The wilderness, through which the children of Israel had to walk, was no easy task. Neither will your 40- day journey be easy. Yet, if you are willing to see this process through, it will no doubt be a life-changer for you and your discipler. The question is: "Am I Ready?"
You can know your readiness for this journey if you meet the following criteria:
You are aware of the struggle between living for God (which is preferred) and returning to some old life behaviors and attitudes.
You feel as though you have "hit the wall" and are having difficulty experiencing the joy of your salvation.
Your spiritual leader has recognized your need to grow deeper in God.
You have "besetting sins" that keep you from fully living for the Lord.
You need a deeper intimacy with the Lord and greater accountability in the Body of Christ. If any or all of these apply to you, you are a suitable candidate for the 40 days "desert" walk.
THE GOAL
There are five primary goals of this process, they are:
1. Change — by processing through both the negative and positive, knowing that God will begin to transform your heart and renew your mind (Rom. 12: 1-2).
2. Discipline — you will be developing what we hope will become a lifelong habit: the habit of reading, confessing, prayer, and obedience, faithfulness, and trust. (Heb. 12:6-11)
3. Accountability — through this process you will learn the importance of open vulnerability necessary for spiritual and emotional growth, and of being accountable to others in the Body of Christ. (Rom. 3:19)
4. Healing — of any wounds inflicted on you from the past.
5. Death to the old man (already accomplished by Christ finished work on the cross) now appropriated by faith, — done in front of principalities and powers, which allows you to stand free before the Lord and your neighbor. Any memories that follow are to be dealt with through spiritual warfare, or "Casting down imaginations."
Can God really change me through this process? Yes! Will it happen? Yes and No. Yes, you will deal with many things you may have thought were buried. No, all your struggles will not be over. Remember, after the desert is the true battle. That was true for the children of Israel and will be true for us. God will always be working on us to bring about change, not so God will “finally” love us, but because he loves & accepts us… as sons. You will have, taken a major step toward receiving your inheritance and walking in it.
So, let’s get ready! Remember the journal contains two 20-day cycles. You are to complete cycle one and then repeat the entire process in cycle two. The second time takes you just a bit deeper, bringing greater healing through the application of the cross to our lives.
