If anyone knows Melissa…

I believe we are coming into a season where we will not only be very aware of but we will embrace that specific anointing that God has put on us individually but also corporately. I believe with His anointing, God is preparing each of us to do our part in helping usher in what is being birthed on this earth.  I believe His anointing will bring us into a place of unity and intimacy with HIMSELF and with others in the body. I also believe that with His anointing we will see the fullness and blessing of the promises of God for our own lives.  We will bring them forth!

Sometimes God gives us a promise or calls us to do something that seems bigger than us and we have no idea how He’s going to do it or how we can even co-labor with Him to bring it about.  Bringing forth the promises of God is like giving birth and birth in the spiritual is very much like the natural.

The best example we have in Scripture is where I have been planted this last week – in Luke 1:26-45.

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. ²⁹ And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. ³⁰ And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. ³¹ And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. ³² He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: ³³ And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. ³⁴ Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? ³⁵ And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. ³⁶ And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. ³⁷ For with God nothing shall be impossible. ³⁸ And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. ³⁹ And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; ⁴⁰ And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. ⁴¹ And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: ⁴² And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. ⁴³ And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵ And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. 

In this passage Mary gets this incredible promise through the angel Gabriel – the Word of the Lord. He tells her she is going to give birth to JESUS – Immanuel. This happened in the natural but this also had great impact in the spiritual and we can learn much from Mary’s responses and how Mary brought forth that Word – Jesus.

First, let’s look at verse 28, And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

In this verse one word stood out to me – the word “IS.” The Lord IS with you. That was the promise of the Lord through the angel Gabriel. The Lord said, “I am with you.” And that is the Word of the Lord for you and for me as well – God is with you. You are one with the Lord. If you have said “YES” to Jesus Christ and He is Lord and Savior of your life, then you are one with God. It’s all about restored relationship thru the finished work of the cross and HE IS WITH YOU.

Don’t go by your feelings. Go by faith. I can hear some thinking, “well, I know that is the Word of the Lord but it so often doesn’t FEEL like God is with me.” Sometimes we do feel all alone, but we know the righteous don’t live by their feelings… they live by faith. Don’t let your feelings talk you out of the truth of the Word of God which is the very fact that GOD IS WITH YOU.

Second, look at Luke 1:34. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 

In other words, Mary has gotten this great promise from God; this amazing, mind blowing promise from God and the first thing she thinks of is, “HOW am I going to do this? How is it going to work? I don’t get it.”

But look at Gabriel’s response in Luke 1:35. And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 

Mary had questions. She had a promise that did not make sense. I like that because sometimes I have questions. For Mary, God’s answer isn’t to explain exactly all the step by step details of how it is going to work.  God’s answer to her was to say through the Angel Gabriel, “The power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.” The Holy Ghost; the power, the anointing of the Holy Ghost – that is how God’s going to do it. And God is saying the same things to us today. Don’t try to figure out all of how God is going to birth your promises – those callings, favor, miracles, and the salvations. Don’t try to figure out how he is going to heal you. Just trust that He is going to and start being grateful.

Mary was available and we know that even though Mary made herself available, as we all must do, she came into times of fear and confusion. There was one point where the Angel has to actually say to her, “be not afraid.”  We, like Mary must say “no” to fear and confusion. “No” to that lying voice of the enemy that says it’s never going to happen; hasn’t happened yet and never will. Imagine if Mary had believed a lie anywhere along the way. But instead she believed.

I pray that encourages you today. Any promise that you’ve gotten from God and anything that He is stirring in you that seems WAY too big for you to do and almost too big to even believe in. Any of those promises that make you question, HOW GOD? Or if you’ve been believing for awhile and haven’t seen it come forth and now you have gone from great faith to fear and doubt and you’re questioning God because you don’t see it or understand it. Remember, even Mary had those questions and God’s answer to her was,” I’m going to do it. I’m going to overshadow you. It’s in my strength that it is going to come forth. “

Maybe you think if an angel would come tell you to believe then you would believe…but you have someone so much better than an angel because you have the Holy Ghost with you and He is your counselor, your mentor, your guide, your comfort and He is saying to you today – Believe!

Last, I want to look at Mary’s prayer in Luke 1:38. It is wonderful. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 

I think in the really big promises; the “HOW IS THIS EVER GOING TO HAPPEN GOD” type of promises, this should be our prayer and the posture of our heart. Like Mary we should say, “Lord, I’m your servant and I’m open, I’m willing, I’m available for you to do whatever you want. Let it be unto me according to thy will.”

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It is no accident that as we continue reading that Luke 2 begins ”and it came to pass.” The time of Mary’s promise had come. Very soon those Words will ring true for you… “and it came to pass.” All that you have been promised, you will see.  All we have been promised as a Body, we will see. It is also no accident that Luke 2:7 we see the fulfillment in the Word… “and she brought forth her firstborn Son.”

Mary brought forth her firstborn son.  I think it is important to note here that Mary co-labored with God to bring forth Jesus. God will do it in His strength but He uses us, just like He used Mary.  In His strength Mary believed and in His strength she walked in obedience just as we are to believe and walk in obedience.  God gave Mary the promise of Jesus and He helped her, strengthened her, led her along the way…but Mary brought forth her firstborn Son. To co-labor with God means just that – we have to do our part. It is an active part, not just sitting around waiting on it to happen. It may be painful at times but oh my, my, my… just like birth!

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Today I would encourage you to take an extra measure of time with the Lord. Time worshiping, in His Word, prayer. Listen to Him and make Him your source. Be mindful about carving out time with God because as you say “YES” to that time together, as you welcome the Holy Ghost, as He comes down and the most High overshadows you, He is going to stir you up. He is going to stir up the promise within you. He is going to stir the memory of all He’s done and truth of Words that have been spoken over you and your life.

Birthing anything begins with unity and intimacy and it ends with unity and intimacy and the in between time is that time of preparation that is in the natural and spiritual the time where we tend to get impatient. It is hard to wait. During the in-between time at first no one else can really see the promise. It is a time when because they cannot see many will not even believe it to be so.  But you know because you know the promise. As a mom with child, before anyone else can see the fruit, you KNOW it, can feel it….and in that time you also KNOW – the most unified and intimate you will ever be with another human. That child becomes precious to you.

It is the same with the Lord. As you spend the time with God you will see and know unity and intimacy with Jesus come forth and along with that unity and intimacy you will see the anointing on your life. You will see His promises, the miracles, the favor.

But not only will you see your promises brought forth but you WILL help usher in the great things that are getting ready to be birthed on this earth. During the time of waiting on the promise; when you have only a promise to go on but you have the promise -don’t forsake this time or despise it. In this time your promise will become precious to you.

TRUST and BE OBEDIENT and remember the bigger the promises, the more impossible they seem, the bigger the HOW…the more glorious it’s going to be because God is not only going to have to do it but He will do it.

It says in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God in Him are “yea”; and in Him “amen” unto the glory of God by us.”

Make yourself available to the Lord, start declaring that you are His and He can do whatever He wants in your life and come into agreement with Him and say, “Lord – this promise – may the fullness of it come forth according to Your will, according to Your Word and ALL to YOUR GLORY!”

And like it was said of Mary in Luke 1:45, it will be said of you, “Blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord