Where Wilderness Ends & Abundance Begins

Tomorrow is release day for my first Christian non fiction title, Wilderness: The Journey From Bondage to An Inheritance of Endless Love. I hope you've enjoyed the look inside the book I've featured on the blog this month. If this content is speaking to you, if you're looking to make more sense of the season you're in, I hope you'll check out Wilderness. You can purchase your copy directly here or on Amazon. Today, I want to give you one last look inside that speaks to when the season shifts.

A Look Inside The Book: From Wilderness Chapter 10

For so long, I believed the wilderness would end when my circumstances changed—when the prayer was answered, when my husband arrived. But Scripture tells a different story. The Israelites stood on the edge of the promised land long before they ever entered it. God had already spoken. The land was already theirs. The promise had already been secured. And yet, they remained in the wilderness—not because God withheld the promise—because their hearts were not ready to receive it.

The unfaithful saw the same land that Caleb and Joshua saw. The same fruit. The same evidence of God’s faithfulness. But where faith should have lived, fear took root. Where trust should have stood, doubt took over. And in that moment, we see a truth that is easy to miss. The wilderness is prolonged not by what is happening around us, but by what is happening within us.

The wilderness requires an internal exit before a physical one.

There comes a moment in every believer’s life where the battle is no longer about external obedience, but internal alignment. You can be doing all the right things, saying the right prayers, waiting on God, and still be living with a heart shaped by fear, striving, insecurity, doubt, or unbelief. I know because I’ve been there. This is why two people can walk through the same season—one in peace, the other in torment. The difference is not in the circumstances, but in the state of the heart.

Scripture tells us, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 We see this when someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness, loses a loved one, experiences unexpected heartbreak, endures a state of homelessness or poverty, or is struggling to help a loved one overcome addiction. Our perception is our reality. If we believe God is punishing us, our life will feel like punishment. If we believe the season will last forever, the season will be prolonged. If we believe we will not overcome and there is no reason to hope, we will walk in hopelessness. But when we view every circumstance as a reason to draw near to God, our strength is renewed, and we find a peace that only the Lord can offer.

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

“Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

We all experience circumstances that should break us—that are meant to break us—but when your heart is guarded with the Word of God, you will not be broken or shaken. Your heart and your spirit will be renewed.

My struggles after rededicating my life to the Lord are what inspired me to write this book. I had a strong desire to surrender to God, and a strong enough faith to get baptized a second time and attempt to live in complete obedience to the Lord. But walking in faith and obedience didn’t come easily. It didn’t come without challenges, heartache, and a feeling of heaviness that my Christian counterparts didn’t seem to share. I could tell they were experiencing the joy of the Lord. They were experiencing a peaceful surrender, a different state of being prior to receiving. I wanted to get there, but I didn’t know how. All I knew to do was seek the Lord. Truthfully, that’s all there is to do.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

For me, the wilderness ended the moment I no longer needed to see the promise to know that God is good, faithful, and worthy of praise. My wilderness season ended not with a husband but with a union with God that will sustain me through every season and every circumstance. I stepped out of the wilderness into abundance when my heart changed, not my relationship status. And you will do the same.

You will exit the wilderness when striving becomes surrender, when fear becomes trust, when lack pulls you closer to God rather than pushes you away from God, when desire creates intimacy with God rather than distance, when the promises of the Lord not yet seen create a faith in the Lord that cannot be shaken. This is the shift from wilderness to abundance, because abundance was never about what God can give you, but about how you see Him.

As I write this, I realize this may be difficult to hear. There was a time in my journey when this would’ve discouraged me rather than encouraged me, because faith without sight is hard. Jesus Himself acknowledges this in John 20:29. But what I find so amazing and encouraging about this now is that nothing can stand in our way of finding abundance in the Lord. Nothing can keep us from exiting the wilderness—nothing except ourselves. So, if you’re waiting for the promise—for a spouse, a child, a promotion, divine healing, divine intervention—to step into abundance, joyful surrender, and the peace of the Lord, take comfort in knowing you don’t have to wait. All you have to do is surrender your heart to the Lord, ask Him to work in you and bring you into the abundance He has planned for you.

Our circumstances do not determine our season. Our hearts do.

There is more to discover in Wilderness. For now, thank you for your support and God bless you.