Wilderness, Where Temptation is Waiting

A Warning Devotional. Genesis 4:7

In the Bible, the wilderness is a place of wandering, isolation, and vulnerability. And where there is vulnerability, there is temptation. But we have a choice. The wilderness can either purify us for God’s spirit, or it can add to the dread and loneliness we naturally feel when left alone.

What Is Wilderness?

Wilderness is seen as punishment (Num.14:33), wandering, or isolation (Ex. 19:20). Whether it is for good or for bad depends on the person going through their wilderness period. The wilderness is a punishment when we disobey God or are tossed out by people we love. It is a place of wandering, when we are lost and have no place to go, like Moses and Hagar (Gen. 16:6-7; Exodus 2:15). It is also a place of isolation, where we are alone with just ourselves. Like Moses when he went to Mt. Sinai, or Joseph when he was alone in Egypt and away from his family (Gen. 37:28) Wilderness can also be where we are at the top and have everything we could desire, but still want more, like Saul and David (1 Sam. 15:9, 2 Sam. 11:1-5)

When we find ourselves in a wilderness season based on our circumstances, we are then tested on whether we will succumb to the wickedness of the world, or find the righteousness of God through the clutter and the mess. If you feel as though you are being challenged spiritually, or that everyone seems to be against you, pause, and ask yourself if this is a wilderness season where you are being exposed. Will you give in to temptation, and lash out, or will you focus on God and trust that He has a greater plan?

What Happens In The Wilderness?

What happens in the wilderness is that we are alone, we come to a crossroads, and God speaks to us and changes us (Ex. 3:2). When we are alone with our thoughts, it could be scary. Allowing our mind to be without distraction can let in evil and disheartening thoughts that we wouldn’t think if we had our phone or background noise like our T.V. But being alone can allow God’s voice to break through and speak to us, in that still small voice, so that we can know that He is with us, and He sees us in our hardest times (1 Kings 19:12).

When in the wilderness, we sometimes come to a crossroads, and either make the decision to give in, or trust God wholeheartedly without worrying about the future. Usually when we are making life-changing decisions, it’s easy to listen to every voice that calls to us. But we must remember God’s plan, always. When we study our Word and pray often, it will be revealed what we need to do for our Father’s will to be done .

Also in the wilderness, God speaks to us and reminds us of His goodness and all that He has done (Psalm 143:8). This is so that we can be nudged in the right direction to overcome temptation (1 Kings 19:3-8). Whether it’s His actual voice, or whether we are suddenly reminded of a song or scripture that brings us comfort, God is always there, and knows exactly what we need to bring us out of our temptations and our wilderness.

How Can We Be Overcome By The Wilderness?

We can be overcome by the wilderness and its temptation through anger, pride, entitlement, and doubt. When Cain’s offering was dismissed, his anger began. Even though he was warned about the evil that could overcome him, Cain took his brother “out into a field” and succumbed to his feelings of jealousy and anger (Gen. 4:3-8). Samson, in all his glory and strength, succumbed to the wiles of foreign women despite his predestined calling of being a Nazarite for the Lord (Judges 14:3-20). But this was only the tip of the iceberg. Samson continued to give in whenever his companion would pester him repeatedly. His redemption was an unfortunate—but victorious—end (Judges 16:28-31).

David’s wandering eyes and his position as King guaranteed him everything he could ever want—even though God would’ve given him anything. His sin—rejecting God’s holy plan for marriage and love—caused a rift that was eventually renewed and recovered, but not at the loss of a child and a mother’s heart (2 Sam. 11-12:7-8). David is a perfect example of how you can find yourself in a wilderness even though you think that everything is going right. Even when we think life is going well, we must still be careful to remember that God is owed the glory, and without Him we cannot claim anything.

Another way we are overcome is by doubting God’s ability to provide for us when we are low, or in our disbelief that God is with us even when we have proof that He is. This was the case with the Israelites, who did not hesitate to complain at all points in the Exodus from Egypt (Ex. 14:11-12; 15:24; 16:2). The Israelites doubted when going in to take their Promised Land, and suffered through idolatry and turning from God. Again, they were in that certain position where they were unsure and afraid because the Canaanites were stronger, and victory seemed impossible (Judges 1:21-36). The Israelites were cursed to wander for 40 years because of their lack of trust, faith, and obedience for God (Numbers 14:33). Their doubt became their literal wilderness (Heb. 3:16-19).

How Can We Overcome Wilderness?

We can overcome the Wilderness and its temptations by resisting the Enemy, and by trusting, choosing, depending, and knowing our God. Like Joseph, we must resist the things that may seem good while we are in our wilderness (Gen. 39:7-12). Like Joshua and Caleb, we must trust in God when He has already told us what He will do (Num. 14:6-9). And God is faithful to remind us and show us “Look! I have given it to you!” when we are afraid (Josh. 6:2). We must choose God when the future is unclear, and the outcome is uncertain. Ruth had every reason to return to her own home and make a new start. But she stayed faithful to Naomi and God and found blessings and protection all around (Ruth 1:16-17; 4:10-22). And like David while he was a shepherd, we must depend on God, evening when staring in the face of evil. David, when he saw Goliath, had no fear, but instead promised that Goliath would be like the bear and lion that David had killed (1 Sam. 17:36-47). His radical faith in God rewarded him with saving Israel and establishing its first prosperous monarchy.

Finally, the best way to overcome temptation while we are in our wilderness season, is to know and speak scripture over our lives and worship God. We can look to the ultimate Resister of Temptation: Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:18, 4:15). Jesus quoted scripture—correct scripture—when he had to face the literal wilderness. And in this wilderness of being spiritually perfect, allowed God’s will to be done so He could be the sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus overcame his wilderness by repeating verbatim the Word of God three times to Satan ( Matthew 4:3-10):

·      For the lust of the flesh, He reminded us to rely on God’s word more than anything. (Deut. 8:3)

·      For the lust of arrogance and pride, He reminded us not to tempt God by believing that God owes us in any way. (Deut. 6:16)

·      For the lust of idolatry, Jesus reminds us that there is only one God, and putting anything before him is a sure way to destruction of oneself. (Deut. 6:5)

Jesus’ victory over his wilderness shows us that when we read the Bible and apply it to our lives, we can also overcome our temptations. Jesus is the prime example of resisting the evil that is in the world and using your wilderness as a chance to see God for who He is and loving Him as He is. We must do this, despite what is happening both inside and around us.

----Sherry Amor