Luke 1:30 – “So the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God!” 

In Luke 1:30, when Gabriel came to Mary, he made a statement that captured my thoughts.  He said, “Do not yield to your fear, Mary…”   I can almost hear Mary thinking, “Wait, why are you telling me not to be afraid?  What is about to happen?  “  Gabriel continued, “For the LORD has found delight in you and has chosen to surprise you with a wonderful gift.”

We read that in passing with little thought of the depth of Gabriel’s words.   Did it surprise her?   Yes, and everyone else, too!   What a wonderful gift!   Wait, an unmarried Jewish girl is going to get pregnant.    Believe me, that would be a great cause for fear!

Interestingly, he said, “Surprise you.”   It would be a total shock to anyone.    What we read in the Gospels does not give the cultural and religious ramifications of this.   Unless Joseph married her, she would be shunned and possibly stoned to death as a fornicator.  It was not a small thing that could be viewed with nonchalance.    This was serious! It was life or death!

In hindsight, we know it was wonderful, but Mary had to trust God with her life!   Luke reveals a key to banishing fear in several passages.  When Mary came to Elizabeth, Luke 1:39 says, “Elizabeth was filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit!”   

Gabriel told John’s father that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit in the womb.  (Luke 1:15).   Once John was born and the name John was official, Zechariah was filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit.  (Luke 1:67).

Luke 4:1 – “From the moment of His baptism, Jesus overflowed with the Holy Spirit.”

Fear cannot exist in a life overflowing with the Holy Spirit.   We need the anointing to be and the anointing to do the work assigned to us.  Therefore, we should seek to overflow with the Holy Spirit.   Matthew 6:33 should be our daily objective, “constantly seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness…”  

Seek Him first and above all else!   Do not fear that you will become so heavenly-minded that you are no earthly good.   That is not possible!   If your heart and mind are consumed with God and you overflow with the Holy Spirit, you become the best you can be!  The converse is the problem: becoming so earthly-minded that you are no heavenly good.

God desires us to know Him and become devoid of fear!   He wants us to be and do what He has commissioned us to be and do.   We do that by becoming so saturated with God that we overflow with the Holy Spirit.  In that condition, we become lights in the darkness, and miracles accompany us, just as Jesus said.

My cry is, “Fill us to overflowing, Lord!”

Rejoice and keep looking up for our help, which is coming from the Lord. Sunday is coming!

Mark 13:32-33 – “Concerning that day (the coming of Jesus) and exact hour, no one knows when it will arrive, not the angels of heaven, not even the Son – only the Father knows.  This is why you must be waiting, watching, and praying because no one knows when that season of time will come.”

Most of us have heard, “Today could be the day for decades.”    Like those of the Bible, it sometimes becomes a wishful fantasy, almost mythical.    Year after year, we see the decline and depravity and wonder how much worse mankind can become.

Even with the declension of our society, there is no Jesus in the clouds.  That causes some to grow slack in their commitment and become drawn to the life of the flesh and the world’s offerings.  The focus shifts to the gratification of the flesh and earthly pursuits.

The signs should inspire us to live with anticipation and expectancy.  The conditions of the world and people fitting the biblical description of the Last Days should motivate us to watch, wait, and pray expectantly.    He is coming.   The only question is when!

Our task is to be ready and share the hope of eternity with everyone.  The more certain we are that He is coming, the more willing and motivated we are to tell others about Him.

As I went to bed last night, I was impressed that there were words to describe each day of the weak.   Tuesday was “Tenderness, Tenacity, and Treasure.”   

• If our hearts are tender, we are moved by the needs of others.
• If we are tenacious, we will refuse to give up and ferociously contend for the thing desired.
• If God’s gift of eternal life (salvation) is our treasure, we will share it with whosoever will.

Mark 16:17-18 is our amazing promise and commission.  He is coming back.  The evidence of our believing that is in our living!  When He is coming, He is not as important as the reality that He is coming!  One day, the trumpet will sound, and we will give an account of our lives.  What are we doing with what He has given us?  Where is our heart?  How valuable is our salvation?

One thing is sure: He’s coming!  Keep looking for Him; living like this could be the last you will have on the planet. God bless you, and may His presence, peace, and power fill your

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Let me begin with the age-old question, “Who am I?”   Another way of asking is, “Who are you?”   The answer is in the Book of Books, the Word of God, the Bible.   In the Bible, we discover the pathway to peace and wholeness.   It is through the sacrificial blood of Jesus in the atonement.    In the Bible, we discover how to be Born Again and become members of the Body of Christ.   In the Bible, we discover how to live and realize the help that God has provided for us to make this journey into eternity.   What a Book!

