What is a wilderness?

A wilderness is an uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region. It is a neglected or abandoned area. It is a position of disfavour. A wilderness is a state or quality of being solitary. It can also be defined as a wide stretch of sea, sky or land. The synonyms of the wilderness are wild, forest, barren, desert, badland, bush, jungle, uninhabited region, uncultivated region, solitariness, isolation, loneliness, confinement, seclusiveness, unreachability, emptiness, singleness, setting apart, lack of company, sense of exile, desolation.

The significance of the wilderness in the bible

• The wilderness is a place of fasting and prayer: Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and forty nights (Mark 1:12-13).
• The Wilderness is a place of test, trials and temptations –.

“Test, trials and temptations are not meant for your destruction but they are meant for your elevation”

“The Tests, trials and temptations are just like examinations that students ought to sit for prior to their promotion to the next level”

“If you fail your examination, then repetition becomes inevitable.”  – The children of Israel failed their test in the wilderness and they had to repeat. They were going round in circles for 40 years

• The wilderness is a place of sacrifice – God told the Israelites to sacrifice in the wilderness (Exodus 3:18).
• The wilderness is a place of divine encounter – Moses encountered God in the wilderness

Salients Facts About The Wilderness

• • The wilderness is where champions are made – David, Moses, Jesus,  and Joseph were made during their wilderness experience.
  • Wilderness is a place of obscurity, where your exploits might not be noticeable. 
  • You can extend your stay more than necessary in the wilderness:  The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness instead of 40 days.
  • The wilderness experience is not meant to consume you but to prepare you for the task ahead of you: David, Joseph, Moses, Job and Jesus are case studies.
  • The wilderness is just a passage and not a place to stay permanently- Jesus spent just forty days in the wilderness and moved on into his ministry. Moses spent forty years and started his assignment. Joseph spent 13 years in the Potiphar’s house and prison, and he started his assignment. David spent about 13 years after being anointed by Samuel, running helter-skelter from king Saul for the major part of the time before he ascended the throne as king. So wilderness is not a permanent place to be; it is just a training ground.
  • The wilderness experience is a time of preparation and a time of temptation, and ultimately a place to be elevated. 
  • Don’t grumble, complain or murmur while in the wilderness, instead pray to God and trust in him.
  • Many are going round in circles today in their wilderness because they have not passed their examinations. 

James Kayode Olusoji

Meet the Head Pastor

James Kayode Olusoji serves as the Pastor of Bethel Kingdom City Church Calgary. He has been a Music Minister for several years before finally answering the call into the Pastoral ministry.

Phone: +1 587 700 6297

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