The Wilderness Test | Herbert Cooper - Audio

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,  3  for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.  4  And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (ESV) <br><br> Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (NIV) Deuteronomy 8:2–5   Remember how the LORD your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. (NLT) <br><br> 3 Wrong Responses In The Wilderness <br><br> 1. Complaining and blaming <br><br> Numbers 21:4–5   They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea,  to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5  they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” (NIV) <br><br> Philippians 2:14-15 Do everything without complaining and arguing,  15  so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. (NLT) <br><br> 2. Mocking your miracles <br><br> Exodus 16:2–3   In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3  The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” (NIV) <br><br> Numbers 11:4-6 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5  We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.  6  But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (NIV) <br><br> Exodus 16:8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was t