My story is not my own. It is God’s story.

It is one of redemption where God humbled my pride, exposed my selfishness, shifted my perspective, and convicted my heart in order to rebuild my life and restore my marriage. It is where I learned the “Attributes of a Godly Man.”

Over time, I’ve come to realize my story is no different than any other man. The minute sin enters our lives, it quickly morphs into a habitual pattern where a “fix” is only as good as the last hit. Like a mirage, it promises to quench our thirst but only leaves us parched and desperate for satisfaction. The more we consume, the more intoxicated we become with momentary pleasure—eager to exchange our eternal birthright for a meager bowl of soup like Esau did, because sin has become our idol of worship.

That is the power of our flesh, and Satan knows if he can draw our attention away from God and the promises of His Word which affirm our identity in Christ, the roots of God’s absolute truth planted deep in our hearts will become dry and weary from malnourishment because our minds are distracted by the pleasures of this world. Eventually, we will no longer be able to distinguish fact from fiction because truth has been replaced by a relative, ever-changing alternative of its former self.

I know that pattern all too well.

I lived it far longer than I care to admit and it drove me deep into the valley of despair, intentionally isolated from anyone who could have held me accountable. But God in His infinite wisdom sought to use my sin for His glory by breaking the chains which bound my heart and restoring the joy of my salvation which Satan held captive.

It was in the wilderness where God changed my life forever.

He reminded me I was His child, purchased by the blood of His precious Son, and affirmed my identity in Jesus rather than the scarlet letter of my sin or wake of destruction my sins had caused. Like the apostle Paul on the Damascus road, He illuminated the absolute truth of His Word in my heart by the power of His Holy Spirit to help me see clearly, and my life has never been the same.

In other words, God used divinely-inspired, wilderness seasons to transform my heart and change the trajectory of my life and marriage forever. No longer was I living to please myself, but rather to submit under His authority and obey His Word as a Godly man, husband, and father. He used the wilderness to teach me how to survive and I pray my story will inspire other men to JOURNEY INTO THE WILDERNESS, allowing God free reign to search their hearts, break their pride, and restore what the enemy has stolen.

Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?

God is waiting patiently for you in the wilderness. Will you join Him?