Lessons You Can Learn While in the Wilderness - KATHERINE RUONALA CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Lessons You Can Learn While in the Wilderness

 4/3/2016 KATHERINE RUONALA  charisma magazine

Your time in the wilderness can give you a powerful testimony. (iStock photo )

Time. That space between planting and harvesting, between promise and fulfillment. Living in a world where we are widely accustomed to instant gratification, the concept of having to wait can be frustrating. Yet if we understand the purpose and potential of these times, we can learn to cooperate with God and enjoy the journey.

Many live with a sense of destiny and promise but struggle to see how it can be fulfilled in the light of their present circumstances. That can be a frustrating situation, especially when they see how God is already moving in the lives of others. It invites all sorts of questions: Why not me? I know God has called me to greater things, so why do I feel stuck where I am? What am I doing wrong? When will God fulfill the promises He gave me?

This is a very common experience, and it can be disorienting if we don't understand what God is doing or know how to respond to it. Some people call it a "wilderness" and for good reason. Like Joseph in Egypt, the Israelites on the their way to the Promised Land, David in exile, and many other figures in Scripture, we are in the midst of a process between calling and fulfillment. Through their experiences we are able to take hope in the truth that God will also bring us through whatever situation we may find ourselves in.

Jesus spent years waiting for God's timing in His life too. He didn't begin His ministry until He was about thirty (Luke 3:23) which means there were long years of waiting. He had a calling. He had a vision. And He had God's promises, but He was not yet walking in the fullness of what God called Him to do. He also had an actual wilderness experience in which He overcame temptation and was able to solidify the reality that God had spoken and could be trusted.

In the wilderness we have the same opportunity to have our trust in God's words tested and solidified until they become like iron in our soul. (See Psalm 105:18-19.)

The enemy came at Jesus in the wilderness with all sorts of temptations and distractions, doing everything he could to steer Him away from His purpose, distort His thinking, or question His identity. But when Jesus came out of the wilderness, He began ministering with power the world had never seen before.

A lot of Christian leaders and teachers are doing a great job equipping God's people for their calling, showing the way to walk in God's power, and casting vision. Not many talk about the process between promise and fulfillment or calling and destiny, so the wilderness can come as a shock to those who are unprepared.

I believe there is a great need in our time to understand the processes of God, the baptism of fire, and the joy and power of surrender. My personal journey included years of frustration and wondering what God was doing, but I learned to lean on Him in those times and came out with a relationship that could not be shaken. Whenever I teach on this, it seems to resonate with many people. Some remark on how rare it is to hear from speakers about their years of preparation and their behind the scenes stories of trials God has brought them through. Many are encouraged to know the process from wilderness to wonders.

I believe you can embrace your journey with fresh hope and perspective, and that not only will you survive the seasons between promise and fulfillment, but thrive in them. In fact, with the right kind of response, your wilderness season can become a time of accelerated growth and fruitfulness.

I hope that encourages you. Wilderness seasons are a great opportunity to lean on your Beloved and learn the deep things of His Spirit. You learn to anchor yourself in the One who gives you lasting joy. You learn to carry the peace of God in every situation because the Prince of Peace is within you. You learn not to let the wilderness or the enemy shape your identity because you find your identity entirely in Him.

In the wilderness we learn to dream God's dreams. We discover God as our source in every situation. We learn how to respond to temptation, injustice and pain. We not only endure obstacles and storms, we become victorious in them and rise above them. In the wilderness we learn to recognize divine invitation and wage war with the promises God has given to us. Regardless of what we are going through, in the wilderness we learn to find our delight in God alone.

God wants to be the glory and the lifter of your head in every situation (Ps. 3:3, KJV). No matter how difficult your circumstances may seem, He wants you to look up and see His glorious face. He wants to tell you how lovely, free, clean, and redeemed you are. God wants you to know you are the beloved apple of His eye and that He has created you to shine.

The wilderness cannot prevent you from shining. Jesus shone in His wilderness season and you can too. Jesus' wilderness experience became one of His greatest victories. That can be your testimony too. You are destined to shine just as He does and to walk in His power, doing even greater works than He did. And even if you are in the midst of a wilderness, that can begin right now.

Adapted from Wilderness to Wonders—Embracing the Power of Process by Katherine Ruonala, copyright 2015, published by Charisma House. This book examines the journey we take through wilderness seasons of test and trials, and emphasizes the importance of enduring the process.  You'll be encouraged to stand in faith for all God promised you when you see how God is for you, believes in you, and is making all things work for your good. To order your copy, click here.

