The Journey ~ Struggling through the wilderness to reach the Promised Land

“And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord Thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep His commandments, or no. And He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know, that man doth not live by bread only, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live,” Deuteronomy 8:2 & 3

Over and over in the Word of God, we see the wilderness concept. The Israelites wrestled with God during their forty year excursion to the Promised Land. Joseph was thrown into a pit in the wilderness before he was sold into slavery. The prophets refer to the wilderness experience frequently. Jesus was tempted by the Devil during His forty day wilderness period.

“… In the day of temptation in the wilderness,” Hebrews 3:8.

Metaphorically, ‘wilderness’ refers to the time of trial and testing for the believers in Christ. According to Hebrews 3 & 4, those who believe find rest for their souls upon entering the Promised Land of the New Covenant; those in unbelief stay stuck in their own personal wilderness.

It is in this wilderness trial and testing time that Jesus Himself comes to find us.

“Behold, I, even I will both search My sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh our his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out My sheep, and will deliver them out of all places, where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day,” Ezekiel 34:11 & 12.

Should any of us then be surprised by black clouds of our same sex attractions and our fleshly lusts? You may ask, “How do I make sense of these intense feelings? I will take the time to sort out these confusing thoughts, emotions and desires later in this booklet. But first, pay particular attention to the personal stories, mine and of my friends, who have also wrestled with same sex attraction. Each of us is at a different place in our journey and we are convinced that God will continue to guide each of us on His path of righteousness, reaching the Promised Land of rest and peace.

Hopefully this booklet will encourage all who read to surrender to God’s will; choosing to love purely and maturely, crucifying the flesh to live IN Christ. May your burdens be lightened and may you find answers to some of your hardest questions.

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth, shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert,” Isaiah 43:19.

For the rest of the story, look for "The Journey" on the right side of this blog.