hey it's Jennifer LeClaire you probably know me from my books on the prophetic
ministry and you know as a prophetic voice as one who operates a prophetic
ministry I have gone through my fair share of wilderness experiences and I've
learned during those times I try to always learn from every experience that
I have good or bad I want to learn what I did wrong so I don't do it again right
and I want to learn what I did right so I could do more of it I want to learn
the ways of God I want to learn what moves God's heart and certainly in the
wilderness I wanted to learn why I was there and how I can get out you know and
if you are anything like me then you probably feel the same way and so today
I want to talk to you about three reasons why you might be stuck in the
wilderness right now three reasons why you might find yourself in the
wilderness today so let's dive into that here you know here's the deal you know
God didn't promise us a better roses that there would never be trial or
tribulation no matter fact jesus said there would be trouble in the world and
he you did so we'd only walk through peaks all of us we walk through valleys
and we have littered as experiences that's just part of it it's part of the
walk especially if you're in prophetic ministry and I believe there's this
continual making process that I talk about in my book the making of a prophet
there's this continual making process never ends I mean you you know you get
some things taken care of but there's always something else and that's the
same for any Christian to see and for a new believer I mean we are constantly
being worked on being transformed into God's image sometimes we go through the
wilderness so but here's the deal there's there's a big difference right
between being a voice crying in the wilderness and obedience to God and
finding yourself stuck in the wilderness going around and around the same
mountain over and over and over and over and over you gotta you know you go right
there formed around the mountain and if you're in a rut hey listen up you have
experienced both of these realities and I can tell you that you know being a
voice crying in the wilderness is liberating because you know you're smack
dab in the center of God's will and I never minded being a voice crying in the
wilderness I was never in a hurry to get out of the
wilderness I knew that God would reveal me in his time the latter is frustrating
because you know you're absolutely missing it when you when you're stuck in
the wilderness when you're doing in sin same old patterns the same old thing
over and over and a psyche you know when will I learn oh why is that double O is
manifesting at this time of the year what is going on you know there's there
it could be a demonic pattern it has nothing to do with the wilderness or it
could be a wilderness issue of course if you don't have a revelation of why
you're in the wilderness if your MC for your big coming-out party even though
it's not God's timing then you're going to be frustrated also you know so how do
we sort of interpret these wilderness experiences because we all have them
well with help from the Word of God in the Spirit of God that's the only way I
mean I'm going to offer up a few possibilities in in this video and you
can read the column on charisma mag com but you know the deal is is you can't
play guessing games and the things of the Spirit
you can't deduce you can't use logic you can't use reasoning things of the Spirit
have to be spiritually discerned so if you find yourself in the wilderness
these three ways on these three reasons I'm going to share could very well be it
but there could be something else so don't sort of take these things and
try to you know yeah I see if it applies but if it doesn't don't give up keep
pressing into God find out what's going on and whatever you do don't give up
don't give up so the first reason is really the one that's the least pleasant
and I'm hoping that this doesn't apply to you but if it does I hope God pricks
your heart and you can get this straight because this is a big one so the first
reason is unbelief and rebellion either of these will leave you wandering in the
wilderness far far longer than you have any care to be there so sometimes you
know it's just like year after year like we were talking about before it feels I
can go over the same mountain around the same mountain over and over and over and
it's probably because you are you know it was a three-day journey through the
wilderness to the promised land took the Israelites 40 years 40 years
why did it take so long well one reason was unbelief I mean father was prepared
to take him into the promised land a couple years after they left Egypt but
then you know Moses sent the spies the 12 spies spy
the land spy out the promised land and ten of them came back with an even
report and it may got so mad he call it an evil report and numbers 14 God wanted
he waited until all of he said it he suitings gonna do it he did it he waited
till all the unbelieving men of that generation passed away before he let
them Israelites go into the Promised Land it was only Joshua and Caleb that
were uh you know adults during that time of the rest of them God waited for me to
die out you didn't want that stuff in the Promised Land you can't move in the
Promised Land in unbelief you're not gonna stay there long if you've got
unbelief in your heart you might somehow look your way in it you know somehow
stumble into it but you're not going to stay there you can't live in the
promised land and I believe it's just don't they know that I can grow it you
know Psalm 78 17 also notes another reason why the Israelites were in the
