Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Mark 10:21-22

The journey through the Wilderness is a journey of faith. We cannot see where we are going and we usually don’t know where we are. We have to learn to put our hand in Jesus’ hand and trust that He is leading us in the right direction. The problem, however, is that this journey does not take just a week, or a month, or a year. It can take years of working through the various stages for our own relationship with God, for our family, and for our ministry. When I began this Process, it was as if I were standing on a cliff and God said, “go ahead and jump, I will catch you”. The situations in which I found myself were far beyond me. Only God could save me from them, and to some extent He did, but I continued to “free-fall” for years. The difficult situations continued year after year and my prayer for the “good life” never was answered. Throughout the journey, I always thought at each new victory that it was over and things were going to change back to what they used to be, but they never did. I wanted life to be comfortable again, but my security at the time was based on the things of this world. I often wondered how far I would fall before God would catch me. The answer was “right to the bottom”. God is only satisfied with the complete destruction of the Flesh in our life. I didn’t know where He was taking me but I have now come to appreciate the benefits of His sanctifying work. It is wonderful to not be ruled by the Flesh. The rich young ruler did everything right but was unable to give up the treasure He had on this earth. It was part of his identity and his comfort. He saw it as a loss instead of a gain to be free of what had him bound to this earth and temporal things. It was a devoted thing for Him. He could not do what Jesus told him to do to gain spiritual riches. Even in some Churches, it is seen to be an expression of righteousness to become rich in material possessions. These things only become stumbling blocks to following Jesus. It is a higher honour to be poor in the Kingdom of God because it is freedom. Listen, my dear brothers: has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? James 2:5

Israel became weary of their labours in Egypt. They were oppressed by Pharaoh and worked as slaves to a merciless nation. Our Egypt is that we are working for the world’s system and values. We spend our life energy on things like new cars and houses and boats and furniture and vacations. We believe these things will make us happy. They are part of being acceptable in this society. If we do not have money and signs of wealth, we are considered lazy or a failure. This view is so prevalent in America that it is as dominating inside the Church, as outside it. The concept of poverty as a value to be desired is unheard of in the Church.

It is a shame of the North American Church that its members would spend 25% of their life acquiring shelter. Between taxes and mortgage interest, the world’s system and values “steal” more than half of a man’s life. We are supposed to be the Lord’s, not slaves to bankers and tax collectors. We are to turn our backs on the world’s system and leave Egypt for a place of abundance provided for by the Lord. We are no longer to be consumers whose lives are consumed by consumption. We cannot be controlled by our need to be (more) acceptable or our lust for material things. Yet, we do not stop striving for more possessions or more wealth. We are slaves to the lusts of the Flesh. We cannot stop wanting more things or more respect or more power. As we die both spiritually and physically, we let go of the things which are of least value. If we were told that we had only one month to live, we would spend our time on the things of greatest value. We would spend time on our relationship with the Father, our family, and with our friends. We would reprioritize our life and put value where there is the highest reward. Yet in our society, this is seen as irresponsible in any other circumstance but impending death. There is subtle unspoken demand that we be fruitful in this world, and that is measured by our material possessions. Jesus commands us to live our life as if today were our last day here on earth. We know that we will be judged for what we have done with our life. America is an extremely materialistic society. The Church and its members are caught in the materialism of this world, and for the most part, it is materialism that has prevented it from following the Holy Spirit into the Wilderness. The North American Church is like the Rich Young Ruler who was bound by his wealth to temporal values and unable to discard his wealth for the true treasures of the Kingdom of God. The Church believes that if you are prospering financially then you are being blessed by God so you can supply finances to the Church. The accumulation of material wealth is rewarded, encouraged, and applauded. This is a common theme in most evangelical Churches and it is neither sound scripturally or true spiritually. When Jesus said, “seek first the Kingdom”, He meant that if the treasure of the Kingdom is our first priority in life then the rest of the issues of life would be properly prioritized and that God would take care of them. Anyone can acquire wealth by the Flesh. Putting our material needs in the hands of the Holy Spirit for His provision is our instruction. We are not to make the needs of this life our priority but do everything we can to acquire the treasure of the Kingdom. This is the beginning of walking into the Wilderness and the Process which will free us from the harsh and cruel taskmaster - the Flesh.

