Do you crave acceptance and want people to accept you just the way you are? Do you accept yourself just the way you are? I may be the only one who truly accepts you in your current state, and yet my call to you is to be transformed into my image and likeness. This is not one of your superficial self-improvement projects. It is a change in your very nature and being, deep and profound. When you consent to this work taking place in you, you can expect opposition from your friends, family, and church, as if you violated some social contract that bound you together. But still my Spirit calls you to transformation. 

Have you met people who define themselves by what they are opposed to? Did you enjoy the experience? This is commonplace among political partisans on both the left and the right, and you expect it from atheists. Have you seen the same thing in Christians? This should not be. My people should have a positive and proactive outlook on life rather than a reactive one. They are to be pro-life in a way that includes more than opposition to abortion. They are to be living expressions of love, letting their light shine before men that they may glorify me. There are things to oppose, but these are the lesser part within the framework of a life of affirmation. 

Do you think you are ready for anything? If you do then you are wrong. I was in constant contact with my disciples for three years and even then I said that I had more to teach them, but they could not bear it now. Have you ever encountered spiritual truth that was incomprehensible, and only understood it after you had walked through it with me? This is an ongoing process. When you are ready you will be able to understand the next lesson. It is helpful for you to see this so you can comprehend the big picture of growth. Only a fool thinks the process has been completed in him. Trust me to prepare you and reveal things when the time is right. 

Do you think of wilderness in a positive or negative way? Today it is seen as a place of beauty and solitude for recreation. In ancient times it was seen as a desolate place with no resources for life. Even today, most people who visit the wilderness do not live there. I had my own experience in the wilderness and it was not a vacation for me. It was a time of testing during which I fasted for 40 days. Yet this was part of my Father’s plan, for it was the Spirit that led me into the wilderness. If you follow me you will go through wilderness experiences of your own. Though they may seem like desolate places they can be positive experiences if you know I am leading you there.