PRIME TROUBLE
Matthew 2:1-18

King David stated in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” Wickedness is rooted in pride. Pride is the prime avenue where every evil vehicle passes through to execute its evil agenda. Why would King Herod want to terminate a new born King? Pride was his prime problem. Where there is pride there is hate, deception, bitterness and anger. Right after the birth of Jesus, King Herod deceptively wanted to get hold of the newly born King when he said to the wise men, “…Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” (Matthew 2:8) God at work knew about king Herod’s deception. The wise men, being wise in listening to and obeying the word of God responded to God’s direction, “Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.” (Matthew 2:12) Every attempt of King Herod was driven by pride. God at work made available a route of escape and deliverance that lead Joseph, Mary and the new born King to Egypt. Herod became angrily aggressive in his attempt to deny the new born King of kings. King Herod’s arrogant intention exploded and the anger that was rooted in his pride became evident, “Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.”  (Matthew 2:16) God is still in the business of answering prayer, it is never too late to rise up after a fall. However, not to rise but to remain fallen is permanently destructive. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, it is good to remember the reason for His coming. The Son of God, King of kings did not come for religion; His coming was not to introduce a commercial holiday. Jesus’ coming was to give life and this life is not obtainable until there is confession and repentance of sin. The angel that visited Mary declared the purpose of Jesus’ coming when he stated, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) In this season of celebrating His birth, relegate your pride to celebrate the present from God. Jesus is the present from God to deliver us from sin.
 
Prayer for today: My Father and my God deliver me from all of my anxieties, flush out every wickedness in me, let me not miss out in the way of everlasting.  

IS IT TIME TO FLEE?
Matthew 2:1-18

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matthew 2:1) After Jesus’ birth, His star stood out among many other stars. It was Jesus’ star that announced Him to the wise and the wicked ones; it was His star that pointed Him out among all those that were born at His time. All that represents a star in your life, the ones that the Lord in His goodness and mercy has set up for your greatness for His name to be glorified shall remain untouchable by the force of the wicked ones. During this season of celebrating Christ, just as you acknowledge Him as your Lord and Savior, it shall no longer be possible for the enemy to bring you down through all that represents a star in your life. When the enemies look for you to bring you down, to intercept the purpose of God in your life or to hurt you, they will not be able to locate you in the name of Jesus. God is a living God and a prayer answering Father. As He continues to live and answer prayers, this season of celebrating the birth of Jesus will mark you for deliverance and preservation. This season of celebration will mark you with a reason to be celebrated for the glory of God. In an attempt to preserve Jesus at birth from the devices of the wicked there was a need for Jesus to be carried and flee from the agent of death. Matthew 2:13, “…An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” In every deliverance and preservation there is a need for the application of wisdom and direction to run or to walk just as the Lord leads. Joseph was able to hear and respond to the Lord’s command that called for him and Mary to flee to Egypt. Are you on God’s side? Is the Lord calling for you to run or to walk? As you celebrate, wait on Him for your divine direction and hear from him just like Joseph was able to hear and flee. In every running or walking, the word encourages, “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Prayer for today: O Lord, as I celebrate the reason for the season, cause me to be open to every direction that leads in the way of my deliverance.

THOUGHTS
Matthew 1:1-25

Matthew 1:18-20, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” The point here is about the issue of thoughts. The conception of a child by Mary did not make sense to her husband Joseph and that prompted him to want to keep it silent and quiet from the public. Indeed, the conception of Jesus by Virgin Mary did not make sense then and it still does not make sense now but it makes up and fills up every spiritual emptiness in the life of any man that will accept Jesus as the Lord and savior. It should be clearly understood that, Christmas season is not just the time of exchanging gifts neither is it only a season of going back and forth for family visitation. In this season, it is important to understand the reason for celebration. It is the season to actually establish a relationship with the One that is being celebrated. In this season of celebrating the birth of Jesus, if any of His creation will begin to work His work He will establish every positive thought that is hibernating inside of His creation that work His works. The Bible described Joseph as a just man and that called for positive thoughts to be established, “Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3)  Jesus is the reason for the season and that is why the challenges of the season is also the reason to accept Him as the Lord and savior. John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” It is good to celebrate the season but when the understanding of the reason for the season is not in place, heaven will replace the celebrant and there will be no placement for the celebrant in the presence of the One and the only King that is being celebrated.

