God, Where Are You?! – John Bevere

Book Synopsis – Do you feel lost in a difficult season, wondering, “GOD, WHERE ARE YOU?!”

Perhaps you heard God speak, but now He seems silent. Maybe you moved forward in faith, but now His presence is nowhere to be found. Welcome to the wilderness―the place between receiving a promise from God and seeing it come to pass.

But here’s the good news―this is no purposeless wasteland. God uses the wilderness to prepare and equip you for your destiny―that is, if you navigate it correctly. Contrary to what many may think, getting through this season isn’t just a matter of waiting on God. You have a part to play in navigating through it. A big one. And if you don’t want to waste time wandering in circles, it’s important to learn what that is.

In this eye-opening book, best-selling author John Bevere equips you with key biblical insights and profound stories that will help you navigate your dry or difficult seasons and step into all that God has for you. (Amazon)

Book Review –

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Notes

Chapter 1 – “Where are you?!”

“Unknowingly, when entering the wilderness, many people panic and behave unwisely. Without understanding, they search for, and do, the wrong things. An example might be a radical change in career or changing from one church to another — any drastic move in their life that they think will bring happiness or restore what was normal. For a single person, it might be leaping into a new relationship after the hurt fo a painful breakup.”

This really hit home with me. When I got back from SEA, I felt angry. the business I started and put so much time into didn’t pan out. I found out that my parents were officially splitting. I was moving back to LA because finances ran low. I felt like I was just back and square one. As I looked around at my friends and their lives, they all seemed to be doing way better than I was even though I felt I busted my butt.

I felt like I tried my best to follow the Lord and listen to his voice, but everything seemed to be turning out terribly for me. I was mad and starting thinking, “Why do I seek the Lord and make all these sacrifices when everyone else seems to be way better off.” I know that God isn’t some genie and this isn’t some property Gospel stuff, but geez at least give me a break. Long story short, I felt like rebelling and just doing what everyone else was doing. Not caring about being so “holy.”

“If you search for an escape route before understanding why God has you in a particularly dry situation, you unwittingly will prolong your wilderness time. This may cause more hardship, frustration, and even defeat, because you don’t understand the season or the place to which God has led you.”

What is the wilderness?

A wilderness is a place of preparation. “If we are to be like Jesus, our character must develop. And to a great extent, the wilderness is God’s choice place for this to happen. And often while we are there, God appears to be miles away and His Promises seem empty. But that’s only how it feels and isn’t reality. In truth, He is close at hand, for He has promised never to leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13: NKJV).

Chapter 2 – Good Company

Chapter 3 – The Necessary Wilderness

In the Wilderness season, many times God will provide what we need but not necessarily what we want. It’s in this time that he tests if we’re after what He’s able to provide for us or do we seek the Provider? When we don’t have what we want do we still seek after God? The wilderness gives us an opportunity to see what’s in our heart. What do we value most.

Chapter 5 – New Wine

“Don’t ever forget – the wilderness is temporary – you are just passing through. So while you are staying in the desert live in a tent. And for sure, don’t build a house!”

Thinks statement is so profound for the place where God has me right now. I came back from a 4 month trip in Asia and I’m not back at my mom’s place. I believe that God has me here for a reason. I still feel like a nomad. I know this is a temporary situation.

New Wineskins

“Remember, religious spirits will always hold on to what God did, while resisting what He is doing. It is possible that John’s followers had become more concerned about their loyalty to their leader and how his followers should behave than with what’s God was saying and doing now. Their focus was no longer the heart of God. The method, which at one time may Have led to God’s heart was not their focus.”

I’ve been having some deep and tough conversations with friends recently about our faith. I’ve personally have been so entrenched with our Christian culture today that sometimes I’ve taken what’s been taught for face value just because that’s just what the Church said is correct. But have I really dug into the Word and tried to truly understand the heart of God or have I just taken what’s been told to me because it’s easier that way?

John Bevere casts a very interesting and different perspective about new wine and wineskins I haven’t here before. I’ve always had a hard time interpreting the story of the new wine and old wineskins. Bevere, states that wine is analogous to God’s presence and a the wineskins are us. He says that there will be a time that we are not just fasting from food but we’ll be fasting from the presence of God.

In Jesus’ time, when wine is first poured into a new wineskins made of sheepskin, it’s pliable and can mold to the fermentation process of the wine but when wine is old and it’s poured out, new wine can’t be put into the old wine skins because they become brittle and can’t handle new expansion. You need new wineskins or you need to soak the wine skins in water for days and have olive oil rubbed into it to bring back the pliability. Bevere is basically saying that when God is going to do a new thing in your life, you need the old wine to be poured out (A desert season where you feel God’s presence is gone) and you need to be made pliable again for new wine (a new movement in your life) to be put in.

