Today’s reading is Matthew 3:1-4:25.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1).

Whoa! Now that is shocking.

The Spirit led Jesus out to be tempted by the devil? There are some lessons I need to learn from this.

First of all, I think I need to learn to be comfortable with statements about being led by the Spirit. Because of the errors of pentecostalism and modern emotionalism, I’m usually pretty leery of any such statements. And yet, the New Testament is filled with that kind of language. Even Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit. I need to be led by the Holy Spirit (cf. Galatians 5:25), though I admit, I don’t think that phrase refers to some internal SPS (Spiritual Positioning System).

Second, the leading of the Holy Spirit will not always put me in easy situations. This is the bigger lesson I need to get. I hear so many people today attributing things to the Holy Spirit’s guidance. However, almost without exception, people only attribute something to the guidance of the Holy Spirit if it made their lives easier or gave them what they wanted anyway. I rarely hear anyone talk about how the Spirit led them somewhere and it brought hardship on them. But look at the Holy Spirit’s guidance of Jesus. 

The Spirit led Jesus:

1. into the wilderness
2. on a 40 day fast
3. to be tempted by the devil

I don’t know about you, but neither of those three things make it on my top ten list of things I want to do today. These are all hardships. Yet, the Spirit led Jesus right into the midst of them.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying the Spirit’s guidance always leads us into hardship. I’m certain there are great many things the Spirit leads us to do that directly make us happier and makes our lives easier. I just want us to note that the Spirit’s guidance often leads us into places we wouldn’t go because the path of least resistance isn’t always helpful.

For instance, according to Matthew 5:23-24, the Spirit guides me to have face to face talks with those I know have something against me. That is not easy. In Matthew 5:27-30, the Spirit guides me to get my lusts under control even if it means cutting of my hands or plucking out my eyes (let’s not get distracted by the hyperbole here). In Matthew 5:31-32, the Spirit guides me to make my marriage work even when my wife has made me really angry or has hurt me tremendously. In Matthew 5:38-42, the Spirit guides me to accept hurt without retaliation. In Matthew 5:43-48, the Spirit guides me to love my enemies, to pray for them and bless them. To be honest, none of these things make it on my top ten list of things I want to do today, but the Spirit is leading me there anyway. 

The practical take away is that the test for the Spirit’s guidance is not simply whether I like where it is leading. The test is does it fit with God’s word. If it does, then I need to follow, even if I don’t like where it is leading. I just need to trust God that where He is leading me is ultimately for my good and His glory.

***Question: What do you do to help you obey God even when you don’t like where He is leading you?

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC