GOD Morning! Specific Instructions

GOD Morning! / Specific Instructions

Matthew 2

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, asking,

Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east at its rising and have come to worship Him.

When Herod the king heard this, he was disturbed and troubled, and the whole of Jerusalem with him.

So he called together all the chief priests and learned men (scribes) of the people and anxiously asked them where the Christ was to be born.

They replied to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are not in any way least or insignificant among the chief cities of Judah; for from you shall come a Ruler (Leader) Who will govern and shepherd My people Israel.

Then Herod sent for the wise men [astrologers] secretly, and accurately to the last point ascertained from them the time of the appearing of the star [that is, how long the star had made itself visible since its rising in the east].

Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search for the Child carefully and diligently, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.

When they had listened to the king, they went their way, and behold, the star which had been seen in the east in its rising went before them until it came and stood over the place where the young Child was.

When they saw the star, they were thrilled with ecstatic joy.

And on going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then opening their treasure bags, they presented to Him gifts—gold and frankincense and myrrh.

And receiving an answer to their asking, they were divinely instructed and warned in a dream not to go back to Herod; so they departed to their own country by a different way.

Now after they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Get up! [Tenderly] take unto you the young Child and His mother and flee to Egypt; and remain there till I tell you [otherwise], for Herod intends to search for the Child in order to destroy Him.

And having risen, he took the Child and His mother by night and withdrew to Egypt

And remained there until Herod’s death. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, Out of Egypt have I called My Son.

Then Herod, when he realized that he had been misled by the wise men, was furiously enraged, and he sent and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that territory who were two years old and under, reckoning according to the date which he had investigated diligently and had learned exactly from the wise men.

Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they were no more.

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt

And said, Rise, [tenderly] take unto you the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.

Then he awoke and arose and [tenderly] took the Child and His mother and came into the land of Israel.

But because he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being divinely warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.

He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: He shall be called a Nazarene [Branch, Separated One]."


In this passage, ordinary folks just like you and I were chosen to be used by God. They were given specific instructions. They obeyed.

Does God give us specific instructions? Why, yes. However, He doesn’t always speak immediately. This is where we falter, I believe. We sometimes become frustrated when we don’t receive an immediate answer, and then we proceed to figure things out on our own.

Maybe I should rephrase that. We sometimes become frustrated and start single handedly ruining our lives by making wrong choices. Simply because we become impatient.

I have some wise advice for you today, handed down to me by my father. Never make an important decision when you are frustrated, tired, stressed, depressed, or fearful. Most likely, you will make the wrong decision.

If you are unable to hear God’s voice through the fog, you must wait. Make the choice to worship God and take a step of action that has nothing to do with your frustrating, painful situation. It’s gone on for years, you say? You’ve had it up to here, you say? Wait on God. And while you are waiting, do something that would please God. It can be as simple as turning on worship music and tackling a chore that has been cluttering your mind. It can be as simple as connecting with someone who needs a friend. It can be as simple as spending the day with your children or a sibling. When you pour time and love into someone else, you forget about yourself. And sometimes you get a surprise answer. By taking a step of action that has absolutely nothing to do with your source of pain.

Oh, and here’s another “never” thought…

Never make an important decision when you are out of your mind with joy and excitement. The key phrase here is “out of your mind.”

Here’s an extreme example. You meet a wonderful Christian man at a Prayer Conference (or online) and the two of you seem to click. You talk for hours and he hangs on your every word. And laughs at all of your jokes. He declares that he does not want to leave you. He then asks you to move to be near him. You feel like you have finally found the Godly man of your dreams. You shoot up a quick prayer, and then proceed to apply for jobs in the city where he lives. You have some great prospects, so you go ahead and quit your job, deplete your savings account and move. Your situation may not be this drastic, but still.

A thousand times no.

Here’s another "never" example.

You started dating a guy, had a weak moment, and went too far. Now you are feeling like you should marry him based on your mistake.

A thousand times no. Pray, pray, pray for direction. Do not make a life changing mistake based on a mistake. Listen to that teeny question in your mind. (God's still, small voice) You’re way better off single than married to someone simply because of feeling pressure from yourself, well meaning family and/or brothers and sisters in Christ. Hold out for God’s choice for you.

Pattern your choices after the wise men and Joseph. They didn't move forward until they had specific instructions from God.

If you don’t have any specific instructions from God, simply do what you know to do. I get unlimited instructions from God every morning simply by reading His word and sitting in His presence.

Do I always gladly obey? No. Sometimes I struggle. The hardest instruction for me to hear from God is, "Wait. I got this." Ahhhh. So hard. But, oh, so worth the wait. Every time.

“Dear Jesus, thanks for Your specific words of instruction for me each morning. Every morning, You cleanse me and make me new. In spite of the fact that I continue to make human mistakes. I am so very grateful. I pray for that one reading this today who is on the verge of making a huge mistake. Help her to fall to her knees and seek Your specific instructions. Give her courage to do what You would have her to do. And thank You. How I adore You, my precious Jesus. AMEN.”