Comments on: Desert Places

By: Jeff Adams

Jeff Adams — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:11:12 +0000

Wow! What a journey you have had Angel! It sounds, though, that you are being very sensitive to allowing God to show you how to convert the many trials into strengths and blessings. You are absolutely right – the what ifs only run you in circles. I have made so many mistakes that I soon grow tired of trying to figure out the what ifs. I try to focus on the what and why and then commit to learn from my mistakes or even undeserved trials and become stronger and better. I’m glad you know that KCBT is still you home. I hope you guys take advantage of being a bit closer to come up and visit once in a while. It will be a blessing to see you. Be encouraged!

By: Angel Scheer

Angel Scheer — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:10:51 +0000

Thanks for sharing here in your blog! I am in the desert and I am dry and thirsty and God spoke to me here that He is the living water and he brought me to this place to focus me on his presence and to meet with me here to teach me about his faithulfulness and I am looking forward to his renewal! I have felt very out of sorts since we left KCBT in May 2005 we moved to Iola kansas believing we were seeking the Lord to help at Harvest Baptist Church were alot happened mainly drawn away from God and drawn into sin and we left Iola to move closer to my husband (Russell”s work) in Nevada, Mo we have been here 6 months struggling to find God’s plan we have looked back trying to figure out what happened instead of being focused on our present. When all along God keeps reminding me in my heart I will never leave you nor forsake you that vers keeps coming to me and I am praying for God to help us draw nearer him in this place. I remember once hearing you say its not about geographics where we live its just trusting God and serving him where you are so thats where we have been and I hope only to stop dwelling on what ifs and just meet with God personally. It has been challenging as far as a church body where the doctrine is sound and the word of God is held up so thats been another trial no fellowship or accountability here in Nevada, Mo. I am asking God to renew a right spirit within me and help me see his plans and follow his plans wherever He leads I need a willingness to see his plans cause I am afraid we compare churches here with what we had at kcbt and the teachings from the bible and we begin to loose heart cause we cant agree on a church here anyway I wanted to share with you Jeff where I am in my relationship with the Lord and how your message here struck me cause I am there in the desert please pray that we draw closer to God and would be willing to do what God wants in my life! Thanks Jeff I have always appreciated your preaching and we truely miss our church home I know I didnt really appreciate what we had at kcbt until we were gone we had great relationships and encouragment to seek the Lord and I miss everyone but also I know God has a greater understanding of things than I do his thoughts are much higher! I believe we are truely blessed to had grown up at KCBT its the place I always consider home and I am thankful for the discileship that helped me find how to seek God for myself and to be able to go out and share the gospel with those I meet! Thanks Jeff for your faithfulness to your ministry God has truely used you and I pray the Lord bless you with all spiritual blessings! In Gods service, Angel Scheer

By: Jackie

Jackie — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:16:45 +0000

Jeff, the last five years for me has been a desert experience and in fact God had me focused squarely in Hosea chapter 2, and v14-15 were special promises I’ve held onto. To truly know the Him no longer as Lord (Baali) but as Husband (Ishi). The desert is a rich place where a valley of trouble becomes a door of hope as we follow on to know the Lord. Hos 6:1-3 It is a painful but rich process of being torn down and built back up on the foundation of the grace of our Lord Jesus by and into whom we GROW!

By: Paula

Paula — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:05:26 +0000

Thank you Jeff. I needed to be reminded of this verse, right now. God gave me this verse last summer during a particularly rough time in the desert. (well, I am not really out yet.) A couple of other verses the Lord gave me were: Hos 2:19-20 “And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. (20) I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.” and Song 2:10-11 “My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. (11) For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;” It seems as if desert times are part of our betrothal process, so we can see His righteousness, judgment, lovingkindness, mercy, faithfulness and know Him more. In Song of Sol verse 10 can be Him leading us in saying “come away” (which is one of the verses the Lord gave me for going with WA) or it can be Him calling us out saying “the winter is past and the rain is over and gone.”

Aaron – Steve Farrar has really good teaching on this from our first Summit in 2006 (I think). I listen to it every time I drive from Dallas to KC. I think you can get it in the church bookstore.

By: Duck

Duck — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 06:38:17 +0000

Thanks for sharing this. I’ve been “in the desert” for the last two years and the two things that I held onto most dearly was one of Chuck Swindoll’s assessments of the time that Elijah spent being prepared by the brook Cherith (or, “Boot Camp” as Swindoll called it) and Deuteronomy Chapter 8. Ryan Blackstock first exhorted me just with verses 2 and 3, but I have come to love the entire chapter.

Good stuff, thanks again.