“And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness.” (Mark 1:11-12)

Are you in the middle of a difficult situation? Of course you are. Life is full of them. It would be a challenge to find someone who isn’t going through something that feels overwhelming, and unfair.

The enemy would have us think that we’re the only one struggling. The only one suffering. The only one with heartache. The only one with questions. The only one who doesn’t have it all together. Of course, this is the furthest from the truth. If you put all of humanity in a bag, shook it up, and poured it out, we’re all going through similar situations.

So, back to the question. If God loves me, why am I going through this? When Jesus was baptized by John, it was a glorious experience. When He came up out of the water, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove and a voice from Heaven declared, Thou art my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

Wow! That sounds like amazing favor. Surely Jesus’ life would be marked only by good and pleasant circumstances from then on. If we read the very next verse, however, we see this was not the case. Scripture says the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness immediately after His baptism where He was tempted of satan for forty days.

How can this be right? How can this be fair? The truth is Jesus had a great call on His life. A great ministry to fulfill. Before He could begin His public ministry, and fulfill His calling, some things had to be settled. He was God robed in flesh. That flesh, the man, had to go through a time of testing just as we all do.

If Jesus had given in to satan’s tempting at any point, and He could have, He would not have been ready to begin the ministry He came to the earth to accomplish. The offering of Himself as humanity’s sinless sacrifice. His flesh had to be strong enough to resist every temptation the enemy put before Him.

But He was God, so was it really a temptation? Absolutely. He was fully God, AND fully man. He did feel tempted, but He didn’t give in to the feelings of temptation. Instead, He turned to the Word of God, and stood on what He knew, not what He felt.

Forty days in the wilderness was no picnic. Hunger. Thirst. Blazing hot days. Frigid nights. Wild beasts. The enemy mocking Him every moment. Still, when Jesus came out of the wilderness, out of the time of testing, He came out in the power of the Holy Ghost, ready to begin His public ministry, and fulfill His calling.

So why are you going through your season of temptation? Life is full of variables. You could be in your situation because of previous bad choices. You could be going through hard times due to others’ choices, as well. You might be going through the same challenges because you continue to give in to the temptations of the enemy.

Many people get locked into a pattern of suffering the same types of situations over and over because they never respond correctly with the Word of God, prayer and faith. Instead, they continue to react to difficulty with their emotions, and feelings will lead you wrong much of the time.

Is it possible that you have a great calling on your life? Is it possible that God has a ministry planned for you that will help many people? Is it possible that God has been allowing the enemy limited access to your life in order to test your level of faith? Is it possible that God is working to mature you, so that you can com out of your wilderness experience in the power of the Holy Ghost?

I pray you begin to view your situation through the lens of Truth, and learn to respond to the enemy’s temptations with the Word of God, and faith. Your ministry may be just on the other side of this wilderness.

Blessings In Jesus’ Name!

-Pat