How to Lead in the Wilderness Season

Written by Pastor Wayne Hall

Deuteronomy 8:1-5

1. The Wilderness WILL find you

It doesn't matter how much you love Jesus or how faithful you are. He led them through the wilderness to humble and test them; to see what was in their heart. Can He trust us with the destiny He has chosen for us? David learned to be a King in the cave. God does a deep work in the darkness.

2. The Wilderness WILL test you

When we go through tests it BONDS us to our Savior.

Test of Identity: Who will I become? and what will I do? Healthy ministry flows from affirmation from what we have from God over affirmation from others. We are already affirmed by God.

Test of Honor: Will we be honoring God even after we are dishonored? Honor is a choice, not a feeling. Honor is a shield for your heart, life, and family.

Test of Faithfulness: Will we continue to be faithful to God, even if we feel like he hasn't been faithful to us? We can't stop praying, reading our Bible, and staying healthy.

3. The Wilderness WILL teach you

As a man disciplines his son, God will discipline us to help us grow. When we receive vision from God, we mistakenly feel prepared and equipped for what God has spoken. It may take a season of wilderness to prepare.

Lessons taught in the wilderness:

Release- Release your grief. It will catch up to you if you don't take time.

Psalm 34:8, "God is close to the broken-hearted." He isn't closest when we're "performing" at our best, He is SO close when we're BROKEN!

Resolve- Resolve to forgive. It's a choice, not a feeling. We allow feelings of bitterness and anger to keep us from forgiving. We forgive to live in freedom.

Reframe- reframe your pain. Sam Chand- "to increase your influence as a leader, you will need to enroll in a class of pain ... pain has a purpose. It's a moment of high honor when you've proven your faithfulness and you're able to share in Christ's sufferings." Pain produces a greater level of anointing. Being on a stage requires skill, but being anointed requires brokenness. The anointing on your life isn't a reflection of you, but a reflection of God's power.

Rejoice- in your preparation. pruning and pain is a prophecy that there is more fruit to come, God isn't done with us yet!