Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
I’ve had many types of leading in my life that I know were prompted from the Holy Spirit. These promptings have enabled me to help others in times of need, to speak words of encouragement and conviction in the messages that I have preached, to pray for people who I felt directed to pray for and to sense God’s call in my life for ministry. The leading of the Holy Spirit is necessary if we are to live the Jesus Walk in its fullness.
It’s no accident that we are reminded here in Matthew chapter 4 that Jesus Himself was lead by the Spirit at the beginning of His ministry. What words of encouragement these are to us who follow the Lord. Jesus was lead by the same Spirit that leads us. Now granted, He heard the Spirit much better than us, but we are called in the same way to follow the leadings.
If you look closely at this passage, you can notice an amazing fact. The first leading from the Spirit was into a time of testing. Jesus was lead into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Many times in my own life as I have followed the leading of the Holy Spirit I have discovered that the devil was there waiting to test me and tempt me from doing that which I was lead to do.
We get a description of the tempting of Jesus in the following verses. Jesus was tempted in many ways to give in, give up and give away the call of God in His life. The same is true for us. In our leadings, the devil will come at us from many fronts to try and steal away our faith in the leading. Words fill our minds like: “You’re not wanted, let someone else do it, it’s too hard, I don’t have the money,” and so forth goes the battle in our minds concerning this leading by the Spirit.
So here is the key. The only way to get to the heart of the leading is to be led. Jesus went into the desert, was tempted, relied upon God, was triumphant and in the end accomplished the course. The same can and will be true for us; however, the beginning point is to hear the call of the Spirit, to respond to that call, and to face what difficulties will come because of the call. Be assured if this leading is from God, it will lead you into a time of testing.
God leads us by His Spirit to transform us into the people He wants us to become. It only happens when we are led to follow where He leads. Where is God’s Spirit leading you today?
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