Finding victory in the wilderness

addressing rush and excess for a calmer, purposeful life

We live in a world of excess. We buy food we never consume, we have an ever-present box getting filled for the thrift store, and our trash cans on collection day are overflowing. We have so much, we can’t possibly hold on to it all.

We also live in a world of speed. Our food is quick, our cars are speedy, and our days move so fast that they start to blur together.

These two things together, excess and speed, lead to a life that leaves us feeling empty and exhausted. But there is a way to counteract what the world is telling us to do.

We can choose to slow down and abstain.

Jesus knew the benefits of both. When you read through the Gospels, one thing you can see is that Jesus never hurried anywhere. Even when a friend was dying, we still took measured movements. He knew who was in control. Jesus did not rush.

Before Jesus’ ministry, He spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness. Even Jesus, part of the Trinity, needed over a month of slow and abstaining to focus His heart and mind. Imagine what God can do with us if we give Him the same.

To begin this walk through an Intentional Easter, let’s begin by looking at how hurried and excessive our own life is. The Lenten season was born out of the scripture of Luke 4:1-13. It’s a call to abstain from something in your life.

Jesus’ temptation by Satan in the wilderness targeted 3 different areas of life, areas that we all can be tempted with, too.

• The physical temptation: do what feels right. vs 3
• The control temptation: take over the throne. vs 6+7
• The emotional temptation: question God’s love. vs 9-11

Can you think of instances in your life where you have:

• Followed your heart instead of the Spirit
• Took control into your own hands instead of waiting on God
• Wondered if God still loves you despite your failings

What if, for these next 7 weeks leading up to Easter, we fasted from excess and hurry? What if, every time we were prone to eat more than we needed, buy something impulsively, or felt the need to rush, we asked ourselves which of the earlier-listed temptations we were falling into?

When we feel tempted to rush and take more than we need, we need to instead turn our heart towards God with the prayer, “You are more important than _____, help my heart to want You above all else.”

This is a short excerpt from Victory in the Wilderness: An Intentional Easter Devotional. The book is now available for purchase on Amazon.