God has such great things in store for us as His own sons and daughters. He wants us to know His faithfulness, His goodness, and that His promises are true. God is always looking for faith. He is looking for those who are not settling for less but are always drawing near to Him no matter what is going on. If you feel like you are in a wilderness, just know that God has plans to bring you out. Also realize that your wilderness is not the promised land that God has for you. Don't grow accustomed to it because He has far more in store for your life!
Wandering in the Wilderness of an Orphan Mindset
"Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness." (1 Corinthians 10:1-5)
Did you know that God has not called you to wander in a wilderness? God has called you to much better things. Israel wandered in the wilderness after having come out of Egypt, but they still needed to get Egypt out of them. So, they wandered and they wandered, following the cloud. Yes, they had supernatural signs and even manna from Heaven (God's provision for a season), but it was only meant for a season, not for life. However, as it is with the natural man, they continued wandering the wilderness thinking that was the best that God had to offer.
They didn't have a heart to cross over into the Promised Land, but justified their existence in the wilderness by making poor excuses, along with their poor choices, because of an orphan mindset. This resulted in their needless death in the wilderness.
God had tried to bring them close, but they refused. He never intended to have an exclusive relationship with Moses because the Lord wanted a Kingdom of priests that would know Him face to face. Joshua and Caleb would be the only ones from that wicked generation to enter into the Promised Land. They were those who believed, and God honored them for their faith.
The Food of Promise
"For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD – to whom the LORD swore that He would not show them the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, 'a land flowing with milk and honey.'
"Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year." (Joshua 5:6, 10-12)
All creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. As sons, we live by promise. Yes, everyone has a wilderness, but not for life. God calls us to draw close, have faith and take territory as sons that know Him. We don't settle for less but go for all that God has for us.
Good is the enemy of best. It is easy to camp on one level of what you've experienced in the Lord and settle for that. Obviously, we should always be content with the Lord in the context of our relationship with Him. On the other hand, we should always be taking more ground, as God has created us to do so. Jesus told His disciples we are to occupy until He comes. God wants us to be fruitful in our lives as we are connected to Him.
We see, as the Israelites crossed over into the Promised Land, that the manna ceased. The form of provision that they were accustomed to ended. Now they were eating promised food – the produce of the land. It was an entirely different provision that was innate to the land they had entered into. They no longer had to wait for manna to fall from Heaven each day. They were in a land flowing with milk, honey and so much more. (Photo via Unsplash)
This is what happens when we walk as sons before the Lord. He has something so much better for His people. We all have to make a choice of whether we want to stay distant or draw near; to believe and move into the promises that God has for us. It is through His promises that we are partakers of His very divine nature. How amazing is that?
The Spirit of Adoption
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.'" (Romans 8:14-15)
Adoption is a beautiful thing. God really wants us to grab hold of the spirit of adoption, which is the nature of God demonstrated in His Spirit. We've been adopted into the family of God. Of course, as it is with natural adoption, so it is with spiritual. There is a season of transformation as we take on the characteristics of our Father in Heaven. As we take hold of His promises we are being changed into His likeness.
Even before this, God gives us the ultimate jump-start, as we are made new creations in Christ. Being new creations means our inner man (the spirit man or new creation of who we are) is, in totality, created after God's nature. In the new creation, we have a new nature. We have the choice to live by this new nature. The second aspect is that we have a mind that needs to be retrained in its thinking – renewed by the Word of God. This is part of God's adoption process so that we will become like Him. He wants us to think like Him, talk like Him and act like Him. Jesus is the firstborn of many brethren. We are part of that brethren.
Just as we are adopted, we also want to take on the heart of adoption in its essence of compassion, love, grace and how we can help others. Just as the Holy Spirit is the Helper, so we take on that same nature of the Holy Spirit.
"And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!' Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." (Galatians 4:6-7)
A slave is like an orphan. The commonality is that there is a total disconnection from the Father's heart of love. Because of this, there is the peril of ignorance that leaves one without intimate knowledge of God. There is also a lack of understanding all the Father has already supplied in every aspect of life. Those who live by the law – having a legalistic mindset or living by a set of rules – find themselves in the same place as a slave or an orphan, where the relationship is devoid of intimacy with God. The result is the tragic loss of the reality of the Holy Spirit in such a life, even leaving a person devoid of the revelation of God's graciousness and goodness.
"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18) (Photo via Flickr)
Jesus says it so beautifully: "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." There is such depth in these few words. The solution is revealed in that He says, "I will come to you." The root issue of the orphan spirit is being alone or loneliness. Jesus says that He is going to come to us, be with us and dwell with us. An even better reality is that He sent His Spirit to live inside of us. It does not get any closer than that! That is the spirit of adoption.
We have the most amazing access point, through the Holy Spirit, to the Father's heart. Because of this, we are never alone. The solution God has already provided for all Believers is found in a life of communion with God through His Spirit. When people try to access God outside of His Holy-Spirit prescription, they become frustrated, empty, disappointed, and they feel alone.
Better Promises
"But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises." (Hebrews 8:6)
If you've ever studied the book of Hebrews, then you will know that one of the key themes is better. All that Christ has accomplished in the new covenant is superior to the old covenant. The old covenant is totally inferior to the new that we have in Christ. It is not uncommon for people who believe in Jesus to accept His gift of salvation but then live outside of intimate relationship with Him, never understanding just how much better His promises to us are. Jesus' priestly ministry was fashioned after the priestly order of Melchizedek, not the Aaronic priesthood.
The priesthood of Aaron was during the time of Moses (the Law), but Melchizedek was during the time of Abraham (the father of faith). He actually paid tithes to Melchizedek before the Law was ever given. Because of this, we have a vast inheritance through Christ where all the promises of God are YES.
If our minds are not renewed on His promises, then we miss out on the best that God has for us. God does not want us to be ignorant but aware of all He has promised to us. There are thousands upon thousands of promises in Scripture that we can lay hold of. That is a lot of promises! I truly believe that our relationship with the Holy Spirit is key to bringing these promises to life for us. After all, He is the author of the Book.
Set your heart to live with God's best for your life, the promises of God. Your own ignorance is your worst enemy. Stir your spirit to pursue God, not settle for less and move into the promised land that God has for you in Christ! Don't live by the law, live by His promises. You can have the largest library of information at your disposal and not have your eyes opened to the truth of God's Spirit. Ask the Lord to pour out His Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may walk in the fullness of His abundant life!
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John and Brandi Belt
Overflow Global Ministries
Email: hello@overflowglobal.com
Website: www.overflowglobal.com
John and Brandi Belt are the leaders of Overflow Global Ministries. The heart of their message is that God's greatest desire is to indwell His people with His presence. They believe that man was created to be inhabited by God through His Spirit. With a sincere devotion to God through the Holy Spirit, people can live in a place of overflow in His presence. This overflow translates into touching the lives of others through living encounters with God. When John and Brandi minister, the intimate presence of God is manifest – being accompanied with demonstrations of God's power to heal, revive, and restore.
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