Wilderness Mentality #1 :Chapter 16

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Simple6
Simple6 Posts: 170 Member
Deuteronomy 1:6 The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, You have dwelt long enough on this mountain.

Joyce writes:

The children of Israel spent forty years in the wilderness making an eleven day trip because they had a wilderness mentality. A wilderness mentality is a wrong mindset. Just like the Children of Israel we do the same thing. We keep going around and around the same mountains instead of making progress. The result is that it takes us years to experience victory over something that could have and should have been dealt with quickly.


My Fellow Ladies of Promise,

As I read this chapter, God revealed some places in my heart that I am "dwelling" in that are places I am supposed to pass through on my way to Him. I can see were I have made "traveling" or being "busy" a sign of progress in the right direction. Note to self, never take action as a sign of progress. I can be so active and yet so stagnate in my heart reaching for His promise. It begins with God giving me a vision of my "promise land." As I start to do the things I need to accomplish my goals, I started off in the right direction.I make progress. But the moment I allow myself to be lead by my feelings or my logic, I turn off the path and go around the backside of the mountain. My vision goes from redemptive revelation of Jesus to Jenni's interpretation based on what I know, what I think and what I feel. This is why I stop seeing results and the miracles of God in my life. I can't get to my Promise land going away from it. Yet, that is exactly what happens to me. Especially in this area of weight.

When I started this journey, I did so through a divine revelation of what I needed and which direction I needed to go. Things went really well as I sought the Lord and let Him direct my path. I had success. That success went to my head. I began to think I should do this, and I should do that. I stopped asking God. I lost my focus on God in this journey and made the journey my God. I mistook exercising and eating right for my actual God given promise land. My promise land is living in my temple with His constant presence.

Then I hit a plateau in August. I have been there ever since. Until now. I see my 'wilderness mentality" and I privately and publicly repent. I have been going where God has not lead. I am easily caught up in doing. Knowledge has puffed up. I repent. I humble myself and set my heart to seek His face for my journey. I set my heart to hear to His voice and to obey.

Joyce writes of the Children of Israel:

Everything was based on what they had seen and could see. They did not know how to see with "the eye of faith." We cannot judge things accurately by the sight of our natural eyes. We must have spiritual "eyes to see" and "ears to hear." We need to hear what the Spirit says, not what the world says. Let God speak to you about your future---not everyone else. The Israelites continually looked at and talked about the way things were. God brought them out of Egypt by the hand of Moses, talking to them through him about the Promised Land. He wanted them to keep their eyes on where they were going and off where they had been.

As I look back at my 270 day journey, I see that I started out with right heart motivation and direction but I have gotten off track. My plateau has become the focus of my journey and not my God of promise. Today, I hear clearly that " I have dwelt long enough on the SAME mountain; It is time to move on." I am not just moving to be moving, but I moving by the hand of God. I submit myself to His way. God is calling me to His place of Promise and He is leading me step by step. No more mountain circling for me.

By faith, I just declare this:

We are woman of faith, filled with Him. He leads us and we follow, completely and totally. We choose Him and His path, at all costs. No more circling the mountains in our lives. We walk, full heartedly after Him. We choose to allow our minds to be renewed, our hearts to be convicted and our lives to be laid down in humility. We choose to no longer dwell on this same mountain but to allow Him to lead us to the place of promise He has purposed for us!

Replies

  • jaajh
    jaajh Posts: 1,262 Member
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    Having just posted on the "Mind of Christ" chapter, I will now post here too (since I read this chapter this morning).

    My future is NOT determined by my past - and more importantly to me right now IT IS NOT DETERMINED BY MY PRESENT! Praise you Lord!!!!

    The following really spoke to me this morning. Joyce writes: "Take a positive look at the possibilities of the future and begin to "call things that are not, as though they were". (Rom. 4:17). Think and speak about your future in a positive way, according to what God has placed in your heart, and not according to what you have seen in the past or are seeing even now in the present."

