Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus who came to earth for a purpose, to save mankind.
Ephesians 2:10 tells us we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
So, you have been placed here on purpose for a purpose. Do you know what it is? If you do, what have you done to achieve it? If you don’t, are you actively seeking it?
A purposeless life is a meaningless life. Great prices are paid for purposeful items; equally, purposeful individuals are highly valuable and in great demand.
Every year, we celebrate the birth of a solution, Jesus. You too could be celebrated even as often, when you find and fulfil your purpose.
This theme has been stirring in my heart since Dec 2020 and perhaps longer, and it has been repeatedly confirmed. If you are wondering if I have ever had any doubts about it, I haven’t. Like Jacob and Mary, I just decided to keep the matter in mind😀
As challenging as 2021 was, I did find strong pieces of evidence of God’s goodness and abundance. His goodness provides such a rich harvest that wherever he is – which is around the world, above, and beneath including every aspect of your life, there is abundance. Abundance describes a situation in which there is an excess of something. This instantly addresses the issue of lack and difficulty in your life, since God causes hard places and things to not only soften but also become fluid to the point of overflowing. Now, this is a good reason to holler a praise🥁🙌💃
You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. Psalm 65:11
From the get-go, God has always been clear about his intent for mankind. His first interaction with Adam and Eve involved a benediction – He blessed them and ever since, he has been blessing humanity. Here’s what he said:
… Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Genesis 1:28b
Let’s look at this in more detail:
Prosper speaks about making steady progress, attaining the peak in your academics, career or business and being an icon. I understand that life happens, but where are you on your journey towards fulfilment? Keep making those strides, you’ll soon be a reference point!
Reproduce refers to increase by multiplication. What are you doing with your talents? Are you a faithful or wicked servant?
Fill earth is a mandate to top up something that has been previously emptied. Do you understand your assignment? The world is waiting for the wall-builder, gap-filler, or breach-restorer in you to manifest!
Take charge implies assuming responsibility and having things under control. Friend, are you on top of things or crumbling under pressure?
Whatever your circumstance, know that God is at work and he is about to blow your mind. Can you sense or see what he is doing?
I am doing something brand new, something unheard of. Even now it sprouts and grows and matures. Don’t you perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and open up flowing streams in the desert. Wild beasts, jackals, and owls will glorify me. For I supply streams of water in the desert and rivers in the wilderness to satisfy the thirst of my people, my chosen ones, so that you, whom I have shaped and formed for myself, will proclaim my praise. Isaiah 43:19-21
Did you catch that, Friend? God’s making a way for you and meeting your needs even now. He’s doing something new, unprecedented, inexistent, hot off the press, and out-of-the-box. Seems like what he did for Mary.
This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:18
Getting pregnant without the ‘laying on of hands’ before the wedding while engaged is not the norm, and was uncommon in that culture and era. But God did it! Therefore, we can deduce that:
God fast-tracked and accelerated things for Mary. By skipping the normal process, her mission was accomplished faster than normal.
He redeemed and restored times by bringing an event planned for the distant future to a much earlier time.
God made it possible for Mary to become pregnant even though she was incapable of that without sexual relations or assisted reproduction at that point in her life.
God essentially made an exception to the rule and he’s about to do the same for you, if only you believe.
Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you. Ephesians 3:20
I don’t know what you’ve been praying, dreaming, or thinking about but I know God will achieve infinitely more and outdo them all – that’s abundance and overflow! You may be wondering and asking, “how can these things be?” Can I encourage you to ditch all limits and worry regarding when and how God will do what he promised? Instead, pray and trust in his miraculous power which is the same as the power of the Holy Spirit to work something out. Here’s what happened when Mary asked the ‘how’ question –I find this instructive and pertinent to what God wants to do in and through your life.
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35
Again, let’s break this down:
The angel replied: You have sowed in tears and it’s time to reap in joy. Why? Because God has heard your pleas and there is a messenger en route with your answers. Answers that will address all your questions and cause you to laugh perpetually as Zion did. Did you know that the popular verse “When the Lord turned the captivity of Zion?” can also be rendered as ‘When the Lord answered Zion’s prayer’. God has filled your mouth with laughter and you’re about to laugh like you never have!
The Holy Spirit willcome upon you: This speaks of an encounter as recorded in Acts 1. Jesus also foretold that the disciples would receive power after the Holy Spirit had come upon them. When the Holy Spirit eventually descended, they received impartation that led to remarkable transformations in their lives and surrounding regions. Friend, you’re about to have an experience that will change every area of your life including the way you shop, walk, and talk, and it will not be by might or power, but by the Holy Spirit!
The power of the Most High will overshadow: For something to be overshadowed, a superior overpowers the inferior and Increases in prominence or importance. This is what happened in the beginning when the Holy Spirit hovered over the formless, dark, and empty deep surface. Soon afterwards, darkness became light, or if you like, emerged from darkness. Friend, God is doing the same for you right now. Lack is turning into abundance, sickness will give way to health, desire into fulfilment. A shift is happening right now!
Baby to be born: The seed and dream you have long-carried and developed is now mature and ready to be birthed. God will neither bring a baby to the moment of birth without allowing it to be borne nor will he bring it to the point of delivery and then hold it back. You’re fully dilated. It’s time. Push!
Holy: The word ‘Holy’ refers to something sacred, sanctified, set apart or a cut above the rest. Friend, this means that you’re about to birth something spectacular and significant. It won’t be the everyday or regular stuff, this will be different in scale, size, and status!#privatejetcometh#fulfilmentcomes#Godwillblowyourmindoverandover#hollaapraise
Friend, get ready for overflow because God’s doing a new thing! The Holy Spirit is coming on you afresh and releasing favour, abundance, acceleration, restoration, and resolution to long-standing issues. This year, God’s going to blow your mind over and over.
This is why the Scriptures say: Things never discovered or heard of before, things beyond our ability to imagine these are the many things God has in store for all his lovers. 1 Corinthians 2:9
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptizer, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”He asked them, “But who do you say I am?”Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” Matthew 16:13-16
This passage records a dialogue Jesus had with his disciples at a certain location. This is useful as you sometimes have to navigate crossroads that:
Challenge your understanding of certain things
Test your faith or conviction
Cross-examine you and contest your testimony as a witness
What do you do in those moments when life demands a response from you? Have you got a witness statement? Do you have an answer, rebuttal, or defence? How can you contribute to or become the solution to the dilemmas around you?
I’m grateful to God that Peter was perceptive and responsive. Unlike the other followers, he wasn’t caught up in the fast or first response race which didn’t produce the right answer. There are some scenarios where he’d been noted to be obnoxious and presumptuous but not here. He was able to wisely give an objective view based on his understanding. Like most people, Peter wasn’t perfect; in fact, he messed up quite a few times, but he knew to latch onto the grace provisioned by Jesus and consequently was restored.
Friend, the good news is that the same grace is still available to you right now. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been – Far country, Sodom and Gomorrah, Lodebar, Gehenna, or even the belly of the fish at the bottom of the sea, it reaches and can pull you out. No, you haven’t gone too far out of God’s range because His mercy and love extend to the heavens, His faithfulness reaches to the skies. His justice is like the highest mountains and his fairness like the deepest sea; He preserves both people and animals (Psalm 36:5-6). Aren’t you glad that God is a preserver and keeper who has no intentions whatsoever that any perish or languish? You can come on right home. There is a place for you under the shadow of his wings, why don’t you come and take cover?
Jesus said, “In the same way there is more joy in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over 99 good people who don’t need to.” Luke 15:7
Peter who was one among 72,12, and 3 had at this juncture worked with Jesus for a long time. It is evident he wasn’t in it just for the fame or benefits. Besides being agile and proactive, he was hardworking, and I believe that is one of the reasons he was always the first to be mentioned in the trio – Peter, James, and John, who were in Jesus’ inner circle. Friend, it’s not enough to be counted, you need to stand out, and to stand out, you need to go the extra mile. Learn, grow and practice through service.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9
I am also grateful for second chances because we learn about Peter’s response after Jesus repeats the question. I believe in the gospel of election, but It is also possible that the other disciples had a similar impression about Jesus being the Messiah and Son of God but hesitated to speak up. Scripture categorises those who shared others’ opinions as – ‘they’. Each had the potential to share their conviction but only one dared to.
Jesus thereon distinguishes between inspiration and perspiration and attributes Peter’s revelation to the Father. In essence, he points out that the arm of flesh will fail as flesh and blood were not responsible for the answer. It is good practice to draw from the experiences and knowledge of other people but not at the expense of a personal conviction. Friend, if Jesus were to ask you the same question he asked the disciples, what would your answer be? Is your prayer, thanksgiving, praise, and worship based on a revelation or testimony? Be inspired and gain understanding.
But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding. Job 32:8
Would you say this prayer with me? Breathe on me Holy Spirit and give me understanding. There is much value in thinking before speaking and Peter shows that you don’t necessarily need to understand the full picture to make a valuable contribution; in any case, inspiration is the gamechanger. Would we have this account if he had joined the bandwagon? Selah! lt’s ok to break the flow and not go with the crowd. What people deem popular belief started with someone. Your personal belief may soon become popular if you firmly hold unto it.
Peter was a custodian of an insight that would later shape the church institution. The name Peter means a strong stone and rock, and his epistle depicts you as a living stone being built ( 1 Peter 2:5). Friend, do you have any idea who you are and what you carry? Why are you holding back? Start practicing! Do something!! Share your conviction!!!
For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live]. Ephesians 2:10
Friend, you’re a masterpiece and there’s so much passion, power, promise, potential, and purpose in you but until you maximise and release them, you will remain anonymous or second-best. Make up your mind today to not only have an answer but also be a solution.
About Jeanie
Instrument of Praise is a Music Ministry which operates on a national and international scale ministering physical, emotional and spiritual healing to the afflicted....
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