If you woke up this morning with more health than illness..........you are more blessed than the millions who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation.......you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace....... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If your parents are still alive and still married........you are very rare, even in the United States.
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful.....you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you prayed yesterday and today........you are in the minority because you believe God does hear and answer prayers.
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The Birth
Genesis 17:15-17:
15 Then God said to Abraham, “Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai. From now on her name will be Sarah. 16 And I will bless her and give you a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her descendants.”
17 Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?”
Genesis 18:9-14
9 “Where is Sarah, your wife?” the visitors asked.
“She’s inside the tent,” Abraham replied.
10 Then one of them said, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son!”
Sarah was listening to this conversation from the tent. 11 Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children. 12 So she laughed silently to herself and said, “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?”
13 Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord
Luke 1:11-20
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
Luke 1:30-38
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”
35 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. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.
What does God want to birth in you? Let’s look at all the similarities in all three of these examples.
1. God gave a promise
2. All had doubt and disbelief
3. In spite of their doubt and disbelief God still did what He said He would do.
In all three cases where impossible circumstances.
All three cases God birthed a miracle.
God is in the Miracle Business
John 20:30
There are also many other signs and miracles which Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book.
Is anything too hard for the Lord? The obvious answer is “of course not!”
Make it a habit to insert your own specific needs into this question.
Is this day in my life too hard for the Lord? Is this habit I’m trying to break to hard for Him? Is this sickness to hard for Him to handle?
Asking the question this way reminds us that God is personally involved in your life and nudges you to ask for His power to help.
What God promises, He delivers. And He delivers on time! You can have complete confidence that God will keep His promises.
God is always on Time
Eph 2:10
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].
Their fulfillment may not be the next day, but they will be at the proper time”.
If you are waiting for God to answer some request or to fill some need, remain patient.
No matter how impossible God’s promises may seem, what He has said in His Word will come true at the right time.
God answers prayer in His own way and in His own time. He works best in impossible situations.
If you want to have your prayers answered, you must be open to what God can do in impossible situations. And you must wait for God to work in His way and in His time.
He always Finishes what He Starts
Phil 1:6
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
When you get discouraged, remember that God won’t give up on you.
He promises to finish the work He has begun.
When you feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by shortcomings, remember Gods promise and provision.
Don’t let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to Him.
Conclusion: As a pastor its very typical that people would come to me and want me to fix issues in their lives, their marriage, finances, health.
I can’t DO ANYTHING for problems 2,3,4 or 5 until you fixed the number 1 problem and that is putting Christ first in your life. When He is first everything else will fall into place.
Matthew 6:33:
33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The key to giving birth to greatness is putting Christ first in your life.
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