The process of death cannot be hurried, manipulated, nor “prayed through”. It has to be experienced. It is a walk and the walk is as much a part of the Process as the destination. When our life depends on hearing and doing what the Spirit is saying, we learn the ways of the Spirit. Learning to be led and not to run ahead or resist the Spirit or “kick” against the circumstances instead of addressing the issues in the Spirit, are the wisdom and understanding discovered in the journey. The Holy Spirit becomes our best friend, sometimes our only friend. He is our Comforter, our Teacher, our Cloud by day and Pillar of Fire by night. He is our Life. The journey is a walk in humility. God’s values are nothing like our own. He places no value on many of the things we consider valuable. He does not value reputation. He will sacrifice our reputation in order to save us from our bondage. He has little respect for protocol. He will put us in positions where we will have to choose between our reputation and the prompting of the Spirit. He will consume our savings just to make us depend on Him. He will lead us to associate with certain people we may feel uncomfortable with to have us intercede for them. He will lead us into a situation that will “blow up” just to bring death to the Flesh in us. He will cause us to take a position which seems harsh or unpopular in order to expose or discipline someone. The journey is multi-levelled and multidimensional. He is working on us and others at the same time and He accomplishes a lot with every encounter.

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”. John 6:66-68 NIV

There are times when we would like to run and hide but we know that there is nowhere to go. Once we have tasted the good things of the Kingdom and the love of Jesus, where can we go? The pain we suffer in the Process is often caused by our own fear, unbelief, and rebellion. When the Father is performing open Heart surgery and exposing and putting to death our Flesh, it is painful. It is our own Flesh which causes most of our suffering. There is pain and grieving as our Flesh is being put to death. The more we are dead to the Flesh, the less we suffer in its death. This is the manifestation of the full armor of God. If we suffer persecution for doing what the Holy Spirit has led us to do, He rewards us with His presence and peace and joy. When we suffer in the death of our Flesh, it is painful in another way but the reward is righteousness, peace, and joy.

In the Wilderness, it is not uncommon to develop symptoms of anxiety, striving, nervous habits, restlessness, and fear which all characterize God’s exposing of our unbelief. He literally drives us into the Wilderness because we would not go there on our own. If we don’t understand what is happening and only see the circumstance in the natural and not with God’s spiritual objectives, we will struggle to fix the situation rather than cooperate with Him. If we fight against “a God situation” in our life, we only delay the Process. We must face each situation full front and not try to escape it. Everything that happens, happens for a reason. Instead of struggling, we must pursue God for a revelation of the reason He has us in these circumstances. It is more difficult at the beginning of the Journey than it is after we have gained some victories over the Flesh. The Journey does become easier even though the tests and the circumstances become more difficult. Each time we win over the Flesh, we have a clearer view of the values and treasures of the Kingdom and humbling always brings a renewed and deeper intimacy with Jesus.

At Jericho, we feel like we are being pulled in two directions. We experience confusion and inner turmoil. Our self image is on the altar. God may ask if we are willing to look stupid for Him. It is better to look stupid than to be stupid, so we say, “yes”. It never feels good to look stupid in the eyes of others. When God is circumcising our Heart, there is a spiritual pain which is the death of the Pride of Life. It can cause depression and alienation from people. At the same time, there may be a closeness to the Lord and other times He may seem like a million miles away. Whatever the circumstance of death of the Flesh that we experience, it is always painful and sends us into emotional turmoil. If we don’t hang on to God in these times, we can easily revert to coping (rebellion), or shutting down our emotions. This Process will take us to our limit. We cannot anticipate what we will do when we come to it. The Adamic Nature attempts to make a life of its own outside of God. It is hostile to God. It hates anything that will reveal it or expose the lie that “it can do it on its own”. It is trying to rule and be like God. It is trying to be the god of our life.

