And
in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee,
named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 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. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and
cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said
unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
JESUS. 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: And he shall reign
over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 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. 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. For with God nothing shall be impossible.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy
word. Luke 1:26-38 KJV
ACCORDING TO THY WORD!
The angel Gabriel brought the Word of the Lord to Mary in the
sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy. In Mary's whole life experience she had
never heard of such a possibility as the Word declared, yet her humble response
was, "Behold
the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word"
Eight times in the Psalms
we encounter the words "according to thy word".
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed
thereto according to thy word. Psalms
119:9 KJV
My
soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word. Psalms 119:25 KJV
Let
thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy
word. Psalms 119:41 KJV
I
intreated thy favour with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy
word. Psalms 119:58 KJV
Let,
I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word
unto thy servant. Psalms 119:76 KJV
Plead
my cause, and deliver me: quicken me according to thy word. Psalms 119:154 KJV
Let
my cry come near before thee, O LORD: give me understanding according to thy
word. Psalms 119:169 KJV
Let
my supplication come before thee: deliver me according to thy word. Psalms 119:170 KJV
Our mouth and lips must
be in sync with our heart, and our heart must be in sync with the Word of God.
What proceeds from our mouth comes from our heart, and is therefore what we
believe, for with the heart man believes.
What takes up the major
portion of our heart will be what constantly seeks its expression through our
mouth.
If we teach and
follow the commandments of men we will only experience that which pertains to
men, and will miss out totally, terribly and tragically on the liberty and
freedom of God.
BEWARE THE TRADITIONS OF MEN!
Worship becomes vain
when our doctrine is derived from the commandments of men. Here's what Jesus
had to tell the scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem:
Ye
hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh
unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is
far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men. And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and
understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which
cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Matthew 15:7-11 KJV
(Wherefore
the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with
their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their
fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will
proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a
wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of
their prudent men shall be hid. Isaiah 29:13-14 KJV)
But
those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they
defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders,
adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the
things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a
man. Matthew 15:18-20 KJV
For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt
fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is
known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble
bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart
bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of
his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart
his mouth speaketh. Luke 6:43-45 KJV
In the book of Proverbs we read:
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an
evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his
heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with
thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet
words. Proverbs 23:6-8 KJV
It is said that if we do what we've
always done then we'll get what we've always got!
It's difficult if not impossible to
change your behavior without changing your thoughts.
Mind renewal is essential to
transformation.
Do not let yourself be defined by
past mistakes. Remember, in Christ, old things are passed away.
Do not waste your energy on things
you cannot control, but instead address your attitude, which you can control.
Do not let failure discourage you,
but instead try to improve on your previous effort.
Do not be upset and resentful at the
success of others, but instead remember that love rejoices at all things
Stop worrying about trying to please
others. Just work at pleasing God!
AFFIRMATION, ATTITUDE AND ACTION!
Look at
these three words Affirmation, Attitude and Action. We
have the following meaning of the terms:
Affirm: state as a fact; assert
strongly and publicly.
Affirmation: 1. The act of
affirming or the state of being affirmed; assertion.
2. Something declared to be true; a
positive statement or judgment.
Attitude: 1. the way a person
views something or tends to behave towards it, often in an evaluative way
: the way you think and feel about
someone or something
: a feeling or way of thinking that
affects a person's behavior
And everyone knows what we mean when
we say "Action!"
Our actions are generally determined by our attitude. What
we affirm determines our attitude and subsequently our actions!
The Jews rejected Christ because He defied
their expectations of Messiah, derided their religiosity, and denied their sincerity!
They were unwilling to have things done differently. They were unwilling
to relinquish that which they had developed over the years…a religious system
that was profitable to them but which Christ denounced in very harsh terms.
In the Bible men and women are
challenged to do something different...to break free from the set routine...a
cycle of habit. When men and women have risen to the challenge they have
seen the miraculous occur!
Look at the woman who had an issue
of blood (Luke 8: 43-48). For 12 long weary years she had suffered. She
exhausted all her resources on her routine but instead of getting better she grew
worse. Then one day she changed her routine because of Jesus! Instead of going
to another physician as usual, she made up her mind to make an undercover call
on Jesus. She determined to do what she had never done before and she broke her
routine. She made a trip for a miracle.
The was a man lying by a pool in
Jerusalem (John 5:1-13). He was lying there for several years waiting for
the water to stir. He then tried to get into the pool, but someone was always
there before him, so he settled down to wait again! It was his routine, day
after day, year after year, just stuck in his ritual. Then one day he was
challenged by Jesus to break the cycle! Instead of spending his days waiting by
the pool as was his routine, Jesus challenged him to take up his bed and
walked. He dared to do so and he walked! He could have put up all argument and reasoning
to this stranger who was speaking to him but he just obeyed! He even did it on
the Sabbath and was reprimanded for doing something contrary to accepted
practice! He did according to the Word!
Bartimaeus was tired of the routine
drag of his colorless life (Mark 10:46-52). He was fed up with
lack of vision and jumped at the opportunity that Jesus passing by offered! He
did not cease to cry out! Forget convention! Forget conformity! Forget who was
upset! He was tired of his sightless constant and wanted a change so
desperately that he kept on crying until Jesus heard and called him!
When the servants at the Cana
wedding filled the water pots with water they were doing what they always did (John
2:1-11). When commanded to pour out and take to the ruler of the feast,
it was something new, different and revolutionary! But they did according to
His Word!
Four men dare to do something different
(Mark
2:1-12). They brought their friend to Jesus but were blocked by the
crowd. They could have stopped right there and said that they tried, but no!
they did something more. They did something different! They wanted something
that could not be obtained by the regular methods.
What's the routine in which you find yourself?
God waited until Moses turned aside
to see the spectacle before him (Exodus 3:1-4). Moses moved away
from his routine, humdrum, day by day chore and broke the cycle of the
ordinary. He did something that was different from what he always did, and as a
result got something that he did not have!
Many of us are like Samson…captured,
chained and caused to labor, day after day in an endless cycle of defeat, but
we can break that cycle when our commitment and consecration to God is renewed!
Samson's hair grew again and then one day he broke the trend, disturbed the
routine and brought the house down!
We may not recognize it at times but
what we find ourselves in is a cycle of defeat. A cycle goes round and round
with the same thing day after day. Many become taken up with a lot of
recreational activities and supposed family activities thinking they are living
the good life but their spiritual life is in total disarray. They are either
stuck in an endless routine cycle, or are seeking all reasons to avoid
commitment. One of their favorite phrase is "God Understands!" Many
equate a good house, good job and good neighborhood as the good life and as
being blessed by God.
The
heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips. Pleasant
words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. There is
a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of
death. Proverbs 16:23-25 KJV
What causes us to stay in the same old routine?
1. Fear of the unfamiliar...being
comfortable with what you're accustomed to
2. Ensnared by tradition until
tradition takes precedence over the truth.
3. Stubbornness and rebelliousness
resulting in deliberate disobedience of God.
4. Familiarity's contempt. Allowing
familiarity to blur the truth and power of the Word of God.
Unbelief is the end product of all
and unbelief blocks the miraculous.
What made the children of Israel
travel fruitlessly for 40 years? Unbelief in God. Disrespect of His servant.
Conceit, self importance and arrogance.
What made Jesus unable to do any
mighty works in Nazareth? Unbelief, arising out of contemptuous familiarity.
What about our attitude towards
getting up and going to work?
What about our reaction to having to
go to church? Are we going to another meeting or are we going to gather with
people of like minds and meet in worship with His Eternal Majesty?
What about the way we view our
children? Are they humbugs with attitudes or are they potential that need to be
encouraged?
What about our response to our loved
ones, friends and relatives? What is our tone of voice saying about us and our
opinion?
Is our mind occupied and overwhelmed
with our problems, issues and debts? Or are we willing to bet it all on the
Father God?
Do we testify routinely about how
God is able to deliver, and set free, and answer prayers, and then go about our
way living as though God is not in the picture?
What will it take to get you out of that vicious self
defeating cycle?
It takes something different…daring such as…simply believing
His Word and acting on it!
When we are too preoccupied with
connecting to people we can become drained very quickly. When we
maintained a constant connection with God we are renewed, revived,
replenished and restored.
Either
make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his
fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how
can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart
the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth
forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil
things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they
shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt
be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Matthew 12:33-37
KJV
I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man
that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think;
but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of
faith. Romans 12:1-3 KJV
Verily
I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and
whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto
you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they
shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where
two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of
them. Matthew 18:18-20 KJV
But
what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that
is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the
scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is
no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich
unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall
they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?
as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Romans 10:8-15 KJV
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