May 31, 2026 · discipline, humility, wilderness
Mark 1:12–13, “And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.”
Jesus did not ask to go into the wilderness, the Spirit threw Him in. In other words, Jesus, the very Son of God, did not have a say in what was happening to Him. He was not consulted. It was simply, “I love you Son, throws Him violently…” This is incredibly humbling, because that’s what reveals all of your weaknesses. When the Lord determines to bless you with elevation, with authority or influence or a platform, you aren’t given a chance to prepare, because that’s not the point. The wilderness is supposed to suck. If it doesn’t suck, then you’re doing it wrong. The wilderness is the crucible in which your Father melts you down in order to remove your dross.
Or to change the analogy, which catches fire better? Wet green wood or dry wood? Dry wood, right? All green wood does is produce a ton of smoke. That’s you before the wilderness. Before the wilderness, you are green and full of sap, full of life, full of energy, you feel like you can do anything, but God can’t put His fire in you because all you would do is produce smoke, not heat. First, He needs to dry you out in the wilderness, so that when the time is right, He can set you ablaze. Contrary to your expectations, when you are at your driest and emptiest that is when you are best positioned to be used by God. That’s when you will produce the maximum heat. It’s when you are humble, keenly aware of your shortcomings, of your disqualifications, that is when the Lord can put His fire in you, so that all who see it will know that the fire isn’t coming from you. You are just the tinder the Lord is using.