GOD Morning! Should I Run for Dear Life? Matthew 4:4-24

GOD Morning! Should I Run for Dear Life? Matthew 4: 4-24


"Then Jesus was led by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After He had gone without food for forty days and forty nights, He became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But Jesus replied, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took Him into the holy city [Jerusalem] and placed Him on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple. And he said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,

‘He will command His angels concerning You [to serve, care for, protect and watch over You]’; and
‘They will lift you up on their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’”

Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory [splendor, magnificence, and excellence] of them; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him; and angels came and ministered to Him [bringing Him food and serving Him].

Now when Jesus heard that John [the Baptist] had been arrested and put in prison, He left for Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He went and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the country of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee [in the district] of the Gentiles—
“The people who were sitting (living) in [spiritual] darkness have seen a great Light,
And for those who were sitting (living) in the land and shadow of [spiritual and moral] death,
Upon them a Light has dawned.”

From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”


As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He noticed two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example]. And going on [further] from there He noticed two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets; and He called them [to follow Him as His disciples]. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].

And He went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news (gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people [demonstrating and revealing that He was indeed the promised Messiah].

So the news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were sick, those suffering with various diseases and pains, those under the power of demons, and epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and the other side of the Jordan.

I have always thought how awful it must have been for Jesus that he fasted forty days and satan came to Him at such a weak point. I was dead wrong. Satan came to Him at one of the strongest points in His earthly life. After a forty day fast, He may have been physically weak, but He was a powerhouse spiritually. It just came to me recently that satan would have tempted Him anyway. And what if Jesus would have failed the test? We would all be lost.

The Spirit led Him into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Sometimes God leads us into the wilderness. He knows there is work to be done in us to prepare us for ministry.

One time I was drawn to a young lady. I felt that God led me to her. I felt that she could help me and I could help her. Win, win, right? We became very close. Soon I wished I had never met her. She brought out the very worst in me. I questioned if I had heard from God. I decided that I had made a huge mistake. We pretty much broke up. I have no other words to describe it but a break up. Okay, I’ll admit it, she broke up with me. I was devastated, but relieved at the same time. We forgave each other and moved on with our lives. Separately.

Years later, we chatted briefly one day. We both agreed that God had brought us together. We had brought out the worst in each other so that God could transform each of us into something that He could use for His glory. We have both changed dramatically and are continuing to allow God to use us in ministry. True story!

Sometimes God leads us into relationships or situations that turn into our worst nightmares. Sometimes we want to run for dear life. But God has a purpose for everything. A specific purpose.

I wonder if Jesus knew the entire reason that He was led into the wilderness. I wonder if He only had a small idea.

And look what happened after He passed the test! Intense ministry.

“Dear Jesus, I embrace whatever You have in my future. Thank You that You don’t reveal to me everything that is ahead. Sometimes I would literally turn tail and run the other way. Please, whatever You have to do in me, just do it. I must be transformed into Your image. I must do everything that You placed me on this earth to do. There is no other option for me. I want to be like You, Jesus. AMEN.”