Christmas is now over, but the story of Christ’s birth never gets old or out of season; so I want to take you back to the birth of Jesus to study it from Mary’s perspective. You will see that God’s plan for her life was not easy. Imagine being a young woman engaged to be married, and you suddenly receive a visitation from an angel telling you that you are going to have a baby. That would be startling enough, but the angel also told her that the baby would be the Son of God.

The angel Gabriel began by explaining to Mary what would happen to her. 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 (Luke 1:31-33).

Mary was going to give birth to a heavenly King, and Gabriel revealed five things to Mary about her baby: He will be great. He will be called the Son of the Highest. God will give Him the throne of David. He will reign over the house of Jacob. His Kingdom will have no end.

That was a lot for an unmarried, young woman to take in, yet the Bible never mentions that Mary complained or made excuses about not being qualified for the task. Instead, it tells of Mary saying, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her (Luke 1:38). There were no further instructions for her or list of things for her to do to prepare for what was coming.

Mary Yielded to God’s Plan

The angel told Mary that she was going to have a baby and that the baby would be very special, but he didn’t tell her all she would have to go through. When people come to the Lord today, they don’t know what paths they will have to travel or what they will have to face either. The key is to humble yourself like Mary did and simply say, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” Just know that whatever the Lord calls on you to do, He will give you the tools, the strength, the guidance and the protection to follow through.

Mary was highly favored by God, so she had to be a holy person. No one can have favor with God if they are living in sin. No matter how many preachers in this world believe no one can live free from sin, the truth is that Jesus died on the Cross so His divine blood could save us from our sins. Do you believe in the power of that blood, or do you believe the devil has more power than the blood of Jesus?

God’s plan of redemption for mankind is special and like no other plan that has ever taken place in the history of man. Young Mary was a part of that great plan, but it was up to her whether or not she was going to yield to it. She had free choice, and so do we. God never forces anyone to serve Him. You can go through life doing your own thing, or you can bow before the throne of grace and say as Mary did, Be it unto me according to thy word.

Mary Endured So Much

When Mary accepted God’s will for her life, she accepted the trials and tribulations that would go along with it. She didn’t know she would have to face many hardships or that her reputation would be tarnished. When she returned from visiting her cousin Elizabeth pregnant and not married, it seemed that the physical evidence was there that she had played the harlot. How would she explain that?

When it comes to God’s plan for our lives, things are not always as they seem to be. Yes, the physical evidence pointed to Mary being an unwed mother, but that wasn’t the truth of the matter.

Mary knew in her heart what she had experienced, and she held to the promise given by the angel that she would give birth to the Son of God; but there was a lot she had to face for bowing to God’s will. When she returned from visiting Elizabeth, she had to face her parents and her fiancée, Joseph. Would they believe she was carrying the Son of the living God?

Mary had to endure people’s condemning looks and sneers, and others shunned her altogether. She would have been in danger of being stoned to death if Joseph had rejected her. She went through so much while she was pregnant, but she held onto the words Gabriel spoke to her; and she knew everything would be all right. She patiently waited for God to work things out, and He did. He was in control, even though it didn’t seem like He was.

God tells us that His ways are not our ways. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8,9). When it came to Mary, God’s plan would not have been her plan; but she submitted to God’s will. We also must submit to His will.

Keep Your Eyes on God

God searches us and tries our hearts. I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings (Jeremiah 17:10). There are times when God allows things to happen in our lives to see if we will keep our focus on His promises. Regardless of what Mary went through or how she was treated, she kept her focus on God’s promises. She was the Lord’s humble, obedient handmaiden, and she knew she was innocent even though nearly everyone else probably thought she was guilty.

As children of God, we have to know we are in God’s divine will no matter what others may say. Paul knew that; and he said, For the which cause [the cause of Christ] I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day (II Timothy 1:12).

The world will see us as being foolish because we are serving the Lord, but we need to keep our focus on the promises of God and continue to walk in His divine footsteps until His plan for this end-time hour is complete. We will face trials and tribulations, and the devil will do everything in his power to get God’s people to lose their vision of winning the lost at any cost; but we have to keep our eyes on God.

Spread the Gospel

The life of a Christian isn’t about finding salvation for ourselves and then kicking back and waiting for Jesus to come. We are to be helping others find salvation, and that is why the devil is trying so hard to get the members of the true church of Jesus to fail. He doesn’t want souls to be won. Paul encourages us saying, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (I Corinthians 15:58).