Prayer Power for the Week of April 3, 2016

This week pray that the Lord will help you embrace your life's journey with fresh hope and perspective, so that not only will you survive the seasons between promise and fulfillment, but thrive in them. Ask Him to help you have the right kind of response, so that it can become a time of accelerated growth and fruitfulness. Continue to pray for those who lost loved ones during the recent terrorist attacks, and pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the protection of our nation and allies. Lift up our spiritual, civic and government leaders and pray for revival to spread across the land and around the world. (Ps. 3:3; 1 Thess. 5:16-18; 1 Tim. 2:1-3).

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Dare to go deeper in your faith. Our "Life in the Spirit" devotional takes you on a journey to explore who the Holy Spirit is, how to interact with Him, and how He works in your life. Are you ready to go deeper?

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Discerning God's Voice: Does He Usually Speak to Me This Way? - KATHY DEGRAW CHARISMA MAGAZINE

(Lightstock)

Discerning God's Voice: Does He Usually Speak to Me This Way?

11/6/2015 KATHY DEGRAW  charisma magazine

Join us on our new podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

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You just received discernment and believe it is from the Lord. Your concern is: "What do I do next?" My concern is what you didn't do next.

The next step is not taking action on the discernment you received, but testing it. Ask yourself questions such as: "Will this bear fruit and glorify the name of Jesus Christ, or will it distract and detour me from my godly assignment?"

When receiving discernment that you believe is from the Lord, you should stop and verify it is from the Lord, and not your flesh or the enemy trying to distract you. It is wisdom to verify the word (not analyze it) before you take action. Taking the word at face value without seeking confirmation and direction can detour you from the will of God.

We can prematurely act on a word because we feel it makes sense and we have comfort proceeding. We think, "I can do this." We are comfortable because it makes sense to us in the natural, but the question is: Do we have peace proceeding forth in the spiritual?

We are not natural people; we are spiritual beings. Moving forward with an idea because of our natural comfort is one of the main ways the enemy and our flesh can cause us to proceed in a wrong direction.

When you receive revelation, a prophetic word or an answer to prayer, take the next step. Discern it. Dissect it. Don't overthink and don't analyze. Test it. Bring it back to the Holy Spirit through prayer and test it against the Word of God.

We hear from three sources. We can hear from the Spirit of God, our own thoughts and the enemy. We hear God more clearly than we think. The challenge is sometimes we hear Him so clearly that we doubt what we heard and then we ask a person their opinion—leading to confusion. The enemy can send thoughts, which are lies, into our minds to confuse and distract, and our flesh can get involved by being analytical and letting our imagination take over.

God's Thought Downloads

God speaks to us through thoughts dropped in our spirit. When God speaks to us, we need not try to figure out the revelation, but rather receive the revelation He is giving.

You may have heard God's voice before saying, "Don't do that," "Take this road instead today" or "Give this much as an offering." You have heard God as you have prayed and felt you received your answer. However, don't just feel you have received the answer. Rather, know you have received the answer.

When you receive discernment, ask yourself, "Is this the way God usually speaks to me?" Verify it. He may speak to you in different ways, but He usually speaks to you the same way for a season. Ask God, "Why do you want me to head in this direction?"

Test the Scriptures to confirm if the revelation aligns with or contradicts God's Word. God will not tell you to do something that is against His Word. I once knew a woman God had been convicting regarding giving. She felt led to write an offering check for $5,000. She wrote the check in advance of a business transaction that was being completed. The deal fell through and she ended up in debt! That contradicts God's Word. If she would have tested the discernment, she would have stayed out of debt.

The Flesh Blocks Revelation

Our flesh gets involved in receiving revelation because we think about it instead of pray about it. When thinking about whether a thought is from God, we tend to overanalyze it and get impatient waiting on God for an answer.  

Analytical people can plan out the answer instead of praying and receiving the answer. During prayer time, analytical people have difficulty shutting down their minds to receive from God. When analytical thoughts come into your mind, transfer those thoughts to your heart, to the place of love, where the Father is.  

When you receive discernment and you are unsure about it, or even when you think you are sure of its source, ask yourself, "Is this the way I would think?" You may think you heard from God when really what you heard were your own thoughts.  

Deceptions and Distractions

The enemy speaks to us with thoughts such as: "They don't like you; they are over there talking about you," or "You'll never lose weight; you can't do it." We have all heard the lies of the enemy. If you pay attention, you will be able to discern when and how the enemy speaks to you. When he speaks to me, I will hear, "Listen to me," in the sentence. God knows I hear His voice and doesn't have to say, "Listen to me."

If confusion is present in times of discernment, it is from the enemy. "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace" (1 Cor. 14:33).

The enemy will attempt to distract. When we don't pray about things in advance, it leaves the enemy an open door to sidetrack us.