The walls of Jericho represent the barriers to being fully devoted to God. It can be our prideful understanding of the Scriptures. It can be our goals or objectives. It can even be ministry “our way”. It is anything that would keep us from following the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t lead Believers in the path of conventional wisdom, nor on the road of respectability, or even common sense. Over and over again, we see this modelled in the accounts of peoples’ lives in Scripture, yet we haven’t really accepted it as the “true Christian lifestyle”. If we begin with the Scripture and attempt to understand the Kingdom of God with our human thinking, we become like the Pharisees, “blind guides leading the blind”. If we seek the Lord for a revelation of the Kingdom, and Scripture confirms our revelation, then we know we have found the truth about the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit has been appointed our teacher. It is His job to tear down our walls of earthly wisdom and legalistic teaching. Scripture can be used to support and justify what we must do to make God pleased with us. Of course He is pleased with us already and all we must do to follow Him is to walk obedient to the Holy Spirit. For each person following the Holy Spirit, the journey is different. The arguments for such legalistic compliance can make so much sense when we hear the use of Scripture and human wisdom but the test for legalism and idolatry is found in who is ultimately Lord in the issue. If, when all is said and done, the Holy Spirit is not made Lord over the issue in our life, it is not Godly wisdom, it is legalism. We must surrender to His Lordship for our lives in all things. We cannot make rules or theories or principles out of relationship and walking with our God in obedience. Jesus told the Pharisees they were laying heavy burdens on the people by making them subject to their law and rules. It is a burden to be under the Law but a delight to be in a love relationship with God the Father.

The Seven Nations stage of the Process is the most dramatic for symptoms. The conquering of a Nation is a fierce battle and is filled with intense manifestations. The Nations are more like Jesus’ death on the cross than any other part of the Process. Just as the physical body does everything it can to avoid death, so the Flesh struggles to overcome the threat to its reign. When the Flesh is threatened, it may strike out at others and God as a way of concealing itself or regaining control. But the enmity is against God, because He is taking control of this area of our life. Anger and frustration are common in this stage because the Flesh rises up when it loses control. Toward the end of the process of this death, there is a feeling of numbness and helplessness, resignation to defeat, discouragement and then finally death. It is a very emotional time. We need to continually confess that God is good even when we hate what is happening to us. He is loving us enough to free us from the things that taint our ministry and oppose our desire for more of the Kingdom. Be thankful that He gives us what we need and not always for what we ask.

Choose Life
At times in this process we can feel there is no hope. The Old Man works on our emotions to discourage and confuse. It is hard to choose the life that is in the Holy Spirit and believe that God is good when every fibre in our body is screaming for release from the awful situation we know He has us in. By choosing life, we can literally see our emotions become transformed, and in a matter of minutes see by revelation, God’s redeeming work. It is difficult to choose life (the Spirit) rather than death (the Flesh) when we are in the midst of the battle, but we must. We will spend much less time going in circles and make the Process far less painful.

So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Gal. 5:16-21 NIV

Advice From Scripture in the Wilderness
Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry.” We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did— and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. We should not test the Lord, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfilment of the ages has come. 1 Cor. 10:5-11 NIV

Craving Evil Things
Paul specifically wrote to the Corinthians on the matter of the purging and sanctification of the Believer. The story of the Children of Israel was given as instruction so that we would not crave evil things. This has been interpreted as outward acts of immorality, but these are the pursuit of those things that fulfill the Flesh. They are Heart issues. God looks at the Heart and judges it rather than the action. Evil, to God, can be good things done for the wrong reasons as was the case of the Pharisees. Israel did not intentionally rebel, it just happened because it came out of their Heart. Their Heart craved evil things. That was who they were. When we were born again, Jesus took the Heart of Flesh and put it to death and we became the New Man. Therefore, it is not us who sins but the Old Man. We must understand the separation of the Old and the New Man to win the battle against the Flesh. We will avoid condemnation when we do sin and be able to separate the feelings, desires, and thoughts of the Flesh from the Spirit. This allows us to learn and understand the difference between good and evil. Good is to walk in the Spirit; evil is to act out of the Flesh. Even the most reasonable, well meaning, and sensible “wisdom” can be the work of the Flesh. Every situation must be viewed through the eyes of the Holy Spirit to avoid not rebelling against God. Learning obedience in the Wilderness is to submit everything to the Holy Spirit in order to avoid doing things that seem “right” but are the work of a Heart trying to avoid death.

