redemptive powers through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
SECONDLY, we must know who we are and what our relationship is to God.
We are God's vessels, predestinated to be the children of God and partakers of the divine heritage. We are children of light. God has created us to be like Him. Every vessel is a demonstration of God's glory, love and humanity. So our actions must be right. We must keep ourselves in constant check to insure that we are at all times showing a correct image of God's personage.
We are God's creatures of worship and we must worship Him in reverential praise and devotion because He is AWESOME -- absolute in Holiness. We must work to establish a oneness with God where His divine will automatically becomes ours.
Our prayers change because we understand the desires of God toward us as a father who wants to do great things in our lives. We ask for more, expect more and receive more. Look at the prayer of Nehemiah before going before Artaxerxes. Nehemiah asked for some big things - and He received all of them. God wants to do BIG things for us because His glory is more greatly manifest in the big things. If you understand Him, you know there is nothing too hard for Him.
There's nothing wrong with the testimony "He woke me up this morning and started me on my way," but 90% of everyone else in the United States, saint and sinner have the same testimony. He is able to do exceeding abundantly over all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us that's His power and He wants to demonstrate that power to mankind.
We are God's ministerial tools. He has given us gifts and talents -- not for ourselves but to be used in the furtherance of His ministry. Our gifts and talents are therefore not to be taken for granted. God has given us a certain amount of days -- or a certain lifespan -- to accomplish the tasks set before us. God brought Joseph out of the wilderness not to languish in self-pity but to prepare for ministry that would bring about the physical salvation of an entire nation.
Our service to God cannot be taken lightly. If you're a musician, you need to prepare. You are a preacher, you need to prepare. If you are a missionary,ou need to prepare and then find yourself at the proper place and proper time to be used in His service.
THIRDLY, we must know our relationship to mankind.
We must use our GOD-knowledge and our gifts and our talents in our daily relationships with others.
Are we walking in agape? Are we trying to meet the spiritual and physical needs of a dying nation? Are we viewing every man and woman as our equals? Are we concerned about their needs?
Matthew 25:34 "Come yet blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For as I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothd me; I was sick; and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me."
The only Jesus mankind will ever see is us. Yet we decide who we want to be nice to or who we want to ignore. We sing the song and always quote the scripture of how the woman touched the hem of Jesus' garment and she was made whole. It was not that Jesus could necessarily feel the woman physically, but he was just so sensitive and in-tune to the needs of the people that the slightest touch set something off inside of Him.
People tug at our garments daily but we are too caught up in our own wilderness situations that we have almost completely lost touch with the needs of God's people.
This is not exemplifying God's glory.
The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness of sin for 40 years, yet at no time were they more than 11 days' journey out of the wilderness.
You can spend your entire life wandering in the wilderness never knowing the magnitude of the God you serve and never fulfilling His divine purpose in your life.
Whether or not you survive the wilderness is totally up to you.
Why not say "YES" today?
by Pastor Thomas Jackson, Jr
of New Original Church of God in Christ
Chicago, Illinois
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