It’s time to break the silence! God is speaking, but will you listen?
In the 400-year “silent years” prior to the birth of Jesus, God did not speak or move among the Jewish people. Then Spirit of God arose among the people. It was ordinary peoplelike Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph who began encountering angels and the Holy Spirit.
We live in a fallen world, a godless and lawless society. BUT everything changes when God activity happens. Ordinary people like you and me can experience the presence and power God, walk in the Spirit, and carry revival to our churches, to our communities, and to the nations.
God chose the young teenager Mary for a special purpose. She learned that the Holy Spirit would make her pregnant with Jesus the Messiah. She would be central to the start of a new humanity. Imagine the incredible angelic visitation and life transformation! Yes, she was blessed. However, Mary was stretched by her circumstances. She knew that people would have a hard time believing that she became pregnant by God. Mary risked scorn and rejection from society and being dumped by Joseph.
Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38 ESV). She was brave and courageous in a situation when she could have chosen to be overcome by fear and worry. Mary yielded to the will of God and became the leader of revival.
But, are you willing to let God happen to you? Will you let God work on you and change your life? Are you willing to say ‘yes’ to revival?
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.
37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.
41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!
43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Questions:
Have you ever said ‘no’ to God?
How does God’s will influence your life? How much do you let it?
Do you contribute to the silence or to the glory of God?
ACTION: Adjust your attitude and response to God. ‘I am your servant, God. Have your way. Your will is my will.’
03:20That’s sort of what a revival is. God activity starts that wasn’t going before. It doesn’t mean there was no God or that God wasn’t on the scene. God activity was either slow or no.
04:58There’s lawlessness in the world. BANG! All of a sudden God activity happens. You’ll find there were people praying for revival.
09:09Mary was a brave and courageous young teenager. She said, “Let it be done to me according to your words.” She knew the likely consequences and criticisms.
09:58The beginning of revival is the stirrings of ordinary people, being touched by the holy spirit and being visited by God.
11:05‘Let something be done to me! So changed, so different, so miraculous that it’s going to change the world but it’s also going to change my world.’ Are you willing to do that?
