(1) Wilderness Training
(2) Warfare Training
(3) Endurance Training
It is important to comprehend that our training never really ends. That understanding helps as we go from one level in our climb to the next. With every new revelation of who God is in us, we must go through a similar process or preparation each time. Paul explained this perfectly in his letter to the Romans: “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation works patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.” How quickly we go through the training depends upon how quickly we recover when the crosswinds of life try to blow us off of the mountain. The Bible states, “They [the Israelites] were overthrown in the wilderness” (1 Corinthians 10:5). Our first training camp is Camp Wilderness. Be well advised not to pitch your tents here. Keep moving forward. Our stay in Camp Wilderness is meant to be temporary. The Israelites are a very good example of what not to do in the wilderness. Exodus 12 gives a detailed record of the Passover and of their incredible deliverance from four hundred years of slavery. In one night, the entire nation was freed. They had prayed and believed for this day for many generations. From the time this generation had been small children, they had been taught of the covenant God had made with Father Abraham to make them a great and mighty nation. When Moses, their deliverer, finally came, he had already spent forty years in the wilderness himself. Moses knew he had a destiny, but in his limited understanding he believed that by rescuing one Israelite he could fulfill the call on his life, and that his ministry would then “take off” (Exodus 2:11-12). After trying to fulfill his destiny in his own way he was immediately taken into the desert, where God enlarged his capacity to understand what his true purpose was and the fact that it did not depend on his own strength, but on God alone. If you are in the middle of wilderness training, remember that God took you in so He can take you out.