wilderness so long is because they rebelled against God Hebrews warns
Hebrews three eight nine says do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion
in the day of trial in the wilderness or your father's tested me tried me and saw
my works forty years I mean they have seen miracles they had seen you know the
the Red Sea divided they have seen the Egyptian army drowned they had seen
manna fall from heaven quell fall from heaven they had seen water come out of
Iraq they had seen all manner of miracles and they still were in dust
disbelief unbelief and they were still rebelling against God come on come on
have you seen miracles what has God done for you in your life and maybe you're
still not completely trusting in I know it's a process no condemnation but
listen if you've been in the wilderness for years and years and you're just keep
hitting that wall it could yeah it could be that there's a demon it could be that
you need deliverance but it could just be that you've got unbelief in your
heart you don't even know it ask the Holy Spirit look at my operating and
don't believe do I just not believe the Lord help my unbelief you know in that
case study the word you stood up the word dig it out whatever you're
believing God for that you feel like is your being captive in the wilderness
study it out find the promises of God that you feel apply to your heart dig
out those prophetic words that you've received and you're like how come this
hasn't come to pass well maybe you didn't believe it
meditate on it believe it if it's of God you know could be rebellion in your
heart too you know don't turn off the video the
next two are really good reasons alright but know if this is you if this is real
God's work in your heart just deal with it it's not that big of a deal to deal
with it okay just repent get in the word get a
strategy and go forward and get out of the wilderness
otherwise you're just gonna stay there I don't want that for you and God doesn't
want that for you he doesn't want you there any longer than you have to be
there he wants you in the promised land he wants you blessed he wants you come
on you know that God loves you he allowed us to go through wilderness
experiences sometimes the me doesn't love us means there's something he's
trying to do so let's cooperate with them let's get it
done let's move forward alright the second reason why you might find
yourself in the wilderness is that God is just waiting for his perfect time to
reveal you you don't want to get out of God's timing cousin you're gonna step
into a bunch of warfare you're not ready for all right see look at John the
Baptist I mean it seems like he spent much of his life in the wilderness right
I mean Luke records this about John and Luke one and eighty it says so the child
grew and became strong in spirit and was in the desert till the day of his
beneficent manifestation to Israel so John was the one that Isaiah prophesied
about in Isaiah 40 verse 3 the voice of one crying in the wilderness prepare the
way of the Lord make straight in the desert a highway for our God and we know
that that John did just as just that I mean John that he was the fulfillment of
that prophecy from Isaiah Mark recorded it he pulled out of Isaiah when when he
recorded John's life he said in mark 1 4 and 5 that John came baptizing in the
wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins
then all the land in Judea and those from Jerusalem went out to him and were
baptized by him in the Jordan River confessing their sins this was a
confession of sins a cleansing but not a not like Jesus did but this was
preparing their hearts for the Messiah this was
making way for Jesus their hearts would be more tender to God
so John's public ministry listen John public ministry lasted only a few months
really until after you know after he was it came out of the wilderness it was
just a few months before Herod had him killed but but he fulfilled his ministry
see John it was the timing of God it was a timing of God he was revealed in God's
timing and He fulfilled his destiny and that's what we want if we have to stay
in the wilderness until just before Jesus comes back and then we're revealed
and we go out and do one little thing God wanted us to do in obedience to him
and then we're killed or then Jesus comes back so be it we have to be
willing to do whatever God wants us to do even if that's being hidden in a
prayer closet all the days of our life okay this is not about man receiving
glory God's not gonna give his glory to another we cannot we better not touch
God's glory this is not about us having a big pulpit ministry or a big platform
and it is not about us having a big book ministry it's not about us having
anything other than God's heart in the matter God's will in a matter
God's Spirit on a matter okay we need the mind of God on the matter and we
have the mind of Christ but so many times we want to get ahead of God we've
got to stop that alright John was at the wilderness not because of anything he
was doing wrong John's manifestation was a matter of God's tiny but see he was
prepared in the wilderness if you're in the wilderness now allow God to prepare
you he received revelation in the wilderness
if you're in the wilderness now seek out revelation in the word seek out
revelation in prayer John learned humility and obedience in the wilderness
if you're in the wilderness right now seek to find that grace of obedience to
the flow in that grace of obedience John the build up build a strong relationship
with God in the wilderness if you find yourself in the wilderness take heart
spend more time with God press in hit that relationship with him he's got
something prepared for you that's so marvelous your I can't even see your ear