Scripture says that God took the Children of Israel into the Wilderness to teach them that “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word of God”. (Luke 4:4) Israel was promised a physical land flowing with milk and honey. We are promised the Kingdom of God. The Gospel is often presented as the path to a good life. Paul warned that the Gospel is not a means to material gain (1 Tim. 6:5). It is not the “good life” in the temporal sense. That is idolatry. We “live” out of the Heart. Its spiritual condition determines the quality of our life because we are spirit beings. The temporal things of this life do not produce a quality or fruitful life. They only bind us and burden us and hinder us in our relationship with God. Yet the Flesh Heart lusts after temporal (evil) things and wants to change the Gospel into a way to satisfy the Flesh, instead of destroying it.

Idolatry
When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered round Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold ear-rings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their ear-rings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” Exodus 32:1-4 NIV

It was a physical god (calf) that Israel had created but it really was no different than the gods we serve in our Heart. God will have no other gods before Him. Idolatry is subtle and its works can appear to be so good to human understanding. When God begins to deal with idolatry in our Heart, we struggle the most with what others will think of us. God may bruise and batter our reputation. We must die to being accepted by others and make obedience to the Holy Spirit more important than what we look like to others. Many of the things that the disciples did brought criticism from prominent persons inside and outside the New Testament Church. If we can let God put to death our desire to be liked by everyone, then we are free to serve Him fully.

If we are rigid in the letter of the Gospel rather than revelation of the Gospel, we are probably in the stubbornness of idolatry. Pursuit of the lusts of the Flesh may take us far from God or only into hidden and subtle habits which drain our spiritual authority and deaden our love and devotion to Christ. When we can’t reach God, we substitute a real life-giving relationship based on love and grace for legalistic religion. Paul said that the account of the Children of Israel was given to us so we would not be idolaters. He wanted for us to see that within every Believer is a Heart full of idolatry. We are not to be condemned by that truth but pursue God for freedom, thereby not making the mistake Israel made.

Sexual Immorality
The sexual immorality that Israel committed included joining themselves to other gods. Their sexual immorality lead them to spiritual adultery. They acted immorally in regard to their relationship with God. They sought many different ways to cope with their restless Heart. Coping is a subtle but dangerous inclination in the Process. It causes us to put on hold the work of God. We try to find a way to survive the circumstances, rather than seek God for His redeeming work. It is very easy to fall prey to sexual or spiritual immorality in the Process if we don’t walk in humility and surrender to God. When we run up against a wall and we cannot go forward or gain a victory, it is time to pursue God for answers. Sometimes there is nothing for us to do but let Him bring our Heart to the cross and then lead us to victory. However, coping keeps us static and it is rebellion against God. If we are looking for comfort in all the wrong places, it is adultery before God, because we are His Bride.

Test The Lord
Throughout the Process, we are stretched by situations designed specifically to expose and test us. They are meant to take us to our limit. That is how we are strengthened. When we are in the Flesh and not able to see the work of the Holy Spirit for what it is, there is a tendency to feel that God doesn’t really love us. This is a common and typical feeling when God is exposing and stretching our faith. If we believe this, we run the risk of putting God on trial with our own test. We may respond to God either verbally or in our Heart, by saying, “if you really love me you will give me what I want”. Of course God will not respond to that because it would condone the works of the Flesh. If this “trying God” takes us into rebellion against Him, we cannot move forward in the Process. We are cut off from Him, and will stay where we are until we come back to God in humility and confession. It is a work of the Flesh to think we are unloved. God wants us to discern the Flesh so we will not try or rebel against Him in the Process.

Murmuring.
Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word: But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the LORD. Psalms 106:24-25

Another work of the Flesh is complaining about the way God is treating us. Part of the Process is to be left in need by God. Israel complained about God and to Moses about the lack they were in. The Christian life is not a guarantee of a comfortable life. It is not our right to be provided for abundantly. It is by grace that we have anything of, or from God at all. When we complain about our circumstance, we are accusing God of not loving us or caring for us. When we are in the Process, it is like working out at the spiritual gym; no pain, no gain. He is truly our Lover and Friend. He could not, and would not do anything except what is for our highest good. Even when it doesn’t seem like it, He is choosing the best and quickest way to get us from bondage into the Promised Land.

Self Righteousness
It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deut. 9:5 NIV

The promises of God are received by the unmerited favour of God. Even after we have surrendered and walked in the Spirit, and chosen to dethrone the Flesh, it is by grace we have received God’s deliverance and provision. He has defeated our enemies for us, we haven’t. He has given us the blessing and spiritual prosperity of the Kingdom of God by grace. We have these blessings which we did not know existed or know how to find because of the mercy and grace of God. When we hold to that truth, we will remain in the righteousness of Jesus, and not our own.

Conclusion
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12 NIV

I was in prayer one day when the Lord gave me a vision of a string which had been knotted up into a grapefruit-sized ball. When I asked the Lord what it was, He said, “in order to unknot the middle knot He had to take the knots out that were there first.” I had been pursuing Him in prayer for a certain thing. I understood from what He said that He fully intended to answer my prayer but He had an order and a systematic way of doing the work of sanctification. Like building a house, each stage must be completed before the next stage can begin. Because of our personality, woundedness, character traits, and spiritual makeup (weaknesses and strengths) that order is different for each one of us. The “Heart Surgeon” customizes our treatment for each of us. He is an expert at doing the business of redeeming His people. His plan is flawless. His timing is impeccable. He will complete that which He has begun.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV

Three Measures Of Maturity In Christ
Maturity in Christ is judged to be different things in different groups. Each one has their value judgements on what particular character traits are the most important. Many of these character traits are outward expressions of what might be signs of maturity in Christ. Based upon this Process of preparation, the spiritual abilities that God is developing in His Church are those which affect our relationship with Him in difficult times and our ability to remain on the path toward fruitfulness. A summary of these spiritual abilities which God is developing in His Body are as follows:

1. Eyes of Faith: It takes spiritual eyes of faith to see God in the good, bad, and ugly circumstances of our life. In most cases, He is there in the center of our problems with a solution and a role for us to play in it. We are never out of the hands of the Father and our circumstances are meant to teach, discipline, and guide us. The test of maturity is the size of problem we can overcome with trust and faith in God.

2. Saved by Grace: If we know God and His righteousness, then we will realize just how far we fall short of His holiness and depend on His unmerited forgiveness. It is knowing our complete unworthiness that keeps us tolerant of others, thankful, and a channel of grace for fruitful ministry. Without the attitude of an unworthy servant, we cannot see the Kingdom of God or be a fruitful minister in it.

3. Death is the way to Life: The Kingdom of God works opposite to that of the world. We know this is true but only when we live like it is true can we gain the treasure of the Kingdom of God. When we can embrace death with the expectation of great gain, we will understand the Kingdom of God and how Christ transforms us. When we can follow the Holy Spirit into death of the Flesh with joy for the sake of gaining the promises of the Kingdom, we are well on the way to becoming the warriors of God.

These three manifestations of maturity are not things which can be acquired by knowing them, but treasure which can only be had by walking with God. It is in walking with Him that our orientation and perspective of the Kingdom and the Gospel are formed. It is by walking with God that these maturity traits become the foundation upon which we live our lives.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 NIV

No Formulas
When Jesus was transfigured, Peter, James and John wanted to build an altar there to mark the spot and turn it into a religious shrine. Jesus knew that people, in their carnality, would worship the spot where it happened and denied their request. When God does something wonderful for us we want to understand and capture it. The Flesh wants to package it and show others the way to do it, so we can look good. It is our Fallen Nature to want to make a dependent walk with God into a system, and relationship into rules, principles and laws. The solution to whatever our need or desire is, is always in our acquisition of grace through humility. We cannot separate healing or provision from God. They can only be found in Him. It is a work of the Flesh to separate what we want or need from God. Our answers are always found in Him. It is simple. We must have the hostility of the Flesh put to death so we can take more of Jesus into our life and in Him there is all that we need. There are no other formulas or teachings or methods to get from God what we need. We need more of Him. We must dive into the pool of the Trinity and be fully immersed in them. We must be transformed by our exposure to their love and holiness, and we will find abundance and freedom far beyond our need or expectation.

