When The Door Slams
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. Deuteronomy 8:2-3
God allows us to suffer difficulties and hardships for a purpose. God led the children of Israel to wander through the wilderness for forty years in order to humble them and test them. When they refused to obey Him and enter the Promised Land, the Israelites revealed that they did not really know Him. If they had, they would have had more faith. God spent the next forty years testing the hearts of His people to see if they were prepared for His next assignment.
Testing reveals what in your heart and produces a robust faith (James 1:3,12). God allowed His people to hunger so they could experience His provision and develop a deeper level of trust in Him. As the people walked with God they came to understand that their lives depended upon His Word. They learned that God's Word was the most important thing they had.
After learning to depend on God for forty years while living in the desert, the people listened when God spoke, and they believed. When they finally entered the Promised Land and waged war against their enemies, the Israelites knew that God's Word meant life and death. They were prepared to listen to Him, and as a result He led them to an astounding victory.
Think about this: Is God presently testing you in some area of your life? What has His testing revealed? Have you become better toward God because of where He has led you? Or have you come to trust Him more as a result of what you have gone through?
May I not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). May I be above reproach, blameless as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not fond of dishonest gain, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sensible, just, holy. and self-controlled (Titus 1:6-8).
This is God's commandment: that we believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us (1 John 3:23). The Father has sent the Son to be the savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God (1 John 4:14-15).
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.
Never Rest Ministries
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