There are those whom the Lord calls and there are the few He chooses according to Matthew 22:14. There are those He handpicks and reshapes with His own hands like the potter does the clay according to Jeremiah 18:1-4.
There are those the Lord allows to go through a wilderness experience leading them through the valleys of the shadow of death and teaches them not to fear no evil like he did a young shepherd boy called David according to Psalm 23:4, who He later promoted to reign as a King to the nation of Israel. And then, there are those He strips off the desires for earthly wealth, power and lust for material things and in exchange, He transforms into a prophet to lead His people out of bondage like He did to a young prince in Egypt called Moses (Hebrews 11:23-26).
All those God chooses, He often passes them through a process, a very uncomfortable path or avenue called the wilderness where He molds their character and removes the rough edges in them before unleashing them to deliver many out of spiritual bondages.
The Bible says in Luke 4:1 “And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan and was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness”.
Every person chosen or handpicked by God to do His work must go through a wilderness experience where He humbles you and tests you to see the depths of your heart or what’s really in your heart. After you triumph in your season of testing, He fills you with His authentic glorious power of His divine presence to break yokes and to set the captives free.
The Bible says in Deuteronomy 8:2, “Remember that these forty years the LORD your God led you all the way in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commandments”.
The gateway to receiving the true power of God is through a wilderness experience designed by the Holy Spirit hence, the Bible says that after Jesus entered the wilderness, He returned in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14 KJV).
If Jesus had to go through a wilderness experience before He was released by the Holy Spirit to begin His earthly ministry, rest assured that God will pass His chosen vessels through a wilderness.
When it comes to a wilderness experience, everyone’s own is different e.g, the 12 disciples of Jesus had to leave all that they had including careers and materialistic things they had acquired in this life (Mark 10:28) to follow Christ before they were groomed and built up to become apostles of Christ. Jesus however was led into the wilderness to fast and pray for forty days and forty nights. It is the Holy Spirit who chooses your wilderness based on your calling and divine assignment.
There is no way to avoid the wilderness, there is no shortcuts to greatness, the pathway to your promise land (your future designed by God) is through the wilderness. If you forfeit or boycott your wilderness and replace it with fulfillment of the lust of the flesh, your spirit man will suffer tremendously you will be dominated by your flesh which will eventually impact your ministry negatively.
There are many in ministry today who have been trapped and ensnared by the devil to indulge in all kinds of sinful acts. They are unable to “resist the devil” ( James 4:7) because they have never engaged him in the wilderness experience. Remember, it was in the wilderness that Jesus was tempted by Satan and prevailed over him in three separate occasions (Luke 4:1-12).
Satan is prevailing over many ministers today through sinful acts such as sexual sins, pride, lust for money, lust for power and witchcraft (manipulation, domination and intimidation of others). The Minister must pass through the wilderness. When it’s avoided, Satan will have his way with them. The vessel of God must allow the Holy Spirit to strip them off of their pride and break them in the wilderness or Satan will dominate them and strip them off of their spiritual power like he did to Samson (Judges 16:21-30) and many others.
The process of God shaping His chosen vessel can be seen through the Lord’s supper. In Matthew 26:26-27, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples”. First, the Lord took the bread (this is when He chooses His Vessel). He blessed the bread by giving thanks (this is when He blesses you by allowing you to feel the joy of salvation through the infilling of His Holy Spirit). The Lord then broke the bread (this is when the Lord allows you to go through the wilderness where He shows you the nature of your own flesh and carnality (Galatians 5:19-21) and teaches you how to crucify your flesh. This is an experience that the Holy Spirit will design for you based on His assignment for you). The Lord then distributed the bread to the disciples (this is when the Lord releases you to the church and distributes you to the world to fulfill the great commission).
These steps are crucial to the success of the Lord’s chosen vessel. It is a process that will not only empower you but will also allow you to know all the devices of Satan that passes through the nature of the flesh. This process will also allow you to distinguish between the impulses of your own flesh, the counterfeit voice of Satan which attempts to imitate the voice of the Holy Spirit in your own mind. You will now engage in spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12). If you fight the good fight of faith and surrender to the Holy Spirit, you will triumph and return in the power of the Spirit. The voice of the Holy Spirit will become clearer and no weapon formed against you shall proper.
I pray, the Lord strengthens those in leadership positions across the globe who are called and chosen to fulfill the great commission. That they may live a Godly life that reflects the character of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that the Lord will rescue ministers, those Satan has bound, deceived and is using as a tool to mislead many of God’s people astray.
Author: Pastor Andrew A Osei
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