The wilderness is a tough place. Isolating. Challenging. Testing everything within you to its very limits and beyond. Sometimes life is like a wilderness.
Welcome to wilderness survival 101 on “Mornings with Bishop Robert” — thanks for joining me, I’m grateful that you’re here. My goal is to introduce people to the Jesus they never knew, and help them get to know Him and His word personally – and better ! If our time together today speaks to your heart, then let me invite you to like, subscribe and share it with a friend! Join our email list to get a free copy of my book COUNT TO ONE, get Mornings with Bishop Robert sent directly to your inbox each morning, and lots of other great benefits. Click the link in the description.
An emotional wilderness can be as overwhelming as a physical one. Death, financial challenges, responsibilities at work and with our families can drive us into a wilderness experience and make us feel isolated and lone. Being in a leadership role as you pass through the wilderness experience can magnify the pressure.
So, how do you get through times like that? The answer is found in keeping your word.
Today’s verse says IF ANYONE LOVES ME, THEY WILL KEEP MY WORD
If you are a follower of Jesus, you’ve made a pledge of your life to Him, and He has made a pledge of His to you. The Bible says “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” There is a mutual pledge involved. Lordship is a two-way street; you’re committed to follow and He is committed to lead. Don’t let the external deceive and destroy you. His strength will be found within.
In Numbers 13 and 14 we find the people of Israel in the desert listening to the report of the twelve spies who’ve gone to check out the Promised Land. On the surface, the report of the spies didn’t look good. The people who lived there were powerful, and the cities were fortified and very large. The people said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And in so saying, they totally missed the point.
Of course the inhabitants of the land were stronger than the Israelites! How does God get glory from leading you to victory over people who are weaker than you? You’ll never find a verse in scripture that says “Our army of thousands was opposed by two elderly women and a teenager on crutches, but the Lord gave us victory.” Of course not!! That would be ridiculous.
God’s power and glory is revealed when David overcomes Goliath and when Daniel survives a night in the lion’s den. When the emperor who rules the known world cannot even kill one old man (even though he tosses him into a cauldron of boiling oil) the power of God is manifest.
The point was not that “they are stronger than we are,” the point was simply that GOD was stronger than their enemies. God had led them out of Egypt. God had fed them. God had given them water in the desert. God had miraculously cared for their needs. And, most importantly, GOD HAD GIVEN HIS WORD about the land of Canaan and had promised, “I am giving to the Israelites.” The question at hand was not the strength of Israel; it was only a question of the strength of Israel’s God.
So, how do you get through the wilderness?
First by keeping YOUR word. Follow your Lord. Follow Him wherever He leads. He is able to keep you and to provide for you wherever He leads. But there is MORE. Don’t just keep YOUR word, keep HIS word.
Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word.” The key to YOUR victory is in HIS word.
