The Wilderness Experience

Voice of a Father Today’s Focus: Father/Son Model Part 3: The Wilderness Experience Scripture: Matthew 3:3; Matthew 3:17-4:1 Greetings Sons of God: Matthew 3:3: For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah saying, the VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Matthew 3:17-4:1: And lo A VOICE from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Then was Jesus led up of the spirit INTO THE WILDERNESS to be tempted of the devil. Now I also want to show you after the children of Israel were delivered from the land of Egypt they were led into the wilderness of Sinai. Now this is not a coincidence. It is in the wilderness that God matures the sons. Funny, if you examine our past 2 teaching series you will see most of the teaching and maturing comes from the wilderness. Many of the scriptures in Deuteronomy say this: “If you obey my voice”. John the Baptist is matured by the Spirit in the wilderness because He is preaching out from the wilderness. Then we look at Jesus Christ. After the Son is given at the baptism, Jesus, Spiritual Israel is lead in the wilderness. Notice also in Matthew 4, Jesus is fasting! Why? To sacrifice the desires of the flesh to hear the Father. In the wilderness, Jesus being tempted was so that He overcame all the temptations of the enemy and pass all the trials that physical Israel failed. Notice in all of the temptations Jesus speaks what He hears the Father says and in obeying the Father, He overcomes every situation and temptation. It is in the wilderness and through the Baptism of fire that the Father transitions you dependence from soul to spirit. It is in the wilderness that the child becomes strong in the spirit. The voice of the Father produces wisdom and turns children from disobedience. Now as the Lord speaks to the fathers, the fathers are to instruct the sons and in training the sons they develop a personal relationship with the voice of the Father. This all happens and begins in the wilderness. Before God will present His people or leaders before the people they must ALL go through the wilderness. The wilderness is not necessarily a physical place but a place in your life where it is you are learning, not only the word of God but also the voice of the Father. In the next message we will examine Elijah the prophet and show you the power of the Voice. Peace, Love and Grace from the Father, Calvin Calhoun, Jr.