wilderness and into the Promised
Land. That’s the same pattern He
uses in our lives today when He wants
to lead us into something wonderful.
God has applied the same pattern of
out, through, and in for generations.
If we look at the biblical accounts
alone, we see that He did it for
Abraham, Joseph, David, and Job,
and Jesus in addition to the nation
of Israel. And He does it in the life
of anyone who commits to living
for Him. Jesus entered into the
wilderness, made good choices,
demonstrated maturity, honored
God, and came out after forty days.
The Israelites went into the wilderness,
made bad choices, showed
immaturity, dishonored God, and
did not come out for forty years. The
wilderness is inevitable, but how you
handle it and how long you stay in it
is up to you.
Van Moody serves as pastor of
the Worship Center in Birmingham,
Alabama. In addition, he is on the
board of Joel Osteen’s Champions
Network, is a member of Dr. Oz’s
Core Team, and is an associate
trainer in Japan for Dr. John Maxwell’s
EQUIP leadership organization.
Moody, his wife, Ty, and their
children, Eden Sydney and Ethan
Isaiah, live in Birmingham, Alabama.
From God’s perspective, the
wilderness is the proving ground
of our identity; it’s the place where
we pass or fail the test of knowing
who we really are.
Solutions 49