Don’t Die in the Desert—Scripture: Joshua 5:1-7

Think on this:  “The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord.” Joshua 5:6 (NIV)

What should have been an eleven day journey into the Promised Land took forty years.  The children of Israel took their eyes off God and started complaining, even as God was providing for them. What the Israelites failed to take with them on their journey out of Egypt, and to unpack in the barren wilderness of Sin, was their spiritual survival kit for desert living. A spiritual survival kit includes thirst quenching living water that only God can provide, shelter from the sand storms of life that blow fiercely from time to time, and a moral compass to stay firmly on the path of righteousness. All of us need to be prepared for desert times.  These are seasons when our promises are deferred, when life’s challenges threaten to overtake us, or when we fall into the snare of temptation and disobedience.  Make plans now to stay alive in your desert times and purpose to keep your stay as brief as possible. Keep your spiritual survival kit with you at all times and trust that God will deliver you into your Promised Land in due season.

Prayer:  Dear God, help me to accept and embrace your timing for the promises you have for my life. Help me to keep my eyes off life’s little inconveniences and to keep my eyes firmly on you.

Declare:  I shall not die- but live to declare the wonders of the Lord!

Rev. Heidi Stevens