A prophet's greatest enemy is himself, not Jezebel or religious crustiness or a satanic nemesis. Giftedness has greater power to lure a person into prideful self-sufficiency than the Deceiver himself. Many profoundly gifted prophesiers have shipwrecked their lives and ministries through such self-reliance or gift-reliance, drifting away from daily dependence on Jesus Himself. Such prophets are runaway trains racing toward a head-on collision with humbling and reckoning.The desert is a place of lack, whether it be relational, social, ministerial, financial, or some other personal need or want. Though God ultimately intends to fill what is lacking, He will not do so until every semblance of self-sufficiency and self-dependence is burned, baked, crushed, stomped, and obliterated by the heat. The burning desert sands will scorch our pridefully calloused feet until, at last, we break and fall to our knees in permanent dependence on Him. Hosea 13:5: I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat. God uses the desert to become our Caretaker, melting away our "I can take care of myself" sickness. We will only come up from the wilderness when we are sufficiently leaning on our Lover, not our self or our gift. See the symbolism in Song of Songs 8:5: Who is this coming up from the desert leaning on her lover?
No comments:
Post a Comment