You Are Not Alone: Wilderness Chronicles pt.2

“But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings:19;4 KJV).

The wilderness is a different place to different people. Some people consider the wilderness to be a dry place full of nothing. Other people may consider the wilderness to be a situation. Whatever you consider your wilderness to be, know that you are not alone. The devil uses the wilderness to isolate you, but God uses the wilderness to teach you, advance you, equip you, and then eventually release you out (or back) into your purpose. God can also use the wilderness to refresh you.

Elijah was an awesome man of God. He literally prayed down fire and he went against kings in the name of the Lord. Elijah was bold, but he was also human. On one particular occasion, Elijah went into the wilderness after an encounter he had with king Ahab and his wife Jezebel. Elijah challenged the king and queen’s false prophets and won. Jezebel threatened his life after that.

The devil is threatened by your assignment. He will do things in front of you in order to make you feel as if he is more powerful than God. He will taunt you, make you afraid, and attempt to isolate you so that he can finish you off. The devil likes to use depression as a tool to make you give up on your assignment, but God has other plans in store for you if you would listen to Him. Our situations seem so loud. The bad seems to out weigh the good, but God has promised us so much. The promises of God can seem so far away, but God has a time for all things to manifest if you can only just hold on.

I know that your marriage is going through a hard season. I know that your kids are acting up. I know that the people on your job are trying to come against you. I know that you need money, a place to stay, a car to drive, and bills to pay. God sees all of it and He knows, but please just hold on. I pray that you can receive the truth that seasons do change. You do not have to make your tent in the wilderness. God has a beautiful brick house waiting for you in your purpose that the devil cannot tear down.

Elijah went into the wilderness to be depressed, but God meant him there to come against that depression. God meets us in hard places and He gives us encouragement to keep on going. When Elijah got to the wilderness, he tried to go to sleep; but an angel touched him and told him to get up and eat (1 Kings 19:5).

How many of you need to get up and eat? How many of you are trying to sleep the problem away? Today, in the name of Jesus, Get up and eat! God can and will provide all of your needs, but you have got to trust Him more than you trust that voice in your head that is telling you that it is all over for you.

Depression can seem like a giant that just will not die; but God is bigger, stronger, and more persistent than that giant can ever be. The angel came to Elijah more than one time because Elijah needed more than one encounter with him. God understands that you may need more than one visit. God is not trying to be your one-time quick fix, He wants to show you that He is the ultimate solution. Elijah tried to go back to what he thought would work for him and the angel of the Lord was there to reassure him that God was not finished with his situation yet.

In the wilderness, God gives us strength to carry on. He does not leave us there to die. Depression is not of God, but He can use it as a tool to show you, in greater detail, who He is. God asked Elijah why he was there. If God asked you that, what would your answer be? Why are you depressed? Who told you that you were not good enough, smart enough, beautiful enough, or talented enough? Who did you allow to lie to you in such a way that it caused you to go into a dark place of isolation? Today, in the name of Jesus, receive that you are a victorious winner!

God asked Elijah more than one time why he was there. Elijah’s answer did not change, but God gave him a solution. The first wilderness that Elijah went into was a dark place that he allowed his self to get into. The second wilderness that Elijah went into was ordained by God. Elijah went into the wilderness with a mindset of defeat and came out with the power to make it through the second one. Each wilderness served a different purpose.

In the name of Jesus, I pray that God will do for you what He did for Elijah. I pray John 10:5 over you. I pray that you will know God’s voice like never before and I pray that you will gain, listen to, and complete that instructions that God gives to you. I pray that you will run and not grow weary. I pray that you will walk and not faint. I pray that you will be mounted up on eagle’s wings. I pray that you will run after Jesus like never before and that thus run will be different for you. I pray that you will be zealous for the things of God. I pray that nothing will be able to take the strength that God is giving you right now. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Recommended Reading: 1 Kings 19:1-21

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 KJV).

“I had fainted, unless I believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thins heart: Wait, I say, on the Lord” (Psalm 27:13-14 KJV).

Comments

You are Seen

“Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’ ” (Genesis 16:13) Hagar was unexpected. She was an Egyptian maid who turned into a baby mama, given to a man so that his wife could bear a son before her time of blessing had come. and she was a track star. My girl was a track star too. She got out of the house of Abram so fast when she became mistreated. Hagar never asked to be placed in the position to become a wife while still being called a maid. Her yes impacted her greatly and a ‘beef’ was the result. Hagar knew the house rules, “We serve the big G and not the little g’s over here.” She saw Abram praying and observed him meeting with God, but then it happened. Sari commissioned her, and she was given to a man. Hager was never really asked, she was never really considered a wife and was more lik...

You are Not Lost in the Crowd. God Sees You!

Someone asked the question Why do we sing? When we lift our hands to Jesus What do we really mean ~Kirk Franklin “Why we sing?” It’s very very easy to get lost in the realm of religion or to get caught up in the hype of “church”. God has blessed so many of his people with gifts and talents that range from writing and composing, to worshiping, preaching and dancing. At my church, it seems like every one has some sort of gift and I must admit that I feel lost in the shuffle, but that brings me to point of asking myself questions such as ,“who am I going to church for?” and “whose attention am I aiming for?” Everyone wants to be noticed. We want to be praised and we want to be the favorite child, but at what cost? What are we paying to be number one in the congregation’s eyes? and do we even care if God is pleased with us right where we are? I’m the queen of being offended and I often compare myself, my progression in Christ, and my life to others. This should not be so and...

