“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”(Proverbs 19:21).
As we approach the New Year, we look back at our lives and we get to that place where we can clearly see our progress in Christ Jesus as children of God or believers. We had plans for 2012 and some were established and some were not. You might have the answers to why some were successful and why some were not. In the story of Christmas, we find this young girl, Mary, who was engaged to be married to a man called Joseph. Dr. Luke, in Luke 1:26 writes “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”. God knew Mary’s plans and knew how He could merge His plans with Mary’s. He says in is word that He knows our hearts. He looks into our hearts and reads it. This is an amazing fact that is really liberating to know. So it’s true to say that God knew that Mary was going to be agreeable to God’s plans to be merged with hers. The first thing we see in this story is the timing. God knew that it was time for his pans to be carried out, but He needed a human being to carry it out. He therefore sends the angel in the sixth month. The number sixrefers to man, the day that man was created. So on this sixth month God reaches out and shows His need to use man to accomplish his plan on earth. Without God in our plans they will be incomplete. Our lives will always be incomplete if we don’t allow God to show us his place in our plans. Six speaks of love, harmony, balance cooperation and marriage. You will see this in the Bible. In John 2:6 Jesus turns six pots of water into wine in a wedding feast. In Ruth 3:15 Boaz gives Ruth six measures of barley symbolic of love and protection. Then, like the wine at the wedding, our lives will be changed with newness that comes from the infilling of the spirit of the living God. You will experience his miracle working power in your daily life. The word of God says in 1 Samuel 16:7 that God looks at our hearts and He knows how we will respond if he approached us to accomplish an assignment for his glory. You see the response of Mary to the angel. When your ways are pleasing to God, He makes all your plans give him glory.
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.” Notice that when God calls you to accomplish his plan or assignment, He already has put His supernatural favor over your life. His favor will open the doors that need to open and close those that need closed. His favor will cause provision to your assignment, will bring healing to your sick body, will bring peace to your mind, and will even cause the devil to be confused and pass you over because he is been blinded to what you are about to do for the glory of God. Second, you need to ensure that your plans are aligned with God’s plans. If you can find space for God in your plans, He has promised that He will be with you. Regardless of what the demons in hell will say or plan the Lord will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you. If you get troubled about the hard task of the plans or assignment He gives you, He will encourage you, like He did to Mary. The Lord hears and knows our hearts’ fears, and arrests them at the right time, giving you victory and a clear way to move to the next step. He answers our troubled minds and makes clear that which is not clear. Just as the Lord God was with Mary throughout her pregnancy, God will help you with the plan that you have committed to Him which is to bring glory to Him. God will shield you from your plan being aborted by demonic spirits of jealousy, envy, gossip and bitterness. The Lord wants your plans in the year 2013 committed to Him. When you do, He will carry you through the year.
The angel continues to say to Mary, “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 called the Son of the Most High.”When God gives you an assignment, He gives you specifics of what you the assignment is and what needs to be done. If it is a business, He will even give you the name and tell you what assignment it is going to accomplish. The angel continues to say, “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.”(Luke 1: 31-33) Mary responds and says, “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “Since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1: 34) It is absolutely godly to ask the Lord for clarity about any assignment He has given you. Every prophet in the in the Bible asked questions; Moses asked questions, Isaiah asked questions, and Joshua asked questions. There is a difference between questioning God and doubting God. We cannot doubt what He says to us, but we can ask questions. The angel continues to say, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”(Luke 1: 35) The spirit of God overshadows you, as you go about doing your God-given assignments. He covers you and confuses your enemies. He says in Deuteronomy 28:7 “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one wayand flee before you seven ways.” He will cause the devil to return all he has stolen from you and your father’s generation. He will turn all curses into blessings; He will cause your enemies to live in peace with you, and He will cause men and women to give to your God-given assignment. People you do not know in the physical will be awakened in their spirit and look for you, to be part of your God given assignments.
The Angel concludes his answer to Mary’s question by saying, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:36-37, NKJV). Lastly we see that God knew Mary’s heart and her humbleness in responding to the word of God. She responded with absolute surrender to the plans of God in her life. She did not start imagining what the Jewish law would do to her, the questions, the mocking and how the love of her life that she was engaged to was going to respond. She did not tell the angel, ‘please go to Joseph too and tell him this’, nor did she say, ‘let me share this with my fiancée and get back to you’, or ‘come back when we are together’. Mary knew that if God was assigning her this role, He was going to take care of everything that needs to be dealt with. Therefore she concludes this conversation in a powerful way by saying, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.“(Luke 1: 36-38) Indeed, nothing is impossible with God! Remind yourself this over and over again, nothing is impossible with God to them that believe. The angel left Mary soon after she said those words, perhaps with the knowledge that Mary was going to be faithful to God’s assignment for her life. Friend, let the Lord have his way in your daily life, in your God-given assignment just take example of Mary and obey the Lord and let Him have His way.
From vessel for honor Ministries we would like to pray that God will be in this Christmas season in your life May He be the reason for this season in your home, marriage, work and all you do. And may the peace of God cover you like a thick blanket as you rest on the knowledge that “nothing is impossible with God”.
By Evangelist Isabella Mwango