Chapter 6 – The Heavenly Prize

We press on towards the heavenly prize. We haven’t obtained it yet and we are still in the process of being matured. We should continue to intentionally seek the things of God because as we become more mature we see God more clearly because we have greater understanding.

Just as a child grows, their understanding of the world changes and matures. If they are intentional about their growth, their perspective of the world grows and your depth of richness of life increases.

*This is how I see the intricacies of God. The more that we seek after knowing Him and understanding Him, in faith, we’ll continue to see more of God and His character. In the search though, we must be diligent to study the Word of God and be grounded in our faith so that we aren’t led astray as we try to be open minded about knowing more of Him.

“My friend, in the wilderness you can find God’s way even His heart, but you have to be persistent and in your heart firmly say, “God, I believe You’re good and that You love me, even when I don’t feel Your goodness and love.”

What is the heavenly prize Paul talks about? The heavenly prize is “to be conformed into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ – to know Him as He knows us! Until we attain that goal, we should not be satisfied, so we must never cease to search for the heart of God.”

“If we have suffered in the flesh, we are no longer dominated or focused on our own way, pursuing all the sinful pursuits of the world. We have the character of Christ working in us! This is the goal we should be shooting for.”

Suffering with Christ

Philippians 3:10 – “ I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death.”

What did Paul mean by this? What does suffering with Christ mean? Suffering is not sacrifice – it is obedience. Obedience brings about Christ like character because regardless of what repercussions we suffer, we are doing the will of the father. The repercussions could look “good” to the world or “bad” to the world. Abraham was wealthy – That looks good to society but he was just obedient to the Lord. Jesus suffered death on the cross and that looks bad in society. It’s not suffering for suffering sake but rather just being obedient to the Lord regardless of the outcome to glorify Him.

Ultimately, God knows what’s best. Even though it was tough for Jesus to die on the cross, God knew what that death would mean for Jesus and everyone. He had everyone’s heart in mind so we can trust that God will do what is best for us. Paul wanted to suffer with Christ because by being obedient to God, we share in Christ’s death because we longer live for ourselves but rather for God.

But why do should we live for God? What is God’s will? 

1 Thessalonians 4:3-12 – “3. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4. that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5. not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6. that one one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

9. Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10. for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11. and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12. so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.”

Chapter 7 – God’s Super Highway

“Adversity is not simply a tool. It is God’s most effective tool for the advancement of our spiritual lives. The circumstances and events that we see as setbacks are oftentimes the very things that launch us into periods of intense spiritual growth. Once we begin to understand this, and accept it as a spiritual fact of life, adversity becomes easier to bear.” – Charles Stanley

John Bevere tells a story about he felt God told him that he was going to work for a specific person he admired, T.L. Osborne. Six years had passed from that time he felt the Lord had said this and finally the day came when T.L. Osborne asked him to come work for him. However, John and his wife both felt something wasn’t right in their spirit. After days of mulling things over and still not feeling right, he told T.L. Osborne how he felt. They all agreed that it probably wasn’t what the Lord wanted.

John was angry with the Lord and cried out to the Lord, WHY?! Why tell me something and for it to finally happen and you don’t give me the peace to accept it. In response, God said to John, “Because I wanted to see if you were serving Me or the dream.”

Then He said, “ That’s why I had Abraham put Isaac on the altar, because I wanted to see if his love for Me was less than the promised blessing I gave him. It would prove if he was serving the dream, serving Me to get the dream, or if he was serving Me and trusting My integrity for the fulfillment of the dream.”

Chapter 8 – Build Well

“It is the character that makes a man or woman of God, not anointing. And it’s in the wilderness, when the pressure comes, when the disappointments mount, when the dreams seems to be unattainable, that necessary refining — character shaping — takes place.”

That’s exactly how I feel right now. I feel like my dreams are completely unattainable. They seem so far away. However, I want to be at a place where my joy doesn’t come from achieving my dreams but rather I’m completely joyful because of my relationship with Jesus.

“God may have shown you dreams and visions of what He has called you to do. He may have spoken to you of the plans that He has for you. In the wilderness, however, it often seems that the more you seek the Lord and obey His Word, the further you get from the dream He has put in your heart.”

*This chapter is speaking directly to my soul. I feel as if every word is explaining my exact situation.

The story of Joseph has always hit home with me. If there were person in the Bible I’ve felt my own personal life would resemble, it’s Joseph. Years back I felt God gave me a vision for my life and it was similar to Josephs. It seemed presumptuous at the time but I really felt God had some big plans for my life in the realm of finances.