Learning To Ask The Right Questions
When we are in the midst of a problem our first response is usually to pray for it to be taken away. If it is sickness or financial trouble or some other problem we may reason that God does not want this in our lives. We interpret the delay in our answer to prayer as our faith being tested. In many situations, this is not the case. More often than not, the delay in our answer to prayer is due to our asking for the wrong solution to our problem. There is a reason for every situation in which we find ourselves. If we ask for its removal rather than the wisdom and direction to overcome it, God does not answer. We should be asking, “Lord, why am I in this situation?”, “What are you trying to teach me in it?”, “How can I cooperate with your purposes in it?”, and “What do you want me to do in the process of your overcoming this situation for me?”. We cannot choose our own solutions to our problems. We must rely on God and ask Him to solve the problem His way. His way is always better than our way. Therefore, we must confess our inability to work anything out for ourselves. If we become weak, He will become strong for us. We must let God get us out of the situation with as little of our involvement as is possible. He loves us and when He solves our problems, it is always a blessing to us and others.

Learning To Walk In The Spirit
We can either walk by the Scriptures or we can walk by the Holy Spirit. If we walk by the “Word”, we are in charge. If we walk by the Holy Spirit, He is in charge. If we place our life in His hands we will look foolish, because He will lead us into death, and suffering, and humility. For this reason, many have refused to surrender to the Holy Spirit - they don’t want to be a failure in the eyes of others. Even when we choose to do the right thing and walk obedient to the Spirit, the Flesh is very deceptive and can easily influence our “hearing” God, especially in the early stages of our walk with Him. This will lead us down dead end paths and we will look foolish again. The Lord uses even these mistakes to teach us, humble us and free us of the Flesh. Nothing can separate us from His love. If we choose to walk in the Spirit, we will make mistakes and they will be embarrassing. Our Flesh will be exposed. It may seem as if we are going around in circles, but Jesus IS in control. There is a high potential for making mistakes when we choose to live our lives by “hearing” God and walking in the Holy Spirit. We must walk with Him and abide in Him if we are to be known by Him. In spite of the risks of putting our lives in the hands of the Holy Spirit, there is no other life for Believers.

The Promised Land Is....
The Promised Land represents for us as Believers a number of things which are inherent in the Kingdom of God. When we possess it, we have taken it by force by putting the Flesh under the lordship of the Holy Spirit. Our taking the Kingdom by force is to rise up in the Spirit, choosing life instead of the death and putting the Flesh in submission to the Holy Spirit. This is another aspect of spiritual warfare. The treasures of the Kingdom available to those who conquer the Promised Land are:
1. spiritual authority for our calling and a position of service in the Kingdom,
2. the development of the Fruits of the Spirit which are the foundation of fruitfulness in our ministry,
3. provision for every need,
4. the promises of the Kingdom which are summed up in - love, joy and peace,
5. successful overcoming of the Devil and the Flesh which is the manifestation of the full armor of God,
6. the ability to discern Good (the Spirit) from Evil (the Flesh),
7. greater ability to walk in the Spirit,
8. a Heart of love and compassion - which is to love the lost, the Body of Christ, and the Lord with all of our Heart, mind, and strength and finally,
9. we qualify for the rewards of Revelation 5:12 that Jesus received when He loved not His life unto death which are: power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Things To Do When You Finish Reading This Book
When the Children of Israel left Egypt, God performed ten miracles specifically to prove to them that He would meet their needs through supernatural events. He told them to write everything down so they would remember all that He did for them. He also told them to remember the Promise and to recount for themselves why they had left Egypt. There is a saying that is not Scripture, but it is wisdom. It is: “Obstacles are those frightening things we see when we take our eyes off the vision.” This expresses what God was trying to do with the Children of Israel when He commanded them to write down what He had done, and was promising to do for them. He wanted them to remember His faithfulness and supernatural ability to meet their needs. He wanted them to focus their attention not on the problems of the day, but on the objective. That is good advice for us. We should write down the things that God has promised us and the miracles of deliverance which He has done so we will not be overwhelmed by the “obstacles”. We need to be reminded that nothing can separate us from His love. We should read these testimonies often and recount them to our friends and family. This was David’s secret. He remembered the goodness and faithfulness of God and reaffirmed to himself and God that He could trust Him. The Psalms of David in the Wilderness reveal how He was caught up in “obstacles” but was refreshed by a renewed vision of God and His purpose and love for him.

