John Bevere - Victory in the wilderness : growing strong in dry times

Contents

Section 1 The Wilderness

Section 2Time of Testing

Section 3Time of Purification

Section 4Time of Preparation

Section 5Victory in the Wilderness

Acknowledgments

My deepest appreciation to ...

all those who labored with us in prayer, in project, and by financial support to bring this book to completion; to Steve and Sam for their constant encouragement and technical support; to Scott for his wise counsel and Amy and Annette for their many talents.

I want to thank my wife, Lisa, who continually encouraged me and selflessly helped with editing, but more important, for the godly wife she has been to me. A special thanks to my three oldest sons who sacrificed time with Daddy that this project could be completed.

Most important, my gratitude to my Lord Jesus for His grace and companionship during this project and the Holy Spirit's faithful guidance throughout this work.

Foreword

John Bevere has a prophetic message for today, a message from God, a message that is backed up by the full counsel of God's Word. After spending seven years in the "wilderness" seeking God and studying His Word, I wondered in this day of prosperity teaching and "I've got to be happy at any cost" philosophy if anyone would accept the word God had been teaching me. Then I received John Bevere's book, Victory in the Wilderness. As I began to read it in my prison cell, my heart leapt, for here was the same message the Holy Spirit had been breathing to me. John cries out that it is time we seek the Lord for who He is, not just for the promises, but for the " Promisor " Himself.

Shortly after I read Victory in the Wilderness I received John Bevere's next book, The Voice of One Crying. After reading this prophetic book, I felt I just had to meet this John Bevere. I had to see if he was for real. Could God have given this urgent, eternal, last-day preparation message to this young preacher? Knowing of John's theological background, I just had to know if he really believed what he had written. (I have interviewed thousands of authors and many didn't know and others didn't believe what they had written about. .. they were just good at the craft of writing.) I asked for him to come to see me in prison and he did. When John walked into my prison, I knew this was a man sent by God, a modern-day "voice of one crying." I wept as we shared together; John Bevere was for real.

Victory in the Wilderness and The Voice of One Crying are two of the most important books of this hour; they hold the keys to the Church's survival. I have had these books sent to hundreds of my friends and to key leaders. They are "must" reading for those who want to serve and obey Christ and be a part of the last-day harvest time of souls. You may wonder why many Christians and church leaders today are in the pigpens of life like the Prodigal Son. The Prodigal Son said to his father, "Give me," and ended up in a far country, in the wilderness, in a pigpen. John Bevere teaches us how to get back to the Father's House.

Jim Bakker

Introduction

This is a book about the wildernessa place or time period through which every Christian must pass as he draws nearer to God. It is not a time for seeking signs or wonders, but a time to seek the heart of God, which will produce character and strength in the believer. It is a preparation timea time that may appear discouraging without the vision of the promise. It is my hope that this book will bring encouragement as you continue to pursue Him Who alone satisfies.

I do not claim that this is an exhaustive or all-inclusive study; there is much more that can be written, but this account is from my heart. The intent of this book is to introduce this subject to you, then allow the Holy Spirit room to apply it to you personally. I purposely have stayed away from giving detailed examples from my life, to avoid influencing your application of this message to your own life. Everyone's wilderness will consist of different circumstances.

Upon my arrival in the wildernesses, I met confusion, frustration, fear, suspicion, loneliness, discouragement, and anger. What was I doing here? This was not my destination! Yet, I had cried out to God to rend my heart, purify my motives, cleanse me of all secret hidden sin, refine my vessel, and remove any hindrance to His glory. But I did not expect the process by which He chose to accomplish this in my life. This book is my journey to the wilderness, as well as that of many others. I have not "arrived," nor have I attained all that God would have for me, but it is my prayer that in these pages you will find the strength and courage to press on toward your destiny in God.

If there is an understanding of your position in life, it brings your life into perspective. Then you can see God's hand, even when you may not feel His touch. It is a time when your love for Him matures beyond "What will He do to benefit me?" and turns to "What does He desire of me?"

SECTION ONE

The Wilderness

CHAPTER ONE

The Wilderness Season

In frustration, you remember the times when you merely whispered His name and His presence immediately manifested, but now in the stillness you want to shout,

"God where are you?"

Look I go forward, but He is not there and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; when He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; when He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.

Job 23:8-9 (NKJV)

I s this your heart's cry? You long to hear from God but all you sense is silence. You prayyet your prayers seem to fall flat. In frustration, you remember the time when you merely whispered the Lord's name and His presence was immediately there, but now in the stillness you want to shout, "God, where are you?" Like Job, turning every way, you seek Him, yet you cannot perceive Him or His workings on your behalf.

Welcome to the wilderness! Know that you are not alone, but in good company.

You walk where Moses walked...Moses, raised in Pharaoh's court as a prince; Moses, with the vision of delivering his people out

of bondage and slavery; Moses, who watched sheep on the back side of the desert for forty years.

You are alongside Joseph...Joseph, the highly favored of his father; Joseph, who had dreams of leadership and achievement; Joseph, thrown in a pit by his own brothers, then sold as a slave and later locked in prison.

You are sitting beside Job...Job, the man whom the Bible describes as "the greatest of all the men of the east" (Job 1:3); Job, who lost everythingpossessions, children, health, the support of his wife.

Most importantly, you are accompanied by the Son of God Jesus, who after receiving the public witness of God the Father and the Holy Spirit that He was, indeed, the Son of God, walked into the wilderness to face the forces of darkness.

The procession of wilderness travelers is long, for the wilderness is a necessary time, a season in the life of every child of God. We wish it could be bypassed; we look for a shortcut or detour, but there isn't one. It's the route to the promised land, and the promised land cannot be attained without passing through the wilderness. Our understanding of this time or season is imperative if we are to make it to the promised land.

UNDERSTANDING THE TIMES

... The sons of Issachar..had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do;...

I Chronicles 12:32 (NKJV)

Because they understood the timing of God, the sons of Issachar knew what Israel ought to do. Those who understand the times and seasons of the Spirit will know what God wants to accomplish and will respond wisely. Conversely, those without the understanding of God's times and seasons will not know what He is trying to accomplish in their lives and will act unwisely. Explaining this, Jesus said in Luke 12:54-56: