OUT OF THE WILDERNESS (Luke 4: 1-15)   by Carole Korakas   OUT OF THE WILDERNESS is the result of the Lord ministering to me regarding a wilderness season in my life. As I read Luke 4:1-15, the Lord helped me understand His process in my life. Many have known that they were called into a time of preparation, being refined and purified through fire. The Lord is calling many to come forth out of the wilderness. He desires you to go forward at His leading to minister in the power of His Holy Spirit. This is a bit lengthy. I hope you’ll consider using it as a devotional over the next two weeks; print it out, read one section a day, and prayerfully reflect on what you’ve read. May the Lord minister to you as He leads you out of your wilderness season. Blessings, ck     "Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness" (Luke 4:1). Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into a place of hidden-ness, free from the distractions of the world. Likewise, there are times that Holy Spirit will lead us into places of hidden-ness. These may be different for each of us. It may mean taking a back seat in ministry, not being a public voice, being in an uncomfortable place or position, limiting our times spent with others, a change in our life circumstances or being out of sight. A few years ago, I was led to leave the church which I had been attending for some time. I loved the people and really was quite happy there ... except that I believed the Lord was leading me elsewhere. I went to this new place of fellowship full of anticipation about the opportunities to serve and grow. I didn’t realize that I was being led to a wilderness experience. The place wasn’t a wilderness, but my experience was. Although the time wasn’t easy, I’m thankful for the Lord’s hand at work in my life. Irregardless of the time we spend there, our experience in the wilderness is very important. It is in our wilderness experience that we ... draw near to and focus upon Father. receive vision and direction concerning His plans and purposes. grow in favor with the Lord while our desire for favor from men decreases. rely upon God because we know that He is our source for all things. trust God. Initially, because we don’t have anything else to rely upon. Later, because we know He can be trusted and have faith in Him. are prepared to fulfill the destiny that He has ordained.   Reflections Has the Lord led you to a wilderness time? Are you there now? What do you sense the Lord desires to do in your life?   "... being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry" (Luke 4:2). Jesus was in His place of hidden-ness for forty days; His response was to meet each challenge with the Word of God. The Israelites spent forty years in the desert; their response to every challenge was to grumble and complain. The time that we spend in our wilderness may very well be determined by our response to the situations that arise during this time. What the Lord desires to do in our lives during our wilderness experience will be unique for each of us. We must respond to the leading of His Holy Spirit with obedience and faith ... because we trust Him and His process. I’d like to say that my wilderness experience was short ... and that I understood the Lord’s process ... and that I always trusted Him and responded obediently. However, my wilderness experience lasted five years. I came into my wilderness experience "knowing" that I had a lot to offer. I eagerly anticipated using all of my gifts, talents and abilities to build God’s kingdom. I didn’t realize that it would be in this season of my life that I would lay them all down. Some of my temptations during this season were to pick these things back up, go to a more comfortable place, create my own opportunities, blame others for not recognizing my gifts and desire to use them, and a bad attitude regarding my "inactivity." I eventually came to realize that my lack of opportunities to be involved in ministry activities was not "inactivity," but was actually an opportunity to rest in the Lord. Without the distraction of being involved in so many activities, I was able to focus upon the Lord. God doesn’t tempt us, but the devil does. However, God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear (see 1 Corinthians 10:13). These temptations are a necessary part of our Christian walk. Through the temptations, we grow as we choose obedience to the Lord and His ways. Our choice of obedience demonstrates our love for the Lord. Jesus said, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me" (John 14:21). According to this, how would we ever be able to demonstrate our love and obedience except that we heard His voice and were tempted to do otherwise? During this time, Jesus ate nothing. We refer to this as a fast. We must allow the Lord to choose what it is that we fast from. The Lord may lead us to abstain from food for a time. A few years ago, Danny and I were led to fast from food three days a week. We really didn’t fast for any particular reason other than to seek the Lord. During this time, we had many prayers answered: I conceived our first child after having been told by two doctors that I wouldn’t have a child without medical intervention, several family members were saved, and a family member was delivered of a 15 year drug addiction. Recently, the Lord had been stirring in my heart to fast. A friend just happened to bring me a book on fasting. Two other friends just happened to e-mail me a call to fast from a well-respected minister (which I promptly deleted). And my husband just happened to read the same call to fast on several different web-sites and thought it would be a good idea. God was definitely calling me, who loves to cook and eat, to fast. The Lord may also lead us to abstain from things other than food. For quite some time, I’ve enjoyed lounging on the sofa after everyone has gone to bed and watching an hour long television show. The Lord really impressed upon my heart that I needed to give up, or fast, that show. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the show, but I believe the Lord wanted to teach me some things ... I could rest in Him, rather than a television show. Time is a precious gift and must be stewarded well. Everything that I take in through my eye gates affects me; my temple doesn’t need stagnant air. Reflections Is the Lord leading you to have a time apart with Him? Are you being led to fast? What is it that you are to fast? What do you sense the Lord desires to do in your life through your time apart or fast?   "And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread," (Luke 4:3). The devil knew all too well who Jesus was. The devil knew that Jesus was the Son of God and was attempting to get Him to doubt His divinity. The devil also knows who we are. For this reason, he places the same temptation before us. The devil wants us to doubt who we are — to doubt to whom we belong. We face this same temptation concerning who and whose we are in a number of subtle ways. One of the greatest ways in which we are tempted with this is when we find our identity in the things we do for God rather that in Him. When I was in my very comfortable place, I found my identity in being a Bible study participant, Bible study leader, Sunday School teacher, youth worker, children’s summer activity coordinator, choir member, administrative board member/officer, delegate to special conferences, and summer mission trip enthusiast. In addition to these church related activities, I found also found my identity in being a school teacher, college student, a licensed counselor and board member for two different community ministries. When I entered into my wilderness experience, I had to give up all of these. That we belong to Him is enough. We are validated through Him, not through our activities. Father wants us to know that our identity and worth is in Him. He even calls us by His name! The devil also tempted Jesus to "command this stone to become bread." The devil was essentially tempting Jesus to use His spiritual authority to satisfy His flesh. Jesus could have easily turned the stones into bread to satisfy his hunger. His Father had given Him all authority in Heaven and on Earth. However, Jesus knew that this action would be a misuse of His spiritual authority because it would not be bringing Glory to His Father. We face the same temptation today when we have a choice to ... name it and claim it. speak something into existence because we want it. use spiritual authority to speak truth or do great kingdom works so we can receive acceptance, recognition, accolades or promotion. create our own ministry opportunities because we need to be needed. Jesus didn’t fall into either of these temptations. He simply responded according to the Word. Reflections Where do you find your identity? If you were to describe yourself, what would you say? Have you been tempted to misuse the spiritual authority that has been given to you? How?   "But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’" (Luke 4:4). Jesus never entered into a dialogue with the devil to argue His point, change his mind, or help someone understand Him. To engage in these would have been manipulation. We also must not engage in any form of manipulation; we can’t expect to play the devil’s game on his turf and win. Jesus simply spoke the Word. We know that the Word is "living and powerful" (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus quoted the Scripture from Deuteronomy 8:3, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." This Scripture was originally spoken by Moses when he was addressing the Israelites. He was reminding them that God had sustained them with manna. The important thing is that God commanded the manna to be. He spoke it into existence. In essence, they were being sustained by God’s Word. Jesus knew that bread only satisfies the soul for a short time. Likewise, the things of this world only satisfy us for a moment, but the Lord brings peace that lasts (John 14:27). The last part of the Scripture that Jesus quoted is especially meaningful. It reminds us that we are sustained by "every word of God." Jesus knew that the Words of the Father "are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh" (Proverbs 4:22). Because God spoke the Word, it is our final authority. "The word of the Lord endures forever" (1 Peter 1:25). Reflections How is God leading you to use His Word? What truth has the Lord recently ministered to you concerning His Word?   "Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time" (Luke 4:5). The devil took Jesus up on a high mountain. It was on this mountain that Jesus was again tempted. It is often during our mountain-top experiences that we are tempted. Jesus was shown the kingdoms of this world. This represents a temptation to satisfy our fleshly appetite for control and greed. However, we know that the earth and the fullness thereof belongs to the Lord and He’s given us dominion over it (Genesis 1:26). The devil has absolutely nothing to offer us. Even if He did have something to give, it’s not in His nature to do so. We read a good description of his character and activity in John 10:10, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." One very real way the enemy shows us the "kingdoms of the world" is by showing us the very things that will meet the deep needs in our life. The needs are usually the things that Father is dealing with in our lives — whether they be unhealed areas, ungodly character traits, things that are preventing us from developing intimacy with the Lord, or things that are hindering us from walking forward in His ways to fulfill His purposes. Things that may meet those needs are relationships, various ministry opportunities, status, materials, wealth or success. These may not be bad things. However, Father desires to conform us to His image, meet every need that we have, and lead us to seek Him for all things. Then will all these things be given unto us. I fell into this trap. At one time in my life, I took pride in all the wonderful things that I did for the Lord. Those things weren’t bad, but they met a lot of needs in my life. I really believed that I had a lot to offer. As a result, I was building myself up ... probably more than I was building His Kingdom. As long as we have deep needs and issues that haven’t been dealt with, we have a tendency accept the glory that is due Him. Not only will we accept His glory, we may take pride in it and eventually believe that we deserve it. One of the things that the enemy of our souls comes to steal is our identity. He tries to make us believe that our identity is found in what we do as opposed to who we are in Christ as defined in His Word. We may be tempted to believe that our identity comes from the things that we do for the Lord, from our involvement in certain activities or our affiliation with certain groups. The real danger in this is that we will begin to believe that our worth comes from these things and not because we are a child of God. For instance, we may be tempted to believe that our identity is in and our worth comes from teaching a Bible Study, working at a local shelter for homeless people, or being a member of the First Church of the Religious Elite. If our identity is found in these things, then we are ultimately building our sense of self-worth as opposed to His kingdom. Reflections What are the things that you desire that you have been tempted with? These may be positions of prominence, materials or wealth. Have you been tempted to compromise your Christian character in exchange for other things? What deep things is the Lord dealing with in your life?   "And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish" (Luke 4:6). The devil is the "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2). He doesn’t have real authority here on earth. He gains access into areas when we open the door through sin ... or by choosing not to exercise our spiritual authority. Jesus made reference to Satan being the ruler of this world several times (see John 12:31, 14:30 and 16:11). He wasn’t implying that Satan had real authority, but that He ruled the "world’s system." This was a reference to the "world’s" way of doing things that was in stark contrast to God’s ways. Unfortunately, this system is still in operation and permeates most areas of our society today. While in a wilderness season, we must relinquish all "authority" and positions that we think we possess. At the core of our being lies a desire for control. This desire must be submitted to the Lord. When this has not been fully surrendered, we have a desire to be "in charge." Out of our insecurity, we desire to preserve our "spot" in ministry. Many churches, ministries and individuals desperately try to hold onto their "spot." We see this as churches try to hold onto members, ministries try to hold onto areas of influence, and individuals try to hold onto their ministry opportunity. Just consider these examples: a church is constantly involved in "member" campaigns and trying to increase their numbers, a ministry seeks to be the sole authority in a particular area of ministry while discounting others, or an individual tries to maintain their position of head hauncho while not giving others an opportunity to exercise their gifts (for example, the lead teacher doesn’t give others an opportunity to teach). In all these examples, those involved are striving to hold onto something . The fact that they are struggling with this temptation is evidence that they are in a spiritual wilderness (and are consequently not experiencing real "impact.") We must realize that "favor" with people and ministries comes from the Lord. All genuine ministry opportunities are orchestrated by Him as a result of His favor upon our lives. During this wilderness season, we must submit this desire for ministry and favor with people to the Lord. This is a season to draw near to the Lord. In doing so, He will draw near to us and will favor us. We develop favor with the Lord in this season. Only after we have favor with the Lord will He give us favor with other people. This is because as we develop favor with the Lord, we realize that He is all that we need and desire Him only. When we desire Him only, we only desire His approval and affirmation ... and truly fear Him. Only then can we minister without seeking "glory" to meet our unmet needs. The devil tried to tempt Jesus by offering Him the glory of the worldly kingdoms. What in this world could possibly compare with the glory of God? He alone deserves all glory! Reflections Are you trying to preserve your "spot" in anything or has this been fully submitted to the Lord? Is your focus upon the Lord? Do you desire the "favor" of God rather than the favor and approval of men?   "Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours" (Luke 4:7). The devil wants to be worshiped. This desire got Lucifer kicked out of God’s presence. He masquerades as an angel of light so that he can continue to tempt us to bow down to him. He is subtle in his tactics. While we may not be able to imagine bowing down to him and worshiping him, we need to constantly examine ourselves. Above all else, we need to spend time worshiping our Heavenly Father. He alone is worthy of this. After this life is over, we will worship for the rest of eternity. When we meet Him face to face, we’ll not need to go on mission trips, sit on committees and boards, write books or articles, evangelize anyone, prophesy to anyone, preach sermons or teach lessons, nor anything else that we deem important and worthwhile. We’ll only worship Him. There is a dynamic that occurs in worship that probably benefits us more than it does Him. When we go without spending time in worship, we have nothing to give but ourselves. Sometimes, what’s inside of us (anger, frustration, hurt, unforgiveness) really doesn’t need to be given to others. When we worship, our spirit communes with Him. I like to think of it as a spiritual transfusion (same principle as a blood transfusion) where He renews and fills us. Reflections What do most of your thoughts concern? Are you consumed with thoughts of money or power or recognition? Do you walk in the ways of the Lord or the ways of the world? Do you use manipulative tactics to get your way or do you trust the Lord. Are you spending time worshiping the Lord — daily?   "And Jesus answered and said to him, "Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’" (Luke 4:8). Jesus commanded the devil to get behind Him. In doing so, He was removing the temptation from Him. It really isn’t possible that the Son of God (who is God in the flesh) could possibly bow down to the Satan. However, it was significant enough to be recorded in the Scriptures. We need to follow this example. Even though we may not deem something to be a stumbling block to us and even though we think we can handle it, we don’t need to entertain the things of the devil. We also need to be considerate of our brethren. If it could be a stumbling block to them, we don’t need to entertain it. Just consider ... you wouldn’t drag a recovering alcoholic to a bar to witness to people. It may just be more than he could bear. Our God is a jealous God (see Exodus 20:5 and Exodus 34:14). He will not share our affections with anyone. He jealously longs for all of our affections. I remember first contemplating that my God was "jealous." I just couldn’t fathom that the creator of the universe had a little green-eyed monster in his make-up. This analogy may help us get the picture. Remember back to your high-school days. There was undoubtedly a couple who were madly infatuated with one another ... and who were also jealous concerning one another. The jealous party would do anything to gain the affections of the other person. They’d go to great extremes to defend their "rights" to the other person. Our awesome God loves us so incredibly much that He’ll go to great extremes to gain our attention and affection ... and to keep them. He desires intimate fellowship with us. He has a perfect, sinless Son at His right side and a multitude of angels worshiping Him 24/7, but He still desires us. Reflections What temptations do you need to remove from your life? Are you giving the Lord all of your affections?   "Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here" (Luke 4:9). The devil again tempts Jesus to doubt who He is — that He is the Son of God. He does the same to us — time and time again. Jesus’ response to every temptation has been to use Scripture. Our response must also be the same. We must know who we are according to the Word ... and we must declare it. We must declare: I am a child of God (see Romans 8:16). I am an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus (see Romans 8:17). I am redeemed from the hand of the enemy (see Psalms 107:2). I am led by the Spirit of God (see Romans 8:14). I am kept in safety wherever I go (see Psalm 91:11). I am strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (see Ephesians 6:10). I am blessed coming in and blessed going out (see Deuteronomy 28:6). I am blessed with all spiritual blessings (see Ephesians 1:3). In addition to doubting who we are according to the Word of God, we may also be tempted to doubt that we have been called of the Lord for a special purpose. We must know who we are, but also that we are people of destiny and purpose. I faced this temptation more than once during my wilderness season. I wondered if I’d ever have the opportunity to experience Him working through me to fulfill the things He’d placed in my heart. I came to realize that He was causing me to focus upon these "God" things rather than being distracted by other "good" things. Sometimes, "good" distracts us from "God." Reflections Who does the Lord say that you are? Use Scripture to support this. Are you doubting who you are, what you have been called for, and what you are doing? What has the Lord called you to do? What is His purpose for you?   "For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ and , ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone’" (Luke 4:10-11). This passage is proof that the enemy of our souls knows Scripture and will try to pervert it. This Scripture is about trusting God, not about testing Him. The devil will always twist things. If you find yourself being in "bondage" to a teaching or a religious tradition, it is probably a good indicator that the devil has twisted the truth of His Word. God and His Word are synonomous. We know that the Word became flesh. Jesus was the manifestation of the spoken Word of God. His Word is life and health to all who find it. Anytime we experience anything contrary to life and health, we may very well be experiencing a perversion of His truth. We must spend time in His Word daily — especially during a wilderness season. We must know who we are according to His Word, what are His plans and purposes for us according to His Word, what our responses are to be according to His Word, and who He is according to His Word. If we don’t spend time in His Word and allow Him to define the answers to these things, then we risk allowing them to be defined by a twisted version of the truth. Reflections Is the Lord bringing to your mind any teaching or tradition that is a perversion of His truth? Are you experiencing freedom, life, health, healing, direction and guidance through His Word?   "And Jesus answered and said to him, "It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’" (Luke 4:12). We are not to tempt God. The word tempt means to test God’s character and power. We must believe that God is who He says He is. He, the Word, became flesh in the person of Jesus (John 1:14). He is the living Word and we read His written Word. We must not only believe His Word, but must have faith that He will watch over it to perform it. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." It is important in our wilderness season that we don’t tempt the Lord by demanding that He "do" something, that He change things, or that He take us out of our present situations. We must believe that God’s character is that of a loving Father who desires the very best for us. We must believe that our loving Father is molding us and shaping us and teaching us so that we will be successful in fulfilling His plans. He doesn’t forget about us or take satisfaction in the thought of us being in a wilderness place, but He does delight in the person that emerges from the wilderness. A loving parent wouldn’t leave their child in "time-out" indefinitely, but only for an appropriate time so that their character is molded and they learn a lesson important for their success in life. Our time in our wilderness experience is determined by our response to what the Lord is doing in us. While we are not to test God or His Word, we are to activate His Word by speaking it forth. God’s promises are yes and amen (see 2 Corinthians 1:20). We need to declare His truth in all situations. Many times, we are tempted to declare the truth of a situation. We do this when we say, "I never have enough money" or "It’s hopeless and I’ll never be out of debt." Rather than the truth of the circumstances, we need to declare the truth of God’s Word. We ought to declare, "He supplies all my need according to His riches in Christ Jesus" or "He desire that I be a lender and not a borrower." It’s interesting to note that all three of Jesus’ responses were taken from Deuteronomy and were related to the Israelites wilderness experience. We need to be prepared in season and out of season — during our wilderness times and during our times on the mountain-top — to speak forth God’s Word (see 2 Timothy 4:2). Reflections Do you readily activate God’s Word by speaking it forth? Give an example. Pray and ask God to show you the Scriptures that reflect His heart regarding your circumstances. Speak these Scriptures forth and pray them into being.   "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time," (Luke 4:13) When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left ... and waited for a more opportune time. We are usually not tempted 24 hours a day, but at carefully selected times. The devil waits for those opportune times. What characterizes an opportune time? Perhaps these are the times ... after a great disappointment ... and we’re tempted to doubt that God is with us and cares. after a big success ... and we’re tempted to believe we’ve done something wonderful. after a prayer doesn’t seem to be answered the way we anticipated. after a time away from the presence of God or His Word. after a time without any fellowship with other believers. after a time when we know we’ve messed up in a big way, but don’t immediately repent because of our shame so that our relationship with Father can be restored. We must watch and pray at all times ... especially during these opportune times (see Matthew 26:41). We do face temptation in our life, but we are victorious through Jesus Christ. We can follow His blueprint for success — His example through His Word. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony (see Revelation 12:11). Reflections Ask the Lord to expose the schemes of the enemy in your life. What has the Lord revealed to you? Worship the Lord through song, dance, prayer declarations, art, study or obedience to His ways. Trust that He will strengthen your spirit as you spend time in His presence.   "Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all" (Luke 4:14-15). The result of Jesus’ wilderness time was that He was empowered by Holy Spirit to fulfill His Father’s purpose. People recognized that Jesus had been in the presence of His Father. They recognized that He walked in the power of Holy Spirit. He brought glory to His Father in all that He did. As a result, He was glorified by all. It is during our wilderness times that we will ... experience rejection of who we are, what we stand for or what we have to offer. die to self and lay down our agendas, desires and plans. choose what and Who are of utmost importance. develop a love relationship with our Lord and His Word. know Him intimately so that we understand His ways and recognize His voice. understand His purpose and destiny for our lives. learn to walk in His ways and be led by His Spirit. be prepared to fulfill the destiny that He has ordained and give Him all glory and honor for what He does in us and through us. It’s interesting to note that I went into my wilderness experience believing that I had everything to give. Consequently, I came out of this time knowing that I had absolutely nothing to give — except Him. And it’s Him that others really need. Only those things that have their origin in Him and are sustained by Him will bear lasting fruit that brings Him glory and honor. It is important that as we leave our wilderness experience we have no speck of bitterness or unforgiveness. We must truly shake every bit of dust from our feet. Any speck that remains will become a seed which we deposit in the next place we go. That seed will then sprout, take root and grow ... eventually depositing other seeds to run their course. We must understand the Lord’s process in our lives and realize that He does work all things (even when they involve people or situations) together for our good (so that we mature and are prepared for His purposes) (see Romans 8:28). When our wilderness experience involves people or situations, we must believe that they have been orchestrated by the Lord. We must know that He uses the circumstances in our lives to bring growth. I call these "stretchy" times. These are the times when I’m "stretched" from where I’m firmly planted (whether it be in my ideas, beliefs or attitudes) to where the Lord desires that I grow. Sometimes, the process of being stretched is quite uncomfortable. However, we must resist the urge to judge the motives or intents of those whom the Lord uses in this process. The Lord isn’t as concerned about their motives and intents (He already knows them) as He is about our response. It’s through this process that we are conformed to His image. During our wilderness experience, we begin to identify with Jesus and are prepared to go forth to fulfill His purposes. We must realize that people will recognize that we’ve been with the Lord and that we walk in the power of His Holy Spirit. As such, we must not take any of His glory, but must reflect it back to the One who led us out of the wilderness. As we fulfill the destiny that He has ordained, we will bring glory to Him. Reflections Pray and ask the Lord to search your heart to see if there is any speck of bitterness, unforgiveness, or unhealed hurt that needs to be surrendered to Him. Thank God for showing you His ways as well as the process He is taking or has taken you through. Thank God for conforming you to His image and preparing you to fulfill His purposes. Prayerfully seek God’s direction as you emerge from this wilderness experience. Ask Him to show you where to go, the people you are to be connected with, and what His perfect will is at this particular time in your life.   Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.   Carole Korakas, WaterMark Ministry, www.watermarkministry.org.   Permission is granted to reprint articles from the WaterMark Ministry websites as long as they are reprinted in their entirety.