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalms 16:11 NIV

Some readers of this book will discover that they have rebelled against the Lord in this Process. It may have been without understanding that you have squirmed off the sacrificial altar and went on your own way. It is never too late to get back on track. You can turn against the Flesh and agree with God in a simple prayer. You can pour out your Heart of fear and rebellion and ask Him to deliver you. He will take your emotions, sin, and failings and carry them if you ask Him. He is your only true Lover.

Is your walk with God shallow? Is God just a small part of your life? Has your intimacy with Jesus or your love for Him grown cold? Ask the Holy Spirit where you have strayed from the path of life and gone into the ditch. You can ask Him for the treasures of the Kingdom and the abundance and rest of the Promised Land. You have a right to them in Jesus Christ. You can ask Him to put to death your unbelief, idolatry and rebellion and all the hostility of the Flesh. You can choose abundant life or settle for just eternal life. The abundant life (Kingdom of God) is like the “Pearl of Great Price”. It is worth selling everything you have to get it. It is like exchanging something that is worthless for something that is priceless.

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9:62 NIV

...and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Acts 14:22 NIV

Humble Yourself
You have a responsibility to act on the knowledge you have received. Now that God has brought understanding of His Process, it would be prudent to take some time to fast and pray about what God wants you to know and understand from this book. He may direct you to reread portions of the text or the entire book, so that He can underscore certain areas to you by the Holy Spirit. Your objective should be to get a revelation from God of what He has for you in this season of your walk with Him. You need a revelation of His work of sanctification in you. Ask Him to reveal your Heart and what the next step is in cooperating with Him in His purging of the Flesh in your life. He may call you to a time of confession and repentance in order for you to get back into the flow of the life and redemption of God. Whatever He requires, do not refuse Him!

Couples
Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. (Eph. 5:25) Sometimes this is interpreted as the husband doing everything and anything he can to please his spouse. Although this may be seen by some as a demonstration of this Scripture and godliness, it can become an opportunity for the Flesh. We are being redeemed from the Flesh and must not then make ourselves or our spouse subject to our fleshly desires. As couples, we must agree that we will work toward walking in the Spirit and putting to death those desires which are not from the Holy Spirit. If our spouse is not able to work with us in this way, we must then navigate this area of our journey with a great deal of understanding, prayer, and waiting on the Lord to intervene in His time. This in itself can be a death. If it is possible to work together, however, helping each other discern what is Spirit and what is Flesh can be a powerful and effective method to find our way through the stages of the Wilderness Process.

Our Calling
Some of us know what our true calling is. For most of us, however, it is somewhat unclear. Whether God will reveal specifically what He has for us or not doesn’t matter. We should seek as much understanding as we can at this time. For those with a prophetic word, they should pray it, and confess it as truth before God, but leave it in His hands. Prophetic words are for praying and for confirmation after they have been fulfilled. Rarely do we understand prophetic words before God brings them into being. We need not worry about achieving our call since it is the Holy Spirit’s job to prepare us for our ministry. All we have to do is be obedient to Him day-by-day.

Share This Book
There are so many people who have become stuck in the Wilderness and are like the dying generation of Israel. They do not understand what God is doing in their lives. They have turned away from following the Spirit in their preparation for ministry. For the sake of those who have run aground in their journey, please share this book with them. They need to hear its message. Pray for them. Don’t let them go (in the Spirit) until they have returned to follow the Lord in this Process. This is the work of the Spirit of God and we can cooperate with Him in His call to the Church to return to Him.