As believers, we are alive forever!   That is an absolute fact.   Our fleshly bodies will die, but our spirits will live forever with Jesus in heaven if we are born again!    Jesus is the Way, the only Way to the Father. Jesus is the Truth, and out of that Truth, we find Life!   We must never forget that the Life He gives is abundant, not in material possessions but in peace with God and innumerable treasures that impact our lives and relationships positively.

Today, I encourage everyone to go to the Book of Books and see what God says about us.   Discover what He has provided for us!   As you see the Finished Work of the Cross and realize what Jesus did for us, we will be changed.   As we realize whose we are and who we are in Him, we will no longer tolerate defeat; we will live in expectation!

One day soon, our LORD will fulfill His promise to come back for us and take us to our forever home – Heaven!    I believe that day will be soon, and all the signs indicate we live in what the Bible calls, ‘The Last Days.’   

Even though the world is growing darker morally and spiritually, the Light of God shines brightly and is radiant in those who believe!  Rejoice; we are not alone!  Rejoice; we have Hope!  Rejoice; we have God’s person, peace, and power to guard and guide us!

I encourage everyone to make today a day of victorious expectation!  Align your heart with God’s word, and let Hope, excitement, anticipation, and expectation rise up inside of you!  Victory is yours!

God bless you, and have a fantastic day!

1 Corinthians 10:23 – “Everything is lawful,” but not everything is beneficial.  “Everything is lawful,” but not everything builds others up.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word and God’s guidance, I observed a theme in 1 Corinthians.  The apostle, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was taking them from fleshly thinking and living to the throne room and spiritual maturity.

• 1 Corinthians 8 addresses the carnal mind and faux knowledge. 
• 1 Corinthians 9 addresses the reality that running the race was not the objective, but reaching the ultimate goal was. 
• 1 Corinthians 10 addresses the need to make everything we do glorify God.
• 1 Corinthians 11 reveals the mystery of the Church as One Body, Christ’s body.  

We are informed that improper relationships and failure to understand the unity and necessity of the body opened the door for the enemy to steal health and life.

• 1 Corinthians 12 addresses spiritual gifts and ministries.  

Paul addressed the reason for the gifts and from whom they are derived.  In verse 14, we read, “The body is not one member, but many.”  Every member is as vital as any other.  There is an order of function but no hierarchy.

• 1 Corinthians 13 addresses everything functions – AGAPE!

In verse 12, he packages the message and unveils how we reach that goal.   “For Now, we see through a mirror, darkly; But then face to face.  Now I know in part; But then shall I know even as I am known.”

The flesh, hindered by the carnal mind and fleshly desires, is unable to see the unclouded image of Christ.   In the flesh, we see Him, but we see the world and feel its tug at our hearts.   The nearer we draw to Him Who is Light, the more the darkness is driven away, and the more clearly we see who we are, who He is, and who we can and should be.

But what about the declaration that “we know as we are known.”   Known by whom?   By Jesus!  What does He say about us?  We will finally see that, and as we see, we become!

The key to victory is to seek God above everything and press into His presence.  We are urged to be like the Olympic athlete and have a singular but determined focus.   It is our heritage, so let us become who we are in God’s eyes.    We are victorious mountain movers, conquerors, and manifestations of Jesus.   We desire that “Thy kingdom come, and Thy will be done On Earth in us, just like it is in heaven.

Declare it, believe it, and receive it!

Have a victorious day manifesting the gifts of God and being who He has declared us to be!

Daniel 1:8 – “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s delicacies or with the wine he was drinking…”

As I prayed, read, and pondered the Word of God today, a theme or thought kept surfacing in my consciousness.  That was Total Surrender and its reward.   In Daniel 1:8, we read, “But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s delicacies or with the wine he was drinking…” Resolved is more than a thought; it is a fixed determination.

The three Hebrew children made that same determination regarding worshipping anything but God.  In Daniel 3:16-18, they made it clear that God was their hope and held their total allegiance.  They informed the king, “God can deliver us, BUT even if He doesn’t, we won’t bow to the idol.  If we bend, we burn, but if we resolve not to bend, we won’t burn.”   Esther said, “If I perish, I perish!” (Esther 4:16).

God’s promise is not to deliver us from difficulty but to be with us in it!  The promise is NEVER to leave or abandon us.   If we are not resolute in our resolve to totally surrender to Him, we will grow weary in trial and lose our hope and confidence.  That makes us an easy target for the devil.   However, if we are rock solid in our resolve with the mindset that whether we are delivered or taken home, we will not compromise our commitment to God, we will be empowered to stand and see the salvation of God.

Victory is in total surrender and resolve not to bend, bow, or cast away our confidence in God.  The fire cannot burn us.   The waves cannot drown us.   The enemy cannot defeat us.   Not if we are resolute in our resolve to stand true!  If we make that commitment, God gives us the grace to become and be as He is in the now!

Expect your victory today!   Lord, help us to be resolute in our commitment and confidence in You!