Led by the Spirit???

Matthew 4:1

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

(To read this in context please read verses 1-11.) I would have quoted all the verses, but I wanted you to see this one verse alone. Jesus was not led by the devil into the wilderness, but by the Holy Spirit. That used to perplex me quite a bit. Why would the Holy Spirit lead Jesus to the wilderness? It was all part of God's plan. Many times we are led by the Spirit into a ministry, or a time of ministry, or a time of testing. Sometimes we're led into places where we will most certainly face rejection, and temptation. We are told to be led by the Spirit at all times. Even when it doesn't make sense, or even "feel" right. Much of what God does in and through your life will have little to do with feelings. It's based upon faith. I used to get really tied up with feelings, and sometimes I still do. It's an easy thing for me to do, after so many years of feeling nothing. But after having read the "Purpose Driven Life" I've realized that it's not about what I feel, or even what I like, it's about being obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit and fulfilling God's will for my life, not my own. He created me (and you) for a very specific purpose. He created each and every one of us to do something. God doesn't see us where we were (after we receive redemption through Jesus' blood) or even as we are, but He sees who He created us to be, and ONLY He can guide us to get us there. So don't be afraid when the Spirit leads you somewhere that you don't understand. Walk by faith, not by feelings. Have a great day and God bless.
James

PS: Sorry for the lack of a post on Monday, and the late "repeat" yesterday. I'm dealing with allergies or something related to a cold. I know I'm healed, whether I feel like it yet or not!

Let it go

1st Peter 2:1-3

Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

Peter is really saying some great stuff here. In chapter one he's talking about what Jesus did, and how we're supposed to be holy, for He is holy. The only way to do that is by reading God's word and applying it to our lives. We're all different, and we're all going to act and react differently to do different circumstances. To expect other Christians, or other ministers of God's word, to all be exactly the same is to expect every snowflake to be the same. There are going to be obvious similarities: They are all cold and wet. Well, ministers of the gospel are going to lift up Jesus as Lord and preach that there's only salvation in Him. Other than that, the methodology may be different. But as long as the ultimate outcome is Jesus being glorified, it's all good. Now if someone is preaching a different gospel, or lifting themselves up, then there's a problem. We are told to "test the spirits" to make sure that one who says he represents God, really does. Do we make mistakes? Of course. But when we do, we must correct them. If you've been following a wrong doctrine or wrong belief system, stop it. The only way to prove or disprove a doctrine, or belief system, is to test it with the word of God. If folks are pulling verses out of context to get you to give them money or to follow them in their error, don't do it. Let's let go of envy and use what God has given us. We all have talents that the Lord has given us. If we compare ourselves with others, we will either allow pride to enter, or we will be disillusioned because we aren't like so and so.

Anyway, read your bibles, and apply what you read to your lives. If the enemy tries to trick you, your main defense is knowing God's word. When satan came to test Jesus, He didn't command him away. No, He used the word of God to answer every temptation. That's what we need to do. Have a great weekend and God bless. :-) PJ