When Your River Becomes a Desert

By Gobel Brockman


     "Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in a bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased." Luke 3:21-22

     "And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil." Luke 4:1-2

In this story we see a stark contrast - a contrast that not only Jesus faced, but we will as well. He's at the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist, and after submitting to this He hears a voice from heaven: "You are My son, and I am well pleased with You." What an incredible sight that must have been as Jesus heard a direct word from heaven from His Father. But there's something hidden in that story that we would do well to recognize and remember:

     The devil heard it too.

Why do I say that? Because the first thing that happened after the baptism of Jesus was that He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And just what was the temptation He faced? "IF you are the Son of God..." We need to get the picture of what's going on. Jesus has been been told by the Father that "You are My Son" and now the devil is attempting to bring that very truth into question. "IF you are really God's Son, turn these stones to bread. Jump off the top of the temple and let the angels catch you. Bow down and worship me and I'll give you the world." His journey from the river to the desert was indeed a treacherous one.

     So is ours.  

The Bible teaches us that those who surrender to the lordship of Jesus Christ become sons and daughters of God. Through Christ's work on the cross we have access to heavenly adoption. But just as Jesus faced the temptation to doubt His position as a son, so will we. "IF you are a child of God, why are you struggling with your health? Why are you living paycheck to paycheck, or even day-to-day, when your "Father" promised to supply for all of your needs? Why do you constantly fight with loneliness when your "Father" said, "I will never leave or forsake you?" Are you SURE you're a child of God?"  

So how did Jesus combat this? One answer is found in the verse quoted above: He entered His desert "full of the Holy Spirit." We can - no, we must - do the same. Paul said in Ephesians 5:18

     "And do not be drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit." 

I've heard it said that in the original Greek this is written as an implied command, meaning that it's something that we must do.  May we daily and continually ask the Father that we would be filled and refilled with His Spirit. But I also want to mention that there's another gem hidden in this story that is extremely encouraging to me. The Bible says that Jesus entered the desert "full of the Spirit." But after resisting the devil's temptations, how did He depart from the desert?

     "And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee..." Luke 4:14 (Emphasis mine)

Simply put, Jesus left the river "full of the Spirit" and left the desert "in the power of the Spirit." If we will resist the devil's temptation to doubt our positions as sons and daughters of God, we can likewise walk in the power of the Holy Ghost in greater victory and anointing. After His desert experience Jesus proceeded to change history forever. If we follow His example we can influence those around us and let them see the power of His Spirit at work in us.

What's the bottom line? The river is where we find our identity, the desert's temporary, and the Holy Ghost has unlimited power - and it's available to us.

Oh, and you're STILL His child. Good news to keep in mind during your short desert stay.