Prayer Partner
One of the greatest advantages we can gain in this Process is to find a partner in it. Our partner should be able to relate to where we are in the Process. We should pray for one another and use our gifts to minister to one another. Start by pursuing God in prayer for a partner, then thank Him for His answer and let Him lead you.

Location, Location, Location
I have sought the Lord many times to understand where I was in the Process. My motive was to get out of it, and fast. When I thought I knew where I was, it wasn’t long before I discovered that I didn’t. Most of my understanding of the Process has come in hindsight. I could not see forward but I could see the past with some degree of clarity. It is not as important where we are in the Process as it is to know we are in it. The Holy Spirit may not always follow this exact order. It is only an outline of what God wants to accomplish in our life. I have made many trips back to the Waters of Marah to deal with deeper levels of bitterness. The Process is three fold and death of the Flesh is required for our relationship with the Father, for our ministry to our family, and our public ministry. This systematic Process must not become the focus of our journey. It is only a guide for our warning, encouragement, and understanding. Our focus must be upon the love of our Father and our relationship of surrender to the Holy Spirit. Where we are is not as important as where we are going. Keep looking for and believing in the Promises which God has made to us personally, and to us as part of the Body of Christ.

This Process of sanctification is evident in both the theology of Scripture and in the lives of those who walked with God as described in the Bible. Walking through this Process will give us the opportunity to live portions of the lives of many of the people of the Bible. Things they said and did will prompt a “been there, done that” response which will confirm to us that we are on the same path they were on. Although God has given us a very clear example of His Process of sanctification in the story of the Children of Israel taking the Promised Land, there are many other characters of the Bible who confirm the stages and steps of His redeeming work.

Joseph’s life was a prime example of the three stages of the Process. As a young boy, he was thrown into a pit, left for dead, and then sold into slavery (the Wilderness). He became prosperous in Potifer’s house as the first indication of his ministry (entering the Promised Land). Just when He thought his life was looking up, Potifer’s wife attempted to seduce Him (possibly a devoted thing). He passed the test and was advanced to the next stage of the Process (Seven Nations) when he was put in jail. He was released from prison through no effort of his own, and was made second-in-command of all the country. He was also given a signet ring as a symbol of authority. The equivalent of this for us, is the authority inherent in the resurrection of the Spirit Man.

There are many other examples in Scripture of this Process. Despite this abundant confirmation, there are times when doubt can still overwhelm us. The things the Spirit will lead us into are so unlike what we see with our natural eyes that it is not difficult to feel lost and confused. There are many people who have made this journey in the Wilderness but it is rare to meet one just at the time of doubting. The Spirit will not let us depend on anyone but Him. Occasionally God will do some very personal and intimate things to confirm His love and reassure us that we have not missed His leading. His affirmation is meant to open our eyes of faith again. His love revives us and touches us at the very core of our being. It is His love that gives us the assurance to go on in our Journey.

One of those events that assured me and touched my innermost being, was connected to a popular song which was written and performed by Billy Joel called “River of Dreams”. When I heard the song for the first time, I cried because I knew that the song expressed for me my journey in the Wilderness. It expressed my doubts and fears, frustrations and longings. Each line of the song meant something special to me about my journey. The next four times I heard the song on the radio, I “lost it”. I become concerned and inquired of the Lord why I was so emotional when I heard this song. He said, “I have caused this man to prophesy to you”. The song was a “word” from God for my life. I knew God saw all my doubt and fear in the Process and loved me in spite of it. This experience became part of the deep healing and restoration He was doing in me. Months later, I asked the Lord if I was just dreaming in “Technicolor” or was that really Him? I was doubting again. “Would He confirm that this song was really for me”? A short time later I was at a large conference at which there were delegates from Australia. They called several of the leaders to the platform to give a word of greeting. One of the Pastors said, “as silly as it may seem, the Lord has used a song by Billy Joel called “River of Dreams” to minister to me”. Later when I spoke to the man, he prophesied to me wonderful words of comfort and affirmation and the love of the Father. He will never know how much the Lord did for me at a difficult time through him. Even to this day when I hear the words of this song I am touched by the love of God. He can and will do anything to encourage us just when we need it

We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 2 Cor. 6:3-10 NIV