TODAY’S PROPHETIC NUMBER
Romans 12:21 – Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
It‘s lazy to become impressed with evil and do nothing about it. Evil wants to paralyze us with depression, anxiety, and fear, but it doesn’t have to remain. Courage, commitment, and faithfulness can bring light into dark places. God called us to be Holy Ghost gremlins to the mechanics of evil. Introduce the goodness of King Jesus into every scary place you come across.
Declaration: When the noise of hell speaks, I’m a conversation stopper. I bring hope, life, and truth into every situation. I am a life-breather. I will not speak or listen to words of death.
Family Ties
I told you Christmas isn’t for wimps and it’s true. Mary and Joseph were no pansies. If you thought your family was whack over the holidays, just know Joseph’s family took the prize for dysfunctional. That doesn’t mean he didn’t love them. He probably did, just like you and I love the knuckleheads in our family.
I can imagine Joseph talked about his family the whole way to Bethlehem – 70 miles across rocky terrain. I’m sure he was excited for Mary to meet them. They finally arrive and there are two things going on. First, the city is so packed they have to fight to get to the family.
Second, when the Bible says there was no room at the inn, that means there was no room with the family. The Hebrew word used for inn means “guest room.” Think about that. The family actually turns them out. They didn’t go to a wedding, so why is that woman pregnant? What’s that all about? Well, it’s a God thing! They probably thought Joseph had lost his mind. Talk about family ties that bind!
Abandoned by the ones who should have loved and protected them, Mary and Joseph found a place with the sheep. Mary gave birth by herself – without the guidance and wisdom of the women in her family – in a filthy place surrounded by animals and clueless husband.
She was such a good girl and she ended up shamed by Joseph’s family. I can’t imagine the pain Joseph endured over his beautiful young wife that he loved with all his heart being rejected. What does it mean to you if your family says, “No, we can’t take care of your pregnant wife. As a matter of fact, you guys belong with the animals.”
Have you been there? Shamed, rejected, even despised by the very people who should love and accept you? I have and I promise you, so has Jesus – from the very day He was born.
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. – Isaiah 53:3
Know this: Jesus was born to take away your shame and restore you to His family. We are accepted, not rejected, by our heavenly Father and our awesome big brother. Are you part of the family?
Join the uprising of God’s children at New Beginning 2023 – the Conference for the Called. Tickets Here!