    Oh how I needed to read these words this morning!!! God has a perfect plan for me and for my family. It is NOT dependent on what is happening here right now in Mali. Indeed it will NOT be determined by the mess in this country right now. HIS plans are perfect. I will call out that perfect plan for me and for each member of my family. His timing is perfect and wonderful and His promises are true and unfailing!

    I am now so EXCITED about the future - and all those amazing possibilities that lie ahead!
  • jaajh
    jaajh Posts: 1,262 Member
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    Deuteronomy 1:6 The Lord our God said to us in Horeb, You have dwelt long enough on this mountain.

    Joyce writes:

    The children of Israel spent forty years in the wilderness making an eleven day trip because they had a wilderness mentality. A wilderness mentality is a wrong mindset. Just like the Children of Israel we do the same thing. We keep going around and around the same mountains instead of making progress. The result is that it takes us years to experience victory over something that could have and should have been dealt with quickly.


    My Fellow Ladies of Promise,

    As I read this chapter, God revealed some places in my heart that I am "dwelling" in that are places I am supposed to pass through on my way to Him. I can see were I have made "traveling" or being "busy" a sign of progress in the right direction. Note to self, never take action as a sign of progress. I can be so active and yet so stagnate in my heart reaching for His promise. It begins with God giving me a vision of my "promise land." As I start to do the things I need to accomplish my goals, I started off in the right direction.I make progress. But the moment I allow myself to be lead by my feelings or my logic, I turn off the path and go around the backside of the mountain. My vision goes from redemptive revelation of Jesus to Jenni's interpretation based on what I know, what I think and what I feel. This is why I stop seeing results and the miracles of God in my life. I can't get to my Promise land going away from it. Yet, that is exactly what happens to me. Especially in this area of weight.

    When I started this journey, I did so through a divine revelation of what I needed and which direction I needed to go. Things went really well as I sought the Lord and let Him direct my path. I had success. That success went to my head. I began to think I should do this, and I should do that. I stopped asking God. I lost my focus on God in this journey and made the journey my God. I mistook exercising and eating right for my actual God given promise land. My promise land is living in my temple with His constant presence.

    Then I hit a plateau in August. I have been there ever since. Until now. I see my 'wilderness mentality" and I privately and publicly repent. I have been going where God has not lead. I am easily caught up in doing. Knowledge has puffed up. I repent. I humble myself and set my heart to seek His face for my journey. I set my heart to hear to His voice and to obey.

    Joyce writes of the Children of Israel:

    Everything was based on what they had seen and could see. They did not know how to see with "the eye of faith." We cannot judge things accurately by the sight of our natural eyes. We must have spiritual "eyes to see" and "ears to hear." We need to hear what the Spirit says, not what the world says. Let God speak to you about your future---not everyone else. The Israelites continually looked at and talked about the way things were. God brought them out of Egypt by the hand of Moses, talking to them through him about the Promised Land. He wanted them to keep their eyes on where they were going and off where they had been.

    As I look back at my 270 day journey, I see that I started out with right heart motivation and direction but I have gotten off track. My plateau has become the focus of my journey and not my God of promise. Today, I hear clearly that " I have dwelt long enough on the SAME mountain; It is time to move on." I am not just moving to be moving, but I moving by the hand of God. I submit myself to His way. God is calling me to His place of Promise and He is leading me step by step. No more mountain circling for me.

    By faith, I just declare this:

    We are woman of faith, filled with Him. He leads us and we follow, completely and totally. We choose Him and His path, at all costs. No more circling the mountains in our lives. We walk, full heartedly after Him. We choose to allow our minds to be renewed, our hearts to be convicted and our lives to be laid down in humility. We choose to no longer dwell on this same mountain but to allow Him to lead us to the place of promise He has purposed for us!
  • jaajh
    jaajh Posts: 1,262 Member
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    Oops- I meant to comment on your post Jenni BEFORE hitting reply!

    Here is what I wanted to say:

    YES LORD! Jenni is a child of your promise! You are calling her to move on - forward into all you have lined up for her. Help her father to see with your eyes and hear with your ears.