Beauty for Ashes: Release the Urn

“ The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord ’s favor , and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion , to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair . They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. ” - Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV A vessel of God told me to write the real story. The one that was uncut, raw, and honest. I was to write the TR...

Be Still and Know

“Be still, and know that I am God”- Psalm 46:10a KJV Today as I was driving to work, anxious, knowing that I needed Jesus, I saw “In God I trust”, and “ Be still and know” on two separate cars, one after the other. I needed both things, and that is what I am clinging to. The past can make you feel as if you are in a track meet running from it. It seems faster and more advance within the race, but God says, “Be still and know that I am God.” Being still in a world full of thoughts is its own task, but the command of God is bigger than that. “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words.” -John 14:23a Above anything, God’s word is the answer. It is what halts the past and brings stillness instead of constant worrying. I considered Moses today. This man, who literally ran from his past, was asked to lead others to a future that God...

Who Are You Married To?

“Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly” (John 4:17-18 NKJV). Over the last few days, I’ve missed someone. You may wonder why I would even start things off in this way, but this type of stuff has to be confronted because it’s how people get caught up and entangled in what God loosed them from already. As I was thinking what I was thinking, each time I heard, “What part of toxic do you miss?” I can’t argue with the question. The situation was beyond toxic, but with this being so, what causes me to miss something that left me so shattered? The answer: the familiarity. Being familiar with a thing will cause you to run ...

Waiting for the Promise vs. Moving in Impatience

“Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? ” And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him” ( Genesis 17: 17-19 NKJV). Isaac was desired, but Ismael was birthed out of impatience. If God told you that you were going to birth something beautiful, no matter what your season may look like, bank on the Lord’s promises. Your Ishmael does not have to be a man, your Ishmael can be an opportunity. Don’t walk into just any ole thing because you got tired of waiting on God. If God promised you something in 2016 and you didn’t see it in 2017, that does not mean that He forgot about what He promised you. Isaac had a set season and ...

The Process of Faithing It: Trusting Jesus with Your Faith

“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction” (Mark 5:34 NKJV). Can you imagine Jesus in a crowd? Everyone has a need, but His target in that moment is to go and build the faith of a little girl’s family at the request of her father because they think that she will die. The father is scared, but Jesus was on the way until He felt something. This feeling was different, but powerful. Jesus turns around looking, asking questions, but finds his answer in the form of a woman, standing and looking amazed at what just happened to her. After 13 years of anemia, tiredness, dizzy spells, soiled clothing, and impacted relationships, she is healed. This woman with an issue of blood had spent all of her money, but decided to trust Jesus with her faith, which was all that she had left. Jesus was not too busy to stop and ask, “Who touched me?”. The disciples reminded Jesus of all the people that were around them, but this touch was different. Some...

Will You Marry Me?

I’m not obsessed, but I’ve been thinking about marriage a lot more lately. As a Christian, I’ve learned where I went wrong concerning my standards of dating before I knew Jesus. I have been looking at the profile pages of exes to see if, perhaps, I was missing something. I’m happy to report that I am not. I more so found myself thanking God for what He didn’t allow. Even though I’m thankful for every failed relationship, I find myself encountering the hurt that still remains as a result of my insecurities. There is so much that I have not let go of. In a way,I’m afraid to let go of the hurt that I am carrying because that vacant spot could potentially attract more pain in its place. I want to trust people, but the fear of them knowing who I intimately am always gets in my way. I so badly desire God and everything that He has for me, but the past is a hinderance. I feel as if I should finally forgive those that misused me, ...

Refreshment for the Journey

You cannot tell everybody your dreams because your dreams might be bigger than their expectation of you. You will do things for God that man did not see coming. Learn to lean on the opinions of Jesus instead of allowing yourself to become esteemed by the opinions of man. Those folks do not know you or the potential that God has placed on the inside of you. Some of you even have family members that don’t know the real you. Think of yourself as a plan that God has up His sleeve. You are unexpected, but powerful through His grace. Nobody saw Joseph coming. His own brothers did not even know who he was to God. People don’t always treat you like the One who created you. That is why you have to learn to see yourself the way that God sees you and have no bitterness in your heart toward man. Forgive those people who talk about you and use you. Joseph had to forgive his brothers because God was going to use him to protect them. People have no idea that you may be the one that God is...

The Importance of Knowing How to Pray

No matter what mental state you are in, where you are in life, or who you have around you, prayer will always be the heartbeat of your survival. You need to know how to pray during both the mountain top experiences and the valley experiences. If no one ever taught me anything, I learned how to express myself to God through prayer. Prayer isn’t always about asking God for things, but you can actually sit with Him and tell Him how you feel. There have been moments in my life where I felt like the Lord was the only one that I could talk to about what was going on in my life. You have to get into a place where you begin to communicate with God as you would with anyone else. There are times when I speak out loud to God because I know that He is around me. God’s presence is peace, it changes the atmosphere, and it will shift your entire mood. Once you’ve talked to the Father, you know that everything will be ok just because He is around you. I pray that for anyone that needs it. I p...

JaNina B.

Search This Blog