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When i was a teenager , i use to love walking around my neighborhood where we lived we boarded broad river and harbison state forest so a-lot of natural areas of exploration.

So many times i would be walking the trails and see something interesting off trail and go investigate.

I found cool caves and once behind my house i found a make shift tree house that i added on until one rainy day the weight of a feather knocked it down, once even an area with some old unused sewer concrete pipes.

Reinforced concrete pipes.

With a few chairs around it and a little dug out campfire area and we would get off the bus go up to this area and act a fool.

See adventures generally start off with an interest to see whats over a hill, or under a bridge.

Whats that colorful thing in this distance.

OR maybe even a myth or legendary story a kid would tell on the bus that would leave us searching the woods or an area for some fascinating structure.

Into the unknown we would go.

Those were the days.

Anyone else experience that childhood?

Well this is part of who we are.

See Humans have this drive to explore the unknown, we want to discover this whole universe, push the boundaries of our limits and then push even further to see what we are fully capable of

This exploration is how we discover new depths and happen upon hidden treasures.

This isnt part of our fallen man, its part of us that God has planted.

Our entire person Body Spirit and Soul wants to be on a course of some sort of exploration.

See what ive found interesting in my own life any maybe you can relate to this as well.

i Enjoy going into the wilderness i enjoy journeing into the unknown when im in charge.

But someone else is leading me i dont want to go.

If a friend of mine who i know has no since of direction is taking me into a wilderness area im not sure if i can trust him.

lets get serious with this now when The Holy Spirit begins to walk me into a wilderness area its not that i dont trust Holy Spirit.

Its that im now not in control.

God uses the Holy Spirit to walk us into many a different areas in our life’s.

We’re okay with being taken to the mountain top.

Because we can have a refreshing of God’s awareness, we can be in wonder and awe with a mountain top experience.

Or when God takes us through the garden, Where we see new creation in our lives, we see a place of wholeness and Gods fruitfulness.

Even when H.S. takes us down by the water where he refreshes my soul, when we get nourishment and peace while we build this trust with God.

But what we dont want is For God to take us into the Desert place or the Wilderness.

God uses different accesses of terrain to shape and cultivate who we need to be to receive the promises of tomorrow.

over the next few weeks we are going to look at some of these different stories to better familiarize ourself with walks that God may be taking us on.

Today were going to start with a place we all love to be....The Wilderness....

So what is the wilderness.

We can define

wilderness is the exploration of the unknown and untouched.

Last week we talked a little about a wilderness spot.

See the wilderness in the OT is often referred to as a desert place.

This desert isn’t what we know it as with sand for ages.

But the desert in Judaea was rocky dry with little water and nothing inhabited it.

Last week we had a conversation about a weakness.

Or rather we talked about what we do with the fragile, sensitive parts of our lives.

For some its a secret sin we dont want anyone to find out about.

Its not that you want to be stuck in this sin but its exactly that.

you’re stuck.

In this circle of death.

You get caught up and find yourself masking who you are in the cover of shame.

For others

We mentioned that we all have weaknesses, some that cause limitations in what, where, or how we can do things.

Those of you also, Though a course of fragile moments cover up life in a cloth of shame.

Your weaknesses, weather self inflicted or naturally dealt.

Are God’s strongholds.

You are God’s people.

You are His children.

those things have no power over who you are.

But God takes our weaknesses and creates in us new life.

Even though us God brings New Life to those around you amen!

Lets look at a few moments where God sends his people out into the unknown

I will Make you....and i will bless you

I will Make you....and i will bless you.

God instructs abram hey go…go where i send you.

So abram gathered his belongings and went.

Notices that if you keep reading where Abram was sent.....was a place of famine....

Sometimes the place we are designed to go isnt the blessing but its the making of one.

This word wilderness is one we are familiar with but dont want to be apart of.

We generally dont want to be in a place like the wilderness.

Especially not spiritually speaking.

When we think of biblical wilderness we general have the image of people wondering around in circles with no place to go.

The wilderness is dry, desolte, uninhabited place.

Not something that we want to partake.

Escpecially if we have just recieved a calling from God.

Abraham went from a famine, to family seperation, to a entire cities desolation, into another test and trial…so on and so forth the story continues but we know that because of Abrahams persistance and faithfulness an entire nation was born.

A nation that was promised a land that out would flow milk and honey.

I dont know about you but i work hard day and night not to provide for my family a place of contentment.

But i want to provide a place that can produce milk and honey in abundance.

I love my Wife and I love my Children enough to pray blessings over there lifes and future families and generations to come that could prosper from the work ive done here.

Its interesting that in the bible when you see wilderness times in the bible they often are right after mountain top experiences.

We expect Holy Spirit to show up but we arent ready for the growth he brings us.

When we go into the desert wilderness where nothing survives but the truth, we tend to fall away or run out of a the wilderness with the last bit of strength we had to survive another day..

Mountain top Experience met with Wilderness experience

This same thing happens with Jesus.

Jesus in Mark 1 9-13

What happens in the wilderness.

First we have to understand nothing survives the wilderness.

In the Israelites days the Wilderness looked like this

Picture here

Its a land of endless amounts of nothingness.

The wilderness is a few things.

Its a land without food, scarce on water, no rain fall, which all of these things would mean no permanent settlement could be formed here.

We cant stay in the wilderness without Gods’ supply.

Wilderness doesn't produce so people back then would avoid traveling through a wilderness.

Even if that means to completely by pass from town to town all the way around .

Jeremiah gives us a perfect definition of a wilderness.

So this is the wilderness in the bible what does this look like in me and you?

Some of us may have been living our best life things are going great and then you found out someone wasnt being honest with you and suddenly you are in a wilderness.

You thought spouse was being faithful, and your spouse wasnt, So now youre in a wilderness,