Lessons from The Desert - HALT

In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that the thief (Satan) comes only to “steal and kill and destroy.” And so Satan tempts us, trying to lure us to say things we shouldn’t say, do things we shouldn’t do, go to places we shouldn’t go. Satan knows our temptation hot button(s), those areas in our lives where we are most vulnerable, most easily tempted. He usually knows them better than we do. Do you know what your temptation hot button(s)? Do you recognize when you are being tempted in this area, before it happens, while it is happening, or after you have given into the temptation? If it is after the fact, how could you in the future be more aware that you are being tempted, so that you can protect yourself before you give in? 

When are you most vulnerable to temptation? Is it when you are hungry, angry, lonely, tired, or under some other circumstances not mentioned? How can you protect yourself when you are vulnerable in this way? 

What have you done in the past to combat these times of temptation? Have you been successful? If you gave into temptation, how was your life affected? How could you change things in the future? 

Jesus referred to Scripture when Satan tried to temp him in the desert. Do you know Scripture well enough to be able to use it as Jesus did? Are you reading your Bible regularly? If not, what would it take for you to establish a regular Bible study program? Would it help if you were a part of a small group Bible study? What would it take for you to be willing to make this happen? 

Read Ephesians 6:10-18, where Paul talks about putting on the full armor of God. Read this section of Scripture at the beginning of every day for a couple of weeks, until you are very, very familiar with it. Consider starting each day with this Scripture, as a way of keeping yourself aware of Satan’s schemes and focusing yourself on God’s protection from those schemes. 

Lessons from The Desert - If Only

When the Lord supplied the Israelites with manna, he gave them what they needed, not necessarily what they wanted. Has this every happened to you? Has God supplied your needs, but you came up short when it came to your wants? What did you do? Did you have an If Only moment, thinking about how things would be If Only things were different? Did you accept what God supplied without dreaming about more?

Name five If Onlys in your life. (If you don’t have five, name the ones you do have.) Which of these are currently active? Is it healthy for you to continue to visit these desires to rewrite the past? If not, how are you going to let them go? 

We know with our brains that God forgives us, but we wonder with our hearts if He can truly do that? Maybe we find this challenging because it is difficult for us to forgive, especially ourselves. Is there something in your life that needs forgiving? Do you need God’s forgiveness, your own forgiveness, or both? How are you going to make that happen?

We say that God is a god of second chances. Can you think of three examples when God gave you a second chance? Did you deserve it? If not, why do you think God did it? 

As Christ-followers we need to be able to GIVE second chances. Can you give two examples of when you gave someone a second chance? Can you give a current example of someone who needs you to give them a second chance? Are you able to give them the second chance? Why/Why not? 

Lessons From The Desert - No Way-Yahweh

When the Israelites looked up and saw Pharaoh’s army coming after them as they camped next to the sea, their lack of faith caused them to wonder if they would have been better off as slaves in Egypt. Moses, on the other hand, told them to not be afraid, that the Lord would fight for them, they just needed to be still.

Generally speaking, are you more like the Israelites or Moses? Do you tend to have a lack of faith or an abundance of faith? If you tend to lack faith, what would it take for that to change? Is it possible for you to trust God more?

Think of a “No Way” situation in your life. Did you look to Yahweh for comfort, strength, and direction, or did you rely simply on yourself or somebody else? What was the outcome? Would it have been different if you had turned to Yahweh?

Read chapter 16 of Genesis. Even though God had promised Abram and Sarai children, they figured it was a “No Way” situation and as a result, took matters into their own hands. What was the result?

Read 2 Chronicles chapter 20 to see how King Jehoshaphat turned to Yahweh when he and the Israelites were facing a “No Way” situation. What can we learn from this faithful king of Israel?

Lessons from The Desert - I Am

Have you ever actually been in the desert? Which one? For how long? What did it feel like? What do you remember the most?

If you haven’t been in the actual desert, what’s the closest to it that you’ve been?

We often use the desert as a metaphor for a time in our lives when we felt real isolated, when things were not going our way, when we felt removed from God or those around us, or both. Have you had such a desert experience in your life? Can you remember what brought it on? Can you remember how you felt? What brought you out of the desert?

Deserts make us thirsty. We often find when we are facing deserts in our lives that we too are thirsting for something. We find ourselves really parched. Usually we find that we are thirsting for the Sacred, the Holy….we are thirsting for God. Have you ever felt that kind of desert inspired thirst? What brought it on? How long did it last? Did you quench that thirst? If so, how? If not, are you still thirsty? What are you going to do to quench the thirst.

As we said in the message on Sunday, Moses basically got three things from the time he spent in the desert before he visited Pharaoh. (1) God shared with him what God’s plans were for him, (2) God called him by name, (3) God revealed God’s Name (YHWH or Yahweh) to him. When you’ve spent time in the desert, did God use that time to help you grow? How? If you find yourself in the desert in the future, how do you think God will use that time to help you grow?

Craig Banes shares the following in his book entitled, ­Sacred Thirst:

…the most important things to remember about the desert is that God never wants anyone to stay there. There is no easy way out, but one of the worst mistakes we can make is to get used to living in the dry places. The only point of going through the desert is to get to the Promised Land, where we are at home with God. And the only way to enter the land is to realize the thirst we feel is a longing for the sacred. Sacred Thirst, p. 14.

What does this quote mean to you? Do you agree with Barnes?

Why/Why not?