I remember back in 2010 asking God for a vision for my life. I felt like the story of Joseph was the one that kept speaking to me and other verses that seem to confirm it. I remember asking God four times to confirm if what I heard was true or if I was just making it up in my own head because I wanted it to be true. I remember the fourth time I asked I promised it was the last time. Sure enough, the answer was the same. I’ve held on to this day. I feel more recently God also gave me all the ideas for the Wisdom Project.

Yet, everything seems so far away. I’ve recently shut down a business endeavor and now I’m currently jobless back at my mom’s house. I’m hopeless as I was back when I was 24 and everything fell apart for me. I went into a very long heavy four year depression and then 4 more years of slowly getting out of a dark place. I finally feel I’m at a much healthier place and I’m not broken right now, even though 10 years later I’m not better off financially than I was at 24. I do feel I’ve learned a heck of a lot and I’m a very different person I am today than I was before.

“Only God knew the set time that His personal promise to Joseph would come to pass (over twenty years after the dream). The wilderness forged in Him the character that would build his life, family, and leadership position well. The key to all his success was his reverential fear of the Lord. No matter his conditions, Joseph would speak, act, and obey God’s Word.”

“What are the complainers saying here? They’re saying, “What profit is it that we’ve obeyed God, because we’re going nowhere. It is the wicked — the carnal,the impostors — not us, who are promoted, blessed, and prosper” (this is the “Bevere paraphrase”). God calls this terrible or harsh talk, and He views it as being directed against Him. More plainly put, it is murmuring and complaining.”

It’s easy to go through this time period and just want to complain and turn away from seeking the Lord. I was doing exactly that. Two weeks after coming back from South East Asia, I was angry with God. I felt like what was the purpose of serving Him when all I get is being broke and trying my best to live holy while everyone who isn’t seems to be having all the blessings in life — marriage, money, prestige, great jobs, etc.

I was starting to move down the path of not carrying about living holy but I was thankfully strongly convicted after fasting for four days and reading John Bevere’s devotional on the Bible app regarding this good, “God, where are you?!” I repented and turned back to the Lord.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalms 127:1 NKJV)

This verse was given to during my time at Impact 195, a one year Christian discipleship program in San Diego. My buddy who gave me the verse said after praying during our “Wilderness” week in Catalina, that he felt it was prophetic. Whether prophetic or not, it’s been very true of my life. I claim that all the business stuff is for the glory of God but is it really? Is my heart in the right place? Am I dependent on God to have it come to pass or am I trying to force it because that’s what I want? Ministry can be all futile if it’s not the Lord who builds it.

“The upward progression was nothing when compared with the downward preparation.”

John gives the analogy of a skyscraper being built. It takes a really long time to dig out and lay the foundation but when they started actually building the building it didn’t take that long. The foundation seems boring and almost unproductive but it’s what determines how high a skyscraper can be built.

During my discipleship program, we went on something called “Nehemiah,” where we studied the book of Nehemiah in Big Bear. One of the nights, we had a night where we practiced praying for people and hearing from the Lord about that person. That night, someone prayed for me and said they saw a forest and my tree stood much higher than all the other trees. It reminded me again of what I heard from the Lord back in 2010. The larger the tree, the deeper and wider my roots need to go. This is definitely a “root growing” process that I’m going through right now.

Futility of the Flesh

“Remember, flesh can never bring forth God’s promises! If something is birthed by flesh — good luck with that! Flesh will have to sustain it. If the Spirit births it, God will provide for it.”

9. Strength Training

Just like weight training where you gradually build up your ability to do more weights, spiritual training is the same. To handle more, you need to start somewhere and gradually increase your ability to deal with more circumstances. If you aren’t properly prepared, you could hurt yourself. God permits situations that test us and allows us to grow to handle more.

“In some of my wilderness stays, I’ve tried a Plan B. I knew God had promised me that someday I’d have a global preaching ministry. But it wasn’t happening — I was “stuck” in local church ministry. So I tried a few times to force my hand and escape the wilderness. My efforts came at a price and nothing panned out. Once I broke, God eventually made His move and it all turned around.

I urge you — save yourself the heartache and don’t create an Ishmael (Sarah trying to force God’s promise through Hagar). Let God bring forth what He promised you.”

10. Water in the Wilderness

Loss of Passion

“Often, a signal of a wilderness is the decline or total disappearance of our enthusiasm and passion for our calling or even for our relationship with God.”

Where does God want us?

“You have brought me to the place where I see You as my inheritance and my first love, no the ministry or anything else. So when the changes comes, I won’t make an idol out of it. I won’t leave You as my first love and love the ministry instead of You. My heart will stay right.”

11. Prepare the way of the Lord

“Don’t you think I am more concerned about this ministry coming forth than even you?”

I often times feel myself wrestling with