The I-FactorSample

From God’s perspective, the wilderness is the proving ground of our identities; it’s the place where we pass or fail the test of knowing who we really are. The destiny to which you are appointed demands you know who you are, and identity that has not been tested is not identity at all. Your identity is not determined by what you say or what others say about you. It has to be confirmed and sealed in your heart. There’s no better place for that to happen than the wilderness. God has been proving identities in the wilderness for ages. When He took His people Israel through the wilderness in what turned an eleven-day journey into one that lasted forty years, Moses explained God’s motive this way: “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands” (Deut. 8:2, emphasis added). When you go through a really difficult experience, when you feel lost and alone and God seems far away, you’re in the wilderness for sure. But more than that, you are in the place God has chosen as your testing ground. This is the place where God wants to strengthen you and solidify your sense of identity so you will have the internal resources you need for the good future He has planned for you. The wilderness may look desolate, but be encouraged: it’s designed to help you grow, and on the other side of this growth process, God has something great for your life. How can I be so sure? Because Deuteronomy 6:23 says, “Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers” (NKJV). God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, through the 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.