    Jenni - God has some amazing things ahead for you. I am so glad you are tired of "circling the mountain". Look up and look forward. HE IS FAITHFUL and HE IS GOOD!
  • right2b
    right2b Posts: 93 Member
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    Our mind set is like a road map through the wilderness. Getting lost can happen before we even realize we’re off the right path. :explode: Now, I will not say it is a gender thing because I drive by landmarks and my husband uses maps. But I will say it can easily be an ego issue. :smokin: If we are honest with ourselves, really honest…transparent before God alone, we can get the right directions and change our thinking to reflect His will in our life course. :sad: Joyce Meyer states in one of her meetings…”Meditate instead on LOVE scriptures. Fill your mind with loving thoughts. We prepare ourselves with actions by our thoughts. You can choose your own thinking and you can choose to think something on purpose. You don’t have to just think and meditate on everything that falls in your head. If something comes into your mind, that you know full well is going to poison your life and is not what Jesus would think in that situation, you can say “NO!” I am not going to think that and purpose to think something else.” :bigsmile:

    That is so true. If you look at this like a road map…you need God’s word for clear thinking to get you to a victorious life…full of His goodness and mercy. You would not just take any willy-nilly thing that popped in your mind and say “yeah, let’s go!”:noway: But sadly, it happens far too often and I have been down that path of folly personally, too.:grumble: Not fun. Not productive. Not easy to come back from either. Have you ever been in the woods and trekked across where no path is? It is scary sometimes…unfamiliar and full of hidden dangers to those who are inexperienced hikers. :sad: That is how it is like when your faith is not centered with the word of God, only on your own thinking and influenced by what other people think and say. You end up tattered, hurt, discouraged and out of the will of God. But if we will focus our thinking on God, what His word says, what Jesus would do in this situation…little by little our life will be renewed, restored and redirected back on track to a victorious life in Jesus!!! Halleluiah!! :smooched: Yes, it doesn’t happen overnight but there is nothing that say’s it couldn’t be miraculous either…do not put time limits on God…He is the author and finisher of our Faith in this journey. :heart:


    May I share my devotion with you beautiful ladies of faith. Isaiah 38:8-10

    “A highway shall be there and a road and it shall be called the Highway to Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it: 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 singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Amen. :love: :heart:
  • Simple6
    Simple6 Posts: 170 Member
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    Oops- I meant to comment on your post Jenni BEFORE hitting reply!

    Here is what I wanted to say:

    YES LORD! Jenni is a child of your promise! You are calling her to move on - forward into all you have lined up for her. Help her father to see with your eyes and hear with your ears.

    Jenni - God has some amazing things ahead for you. I am so glad you are tired of "circling the mountain". Look up and look forward. HE IS FAITHFUL and HE IS GOOD!

    :love: Thank you so much for writing this. Some how I missed this post....or rather God's timing is perfect and wanted me to read this today. Thank you for confirming what my heart has been crying out for. I am so encouraged. With His help I intent to walk and run on His path. Thank you for inspiring me to do so. :heart:
  • Simple6
    Simple6 Posts: 170 Member
    Options
    . We prepare ourselves with actions by our thoughts. You can choose your own thinking and you can choose to think something on purpose. You don’t have to just think and meditate on everything that falls in your head. If something comes into your mind, that you know full well is going to poison your life and is not what Jesus would think in that situation, you can say “NO!” I am not going to think that and purpose to think something else.” :bigsmile:

    That is so true. If you look at this like a road map…you need God’s word for clear thinking to get you to a victorious life…full of His goodness and mercy.

    Zoey,

    Again you are speaking life to me. This week you helped me break free of a perception prison that I didn't even realize I was in. Now you are encouraging me to prepare for action with my thoughts. My thoughts need to focus on God's ability and strength instead of being on my ability and strength. Which is it has. I will think on purpose! I will think with Godly purpose! God will help me think clearly and balanced. I just embrace His goodness and His mercy. Thank you, my friend. I need these words. :heart: