“Blessed is she who has believed that the
LORD would fulfill His promises to her!”
Luke 1:45 NIV ❤ (Verse on Bible Hub)

Luke 1:45 … BLESSED IS SHE WHO HAS BELIEVED

When the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he declared she was God’s chosen vessel to deliver Jesus, the Son of the Most High. At first, Mary was startled and perplexed. But she didn’t let herself get bogged down in a fog of doubt and confusion. What she did was almost as radical as what Gabriel promised.

Mary chose to believe!

I know Luke 1:45 is about Mary and all the events that surrounded the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at Christmas time. But I truly believe this promise is for all of us.

You, my friend, are blessed if you believe God will fulfill His promises to you!

If you are alive right now with His breath in your lungs, you are precious to the Lord and your life has great purpose.

Your purpose was placed in you as a seed by almighty God and you will be able to accomplish what you thought was impossible with the Holy Spirit’s power. I’m sure you’ve been aware for some time a gentle nudging deep within you that you haven’t responded to because of fear. 

When God speaks to us about what He wants to do through us, let’s settle it in our hearts to become ‘yes girls’ for Him before we even know the details.

But how do we become ‘Yes!’ Girls for God?

1. Blessed is she who has believed and is willing to be set apart for God

‘Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for
tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.”‘
Joshua 3:5 NIV  (Verse on Bible Hub)

It takes a brave defiance to stand alone with God and take Him at His Word.

To be set apart for Him.

We must annihilate the debilitating spirit of people pleasing before it cripples our purpose. We are children of God and we are not meant to live like the rest of the world. Lets settle it in our hearts to joyfully and willingly march to the beat of a different drum for our audience of One. Focus on His face, and when He nods at you, that’s the only approval you will need.

People around us won’t always be overjoyed with our choices because they don’t understand what God didn’t talk to them about. And every now and then, the wrong person will come along whose sole purpose seems to be to derail our calling.

God will use our gifts and talents to get us to where He wants us, but it’s character and integrity that will keep us there. Let’s live above reproach and set apart for Jesus. Then the world, and even the enemy himself, will have nothing on us.

2. Blessed is she who has believed and is willing to have her plans interrupted

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May Your
Word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:38 NIV  (Verse on Bible Hub)

Whenever I thought about the angel Gabriel’s encounter with Mary, I right away think about the huge scandal that had to have surrounded Mary at the time.

This morning I reached out to Diane Shirlaw-Ferreira, my Jewish Believing Friend.

This is what she said: 

“… It is important to note that the assumption about Mary and Joseph being looked at unfavorably or talked about because she was pregnant and only engaged is a false one. Betrothal in Jewish culture was legally binding and could only be ended by divorce. All that remained was the consummation stage. Had they consummated their marriage no one would have thought anything of her being pregnant.”

I remember watching a movie one Christmas where people were giving Mary the hateful stink eye while picking up rocks with intent to stone her when they discovered she was pregnant.

But God never mentioned any of that in His Word.

He wants us to focus in on Him and Mary’s courage in this story, not scan the faces in the crowd. Same in our lives. If we want to be yes girls for Him, lets keep our eyes exclusively on Him.

Mary was not a victim, either to God’s plan or other people’s reactions.

Mary had free will and could have told the angel ‘no’ if she wanted to. Would that have stopped God from bringing His Son into the world? Never. He would have searched for someone else to participate with Him in His beautiful story of hope and redemption. But somehow, because God is all knowing, I believe He already knew she was going to willingly say yes!

Mary chose to believe and accept God’s plans for her to be the vessel He would use to bring His Son into this world. She chose to let God interrupt her life and trusted Him with the details.

Will you trust God to interrupt your life with His purpose and passion? Don’t be concerned about details or who will be against you. Just like He met Joseph in a dream (Matthew 1:20), the Lord will prepare the hearts of people who are meant to be in your story. And if someone is not meant to be in your story, why are you letting their two cents hold so much weight?

We have to be honest with ourselves. Who or what are we magnifying in our life?

Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord…”
Luke 1:46 (Verse on Bible Hub)

Read more from Diane Shirlaw-Ferreira: Jesus our Bridegroom and the Ancient Jewish Wedding

3. Blessed is she who has believed and doesn’t lean on her own understanding

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not
on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to
Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV (Passage on Bible Gateway)

When God speaks, may we respond with Mary’s childlike trust and leave all the details to Him. Because otherwise, we can literally talk ourselves right out of a special assignment.

By over processing, we give way for fear and doubt to be magnified and steal our opportunity to watch God work out His promises to us.

After asking Gabriel for a little insight, Mary immediately let God know with no uncertain terms that she was His Girl and trusted Him to help her walk out His vision for her part in His story.

This isn’t saying Mary didn’t have knocking knees as she and Joseph walked out God’s instructions to them. But I don’t believe Mary was in torment, consumed by fear and worry.  

In fact, I believe she was awestruck as she watched the Lord work out His promises to her. God mentioned twice in His Word that she treasured what she witnessed and pondered all these things in her heart, even many years later. Once in Luke 2:19 and again in Luke 2:51.

Related Post from my friend Cherith Peters: Blessed is She Who has Believed

4. Blessed is she who has believed and will not compare her gift with others

No, God did not select us to deliver the baby Jesus. But we are still pregnant with precious purpose to point others to the Savior that Mary delivered on Christmas Eve.

As Children of God, we need to be in unity as we magnify the Lord together. We cannot succumb to the devil’s temptation to compare our gifts, talents and service to the Lord with other Christians.

Comparison is a trap and will render us useless to God.

Consequently, comparison doesn’t make us useless to the enemy, though. Satan can use comparison to keep us paralyzed and unproductive. Either by looking down on another’s calling (ministry) or thinking we aren’t good enough to make a difference, comparison tells God that He doesn’t know what He is doing.

All I know to say to that is “yikes!”

God intricately designed you for a purpose, my friend. To fulfill His great commision in your unique and beautiful style. And when God whispers His “God sized” promises to us, it takes a certain ‘something’ to rise up and just receive what He wants to conceive in and through us!

A special trust and courage to respond, “God, I am Your Girl!”

So I pray you will be willing to let God interupt your schedule this Christmas.

While you are slowing down to drink Him in deeply, you can find rest in trusting that He will take care of the important details in your life. And while you drink deeply of His cup, may His vision for you in 2020 become clearer than it ever was before.

Related Posts from our Blogging Friends … 

Cherith Peters: Mary’s Heart: The Treasures and Sorrows of the Mother of Jesus

Annmarie Anderson: Qualities of Mary

ArynandAndrew : “When Only Faith Remains, Jesus is There” Book Review

Erin Boado: How to have a Heart like Mary when Life is Hard

The Amplified Bible says:

“And blessed [spiritually fortunate and favored by God]
is she who believed and confidently trusted that there
would be a fulfillment of the things that were spoken
to her [by the angel sent] from the Lord.”
Luke 1:45 AMP (Verse on Bible Gateway)

The AMPC (Amplified Classic Edition) says we are “Happy and to be envied” when we believe.

Think on that! ❤

Your joy, sweet sister … your unwavering love and devotion to Jesus no matter what is happening around you. It’s about your heart and your teachable spirit, not about your abilities. You are salt and light to this screaming, dying world. Your life is pointing others to the only One Who can save us all.

If you have not yet surrendered your life to God, I pray this Christmas you will allow the One Mary delivered to deliver you. To have true peace this Christmas, you must first make peace with God.

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior … “ Luke 1:46-47 NIV

Much Love to you xo

Blessed is She Who Has Believed @ freshgracefortoday.com

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