Many churches today have only a form of godliness without any signs, wonders or miracles. Paul said, Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away (II Timothy 3:5). Having the power of God requires people to sacrifice and be willing to lay down their life for others for the sake of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, many people are not willing to do that.

Are you willing to pay the price like Mary did to fulfill God’s divine will in your life? Are you willing to put self down to sacrifice for the sake of lost souls? How invested are you in the Lord’s Great Commission for His children which says we are to spread the Gospel to the whole world?

When bad things happen in your life, it’s easy to lose sight of God’s plan for you. Mary could have lost sight of God’s plan when she was nine months pregnant and had to travel about ninety-seven miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem on a donkey. That would have taken a lot out of anyone.

When Mary and Joseph finally did arrived in Bethlehem, there was no place for them to stay; and she was about to have her first child without even a midwife present. How many of you would have broken down in tears at that moment and questioned if God was with you?

Even though the situation looked awful, God provided a place for Mary and Joseph to stay—a stable—and they were in God’s will. The stable may not have been clean or comfortable, and it probably didn’t smell that great; but it still protected them from the elements.

God Had a Plan

When we are going through trials, there will be times when the Lord will give us little reminders that He is with us. When Jesus was born, He sent a host of angels to shepherds who were abiding in the field taking care of their flocks; and the angels told them about the birth of the Christ child. As soon as the angels left, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:15-19).

After baby Jesus was circumcised and the days of Mary’s purification were accomplished according to the Law, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. When they entered the temple, they met a devout man of God named Simeon. God had revealed to Simeon that he would see the Lord’s Christ before he passed away; and when he saw Jesus, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel (Luke 2:28-32).

Then Simeon said to Mary, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed (Luke 2:34,35). Mary and Joseph marveled at the things Simeon said about Jesus.

Mary knew Jesus was the Son of God, but I am sure she did not know all the things that were going to happen to Jesus later in life. She didn’t know it was God’s divine plan for Him to be beaten, tortured and nailed to the Cross. After Jesus was filled with the Holy Ghost, He said, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18,19).

Receive the Gift of Jesus

Many people in Jesus’ day only saw Him as the son of Joseph and not as the Son of God. Are you depending on your own physical eyesight as you travel through life? Have the trials and tribulations become so great that you no longer remember the promises of God? We can’t always see God working in our lives, and that is why we must patiently wait for His plans to unfold.

Like Mary, you must ponder in your heart the promises of God and the prophecies He has spoken in the past and never let them slip away. If you do, you will drift out of the divine will of God; and you will fail in this final hour. Always remember that God’s divine plan is for you to receive the gift He gave to mankind that was wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

Friend, will you receive this gift today? It is the greatest gift ever given to mankind. Pray with me now and say, Oh, God, save my soul. Forgive me for my sins. I have come home to serve you for the rest of my life. I believe the blood of Jesus washes away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus. Come on in, Jesus. Amen. Friend, if you meant that prayer, you now have Jesus Christ in your heart.

Receive the Gift of a Miracle

Friend, do you have a need today? Do you have sickness or some type of disease in your body? If you do, let’s pull down Heaven together and expect God to move for you. The Bible tells us, They [believers] shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:18). I am a believer, so raise your hand as a point of contact as I pray. It doesn’t matter what sickness or affliction you have. God made you; He can heal you.

Lord, Heavenly Father, I bring these people before you in the blood name of Jesus Christ. Break their bondages and set them free. We curse every sickness and disease in their bodies. Heal! in the holy, blood name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Heal! Amen.

Friend, look for every sign of improvement and always give God the praise, the honor and the glory for what He has done for you. Then let us know about your miracle. You can write to us, or you can contact us through Facebook, Instagram, What’s App or our website. We’d love to hear from you. It is a blessing to hear testimonies of how God has healed others.

Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost

In this last hour, you must also have the gift of the Holy Ghost. Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He told the disciples, And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). That power from On High is the power of the Holy Ghost; so it is very important that after you receive salvation, you go on to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He will make you a witness for Christ.

All you have to do is praise the Lord with your whole heart. As you are sending those praises up to Heaven, the Spirit will come in and take over your tongue and speak through you in a heavenly language. Lord, Heavenly Father, I call down this great anointing upon the people. Receive ye the Holy Ghost! Receive ye the Holy Ghost! Amen. Now, yield on over to the Spirit. Keep praising Him until He comes in.