Testing the Spirits

When testing the spirits, ask yourself if you are feeling convicted or condemned. Conviction from the Holy Spirit is quick and calls you to action. He presses you until you confess or act. Condemnation is from the enemy and makes you feel numb. Feeling heavy and bad about yourself produces complacency.

When you are confused, under pressure, scattered, stressed, oppressed and going through heavy trials and tests, your soul is highly activated and you could be experiencing demonic opposition.

As spiritual warfare occurs, you cannot automatically assume that you can hear God with the same clarity as in other times. All of us have heard wrongly at one time or another, and have regretted the decisions we made in the flesh.

In 1 John 4:1, the Word of God instructs us to test the spirits. If we are instructed to test the prophetic words given by prophets, then shouldn't we also test our own words and discernment?

There are times our flesh gets involved in the outcome. Increase discernment and cast down your flesh by being in the Word, praying and being around prophetic people who know how to test the spirits—people whose discernment produces results that are evident through the fruit of their ministry.

When you receive revelation from God, keep it in front of you and consistently pray it through.

Ask for His will to be further revealed and for Him to give you the spirit of revelation, knowledge, wisdom and understanding (Is. 11:2).

Be in tune and sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading.

You can and do hear from God. You just don't know how simple and clear it really is.

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Kathy DeGraw is passionate about releasing and empowering people to share the love and power of God. She is the founder of DeGraw Ministries, a prophetic healing and deliverance ministry. DeGraw has written several books, including Flesh, Satan or God?: Who Are You Hearing From? Follow her on Facebook or online atdegrawministries.org.

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Kathy DeGraw teaches you how to declare and decree your prayers so you can unleash the power of God through faith at degraw.charismamag.com.

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“Get Your Blinders On” - Ahava Love Letter/Now Think On This (Steve Martin)

                    

                            Now Think On This...

 “Get Your Blinders On”

“Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of where He was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—He could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now He’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.

When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility He plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” 

(Heb. 12:2-3 The Message)

The big game just finished. Not as great as we expected. In fact, it was a letdown for many.

On other past occasions, we have experienced days we so looked forward to, which then came and went. It turned out not being the big deal we had so longed for. We think, oh well, we’ll start looking to the next one, which will be better of course.

We have expectancies. We have fulfillments. We have disappointments. They come and they go. Personally, I get weary of some of them. But then I am reminded of Him.

Back in the day, yes, even before my time, farmers used to plow their fields with the one horse powered implement. Or if they were on the more affordable side of profits, they had even two or three horse power pulling. Literally. Before tractors manufactured by John Deere and Harvester International were invented, horses and mules were it. And these powerful animals wore blinders.  Even today you will see horses with these things on their head called blinders. Why?

In one article, it reads, “Horse blinders are firm leather squares or plastic cups that attach to a horse's bridle or hood and prevent a horse from seeing behind and beside him. Horses that pull wagons and carriages wear blinkers to prevent them from becoming distracted or panicked by what they see behind the wagon.

In fact, horses can see a nearly full circle around themselves except for a small blind spot in front of their noses and behind their tails. Blinders cover the rear and side vision of the horse, forcing him to focus only in a forward direction.

During World War I, horses were essential to transportation of weapons and cavalry units. Horses used during battle often wore blinkers to block out distractions like artillery and approaching armies form their view. (Alie Maheux, Demand Media Animals.pawnation.com )

I like how The Message Bible has written the Hebrews 12:2-3 verses, used as the encouraging word for this message. It says of Yeshua (Jesus), “He never lost sight of where He was headed. He plowed through.” Makes me think He had blinders on, in the spiritual sense of the word.

Having spiritual blinders on can keep us focused on the plan and purpose the Lord has for each. With daily distractions continually coming our way, we can easily lose track of the field’s row in front of us, that we are planting in that which the Lord has placed us in. World news, national news, the local new, which is ever before us, can get us looking away from the Author and the Finisher of our faith. We can get so caught up in the now moment that we get our eyes off THAT which the Lord has asked us to keep our eyes on.

We need to get, and keep, our blinders on.

A little odd looking, but you get the point!

Focusing on the big picture ahead of us can keep our emotional health in better shape than if we don’t. If we allow ourselves to get caught up needlessly in distractions around us, we will become weary, our faith will dwindle, and we simply may miss the mark that we are aiming for, to hit, in the long haul.

In addition to the large worldview perspective the Lord has given us and wants us to maintain, in seeing His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, each of us has at least one specific calling, which we need to know. Having that true sense of purpose, giving us direction to our steps along the way, comes with the help of the Helper, the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh, Hebrew).

