“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”
Abraham Lincoln
I took a self-defense class that was taught by a secret service man who guarded one of our former presidents. It was an intense experience. We used melons to simulate the feeling of pushing someone’ eyes into their sockets. Freaked me out to say the least!
One of the activities involved taking a long stick and screaming while hitting a dummy that simulated a bad guy. As we stood in line, many people were yelling profanity at this dummy and hitting it over and over. When it was my turn, I could not do it. I tried to hit the dummy, but to no avail. I broke down and cried! Talk about one of life’s most embarrassing moments! I not only felt stupid for not being able to hit the dummy, but then I broke down and cried in front of the entire class. I realized for the first time that I didn’t have a “voice”.
That may be how many of us feel in our Wilderness experience. We have been pushed and shoved for a long time and have just put up it. We find ourselves cowering in a corner, unable to fight. Part of the Wilderness experience is learning to rise up. When the enemy pushes us one too many times and backs us into a corner, then we finally coming out swinging. It is discovering our voice and saying, “Enough is enough!” We begin to rise up in authority and declare God’s promises loudly. We say, “No more!” to sickness. Or “Enough!” to financial troubles. We begin to rise up and learn the authority we have through Jesus.
When Jesus came out of the Wilderness, He came out with power and authority. It was not until He came out of the Wilderness that He did His first miracle and started His ministry. The Wilderness is our testing and proving ground to learn our authority in Christ. It is having a voice and no longer letting the enemy have his way with us. It is loudly declaring “No more!” like Moses who took his stick and broke the waters that stood in his way.
Declare aloud today the promises God has spoken over you. Get some grit in your voice and mean it. You will be surprised how much power you will feel coming from that declaration. Back it with some Scripture and see how much more power is released.
It is time to kick the enemy off your land and take territory.
Hit the dummy!
“I saw Satan fall like lighting.”
Luke 10:18 (NIV)
One fateful decision landed me smack in the middle of my own Wilderness…
Though I was obeying God’s voice, I spent the next several years “walking on water,” even though it felt more like I was treading water. A Journey Out of the Wilderness is for people going through a rough time—a Wilderness experience—where you feel as though you are “down for the count” and ready to give up. Wilderness Wanderers feel as though they are doing laps around the mountain, passing the same tree over and over again wondering, “Will this never end?” However, being in the Wilderness will be one of the most transformational times of your life.