has not heard your mind has not thought of it it's wonderful so take the time
right now if you're in the wilderness get to know him you cannot go wrong that
way you you might even get out faster that way
but in any case you're gonna get what you're there for
if you press into God you're gonna get everything you're there for you don't
have to necessarily go back see if we get out of the wilderness we sort of
push our way out and force our way through and that you know sort of do our
own thing you know first of all this rebellion second of all its own belief
and third of all we'll probably find ourselves smack down right middle at the
center of the wilderness again at some point not too long from now wind up
falling we got to be in God's timing and God's gracious you know we think we
following God and we missed it easy gonna cover us I'm talking about
willful disobedience here okay there's a big difference between sincerely
thinking God's calling you somewhere and missing it and deciding that you know by
George I'm gonna do what I want to do God you know you're too slow for me
whatever no don't do that okay you will like the results and the third reason
why it is a good one - you'll like this the third reason why you might find
yourself in the wilderness right now is because you know maybe God is is
positioning you for greater power I mean the Holy Spirit may actually drive you
into the wilderness cruces and and that's what happened to Jesus right in
Matthew 4 and 1 the Bible says Jesus was led up by the spirit into the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil that's no fun that's what happened and so see Satan
offered Jesus those three temptations and all those three temptations are
common to man didn't go study that out Luke 4 but Jesus didn't bite on the
devil's bait see God really knows what we're gonna do God knows if we're gonna
fall for the in temptation or if we're not gonna fall for them temptation but
we need to see what we're gonna do because when we see where we lack then
we turn to God who doesn't lack to fill up what we lack you know that's the
response when we miss it we need to go to God and can get strengthened in that
area repent if strengthened in that area
Jesus didn't bite on the on the temptation he wielded the sword of the
Spirit which is the word of God and the enemy went packing he resisted the
devil's temptation in the double fled but look what happened next
Luke 14 look Luke 4:14 says then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to
Galilee and of him went throughout all of the
surrounding region he returned in power T Jesus it was already baptized in the
Holy Spirit it he gained power through his wilderness experience you can gain
power through your wilderness experience you can do it that might be why you're
there even if that's not why you're there you can still gain power by
yielding to the Holy Spirit by asking him to fill you by yielding to him Jesus
went into the synagogue and essentially declared his public ministry when he
left there the first thing he did was what cast out the devil he'd never done
that before the next thing he did was start healing people he'd never done
that before okay he left in the power of the Spirit started casting out Devils
and working miracles praise God that awesome so if you find yourself in a
period of temptation used the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to
resist the devil and know that God wants to take you to a higher place God wants
to take you to a higher place he really does his plans for you were good you
know take a lesson from David he spent much of his life in the wilderness
either tending sheep or running from Saul you know either an obscurity or you
know being haunted and David did one other wise men have done during
wilderness times he got closer to God and that's the biggest thing I would ask
you to take away from this no matter why you're there use the time to get closer
to God if you find yourself the wilderness check your heart and take joy
and fellowshipping with God like David did and Psalm 63 when he was in the
wilderness of Judah he said this oh god you are my god early will I seek you my
soul thirsts for you my flesh longs for you in a dry and thirsty land where
there is no water so I have looked for you in the sanctuary to see your power
and your glory amen amen so let me pray for you before you go be
sure to subscribe to my youtube channel right there on the click the red button
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Jennifer LeClaire.org and Facebook facebook.com slash prophetic books we
have a lot of cool conversations there so let me pray for you before we go
father I'd I thank you I thank you for your anointing I thank you for your
grace I think that when you allow us to go
through wilderness Berrien says that you have a purpose and
a plan and a reason for that season and we ask you God to give us wisdom to walk
according to your word no matter what season we find ourselves in help us Lord
to stand strong during the temptations that come the wilderness and even
outside the wilderness while there help us to walk in your will no matter where
we find ourselves help us come we love you and for all those in the wilderness
god I ask you to encourage them by your spirit and with your word encourage
their hearts God speak to them speak to them clearly got just a word of
encouragement just let this let them feel your presence in your love even in
the wilderness I thank you Lord for all those listening to my voice I ask you to
bless them and Jesus name Amen well thanks again I will see you next week
until then know what season you're in and walk it out in God's will amen