Hydration is essential to survive a natural wilderness. It is also essential to survive a supernatural wilderness. Just as drinking clean water is urgent in hot, dry weather, we must drink in God’s presence during desert seasons. “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you. I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1). Survival experts even warn us not to wait till we feel thirsty, but to drink as much as possible to keep the hydration level of our bodies high. Likewise, it is critical that those in a spiritual wilderness constantly be filled with God’s Spirit. “Everyone who drinks this [natural] water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst” (John 4:13-14).
God’s provision for Israel in the wilderness applies to us today: “all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4). Our refreshment in the wilderness is God’s presence, and God’s presence is the Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit is our comfort, shelter, and fire, so also is He, like water, the essence of life for our whole being. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38).
Scripture often relates the Holy Spirit to water. Joel declares Israel’s future restoration by reminding them that God “has poured down for you the rain, the early and latter rain as before” (Joel 2:23). He then transfers this image to the gift of the Spirit: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people” (Joel 2:28). When Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, it says that the disciples were “all filled with the Holy Spirit” - as if with water - “and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them ability to speak” (Acts 2:4).
If God’s “liquid” presence is the Spirit, how then can we “drink” or “be filled with” His Spirit? How can we remain “hydrated” by the Spirit’s presence while crossing a dry spiritual landscape? We do this by praying in the Spirit. Listen to what Paul told Christians in the midst of intense battle: “Through every kind of prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18). And Jude tells believers facing trouble, “You, beloved, keep yourselves in God’s love by building yourselves up on your most-holy faith, by praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 20-21).
How, then, do we pray in the Spirit? We pray in the Spirit when we connect with His presence, partner with His leading, and permit Him to empower our prayers. When we follow His leadership, He not only shows us the right things to pray, but also gives us the energy to pray them (Rom. 8:26-27). The important thing is to allow His expressions - His feelings and “language” - to mesh with our feelings and language. That is praying in the Spirit.
The Spirit expresses Himself through us in several ways. He praises and thanks God with many different kinds of songs (Eph. 5:18-19). Sometimes He makes groans too deep for words (Rom. 8:23). He may cry out with affection and childlike need for God as our “Abba” (Gal. 4:6), or declare Christ’s awesome Lordship over an impossible situation (1 Cor. 12:3). The Spirit’s bank of prayer language contains deep adoration of God’s majesty and Christ’s sacrifice (Rev. 4-5), as well as pleas for Jesus to return (Rev. 22:17). The Holy Spirit has a broad treasury of language for every kind of situation and emotion we may face. My point is this. Praying in the Spirit means getting close to Him, sensing His mood, hearing His voice, and cooperating with His specific expression in any given moment.
But there’s one expression of the Spirit I want to spotlight, since it most effectively refreshes us in the desert. That expression is praying in tongues. “The person speaking in an unknown tongue edifies himself” (1 Cor. 14:4). Praying in tongues by the Spirit is an unobstructed connection to God’s hydrating power in the wilderness. It enables us to pray in a way that’s not restricted by our understanding or limited by our native language. “For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit” (1 Cor. 14:2).
Unknown tongues may not help a gathering of believers (since no one understands the one speaking), but it greatly helps the individual who needs potent spiritual rehydration.
This is because praying in tongues edifies the person praying. The verb, “edify,” means more than “encourage.” The original word actually means, “to construct, strengthen, or restore.” In other words, through speaking in tongues, the Spirit not only encourages our hearts, but also builds our inner person. He takes the blessings we inherited when we believed (Eph. 1:3), and progressively connects them to assemble us into powerful people. So praying in the Spirit, praying in other tongues, fortifies us. It constructs and strengthens us in the desert.
Consider how powerful it is when we pray in our native language. The Bible teaches that when we pray heavy burdens off our chest, God replaces them with supernatural peace (Phil. 4:6-7). Also, praising God amid our problems, when breakthrough comes, brings joy to our hearts. That joy then becomes our strength, even if the problems persist (Neh. 8:10). Now what if we were able to intercede or praise from places too deep for our conscious mind to access? What if we were able to pray prayers we needed to pray, but could never articulate in our native language?
This is what praying in tongues does for us. It enables us to pray straight from our spirit without the limits of our mind. “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, [though] my mind is unfruitful” (1 Cor. 14:14). Such praying is not only free of blockage and carnality, but it’s also laser-accurate. When God answers these prayers, or when we experience the rapture of this praise, we receive measures of peace, joy, and strength that can come no other way. These are the virtues that fortify us from within, filling us with “streams in the desert” from the internal springs of the Spirit. They enable us to range the desert as healthy, creative people full of faith and spiritual vitality for others.
