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Faith. Purpose. Relevance. |
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Welcome to this month's message. Last month we were all abuzz about certain individuals named Elizabeth; those blessed persons God has placed in our lives to help us on. This month we will be talking about a different set of persons: who they are, why they exist in our lives, and finally, ways to make our relationships with them work. You will recall that we discovered from the previous message that, not only does God bless us with special friends but also we ourselves are meant to be such kind of friends to other designated persons. We would call them our Marys, (Greg, I think we are getting sick of this name-calling of yours; last month it was Elizabeth, now it is what?) I must pause to apologize for this, but you would agree with me that having a specific word as a constant reference is much less clumsier than having to repeat words like they, them, he/she over and over again. So in a manner of further explanation, a Mary, in this context, is a person or persons God has placed in our lives for us to nurture into them fulfilling their God-given role: the opposite of an Elizabeth. A good way to understanding this is to recall that you are a Mary to all the Elizabeths you were able to identify in your life from last month message. But we are talking to Elizabeths this time, which naturally makes Mary the subject. Mary Mary A Mary, among other things, is someone who: • You feel proud and fond of. • You are always concerned and sometimes worry over her. • You seem to know when she gets close to people who will do her no good. You always love to advise and inspire her in situations she is in. • Probably the most defining of all, you seriously believe, regardless of her present state or condition, that she is capable of achieving much more than she is ready to accept. Your level of faith concerning her destiny is always one step ahead of hers. • And finally, (as you must have been wondering), my referring to Mary as a she has nothing to do with her gender. A Mary is any person who goes under the above description, whether she be male or female. 4 Reasons Why Greg Should Not Bother Me Ok before you give your reasons let me state 6 reasons why you should take Mary seriously. 1. A man that hath friends must show himself friendly, (Prov. 18 v 24). If some people feel obliged to make sure you fulfill your destiny, (i.e. your Elizabeths), it is only natural that you reciprocate the same to other God-assigned people. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him much is required. (Luke 12:48). 2. It Is Fulfilling. Seeing your Mary begin to exhibit her hidden potentials could be one of the most fulfilling things yo ever felt. Believe me, I have seen it before. 3. It is a spiritual responsibility. Picture me this: you are a female teenager about to enter your twenties. The radical physical and emotional changes that started at puberty have barely consolidated and you are still trying to find yourself. One more thing, you just discovered that you are pregnant -while still a virgin. That was Mary's condition in Luke 1; and 12 Angel Gabriels would not have been able to stop her from either going insane or degenerating into a psychological potato because of the shock. Only a human Elizabeth can hold her hand while she comes to grips with her new role. Your Mary carries something great inside her. If you do not nurture her that vision may die. 4. You are a link in a chain that establishes the kingdom of God on earth, Iron sharpeneth iron, (Prov 27 v17), your Mary will eventually be someone else's Elizabeth, so there is more at stake here. I have a Mary who, as her faith grew stronger and as she got to know her role, discovered that she was, (guess what?) my Elizabeth. Funny that; (alright we all agree that’s a rare case). 5. It liberates the anointing. Read Luke 1:41. Read it slowly and meditatively. And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. You have seen anointed men all over and you envy them. Wow! See the way sick were healed; see the way he dissects the word. Oh! I wish I were anointed: You even go for anointing services. But they do not seem to help. I've got good news and sad news for you. Good news is, you have got all the anointing you need. Sad news is, ' you have had it all along but didn't know and hence didn't use it. ' Every one of us has his or her own unique anointing which can only be found when we fulfill our unique roles. Elizabeth was just a lowly housewife taking care of the house - until she met Mary .Then all that was mundane, ordinary and commonplace about her disappeared. She became inspired, Spirit-filled and prophetic. She became more than just the wife of Zechariah but, I dare say, became a prophet of God: the first human to acknowledge salvation plan of God for mankind; all these just by contacting Mary? Definitely. Miriam, the elder sister of Moses was, and would have remained), just a regular Jewish woman had she not taken care of the baby in the river. But because of Moses, we now know of a Prophetess Miriam. I speak from experience. I personally do not consider myself as having the foundational gift of prophecy but that fact fades off when I'm dealing with a Mary. I may not be a super-christian and I sometimes struggle with praying; except a Mary of mine is the subject of the prayer. Then I forget I may be late for an. appointment, and I wonder if my wall clock has been jumping forward while I was not looking. This spiritual aspect of the Elizabeth-Mary relationship is something you have to experience to understand, it is simply profound. 6. I am going to stop at 5 not because I feel I have outnumbered your points but because I expect you to discover the rest benefits yourself. The Other Extreme. So now you have realized you are an Elizabeth you are having this funny feeling, right? Does that mean I'm now responsible for someone else's destiny? Naa! I didn't just turn you into God; you are still your humble self. And that's why I have put up this section; which is especially for you who already know this principle and are having a standing relationship with your respective Marys, (though you may not picture him/her in such graphic light) There is a tendency that you may be overdoing, abusing, or downright exploiting your role. So as a closing shot, let me list 6 traps that I find Elizabeths constantly falling into. 1. The Mama Trap, (there is a word for every situation). That is not necessarily true, and even mama doesn't advise every time. 2. The Mentor Trap, (I know everything, so keep quiet and listen). Define your role friend; a mentor can afford to be brusque and arrogant, you CAN NOT. 3. The Big Brother Trap, (they have to tell me what's going on). The truth is, they don't. Take my advice; shelve that nosey impulse before you become an irritation. If you must know, pray. 4. The Diamond Trap, (Diamonds are forever). Right, but diamonds do not rhyme with Elizabeth, do they? I seriously believe the Elizabeth calling is rarely permanent for each person; you cannot expect to stick around forever. And if ever, the relationship will have to have metamorphosed into something deeper. 5. The Jealousy Trap, (with all I do for them, they cannot just ignore me). Sometimes we forget that, technically speaking, a Mary is not a regular friend, they are God-given responsibilities to us. I'd handle my emotions more cautiously when dealing with such persons. Besides, how often do you pay attention to your own special friends. 6. The Ostrich Trap, (I just cannot be bothered). After reading to this line, I doubt if that's a trap you are likely to fall into. God Bless.
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