“So it is just as the Holy Spirit says: “If you hear God’s voice today,     don’t be stubborn as you were in the past, when you turned against God. That was the day you tested God in the desert.”
Heb 3:7-Heb 3:8 ERV

The times that I test God in the desert are the times that I have lost touch with him. Sure, I can tell you that my walk is always perfect and that I always listen to the Lord. But that would be a very big lie.
You see, the Israelites weren’t in the desert because God put them there. They were in the desert because of lack of faith. It should have taken the Israelites less than a month to get to the Promised Land, but it would be a generation later that would see God’s blessings.

I have learned a few things from my own walk and the walks of others:

1. I hear people tell me that they don’t fellowship anymore because they can do without the people.
2. Then I hear others say their reason they don’t need to fellowship is because they are one with God and that they don’t need instruction from anyone else.
3. There’s a third reason. Some tell me that they don’t need God period.

This last reason or excuse is one that I worry least about. I know it sounds strange, but usually these are the people who once they make up their minds, will be very loyal to their journey with God.

When I here the other two reasons or excuses, I usually ask them how they are doing spiritually. I ask them if they have heard from God lately and if they have taken time to listen really intently to what God wants for them in their lives.
You see, all these and the rest of the excuses that people make not to “hear His voice”, come from one place. This place is a lonely and desperate place. This place is far away from what God wants from all of us. We, not God have placed ourselves in this desert place where our lives seem so, so dry.
Why do we do this? You notice I said we? Because we have a problem with stubbornness that comes deep from our rebellious hearts. We are not sinners because we sin; we are sinners because we were born with sin nature.

The true nature of our hearts is to distance ourselves as far away from God as possible. The stubbornness is a symptom of our pride in our hearts. Why? Because we want to do things on our own. We are the masters of our own lives and destinies! After trying on our own, we then realize that we are still in that parched and barren place we started. Our pride makes us distant from God. We can’t serve our pride and self-interest while trying to serve and be led by God.

So I would ask you today, if you hear God calling your name today, put the pride away and ask Him to help you listen more intently to what plans He has in your life. I will guarantee the struggles in this life will be easier to manage. I would ask you to stop being in the desert and get into the promised land where God is waiting for you.