Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.  Psalm 51:12

We lead such busy lives. Work, kids, shopping, cleaning, yard work and the list goes on and on and on. And, the busier we get, the more things we seem to take on. We try to cram so much into this short life.

But, how much of the time that we spend is on anything that will last? We might think, “oh, by working and keeping up on the shopping, cleaning, yard work, laundry, etc. I am showing my children how to be prepared for life.” You are absolutely right, you are preparing them for this life.

You are also preparing them to learn how to do this life on their own and apart from God. Because when you become that busy, your prayer time slips, your time in the word slips, your time in fellowship slips, your time at church slips, your time with loved ones who hold you accountable slips and the next thing you know you are in a perilous and lonely desert. Far from God and all those who love and would draw you closer to Him.

When this life and all of its activities begin to take up the time that you once spent with God and those He has put in your life to keep you centered in Him, this life and all of its activities have become an idol to you. And you are entering a lonely, bitter and distant land. The enemy will do all that he can to distract you, with all of these activities (and anything he can think of, and you will be so busy you won’t even look for a way out.

This perilous desert can be found in ways other than busyness. There are many ways into this desert, addictions, laziness, relationships, money, bitterness toward God or the Church, hurts that we blame God for allowing. The enemy will do all that he can to lure you into this dry and weary land, if not one of these ways he will find another for you. It is his desire that you be isolated in this lonely and perilous desert.

You see, the enemy wants you overwhelmed, he wants you too busy for God, he wants you angry or bitter with God or His people, he wants to rob you of your testimony. Because by doing so he can keep you from a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

If you know Jesus Christ as Lord, he doesn’t stop trying. The enemy desires for you to be to busy for God, or bitter and angry toward Him, and to draw you into this perilous desert. Because, if he can lull you into a hypnotic state of busyness, bitterness or anger and away from God and His people, not only has he robbed you of your testimony, but your children’s eternal souls are at risk, as well as those around you.

You will find yourself in a perilous and lonely desert.

There are a couple of questions…will you lead your children, grandchildren spouse and those around you into the desert with you, or will you seek a way out.

Although the ways in are all non-exit routes, because they will not bring you back to where you were and to God. There is a way that leads out and back to Him. Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”. He is the only way out.

I pray that if you have found yourself following one of these routes into this lonely and perilous desert, that the enemy lures us to, that you would get on your knees before God right now. Not later, DO NOT let the enemy lull you into waiting, because it is just a ploy to keep you there. Pray that the Lord would forgive you, restore your faith and trust in Him and that He would give you a heart that hungers for Him.

I pray and trust that God will answer that prayer and will restore you to those lush pastures we find in Psalm 23. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” God desires that you would be restored and one with Him again. Your Heavenly Father longs to hear your voice and spend time with you. He longs to instruct you and lead you. Return to Him. The eternal lives of your children, grandchildren and all those around you rely on it.

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and you have been going this way and that, through the perilous and lonely desert the enemy inhabits, I pray right now that you would go to our Life Preserver page (https://forgiven-n-loved.com/life-preserver/) and pray the prayer that is outlined there. Once you have prayed that prayer, please reach out to me at admin@Forgiven-n-loved.com and let me know so that I can pray for you and help you grow in your knowledge of and relationship with our Precious Savior, Jesus Christ.

Luv Ya!