Time in the Wilderness, A Time to Prepare.
Time in the wilderness is a time when God prepares your heart to be a creature fit for heaven. In Numbers, we see that God tells the Israelites that they are to wander the wilderness for forty years because of their unbelief. God was waiting for those who had hard hearts to pass away and the new hearts to grow in the new generation before they would be able to enter and enjoy the promised land.
Heaven is the ultimate promised land. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis explains how everything we do makes us a creature ready to enter heaven or bound for hell. The experience of wandering the wilderness is a perfect example of this. As the Israelite’s wandered the desert their hearts and minds were being prepared for the promised land. Things that were not God-focused died off and the good thing of God grew. As we go through tough times we are either being renewed and changed to be more like Christ so we can enter into God’s promised rest (Hebrews 4:9-10) or wandering further from God, His rest, and the Promised Land he has made for us.
How Can We prevent having a hard heart?
Humility (Hebrews 2:6-8) “Instead, someone has declared somewhere, “What is man that you should remember him, or the son of man that you should care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels, yet you crowned him with glory and honor and put everything under his feet.” When God put everything under him, he left nothing outside his control. However, at the present time, we do not yet see everything put under him.”
Jesus lowered Himself to our level and came to earth only to die for our mistakes. He was perfect we are not but he loved us so much He would rather die than continue on into eternity without us.
To prevent a hard heart we must remember how much we are loved despite not earning such a love. When we remember what has been done for us despite our sins we are less likely to turn away from that love and our hearts are more likely to remain soft to our God.
Listen to God’s voice and obey (Hebrews 3:7-8)” Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as they did when they provoked me during the time of testing in the wilderness.” To harden one’s heart is by definition to hear what God is saying and choose to disregard it. To avoid hardening our hearts we must be listening for our Lord’s voice and be willing and ready to obey.
Practice gratefulness (Hebrews 3:9) “There your ancestors tested me, even though they had seen my actions” The Israelite’s saw God’s miracles over and over yet they chose to disobey and to turn away from God. If we are looking for God’s hand in our lives and continually thanking Him for what He is doing our hearts will stay tuned pinto Him and be guarded against becoming hard.
Trust in God and not straying away (Hebrews 3:12) “See to it, my brothers, that no evil, unbelieving heart is found in any of you, as shown by your turning away from the living God.” Becoming distracted by the things the world has to offer is a sure way to get off track. By turning your eye to things of faith you will stay focused on God and His ways and you will not turn away from Him keeping your heart on the right track.
Stay in community with other believers (Hebrews 3:13) “(Heb 3:13) Instead, continue to encourage one another every day, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin,” We all need each other to help us stay focused on what matters, God, and to stay away from things that take away from Him and distract us from what He has asked us to do and living a righteous life and keeping our heart tuned in to Him.
Combine knowledge with faith (Hebrews 4:2) “because we have had the good news told to us as well as to them. But the message they heard did not help them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened to it.” The Israelite’s knew a lot about God, but they failed to have a personal relationship with Him through faith, leading to them becoming easily distracted and going their own way.
I personally know this to be all too true. I grew up in a Christian home with a lot of knowledge about Jesus and The Bible but it was not till in recent years I came to have a personal relationship with Him. Before having a personal relationship with Jesus I often strayed from what I knew in my head and it led me down the path of destruction and hard heartedness. Every day I am thankful God saved me from continuing down a path that I was on.
How about you? What is your hang up the thing you struggle with the most that causes your heart to turn from God? Is it an ego? Lack of obedience when God speaks? Lack of gratefulness or trust? Do you struggle with staying in the community with other believers? Call on God today and ask Him to show you where you can improve so that your heart does not grow hard and your faith grow cold so that you too can enjoy God’s rest today and for eternity to come.
More Of Jesus Please 