Do you feel ready for all God wants to do through you? If your answer is no you are in good company. Even Jesus withdrew into the wilderness for 40 days of fasting before His public ministry began. I wonder what the conversations with God were like. Did He miss His Father and the sweet times of fellowship they had? Did He find great frustration in the limitations of His physical body. To be infinite and yet choose a finite body must have been challenging! Whatever they conversed about, Jesus emerged from His solitude ready for battle and it met Him before He got out of the wilderness. Satan too knew the finiteness Jesus had chosen and challenged Him with hunger, power, pride and prestige. Satan certainly knows what makes most humans tick. Jesus stood ready fighting back with God’s word.
What a great reminder to me that time alone with the Father is not a good suggestion, it is mandatory to face the challenges our physical limitations represent. If the divine needed preparation time, so do we! I am also reminded that during those solitude times prayer and scripture are an integral part. Both allow us to communicate with the Father as He prepares us for what is ahead. Last but certainly not least I am reminded that Satan is waiting to sift me and challenge me at any weakness he can find. It is only God’s word and knowing it that will fight the flaming arrows he will throw. The end result will hopefully be as it was with Jesus, Satan will withdraw waiting for another opportunity. May we all know the power of the Spirit that Jesus knew and be prepared.