Arise and Lead Your Family

Now when they had departed, behold, and angel
of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream,
saying, “Arise and take the Child and His mother,
and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell
you; for Herod is going to search for the Child
to destroy Him.” Matthew 2:13

In this passage, Joseph and Mary have given birth to Jesus, and are settling into their new reality. Before they can get comfortable, Joseph has a dream in which he was warned by the Lord to flee Bethlehem into Egypt. The instructions are clear, the reason is clear, but the distance is up for discussion. There are 429.14 miles in between Bethlehem and Egypt.

Don’t Focus on the Distance

This is not 430 miles by motorcycle, car, truck, bus, train or plane! This is foot and camel (most likely), not horse with chariot! This would not be a 30 minute ride. This would be a journey, and not a safe journey. They were fleeing the actions of Herod, which would result in wide spread killing of young baby boys under the age of 2. They knew that Herod would continue searching for the Child, using every resource possible to get his hands on this King that would lay claim to his throne.

Some of us get distracted by what it will take to protect what we have our gift protected, and our desire for convenience and comfort cause us to sacrifice that which is meant to save us. Joseph didn’t focus on how long it would take to get there, or how inconvenient or uncomfortable it would be. He focused on the instruction from God, and the purpose God was carrying out with him.

We like Joseph, must choose to focus on God’s instructions. They might be challenging, cause us hardship, make us travel, drain our resources, but we must understand God is moving us to protect something that will elevate us and bring us peace in the future.

Lead Your Family Man of God

I love this verse! We do know that God speaks to Mary. The angel appeared to her first and gave her the news about the Messiah. We know Mary was favored by God, in that the Angel appeared to her and declared God’s love and admiration of her. We know God was with her, and that the Holy Spirit descended on her and impregnated her with the Messiah.

But God speaks to Joseph.

God speaks to Joseph, and directs him to “…take the child and his mother…”. “Arise…” he tells him. Get up from your rest. Shake off that sleep. Stand firm on your feet. Gather yourself.

What has God spoken to you about your family? What has God revealed to you about your family? Are you watching and waiting for His instructions? Could it be that your family is in danger, despite your protection and provision? Here they were, fresh from the Birth of the Messiah, not aware that Herod had already put a plan into action to destroy their child. While Joseph was working and providing and attending to their daily needs, the adversary was pulling together every resource he had to go after his child. And he is doing the same today!

I’m not sure what state you are in, but I do know the responsibility you have. I don’t know what mistakes or fears you have, but I do know the God you serve. It’s time for you to arise. We all go through season in life. Times when we are moving and times when we are waiting. In both, we need to be listening for the next move of God.

Get Your Family Together

I love that God said, “take the child and his mother.” It’s time for us to get our families together. I look at “take” as an assertive term. This is not a vote. The direction is not up for discussion. God tells Joseph to pack up their belonging, and to move. Here we see God dealing with the head of the family, instructing him to lead his family, and Commanding Him to follow Him. We are told that we should be the priest of our homes. We are to be connected to the Divine and fully submitted to Him.

We are experiencing now the results of broken homes. I know you might think I’m referring to single parent homes, but I am not. I see a larger problem! We have homes with men who are not leaders. We are surviving through homes that have men that have no vision, and no Spiritual fortitude. We have men who are in the home, and are detached from the struggles of the people in their homes that they have been given the responsibility to cover.

It’s time for us to carry out the full function of a father,
and not just pieces of the position.
It is out purpose to provide,
but also our purpose to protect and position.

Protect your Family Man of God!

Protecting in that we provide the necessary covering for our wife and kids to feel spiritually, emotionally and physically safe. We also have to place our family in a position to prosper and bring about the possibility and fulfill their potential. God is calling us to do more not just for ourselves to feel accomplished, but so that the next generation can fulfill its calling as we find fulfillment in completing ours!

No member left behind.

Be firm on what God has spoken and lead your family to safety. Emphasis on lead, because some of us are sending our families. Yep, its not just enough to advise your family on where its safe, we must be willing to grab their hands, postpone our meetings, use our resources to make sure our family makes it to a place that will allow them to prosper. We must demonstrate and model to those who are entrusted to us what it is to follow God and to trust Him. To lead the next generation, we must do more than talk the talk; we must walk the walk!

Are you Listening to God?

God spoke to Mary and Joseph to start their marriage, so why stop listening now? He affirmed their location and purpose. He pronounced a blessing over their marriage, and an anointing and calling on their Child. They believed Him. Why stop believing Him now? Though God had not spoken to them since His initial instructions, Joseph had to have known that God would speak to him and to guide him in the future. He, like we should make moves as God speaks, and settle down when God instructs, fight when God says to arm ourselves, and flee when God says to take cover.

And I hear God speaking to us men! I was inspired by this to challenge men to get in touch with God. Seek His will for your life, and for the life of your family, and then follow his commands.

#PastorJDO3