Faith

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HIGHLY FAVORED

LUKE 1:26-33

"In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words, and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be callled the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.'

'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.'

'I am the Lord's servant,' Mary answered, 'May it be to me as you have said.' Then the angel left her.

This Scripture may be a familiar one to many of us, because we may have heard it many times during the Christmas season each year. It is the story of how over 2000 years ago, a young girl in Galilee received an angelic visitation. Her visitor was the angel Gabriel who came to her from the presence of God (Luke 1:19) and brought her unusual news! He told her that she was going to give birth to a baby boy and name him Jesus! Mary was naturally shocked and confused, but the angel explained to her how this would happen, and as God's grace began to fill her, she was able to surrender herself to the plan God had for her life.

There are some significant threads of truth we can take out of this passage of Scripture.

1) The Bible normally distinguishes people according to their lineage (their parents' name), their calling (prophet or priest), or their tribe. But here we see that Mary is just described as 'a virgin', and plain and simple 'Mary', (while Joseph is described in this passage as 'a descendant of David'). She had been chosen by God for such a powerful role which would impact generations ever after; she was to bring into the world the Saviour of all mankind, the Son of God, but she was still simply described as a virgin, whose name was Mary! We can see that our connections or educational achievements, our family background, or any other worldly qualifications do not count for much in the eyes of the Lord! He is interested in our hearts. When He looks for people to raise up in His calling, He looks to see whether like Mary we are walking in the purity and righteousness which His redemptive blood made possible. God is looking for those who's hearts and lives are consecrated to Him. Those for whom Jesus is Lord and no other; those who walk in faithfulness and holy obedience to the Word of God - and actively say 'no' to any compromise and every flirtation with the call of the world. God is looking for those who like Mary are humble and submitted to His hand upon their lives. He is looking for those who will be clean vessels for His Holy Spirit to flow through and bring salvation and redemption to a hurting world! This is only possible when the cleansing blood of Jesus our Savior washes away every sin and stain, and the Holy Spirit begins a work in us, enabling us to live in the righteousness God has called us to.

2) Mary was troubled and fearful when the angel came to her and said 'Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.' But the angel reassured her, and explained that the favor of God was upon her, and that God's presence was with her! Mary was a simple teenage girl, without an education, and with no knowledge of the world outside her little community. In the time and culture of the day, she was no different to scores of other young girls. But the angel was saying to her that she was 'highly favoured'! The only difference between her and many others may have been that her heart was submitted to God, and that she walked in purity and righteousness before Him. The presence of God had been with her all along, even when she never felt Him or knew He was there. You may be going through a difficult time in your life and may be wondering where God is when you're hurting, because as far as you know, you are walking God's way and have done nothing to grieve His heart. Please know that although you have not been feeling God's presence lately, He is surely with you . He has promised in His Word that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 12:5b) and that He will be with you always (Matthew 28:20). The doors that you thought were closed to you up to now are going to be opened before you, because the favor of God is upon you! When we walk in obedience to God and His Word, seeking Him and His Kingdom above everything else, then surely His favor is upon us, and nothing the enemy tries to do to block His plan for our lives can prosper!

3) Mary was confused and asked how she could conceive a child when she had never been with a man. The angel explained to her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her; she would be 'overshadowed', covered, enfolded deep down into the very depths of her being in the embrace of the Almighty! As the Power of the Most High would saturate her every cell, and every organ was immersed in the sweet essence of the Creator's Anointing, a seed would begin to grow within her womb, a Holy Seed - the Son of God, the beautiful baby Jesus! She was going to know the the most awesome spiritual, supernatural experience, as she became pregnant with the baby she had been chosen to deliver - the one who was coming to deliver! The angel reminded Mary that even Elizabeth who had been thought of as 'barren' was now expecting a child, because 'nothing is impossible with God'!
Friends, I want to leave you with this thought: that when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and moves over your life, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE! You belong to the mighty God of the impossible! You can see mountains move and strongholds destroyed, so long as you surrender to the Power of the Most High, even as Mary did, and receive His WORD, saying 'May it be to me as you have said...' God has plans for you and I which we cannot begin to fathom or see fulfilled unless we realise our own smallness and His awesome Omnipotence. Stop trying to manipulate your circumstances and just allow the Holy Spirit to fill your life and take over every battle. Allow the power of the Most High to overshadow you. Whatever you need to believe for today, ask the Holy Spirit to come upon you, and as you submit to His awesome reality, you will see your faith lifted up, and supernatural things begin to happen in your life! Remember - the Lord is with you, and His Favour is upon you!

I pray that the power of the Most High will be your portion during this Christmas season, and may you begin to see from today that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD! BELIEVE and you will RECEIVE!!!

Minoli Haththotuwa
www.wingslikeeagles.info

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