“Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father and the prince of peace is He”. The birth of Jesus was prophesied many years before His birth in more than one place in scripture. Isaiah 7:14, it was mentioned that a virgin will have a baby and he will be called Immanuel meaning God with us. Also in the Words given to Abram in Genesis 12, all the families of the earth being blessed can clearly be seen as fulfilled in Christ. The throne of David to last forever can also be seen as being fulfilled in Jesus Christ who is called the son of David. Our text in this study is Luke 1:26-45. We shall also see Matthew 1:18-25. The records of the birth of Jesus as written by the different authors give us various insights as per the occurrences at the time. It was obvious that the 'kairos" season had come for God"s programme to shift from the Word of prophecy to fulfilment of the Word. May the Lord help us recognise the seasons of God that have come upon us.

Life lesson 1; Joseph"s obedience is enhanced by self-denial. In Mathew"s account of the birth of Jesus, we read how Joseph kept the mother from shame and the baby when he was born from harm. He must have kept himself from sexually touching Mary all through the term of her pregnancy. That is self-denial. There are two areas where self-denial is a must, in obeying any instruction from God and in not yielding to the flesh to give Satan a foothold in our lives. Self-denial should become part of our lifestyle if pleasing God is one of our goals in life. Jesus said in Matthew 16; “if anyone will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me”. Self-denial includes not yielding to human appetites, not yielding to fleshly desires and generally having a control over our spirits, souls and bodies through God"s Word. Our cross represents our obedience to God. For Joseph it was keeping his wife and child safe. Jesus said if we follow Him, He will make us. Let him be your pattern, model, example and Lord. Follow Him!

Life lesson 2; we see in Mary the POWER OF DECISION. “Let it be unto me according to your Word”. Mary believed and was willing to obey then she voiced her decision. Too many people do not know the power of a decision that is backed by determination, discipline and diligence. The decision settles a lot of thing in the world of the spirit. Whatever has been made available to us in Christ needs our decision for there to be a manifestation in our lives. “Blessed is she who believed for there shall be a manifestation of what was spoken to her because she believed”. This was said by Elizabeth to Mary when the latter visited her. Do you know that the decisions you make with your life determines many things you allow or disallow in your life? A decision to be in health does not wait for sickness to hit before meditating in the Word concerning health. The decision affects your present choices and determines the outcomes in your life. Same is true with God"s blessings in your life. They don"t just fall on you like ripe mangoes, you make decisions and do what the Word says so you can be positioned for the harvest that the Word promises. Salvation has been made available to all, those who believe make the decision to receive and they become possessors of the salvation of God in Christ; same with receiving the in-filling of the Holy Spirit. Do not wait for the tests to come before trying to make the decision to stay holy or avoid sin. Make the decision as soon as possible so the day of testing will not meet you unawares.

Life Lesson 3; understand prophetic stirrings of destiny. When Elizabeth heard the greetings of Mary, the baby in her womb leapt and she was filled with Holy Spirit! There are times when the womb of our destinies get stirred up as we hear somebody else speak. There is a resonance in us with what is being said or the frequency of operation in the spirit of the person matches certain dimensions in us. What Mary carried had a connection with what Elisabeth carried. Sometimes we have such a joining that brings us together supernaturally. We need to watch out for such things. They do not always happen but we need to watch out whenever they happen so we do not miss out on God"s dealings in our lives. See how the testimony of Elisabeth helped Mary to make her decision to accept what God wanted for her. Someone"s testimony is sure to encourage your obedience to God. Your testimony is a sure catalyst to ignite another person"s faith.

Life lesson 4; no one can carry out God"s plans alone. God needed Joseph, Mary as well as Ana the prophetess to carry out His plans for any generation. John the Baptist needed to be prepared to be born and he also was to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. Everyone"s role is very important in God"s programme. Always remember that for every phase of God"s programme we all have a part to play and no-one"s part is less important. Remember the role of the widow of Zarephath in carrying out the supply programme of God for the season. Her role ensured the supply for both herself and the prophet Elijah. As long as you fulfil your part in God"s programme for your life, you are fulfilling your destiny. The problem is that many want to be in the centre- stage of God"s programme. We need to be content with our lot in God. Whatever our roles, we should love God and trust Him enough to do what He wants us to do and enjoy our contribution with gladness and contentment. Even Jesus let the Father take the centre stage in His ministry. John Maxwell said we will get more results if we don"t care who takes the credit.

Life Lesson 5; never undermine the role of prophecy in prophetic destinies. God watches over His Word to fulfil it. We are not to despise prophetic utterances or days of little beginnings. When God speaks, you can count on it. In its season of fulfilment, it is a sure Word. I advise that whenever prophetic words are given, we should prayerfully watch over them till they are fulfilled. Sometimes our prayers help us to pick the accurate timing of the fulfilment of the prophecy and any instruction that needs to be obeyed can also be picked so we can experience the fulfilment of the Word of God to us.

WHY HE CAME

Jesus came in obedience to God. He came to fulfil the will of God to save the lost by paying the eternal price for the salvation of humanity. He also came to bring us into the commonwealth of Israel. He wants all to enjoy the riches that are found in Christ. He came to live in us and through us express the will of God for humanity. “My little children for whom I travail again at birth till Christ be formed in you.” Galatians 4:19. He came so He can be born in you. As we remember His birth may we also let Him grow inside us as we make room for Him to express the will of the Father God in and through us.