Carrying Humbleness from the wilderness

It is amazing how we see that, in a lot of polls like divorce rates, the church is often worse off compared to the world. People with no religion have a rate of 38%, while if you lump in all the ones who call themselves Christians, it’s at 40%. But for people who at least take their faith seriously, it’s down to 18% — and I’m sure it would be even lower if we removed those who simply check a box from those who truly follow Jesus.

One line of thought I have with this is that the closer we get to Jesus, the more fruit we should have in our lives. But how do we live with this hope — especially in times that, in many ways, echo the book of Revelation? Shouldn’t we have a hope that the world can’t compare to? Yes, there are some who demonstrate this, but most, not so much.

We need to grow in this individually more than we just point a finger at the church and say, “Get it together.” And if you’ve been doing this — pursuing Christ — then I know you’re not being haughty, because it will lead you to get on your knees and pray.

Most people go through seasons of life and never become more Christlike. When tough times hit, they lean on God, but when the good times come, they’re like the prodigal son — a continual prodigal son — which I see also in the story of Hosea and Gomer. Many are that unfaithful spouse in the spirit toward Jesus, our Bridegroom.

God doesn’t intend for us to live that way, but in the hard times, the desperation we have for Him should carry into the blessed times. He wants us to walk in humility and dependence — in both the wilderness seasons and the abundant seasons.

“I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need” (Philippians 4:12). Abased basically means to be brought low or to humble yourself. This is critical in our walk with the Lord — to ooze Jesus in every circumstance.

I’ve heard Dr. Phil say that if you didn’t act sad when something tragic happened, people would think you’re crazy. Yet I’ve heard real stories where tragedy struck and people were completely calm — whether it was losing a loved one and knowing they went to heaven, or even more extreme, standing in a courtroom and forgiving the rapist who killed their daughter. Some would say they are crazy, but the first love of God will make you seem crazy.

It’s in those times that the world sees what’s really in us. Trials reveal to us what God already knows about us. Jesus was led into the wilderness — so why do we think we won’t have those experiences? The whole purpose of a wilderness season is to be able to walk out in power. But it’s not your own power — it belongs to the Father.

In the Bible, we see the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness longer than I believe God intended. As it’s also said in Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, we can stay in our wilderness longer than God desires. God works all things together for those who are His, but our will is involved in that character-forming process. The wilderness should not be seen as an inconvenience, but as an equipping.

We are called to go from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18), being transformed into the same image of Jesus Christ. There’s a problem if we look the same, act the same, and speak the same after being in Christ for five years. We should have the mindset that we never “arrive,” but we should also be constantly improving — and that improvement should be noticeable to others.

God once showed me an image of a fruit-bearing tree attracting wildlife. The Word says, “You will know them by their fruit” (Matthew 7:16, 20). This is where hope is displayed — when we can show the fruit of the Spirit both in the wilderness and in the seasons of blessing.

A characteristic of Jesus is that He remains the same. His reactions may differ depending on the situation, but they always bear fruit. Long-suffering and self-control can be difficult to walk in, but the better we get at displaying them, the better we display Christ.

You don’t owe your emotions the right to manifest through you — they’re simply a signal to reveal yourself to yourself. There’s another side to emotions, too — when you pick them up from someone else — but that’s usually a signal to intercede for them.

The source of carrying humility from the wilderness to the blessing season is abiding in Jesus. This means yielding your whole self to the Spirit and being aware of Him — in the room, and in you. If you need help with this, there’s a “jump starter” called fasting.

To be honest, I love fasting. But let me clarify what I mean. Andrew Murray once said:

“Prayer is reaching out after the unseen; fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything… to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.”

I love fasting because it draws me near to Jesus. It feels like I’m getting closer, but in reality, it’s revealing how close I already am to Him.

I’m not going into deep detail on fasting here, but I want you to know it’s a way to stay in humility — or to return to it when you’ve drifted. A fasting lifestyle can help. Of course, some people have fasted too much, so we must walk in step with Jesus about it. But usually, the problem is the opposite — most people struggle to push the plate away rather than to feast.

The Bible says when you fast (Matthew 6:16–18), and it also says to break bread with your brothers and sisters (Acts 2:42). This is a tool many saints have used.

A person is not defined by how they act when everything is going well, but by how they respond when everything falls apart. Paul learned to be like Jesus both in abundance and in the wilderness.

So when life squeezes us, may what comes out be Jesus. Todd White says it this way:

“When you squeeze an orange, you get orange juice. When you squeeze a Christian, you should get Jesus.”

Let us overflow with Him — until His blood, His love, and His life splatter everywhere you go!