If you’re in a spiritual desert, keep yourself hydrated. Drink deeply and often of your internal resources by praying in the Spirit. Allow Jesus to baptise you in the Holy Spirit, or rediscover the depths of such a wonderful immersion in His presence. By faith, open your mouth and allow the Spirit to give you utterances that your mind doesn’t understand. Develop the habit in the desert that will always keep you saturated with God. It will quench your thirst, fortify your soul, and keep you from spiritual dehydration during dry times.
Whether you’re facing a wilderness or have in the past. Order today Daniel Kolenda’s ‘Wilderness Survival Guide’ Combo Pack - as a spiritual “Survival Guide” for the desert — the supreme source of wisdom both for enduring the wilderness, as well as navigating safely through it to God’s promised destination.
Click the link above to order the combo pack!
TIP #5: DRINK WATER
Daniel Kolenda
INTRODUCTION - THE PATHWAY OF ADVERSITY
Daniel Kolenda
"If you're going through hell, keep going!" So said Winston Churchill during one of the worst crises in world history. And these words of wisdom still apply to anyone passing through a trial today. Adversity does not have to become our destination. It can be a pathway to something greater. Maybe you are passing through a difficult season in your life. Perhaps you feel spiritually dry and alone. You might feel as though your prayers are not being heard and you wonder if God even knows where you are. You are not alone. Millions of believers have passed through these troubled waters and experienced the same emotions. King David sang about the "deep sunless valley of the shadow of death." John of the Cross wrote of the "dark night of the soul." Even Jesus went through times of suffering when He had to offer "prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death" (Heb. 5:7). People often refer to such seasons as, The Wilderness. The wilderness is a hard place. But it's as crucial for our lives as it is painful. While a desert season feels terribly wrong, and loneliness and despair may seem to reign, God is with you and He desires to use the wilderness for your eternal good. To reap its benefits, however, you must understand its nature and purpose. That's the reason I wrote the Surviving Your Wilderness book and have created this special, email series. It looks to the Bible as a spiritual "Survival Guide" for the desert – the supreme source of wisdom both for enduring the wilderness, as well as navigating safely through it to God's promised destination. But first things first. If you have not been born again into the family of God, then the wisdom that follows cannot apply to you. Before a person receives the mercy of God through faith in Jesus Christ, he or she is lost in a perpetual wilderness that stretches beyond this world and into the next. And there's no way out – except one: repent and believe the Gospel. Entering God's Kingdom by making Jesus your Lord and Saviour makes you a child of the most loving, powerful, and wonderful Father. He knows how to guide and take care of you as you traverse life's journey, even when it leads you into a wilderness. His wisdom for the wilderness is what I want to explore in this timely, email study. To do that I will adopt six tips survival experts give for those stranded in the wilderness. As you will see, the secrets for surviving a physical wilderness bear striking parallel to those for surviving a spiritual one. Survival Tip #1 - Don't Panic Survival Tip #2 - Assess Your Situation Survival Tip #3 - Find Shelter Survival Tip #4 - Build a Fire Survival Tip #5 - Drink Water Survival Tip #6 - Find Nourishment Now read Survival TIP #1 - DON'T PANIC Whether you're facing a wilderness or have in the past. Order today Daniel Kolenda's 'Wilderness Survival Guide' Combo Pack - as a spiritual "Survival Guide" for the desert — the supreme source of wisdom both for enduring the wilderness, as well as navigating safely through it to God's promised destination. Click the link above to buy the combo pack!
SURVIVAL TIP #1 - DON’T PANIC
Daniel Kolenda
Surviving a physical wilderness takes more than the skills to build a shelter, start a fire, and purify water. It requires a certain psychology, a mindset, a will to live that overcomes the fear and stress associated with crisis. In fact, some people who possessed the skill still died when stranded in a physical wilderness because they lacked the will. And others who lacked the skill but had the will, found a way to survive. Upon entering a spiritual wilderness, our tendency is often to let our imagination run wild. "Will I ever make it out?" "Why is this happening to me?" "I don't feel ready for this." "Does God not realise what I'm going through?" "Is He angry with me?" "Is He judging me?" "Is He even real?" Though it's natural to ask questions like these, obsessing over them depletes our resolve to believe God. And since these questions relate to the very nature of God, their responses must be biblically sound. That's why our study begins here. In the wilderness, perspective is everything. So if you find yourself in a wilderness: don't panic. Take a deep breath. Take a moment to remind yourself who God is, who you are in Christ, and what the Bible says about His faithfulness during troubled times. Fear makes you susceptible to lies from the enemy. He will lie about God's faithfulness and love for you. He'll even lie about God's existence, or about how valuable you are to Him. Such lies are meant to sap you of spiritual stamina. But that's just when the "will to live" must rise the will to live in the Spirit while you pass through desert regions. For God's children in the wilderness, the "will to live" does not merely refer to a desire to survive. It refers rather to an earnest determination to believe God. During spiritual drought, you must determine sometimes against all circumstances, emotions, and even the advice of friends that God is real. He is good. He is faithful, and you will make it through to the other side with Him. Don't let the enemy or circumstances define who God is for you. Refuse to allow yourself to believe anything but God's Word. Resolve as David did during a spiritual desert: "My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast!" (Ps 57:7). One of the most important things you can understand is that even when it seems like everything around you is spinning out of control, if you are a child of God, there is nothing that touches your life that is not ultimately under God's supervision. Everything in your life is somehow "Father filtered." He loves you dearly and deeply. He is watching over you, and won't allow anything to separate you from Him. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:38). Allow God's invincible love to cast out all of your fear. "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, character, and hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." (Romans 5:3-5) Now read TIP #2: ASSESS YOUR SITUATION - Part 1 (The Resource of God's Word) Whether you're facing a wilderness or have in the past. Order today Daniel Kolenda's 'Wilderness Survival Guide' Combo Pack - as a spiritual "Survival Guide" for the desert — the supreme source of wisdom both for enduring the wilderness, as well as navigating safely through it to God's promised destination. Click the link above to buy the pack!