Prayer for the day: Lord my God and my King, let your hand come upon me that I will not be left out in the journey to the Promised Land.

FULLFILLING IS FITTING
Matthew 3

Fulfilling all righteousness is doing the will of God. In doing His will, there is no exception or no compromise but to fulfill all that is required as commanded by the Lord. Matthew 3:15, “But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him. ” Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith fulfilled all the commands of God. Fulfilling the word or command from God will always bring fulfillment into the life of believer. However, not fulfilling the word is what will hunt and hurt any of His creation that chooses not to fulfill His command. A failure in fulfilling the command of God is a passage unto sin and in sin and sinning there is no remedy but the consequences of sin. Jesus did the will of God by fulfilling the command of God. The will of God is to fear God. Defining the fear could not have been better spelled out like it is in the book of Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.” Is your life centered in the fear of God? Jesus’ demonstration of obedience is evidence to the fact that there is nothing to loose but more to gain in obeying God’s word. After Jesus had requested John not to be in line against fulfilling the command of God, and John was able to obey, heaven was opened in response to full obedience. Matthew 3:16, “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and Hesaw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.” Permitting the word of God to be fulfilled in our life is fitting and it is also our heaven opener. Heaven was opened as a result of Jesus’ obedience. In the opening of heaven as a result of obedience, the voice of God also sounded. It was a sound of confirmation and a sound of love. “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) God demonstrated that when obedience is in place He will open heaven as a blessing to the obedient one. Could it be that there are some unfulfilled requirements that continue to keep your heaven shut? God has never compromised His word and He will not compromise His word. In obeying God, there is blessing and in disobeying Him there is curse. God was pleased with Jesus when Jesus made John not to violate the word of God. If God could be pleased with faith, without faith He would not be pleased. Please God and cause your heaven to be open by operating the word of God.
Prayer for today: My Lord and my God, I ask this day that you enable me with the grace of obedience that will open up my heaven.

PROPHECY OF LIGHT
Isaiah 9

The book of Isaiah chapter 9 was talking about the government of the promised Son of God when it stated in Isaiah 9:3, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shinned.”  Jesus is the light of the world and the only reason for the season. He declared in John 8:12, “…I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life.” Jesus is the light that was born of the Spirit through the Virgin Mary. Just as described in the book of Isaiah, if  His birth could deliver such a great light in Galilee of the Gentiles, the same light will do the same by bringing great light of deliverance to any man that chooses to look up to the light and see the light. The word said, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” The ability to see is rooted in looking. When there is no looking there will be no seeing. Also, it takes the one that knows that darkness is in place that will know to look for where there is light for deliverance from darkness. What is it in your life that is distracting you from looking away from darkness unto light? Do you wonder what this great light is about? Light is a representation of God’s presence, blessing and revelation that is incarnate in Jesus. The light is the light that does not go down but is always shinning brighter for those that have taken unto looking and seeing it. What and where do you look into when the cloud of darkness rolls in your direction? What you look at is what you see. Whatever you see will determine what you receive and whatever you receive becomes what you believe. It is your believe that will become of you. During the celebration of the birth of Jesus, make it your resolution and begin to look in the direction of light, the light of God that never goes dim. Let your looking up to see Him move you in all your directions so that darkness will not have a permanent stay in your life and all that concerns you. Look up to see the great light and receive an imperishable, priceless, merciful and gracious gift of God that is in place for all His creation that is willing to look up to Him. The Psalmist testified in Psalm 34:5, “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” As you celebrate His birth, look up to Him and see that darkness will no longer prevail in your life.

Prayer for today: Take my days and my moments O Lord so that I will have no reason to look away from Your marvelous light of deliverance.