heart test
“Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness these forty years, to humble you and test you to see what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” – Deuteronomy 8:2
Has God tested your heart lately? There are times in our lives when God takes us into the desert to discover what is in our hearts. These times can be very difficult and humbling. They can test our mettle like no other time. Desert times often mean we are living without the things we are normally accustomed to: water, food, limited supplies – and with few luxuries. In modern terms, it may mean a different environment. God is doing a very important work during this time. He wants to know if we can be obedient to Him in this time; Or will we be obedient only when times are good?
“He humbled you, and made you hungry, and then fed you with manna, which neither you nor your father knew, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. During these forty years your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not get dirty. Then know in your heart that the Lord your God disciplines you, just as a man disciplines his son” (Deuteronomy 8: 3-5).
These desert times can mean experiencing new ways of provision from the Lord. Like manna from heaven, it may mean seeing miracles we have never seen before. Like clothes that never wear out, it could mean an expansion of your general abilities. Like walking hundreds of miles without pain, desert experiences provide new lessons and new experiences that only these times can teach us.
What desert experience has he brought into your life recently? Maybe it’s time for a downturn in business. Maybe it’s a new environment. Whatever the case, when God decides to bring new disciplines into our lives by bringing us into the desert, do not be afraid of the heat that is to come. He is walking beside you to test you and find out what is really in your heart. Ask for His blessings to pass the exam. He wants to bring all his children to the promised land.
