Deuteronomy 1:2

“It is only eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea on Canaan’s border, yet Israel took forty years to get beyond it."

This 40 years in the wilderness happened because of what was in their minds.

Deuteronomy 1:6

“The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, You have dwelt long enough on this mountain.”

It takes us years to experience victory over something that could have and should have been dealt with quickly.

Colossians 3:2

“And set your minds and keep them set on what is above, the higher things, not on the things that are on the earth.”

We are in the wilderness because we have a Wilderness mentality.

Some people live in a wilderness, while others are a wilderness.

Walk out of your wilderness into the glorious light of God’s marvelous Kingdom.

Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

“Where there is no vision, the people perish …”

Can you see where you are going using your“eye of faith.”

Luke 4:18,19 (KJV)

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

We will make no progress until we start to believe that we can be set free.

Your future is not determined by your past or your present.

Isaiah 11:1-3 (KJV)

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears.”

Let God speak to you about your future – not everyone else.

Are your eyes on where you are going or on where you have been?

Numbers 14:2,3

“All the Israelites grumbled and deplored their situation, accusing Moses and Aaron, to whom the whole congregation said, Would that we had died in Egypt! Or that we had died in this wilderness!

Why does the Lord bring us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and little ones will be a prey. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?”

Notice that the people were negative and were arrogant. They did not give their leaders who had a vision from God any credit for knowing what they were doing. The people preferred what they knew rather than the good that God had for them.

Fear of the unknown was upon them.

Numbers 16:49

“Now there was no water for the congregation, and they assembled together against Moses and Aaron.

And the people contended with Moses, and said, Would that we had died when our brethren died in the plague before the Lord!"

Numbers 20:2-4

“And why have you brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, we and our livestock?”

In God they did not trust.

Bad attitudes are the fruit of bad thoughts.

Numbers 21:4,5

“And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, and the people became impatient, depressed, much discouraged, because of the trials of the way.

And the people spoke against God and against Moses, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and we loathe this light contemptible, unsubstantial manna.”

A lack of gratitude; instead, rebellion. The people would not pick up the vision of Moses. The people should have considered the disappointments of Abraham; he never lost the vision. The people should have considered the disappointments of Joseph; he never lost the vision.

Genesis 13:7-11

“And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle. And the Canaanite and Perizzite were dwelling then in the land making fodder more difficult to obtain.

So Abram said to Lot, Let there be no strife, I beg of you, between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are relatives.

Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself, I beg of you

from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right hand, then I will go to the left.

And Lot looked and saw that everywhere the Jordan Valley was well watered. Before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, it was all like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as you go to Zoar.

Then Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley and he traveled east. So they separated.”

Consider, Lot had nothing until Abraham blessed him. Abraham could have gotten an attitude. He chose not to. Abraham knew that if he acted with mercy, justice, and humbleness, God would take care of him.

Genesis 13:14,15

“The Lord said to Abram after Lot had left him, Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward;

For all the land which you see I will give to you and to your posterity forever.”

God waited to talk to Abraham until Lot was out of the picture. Did God ever tell Abraham to take Lot with him?

See Genesis 12:1

Because of the reverence for Abraham, not much is made of His disobedience. Abraham’s father, Terah, had been told to go to Canaan but had stopped at Haran. In spite of all the disobedience and false starts and delays, God still brought Abraham into the fold. When you get your vision from God, never let go of it.

Even if you make mistakes, even if you are disobedient, never , never, never...never, never...never give up your vision!

Romans 4:17(referring to Genesis 17:5)

“call those things that be not as though they were.”

Think and speak about your future in a positive way.

Is it agreed? Your future is not determined by your past or present conditions.

Genesis 11:31

“And Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together to go from Ur of the Chaldees into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Haran, they settled there.”

Why did Terah not complete his vision from God? Too challenging, not enough faith, too hard, saw no reason to do it?

Goosebumps and excitement – a call or vision from God – there is more involved, right?

Do you get tired and weary; you would like to finish the course, but it’s hard and requires a lot of responsibility. If someone would just do it for me but let me reap the glory. Does it work that way?

Exodus 32:30-32

“The next day Moses said to the people, You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.

So Moses returned to the Lord, and said, Oh, these people have sinned a great sin and have made themselves gods of gold!

Yet now, if You will forgive their sin – and if not blot me, I pray You, out of Your book which You have written!"

Moses prayed for the people, sought the Lord for them,repented for them.

A main role of parents is to teach their children to accept responsibility. God desires to teach each of us the same thing, responsibility.

We all want the good things of life. Guess what, responsibility is the beginning and the ending of success.

Proverbs 6:6-11

“Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise!-

Which, having no chief, overseer, or ruler,

Provides her food in the summer and gathers her

supplies in the harvest.

How long will you sleep, O sluggard? When will

you arise out of your sleep?

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of

the hands to lie down and sleep-

So will your poverty come like a robber or one who

travels with slowly but surely approaching steps and

your want like an armed man making you helpless.”

The Israelites had a lazy mindset. It kept them in the wilderness for 40 years. People who must always have someone else pushing them will never do anything great. Those who only do what is right when someone is looking will not get very far.

Motivation coming from within is the secret.

