Wilderness Experience and Promised Land Mindset

It's been a good long minute since I last posted something. Life's been chaotic. Good chaotic. More on that in a later post.

Anywho.

Isaiah 41:9-10 NLT, "I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, 'You are my servant.' For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."

The Lord says this through Isaiah, all in the context of talking about how great He (God) is.

Here are some of my thoughts: Sometimes we get so wrapped up in how great, or how big and powerful our enemies and our problems are that we forget the One who can turn it all around in an instant. Sometimes, we complain about how we feel so much that we need to be sent through a wilderness for a bit so that all of that complaining and junk can die off of us. If we tried to possess the promises in the state of mind that we're in, God wouldn't get the glory. In fact, we probably wouldn't even appreciate the fact that He gave us our promises. We'd find something else to complain about!

I mean, look at the Israelites. From what it looks like, it was a two-week journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Two stinking weeks. And you know how long it took 'em to get there? Forty days. Bruh. 'Cause they was a mess. It's like God took 'em the scenic route because He knew they'd act stupid. It's like when a parent drives around the block fifty times waiting for their baby to fall asleep. But then after they got there, they were like, nah, we can't possess that, we're way too small, and so they had to wander around in the wilderness for another forty years.

See, other times, we get so wrapped up in how pitiful we are, we don't think we're worth possessing our promises. It's like, "Oh, I'm trash. I know God said this, but I could never do that. I'm not qualified, I've messed up too many times, when I mess this up He'll just abandon me and move on to someone else." That has to die too. Another wilderness, another season of getting to know God in a more personal way, of seeing His provision and His goodness and His faithfulness through all of our ups and downs.

Guys, God's called us to greatness. Whatever that looks like for you, whether it's in the 'ordinary', 'be good at your job and talk to your coworkers about God' kind of life, or the 'go to another country and touch lives there', don't just settle for good. Don't settle for comfortable. Don't settle for this side of Jordan when there's a promised land past that. And don't be afraid to go in and possess that promise, because God's already said that He's with you and He won't forsake you. He'll help you, He'll strengthen you, and when you mess up He's not going to throw you away. He's going to stay by your side, help you back up and you're gonna go and possess that promise.

Love you guys. :)