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
