The prophet's handbook

into the wilderness to confront themselves and to meet their God. These are cruel, hot days and bleak, cold nights. With no one to divert their attention from the task at hand, all newcomers to the Lord’s service must now sit face-to-face with God. As God begins to teach them, they all grow frantically aware of the excruciating chipping and nipping away at their personhood. Under the blaring light of the truth, in the reflection of Jesus, the novices are forced to see themselves as they are: narrow-minded, cruel, insensitive, thoughtless, selfish, and deceitful. They are compelled to recollect things they would just as soon forget. To have unkind, ungodly words replayed by God and to relive unrighteous thoughts and imaginations for cleansing and service is painful. Constantly, in this wilderness, future servants are cut off from every customary anesthetic. They must make one agonizing revisit after another to the rooms of their past lives. Pains, hurt, abuse, hostilities, fears, and angers resurface. All are presented piece by piece to show how and why these trainee servants became what they are before God. Each piece acts like the main course of an elaborate dinner having its own appetizer (motive and will) and dessert (reason and advantage). Every part of the trainee is shattered under the process. Tears, anger, bitterness, resentment, hatred, and defense each take their turn through the roller coaster ride of emotions the experience provokes. It’s excruciating, but somehow the servant knows it’s for his or her own good. Each inwardly understands he or she will be better for the emptying. As the time passes by, the turnstile of memories and recollections seems to never cease. The servant wonders how Christ ever wanted him or her in the first place, let alone needs him or her in His service. What could possibly be offered to such a holy and righteous Savior? After all they have been through, these future servants are convinced that they certainly have nothing of value to offer this just God. After seeing all that was within, the trainees are sure there is nothing worthwhile to give God. At this stage, the Lord’s devastated inductees are ready to toss themselves away, being broken and hopeless now without life’s normal props. Little do these future prophets know that, at this point, God has His new agents right where He wants them. All the while, the future vessels of the Lord’s voice are painfully seeing themselves as God does—in truth—and it may be jolting. In God’s presence, under His holy hand, future prophets are no more than a feeble, puny, hopeless, and unreliable rejects, apart from God. That is the message the Lord wants to get across. Here is when the virtues of Christ are