You see, in Old Testament times, people received the Word of God objectively. It was written on clay tablets or spoken by a prophet. They responded to the Word from the outside. In Mary's case, however, God's Word didn't remain an external thing.
No, when the angel Gabriel said to her, "thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus," (Luke 2:31), that promise actually entered her by the power of the Holy Spirit - and she BECAME PREGNANT WITH THE PROMISE OF GOD!
Through the action of the Holy Spirit the Word of God actually causes you to conceive God's life within you. This life is known as "Zoe" (Greek) or eternal life. It is the highest quality of life imaginable, includes no death, disease, or lack of any kind and flows from God Himself.
You first received this God-kind-of-life within you when you made Jesus your Lord. At that time you were "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which lives and abides forever" (1 Pet. 1:23). Spiritually, you became a new creature.
But God never intended for you to stop there. His plan was for you to keep on bringing forth that divine Life - in your body, in you soul, in your finances, in your family, and in every other area of your life.
He gave you "very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world" (2 Pet. 1:4 NIV). In other words, He intended for you to get pregnant and give birth...get pregnant and give birth to His life over and over again.
Your Miracle Is on the Way
That's exciting but it can't happen without your cooperation. You have to participate in the process just like Mary did. You have to respond as she did when you hear the promise of God. You have to say, in essence, "Be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 2:38).
That phrase is very significant. It reveals that Mary submitted to God's Word. She didn't say, "Let me think about it for a while and get back to you." She didn't say, "Oh, I'm just an ordinary person. That wonderful promise couldn't possibly be for me." No, she simply received and believed what the angel told her. She responded to God's Word in faith - and you must respond the same way.
He has given you His written Word and it's full of messages just for you. He's given you preachers and teachers to help you receive that Word. And He has put the Holy Spirit within you to quicken that Word to your heart.
Let yourself get carried away with how magnificent God is. Rejoice over the awesome nature of His plans for you. And don't be dignified about it. Jump up and down! Shout! Magnify God with your whole being.
Follow Mary's example. Fight off Satan by leaving no room for doubt or disappointment. Keep the promise of God so large in your heart that eventually, like a child being born, it must burst forth into reality.
Granted, that won't always be easy. It won't always be comfortable. But in the end, you will find more joy in giving away your blessing than you found in receiving it. It is than that you, like Mary, will realize you are truly and forever blessed!
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Mac Hammond is the senior pastor of Living Word, a large and growing church in Brooklyn Park (a suburb of Minneapolis), Minnesota. He is the host of the Winner’s Minute, which is seen locally in the Minneapolis area on KMSP Channel 9 at 6:44 a.m. and 11:11 a.m. He is also the host of the Winner's Way broadcast and author of several internationally distributed books. Mac is broadly acclaimed for his ability to apply the principles of the Bible to practical situations and the challenges of daily living.
