Week 1 . The Wilderness Challenge
There’s a lot of talk these days about wild camping and bushcraft and I wondered how did Jesus get on in his wilderness experience? Mark1:12 says Jesus was led into the desert and he was there for forty days. That’s where we get the Forty days of lent from.
What were Jesus’ survival tools?
We all, at one time or another, end up in the wilderness — go through difficult times. Our survival skills will be tested. Learning to survive in the wilderness forms our character and teaches us lessons that can be applied in every area of our lives. What are the basic survival tools in the wilderness?
The First thing you’ll need is a compass. Our spiritual compass is the Bible. Jesus used the Word in the wilderness - with it he resisted temptation, refused the lures of the devil.
The Second thing you’ll need is a knife. Jesus’ survival knife was Prayer.
By this, you can keep warm and feed yourself. Jesus’ survival knife was prayer, sharper than a two-edged knife. With prayer, he kept in touch with God and was able to resist the Devil. When we are in a spiritual wilderness it is very important to pray.
As we begin this season of Lent – be prepared. Have your compass and survival knife at the ready: the Bible and Prayer.In Lent, my Wilderness Challenge is to memorise and learn a bible verse and pray every day.
Here are seven verses for this week. Learn them with the scripture, like this:
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23.”
There will be a new set of seven each week but make sure you go back over the previous verses you have learnt. By the end of Lent, you will have memorised over forty bible verses! Forty-Seven!
I have coded each verse into six themes to give you a balanced learning
-
(a) Sin and Self
(b) Jesus, Saviour
(c) The Holy Spirit
(d) The Bible
(e) Grace and Mercy
(f) Be Prepared
Lets begin…
The First Seven
Click on the dropdown text of each verse to jump to the daily learning
Set 1, Nº1
John 3:16
(a) 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Set 1, Nº2
Romans 3:23
23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Set 1, Nº3
John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Set 1, Nº4
Matthew 11: 28-30
28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Set 1, Nº5
1 John 1:7
7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Set 1, Nº6
1 Timothy 2:5-6
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a ransom for all; the testimony to be borne in its own times;
Set 1, Nº7
Luke 11:13
(c) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