Each of us has a direct call and assignment on our lives which we need to give ourselves to. It may be the teaching gift you have, the administrative work you do, the passion to see the next generation know Him, the Giver of Life, as their own personal Lord and Savior. Whatever it is, our focus must remain steady and enduring, persevering to completion.

For me, my calling is to support and stand with the nation of Israel, and the Jewish people. As a Gentile, I know that is my assignment, and when I get distracted by all that which happens around me, I need to put my own blinders on, and get refocused on the vision I have been given. This, one of His primary heart beats, has become mine also.

Encourage yourself today in the fact that you have been given a specific purpose, needing continual focus and attention. As you maintain vision, you will complete the assignment you have been given. As it has been said, keep the main thing the main thing in your life.

May His Holy Spirit make this even clearer in your walk with Him today. That is His desire.

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People. Inc.

Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love of the Father in the nations.

If these letters minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $5-$25 today, and maybe each month, to help us bless known families in Israel, whom we consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.

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Ahava Love Letter #106   “Get Your Blinders On”   Steve Martin 

Date: In the year of our Lord 2014 (02.03.14) Monday at 7:00 am in Charlotte, NC).

All previous editions of Ahava Love Letter can be found on this Blog, and our newest website: Ahava Love Letters

Ahava Love Letter (#58) - “In Your Building - Guard Against Distractions”

“And it came to pass, when the time was come that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem (Yerushalayim) (Luke 9:51) KJV

Dear family of friends,

As I sit in my favorite chair, in the front “library and prayer room” of our house, I hear the pounding outside. The neighbor is having a crew install outdoor carpeting on his new deck. There is a lawn mower cutting the overgrown grass. And oh yeah, the cute poodle dogs are barking at every passing walker. Bless them all Lord!

Even the TV is going on in the family room. Not loud enough to hear what they are saying, but enough to distract from this at hand. Distractions abound.

I received an email yesterday from a good, long-time friend, who knows me pretty well. He wrote, from his prophetic perspective:

“I believe the Lord showed me that you are experiencing life, and you will need to be aware that the enemy has provided busyness to distract you from experiencing the full measure of His provision.  

This doesn't mean you are not to enjoy activity, but if it is a distraction from what the Lord is placing His grace on in your life, it is simply that - "a distraction". You will pay a higher price than you realize at the moment (Steve's interpretive addition: "if you allow them".)  

The experience of His life is of greater value that you can measure in completing His purpose and walking in His passion for His heart for you.  Keep this in your heart and consider if anything you are involved in is a distraction. If so, be suspect of what is the benefit of that activity in comparison to what you really should be doing.” Michael

In thinking further about that word, and pondering what the Lord is currently speaking as a "now" word to me, and I am sure possibly others, I will share this.

In the work of constructing a building, a project, an organization, or even a life-long dream, in the long haul many obstacles come up. You see it in the natural, with the new office complex arising amidst a cement shortage; the city park being laid out but having to wait on the final turf; the neighbor’s back porch crew dodging the rain pellets. It happens. In the natural and the spiritual. Sometimes it is a long, hard fought battle to complete the job. Excuse me…most of the time!

We can become weary in the building, but through the grace of the Lord, Who does point out the distractions, and obstacles, that we allow ourselves to be further burdened with, we can be as Paul did and press on, for the joy set before us, and complete the building, the assigned task, we have been given.

Jesus (Yeshua) set His heart and mind, for Jerusalem in His last days on earth, with a purpose to complete His Father given assignment. Let us strive, in a good way, to be as Him, and keep focused on the path we are to walk on. Then we too will finish the "building", and enjoy the eternal reward.

Ahava (love in Hebrew) to my family of friends,

Steve Martin

Founder/President

P.S. The pounding is still going on next door. But now the air pump for the nail gun is running intermittently. At least the TV has been turned off!

Love For His People, Inc. truly appreciates your generous support. Please consider sending a monthly charitable gift of $5-$25 each month to help us bless Messianic Jews in Israel. 

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©2013 Steve Martin      Love For His People, Inc.  12120 Woodside Falls Rd. Pineville, NC 28134

      

Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com martinlighthouse@gmail.com

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Love For His People, Inc. is a charitable, not-for-profit USA organization. Fed. ID#27-1633858.  Tax deductible contributions receive a receipt for each donation.

Ahava Love Letter #58   “In Your Building – Guard Against Distractions”

 Date: In the year of our Lord 2013 (07/05/13 Saturday, 12 noon in Charlotte, NC)

All previous editions of Ahava Love Letter can be found on my Blog:  

  http://loveforhispeople.blogspot.com   

     

Here are the last five Ahava Love Letters:

Connections (#57)

Your Name (#56)

Lost, But Not Forgotten Friends (#55)

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? (#54)

We Speak To Nations (#53)