TIP #2: ASSESS YOUR SITUATION - Part 1 (The Resource of God's Word)
Daniel Kolenda
Those stranded in the wilderness must constantly evaluate their situation. They need to take stock of their resources and understand their surroundings. That way they can move forward with a level head and a good idea of what's necessary to get through. What are your Resources? If we were lost in the wilderness, our odds of survival would drastically improve if we possessed a few basic supplies like food, water, a knife, or matches. Never are these provisions more important than when our survival is at stake. This is also true for the spiritual wilderness. The resources God has given us for spiritual life are always precious, but in the wilderness we must rediscover them and cling to them like never before. These resources are the Word of God, the fellowship of saints, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God God's Word is an oasis of truth in any spiritual desert. No matter how barren the season, it is an ever-present source of renewal and strength. It does not depend on outward circumstances to be effective. Christ's Word "dwells among you richly" (Col 3:16) because "the word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart" (Rom 10:8). When outward conditions contradict the truth, the truth must determine our inward condition. "You desire truth in the innermost being" (Ps 51:6). This allows us to live and speak from our heart - the hidden chamber that stores God's Word - and not from our circumstances. "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (Ps 119:11). This is especially important when the enemy takes advantage of our wilderness by flooding us with lies and temptations. Our only weapon against him is the truth of God's Word. That is our wisdom for the wilderness. Jesus exemplified this in His own wilderness when He responded to the devil's temptations by quoting Scripture (Matt 4:1-11). He reached into His internal arsenal, found just the right texts, and fired truth back at his enemy. God's written Word has incredible power when we believe. It is our greatest resource during dry seasons. Not only does it protect us from lies, but God's Word also reminds us of His purpose for the wilderness itself. The wilderness can knock us off kilter and make us feel like something is terribly wrong. But the truth of God's Word provides wisdom to put everything in perspective. The two disciples walking the road to Emmaus were suffering the pain of a sudden spiritual desert. They were totally disoriented, darkened with the despondence of dashed hopes and a chilling sense of prevailing evil. Their hero had died. Jesus of Nazareth, the mighty prophet whom they thought would redeem Israel, seemed to perish in shame like a false Messiah. Religious leaders mocked and murdered Him. Now their aspirations of freedom and glory lay buried with Him. How could this have happened? How could such hope be turned so suddenly into a wasteland? Jesus comes along incognito. He walks beside them and interviews them. He learns what they are discussing and why they are so sad. Then He completely transforms their perspective by explaining the Scriptures to them (Luke 24:27). "Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" (Luke 24:26). Notice that Jesus does not first reveal Himself to them in person, showing them that He is alive and well and walking right next to them. Rather, His identity remains hidden while He explains from the written Word that their circumstances are not dismal after all. They are necessary to God's plan of salvation. Jesus does not change their circumstances; He changes their perspective through the wisdom of the Scriptures. Now they will understand, not just that Jesus came back from the dead, but that the whole "tragedy" was actually God's plan from the beginning. There was no other way to forgive their sins and exalt the King. Truth from the Scriptures transformed their viewpoint, not their situation. That is the power of God's Word. It is a most wonderful treasure when you find yourself in the desert. As you assess your resources, rediscover the Word - because in the wilderness, perspective is everything. Now read TIP#2 - ASSESS YOUR SITUATION - Part 2 (The Fellowship of the Saints) Whether you're facing a wilderness or have in the past. Order today Daniel Kolenda's 'Wilderness Survival Guide' Combo Pack - as a spiritual "Survival Guide" for the desert — the supreme source of wisdom both for enduring the wilderness, as well as navigating safely through it to God's promised destination. Click the link above to buy the pack!