walking through seasons of spiritual dryness
walk or crawl?
After enduring a few years of this desert season, I wonder if I could believe again. How will I find my way after feeling so lost? Then, I come across a journal entry – a letter actually – that I wrote to myself for encouragement. It reminds me of the faith I once had and am humbled.
rediscovering God’s purpose
How does God deal with us during the desert season? He loves us, but what does that love look like and can it really be a deeper kind of love? Another day passes in my desert season, and there’s no relief sight. I search for my friend Ulaama’s gift to me, a bookmark with the bible verse Isaiah 58:11 written in Mongolian:
God as your Portion - what you are asking for
The way to enjoy the desert season is to align with God’s purpose for leading you into a desert time. The first purpose is so that you would know God as your Portion. It is a lot easier to crystallize some of the things that we lay down (what we are not asking for) when we seek God as our Portion, but what exactly are we asking for? Are we asking for an experience? An encounter? A revelation? To see his face? To see his glory? To know him?
container for God Himself
Passion for heart-character growth comes from that burning desire for God Himself, and from knowing what His primary purpose for building heart-character is: to give us more of Himself. Often in the church we use others terms for character growth like “growing in Christ-likeness” and “sanctification.”
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The concept of character and character growth is one of the least understood ideas in effective Christian living. It is the least understood because it has incredible depth.
passion for the glory of God
Passion for the glory of God is similar to our growth in heart character. It is not something that we do or obtain, but something that God develops in us. Paul writes that suffering, produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope – hope in the glory of God. When we set our hope on the glory of God, it is like setting our eyes on a fixed point on the horizon, allowing us to walk in a straight path through the desert seasons.
temptations in the desert (part 1)
In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ temptation in the desert, Jesus has an extraordinary moment of blessing and favor.
living by the Spirit
One night after many long nights of feeling discontent with my spiritual walk with God, I couldn’t fall asleep, or rather I didn’t want to sleep until I figure out what is bothering me. I reached a limit with myself; I crossed some imaginary line that I set with myself – a line that defines what level of maturity and behavior I should accept in myself – and that troubles me.
Currently reminding myself…
This too shall pass.