Isaiah 35 (KJV)
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengence, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you.
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Read the scripture carefully, and have a pen and paper ready.
When it comes to your spiritual life, what do you think of when hearing the words: wilderness, desert, parched ground, habitation of dragons? Now, what do you think of when you hear the words: blossom abundantly, excellency, streams in the desert, grass with reeds and rushes? Seriously, tell me what comes to mind: write it down.
NOBODY WANTS TO BE STUCK IN A DESERT! NOT ONE INDIVIDUAL WILL VOLUNTEER TO GO INTO THE WILDERNESS! YOU CAN NOT GET A PERSON TO AGREE ON PERMANENT RESIDENCE WITHIN A LAND WITHOUT WATER!
With that being said, and I would think we all agree on the statement, "Why is it that Holiness is an even more undesirable place for us to live in?" No, don't just think about, alone; you have that pen and paper with you. Write down your thoughts about this question.
Today's encouragement is what I would venture to call 'intense heat' like encouragement. This is not going to feel good, or tickle your emotions. No, this is hard.... I do believe that it is given to me: to be given to you, so that you can begin (if you have not already started) to ask certain questions that will move you toward that DEEP area of relationship with Christ Jesus. It is time to go higher my Brothers and Sisters. No longer is it acceptable, especially if you know you have been stalling, to dwell in this place of dryness, lack, and stifling heat. Understand?
Look at the text. First off, it is being shown to you that this wilderness, this solitary place, this desert is 'glad' and that it 'shall rejoice' at your presence. Yup! I had to put a pause on that one myself. LOL I asked, "What do you mean, Lord? This place will be happy to see me arrive?"
The answer I received is staring me right in the face. Verse 2. This wilderness, this solitary place, this desert DOES GET HAPPY when we arrive because..... you might want to sit down for this one..... because it understands its placement within your life. This harsh land, the dry place, this seclusion is terribly overjoyed at its being used. It understands, one, that it is a created place; created by God, and, two, that it has purpose. When you arrive at this place, it rejoices and get glad because it knows you are selected, by God: the Creator of all, to go through it; to reach the other side. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Again, "Why is Holiness not a desired place to be?" Write down your thoughts.
Go back to the text, verses 4-6, these verses show us that this is not an easy place to be in: this wilderness, this desert, this solitary. But what we do get to grasp at is the opportunity that God will show up; on our side, and prepare us while being in this place. Not only does this occur, but as you see, clearly, in verse 6, 'for in the wilderness'. This is getting exciting!!!!
This is why, sometimes, we have to hear the 'harsh' word. To bypass the depth of God's word just to not endure the hardness of what must be let go of within your present is ridiculous. Look, we all have to suffer that wrath of neglect at some point in our lives. Take me, for example. I spent quite a few years not trying to "give". I mean, give any kind of emotions, or emotional support to anyone. Now, that I am pretty much ready to "give" there are not those around that need my giving. What I mean is that most men and women are strong enough on their own, especially those that I keep company with. So, I have to sit in prayer with Christ and give to him what I desire to give away. If I had not neglected the opportunity, when placed in front of me, then I wouldn't have to sit on some nights and suffer the wrath of that neglect. That is why the wilderness was created! And, if God created the wilderness, it has purpose. That purpose is to prepare you. Yes! You are deserving of preparation, for you are destined to dwell, permanently, in a place where everyone cannot be. This place is The way of holiness!!!!
Again, I ask, "Why is Holiness not a place desired to be in?" Write down your answer.
Holla,
Yer Brova Catalyst
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