Matthew 20:16

“…For many are called, but few chosen.”

Many are given an opportunity to do something for the Lord, but very few are willing to take the responsibility to answer that call.

Most want to have everything and do nothing.

Joshua 1:1-3

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ minister,

Moses My servant is dead. So now arise, take his place, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, the Israelites.

Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread, that have I given to you, as I promised Moses.”

Joshua in a moment went from being a helper to being in charge of an entire nation.

Joseph also had a dramatic change, prison to Prime Minister.

Joel Osteen went from the back room of the TV recording set to the man in charge of Lakewood Church. Before Joel, his father John Osteen came back to the USA at the call of God to take over a church of 100 people that did not even want him to be their pastor. The rest is history. T.D. Jakes spent many years, then he became the head of a great church. The same for Kirbyjon Caldwell.

Pastor has been paying his dues for years by his faithfulness to the call of God on his life; faithfulness to the vision. Do not think that God has forgotten our Pastor.

Have you gotten in line. Do you have your vision yet. What are you doing to get your vision. What are you doing to fulfill God’s vision for your life.

I am aware of some of your struggles to meet the call; hang in there. In hard times, recall Galatians 6:9.

Ecclesiastes 11:4

“He who observes the wind and waits for all conditions to be favorable will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”

When you get a command from God, do not wait for a “convenient season” (Acts 24:25).

When God says go, then go; if you try to use your own reasoning, you will miss out. Remember, in meeting resistance you will build your strength. In doing only what is easy, you will always remain weak.

Remember the parable of the talents.

The Bible clearly shows us that it is God’s will for us to bear good fruit. (John 15:16)

I Peter 5:6,7

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Anyone operating in the mind of Christ will walk in wisdom – not emotions.

Be responsible! Let’s review.

• Your future is not determined by your past or present.

• Do it yourself, take the responsibility.

Now for the next wilderness thought:

Deuteronomy 30:11

“For this commandment which I command you this day is not too difficult for you, nor is it far off.”

If we stop saying how hard everything is, things will get easier. Do not spend so much time thinking and talking about “how hard it is.”

God gives us His Spirit to work in us powerfully and to help us in all He asked of us.

John 14:16

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and standby, that He may remain with you forever….”

He can do with ease what would be hard or impossible to do without Him. If everything in life were easy, we would not even need the power of the Holy Spirit to help us.

Exodus 13:17

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God led them not by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God said, Lest the people change their purpose when they see war and return to Egypt.”

When things get tough, lean on God.

Hebrews 4:16

“Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace, the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners, that we may receive mercy for our failures and find grace to help in good time for every need, appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it.”

Just know that if it is very hard, then God has a reason and must be doing a work in you.

Was there peace when the Israelites finally went into the promised land? Why were they successful in their battles? If God thinks the battle will be to hard for you, then he will take you by a longer but easier route.

Galatians 6:9

“And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.”

Remind me of all the times that Jesus complained about being misunderstood and about things being so hard.

I Peter 4:1,2

“So, since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose, patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God. for whoever has suffered in the flesh, having the mind of Christ, is done with intentional sin, has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God,

So that he can no longer spend the rest of this natural life living by his human appetites and desires, but he lives for what God wills.”

Have I suffered anything like my savior and redeemer?

Philippians 4:12,13

“I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want.

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me, I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency.”

The Israelites were whiners. Are you a Sunday warrior and a weekday whiner?

What are our thoughts going to be:

• Your future is not determined by your past or present.

• Do it yourself, take the responsibility.

• I will do it even if it is not easy.

Here is the last wilderness thought:

I Peter 2:19,20

“For one is regarded favorably, is approved, acceptable, and thankworthy if, as in the sight of God, he endures the pain of unjust suffering.

After all, what kind of glory is there in it if, when you do wrong and are punished for it, you take it patiently? But if you bear patiently with suffering which results when you do right and that is undeserved, it is acceptable and pleasing to God.”

We say it all the time, “Praise God no matter whether things are good or bad.”

Suffering is not good. A patient attitude is the good part.

Ephesians 4:1,2

“I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk, lead a life, worthy of the divine calling to which you have been called with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God’s service,

Living as becomes you with complete humility, unselfishness, gentleness, mildness, with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.”

Remember Miriam, the spies, and Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On- forty years in the wilderness!

Philippians 2:14,15

“Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining against God and questioning and doubting among yourselves,

That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish, faultless, unrebukable in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation, spiritually perverted and perverse, among whom you are seen as bright lights, stars or beacons shining out clearly in the dark world.”

Do you believe that you could be worse off than you now are?

Philippians 4:6

“Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, definite requests, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.”

Solve your problem how?

Pray with thanksgiving in every circumstance!

Pray with thanksgiving!!!

Patience is not the ability to wait.

Patience is the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.

We will go forward in God’s will when we get over complaining.

Summary:

• Look to the future, our past and present do not determine the future.

• Take the responsibility.

• Forge ahead even if the road is difficult.

• Be positive, focus on getting it done; let the problems go; give them to the Lord. Don’t complain, grumble, or find fault.

Patterned on

Battlefield of the Mind

By Joyce Meyer