Dry season - How to gain bread and water in a spiritual desert?

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." (1 Peter 5:10)

 Is this what it looks like to you right now? Only dead ground around you and no signs of life? It's dry everywhere you go. Let me tell you; you are in a desert. Desert? Yeah, in a spiritual desert.

This desert is to make you stronger and to give you strenght and wisdom for the future ahead you. Imagine that you are a leader of a group of people and then something bad happens. Nothing hard about that has ever happened to you before. How do you get over it, if you haven't experienced anything like that before? While being in the desert it seems so ugly and boring and hard, but the prize comes, when the time is right.

"To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—" (Revolutions 2:26)

I know a quote that said: " God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers." When I was in that spiritual desert, that quote opened my eyes. My desert time was about some months and it was such a terrible time. Here are some things about it and I want you to think if there is any the same that you have too:

 Some signs of being in a desert:

- Silence. Not being able to hear God. The desert is a quiet place, because there are no sounds and no people.

- Feeling lonely. Loneliness. No others in the desert. Maybe just caravans and the people with their camels, but they are strangers to you, right?

- Not feeling comfortable. Is it comfortable being in a place full of sand? The sun is burning and It's too hot for you. And not to mention the coldness of the nights.

- Hunger and thirst. Did you forget to take water and food with you? No? Well, I guess you run out of them. Like you know, the desert isn't about the cool markets and shops. Only some lakes of water somewhere.

- Dejection. It isn't nice being in a desert, so you don't smile and laugh often. Sadness wraps your body and you just walk there alone like a vagabond.

 

How to survive in the desert:

If you have these snacks with you, you'll survive.

 

Water

"but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14)

You need water to stay alive. Jesus gives you water for free! Want more the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Being with Jesus and the Holy Spirit gives you strength. The water is for you. You will never be thirsty again when you are full of God's spirit. I know it's hard to worship, pray and be with God when you only feel like God was somewhere so far and couldn't hear you. He does hear you and wants you to come to Him. When you feel nothing in front of God, because of your desert, RIGHT THEN you should be with God. Every song and prayer, all of them matters even if you don't feel like it. Drink, drink! Drink the Holy Spirit! Drink the water and strength Jesus gives you!

Bread

"Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35)

You need food. Jesus IS the bread of life. The Word of God is the Bread of life:

"Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4)

Read the Word of God. It will satisfy you and you'll be like a fountain or a bakery when you have God's Word in you and you share it. The Word of God isn't only for pastors and evangelists, it's for everyone. Like Jesus too, Jesus is the Bread of Life and also the Word of God.

When reading the Bible doesn't interest, pray for it. Pray that Jesus would give you interest in reading the Word. Don't worry, if you don't feel anything special when reading it. Still, it will come to you and start living in you.

Something to remember:

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:8-9)

- Be aware of the Devil. He will lie to you. Something like: " It's your fault, why you don't feel anything. God has abandoned you, He doesn't hear you. You won't be forgiven, look what you've done!"

- Don't give up. Remember, the desert won't last forever. It's just a time, when God is making you stronger.

- Be alert. Know where you are. Are you still on the same narrow path? Have you prayed less than usually? When did you  go to church last time?



If you have something you want to talk about or ask, e-mail me :)
iirus1103@hotmail.com

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Here is a good song for this ;)