Seeking direction

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. – Matthew 2:9-12 NIV

If you need direction you can learn from what the Wise men did here.

1. They brought what was precious to them from in their gold, frankincense and myrrh. Likewise, your worship has to be precious to you. It has to come from your heart.
2. They were overjoyed when the star stopped. This means that you have to be emotionally connected to God when you worship.
3. They sacrificed their time to seek for Jesus. By the time they reached Jesus he was a toddler. And they started to travel when the star appeared at his birth. So that means they have been travelling for at least 2 years.

The end result was that God gave them direction to take a different route home so that they wouldn’t cross paths with Harod was going to harm them.

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” – Isaiah 30:21 NIV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Deliverance from Enemies all around

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. – 2 Chronicles 20:21-22 NIV

When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my Lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria. After they entered the city, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria. – 2 Kings 6:15-20

When we look at situations in the natural, they may seem like they are out numbering us. We should always remember that there is more for us then there is against us. The reason for this is because God has given us his angles to fight on our behalf and help us to overcome all challenges that prevent us from doing his will. Like Elisha did here, we need to pray and ask God to open our eyes so that we can see the help that he has already provided for us.

Overcoming temptation

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. – Matthew 4:8-11

Jesus gives a great example on how to overcome the enemy’s temptations. Jesus responds to the enemy’s temptation by using the word of God and he spoke the Word of God out of his mouth to overcome. This is how we should souls respond as well. I also wanted to point out a couple things that are necessary first.

1. Submission to God. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” So submission to God is essential to overcoming temptations. Are you daily following Gods leading and his Word?
2. Look for the way of escape and realize that the temptation is not stronger than you. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

So in Matthew 4, Jesus defeated the temptation from the devil by using the Word, submitting to God and realizing that He was stronger than the temptation.