Day 16 – The Spirit and the Wilderness

The Spirit and the Wilderness
Luke 4:1-2, Luke 4:14

As we fast and pray, it is important to recognize that the enemy will do everything in his power to stop the moving of God, especially as we are believing for greater things and asking for a great awakening to sweep across our land.

We see an example of this demonstrated in Luke chapter 4. At this point in the Gospel, Jesus had just been baptized in the Jordan River, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him. “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, He was hungry.” (Luke 4:1-2)

The Holy Spirit then leads Jesus into the wilderness, which was a barren and unfamiliar place. As we fast and pray through these weeks, some of us might be entering or are already in a season that may seem or feel uncertain and unfamiliar. But when you are being led by the Holy Spirit, you will never be led to a place without a purpose, regardless of how it may look or feel. It’s also in those times that the enemy takes every opportunity he can get to distract, disrupt, or discourage your heart and mind.

In this passage, we read that the devil interrupts the 40 days of Jesus’s fast to tempt Him, but Jesus is full of the Holy Spirit, full of power, and purpose. After Jesus successfully resists the temptations of the devil and survives 40 days in the wilderness without food, He returns with the power of the Spirit, and His ministry spreads quickly. “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about Him went out through all the surrounding country.” (Luke 4:14)

Some of us may be in a wilderness season as we fast and pray, but if we are led by the Spirit, we know that it is for a specific purpose. There is power waiting for us on the other side as we persevere. As we face temptation and trials during our time of fasting and prayer, we can remain faithful, knowing that God has something great planned for us.

If you haven’t already, let today be the day when you settle it in your heart that God has greater things in store for you. He wants to do greater things in you through this fast so that He can do greater things through you after this fast. Don’t get discouraged or distracted by the wilderness because the Spirit of God is leading you, and just on the other side of this is a season of significant breakthrough and impact for the Kingdom. God has greater things for you!