Mother Mary

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Mercy Seat Mother – Touched By An Angel Christmas Series

Mercy Seat MotherGod chose angels to be His messengers on earth. We can see in His Word many accounts of angels visiting people to share the heart of God. Powerful! This message is not about angels but more about looking at why the angel came to the individual and how we can apply it to our lives.

Do angels visit people on earth today? This has been a subject of much controversy. Everybody has their opinion, but I remember a time when I was praying alone in my bedroom many years ago. I was laying prostrate on the floor crying out to God. Actually feeling like a worm because of some bad choices I had made in my past. I didn’t like myself and thought I had blown any chance of doing anything with my life. Then, as I was praying, I sensed an angelic being hovering over me. Now I didn’t see them with my eyes as I was laying with my face to the ground, but in my spirit I could see one of the cherubim that hovered over the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant above me. Their wings were so long and wide they went through my bedroom walls into my living room and out the outer walls of my house. Again, I saw this all in a vision in my spirit. As they were hovering over me I knew I was in the presence of holiness. It took my breath away. I worked up some courage and asked, “Why are you here?” and the cherubim replied, “I hover over holy things.” I began to weep. My mental opinion of myself was terrible and now this angelic being was telling me they “Hovered over holy things.” I was calling myself “un-holy” and God wanted me to get the message that I was holy because I was forgiven and he washed all of my impurities away. This message brought by the angel visiting me that day changed my view of myself and actually changed my life.

We can learn from the angelic event that happened to Mary, the mother of Jesus, let’s read Luke 1:26:38.

What we can learn from the Mother of Jesus

1. Favor comes from God.

Luke 1:28 – 30 Amplified Bible
“And he came to her and said, Hail, O favored one [endued with grace]! The Lord is with you! Blessed (favored of God) are you before all other women!! But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found grace (free, spontaneous, absolute favor and loving-kindness) with God.”

Mary was just an ordinary young lady with an extra ordinary assignment. She was favored by God. This means that she was endued with grace. She was favored as the Lord was with her. She was human just like you and I. But I believe she received favor because she lived doing the right thing. She was highly favored among women. She was beautiful inside and out.

Grace is “unmerited favor,” meaning something we receive despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mary needed grace from God just as the rest of us do. Mary herself understood this fact, as she declared in Luke 1:47, “. . . and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. . .” Mary needed a Savior just like you and I.

God gave His unmerited favor to us when He forgave our sin through the sacrifice of His Son. We can ask for His favor to go before us where ever we go. We are His children.

The word Favor means “to grace, that is, indue with special honor: – Make accepted, be highly favored.”

This is our portion too. Sometimes we receive God’s favor when others think we shouldn’t. I love it when God uses the foolish things to confound the wise. When He uses me in spite of what others think I deserve or what they think I should be doing.. God brings promotion not man. We can receive a promotion that we were not even qualified for. That’s God’s favor! When God gives you favor He puts you somewhere you have no qualifications, or maybe even no right to be there and it is God who keeps you there. Trust in God for His favor.

Remember when God does promote you that you are nothing without Him. Tell yourself: “I am everything in God and I am nothing without Him!” This will keep you humble which is what Mary was and I believe that is why God favored her so highly.

2.  Be teachable.

Luke 1:34 Amplified Bible
“And Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I have no [intimacy with any man as a] husband?”

Mary asked the angel, “How can this be?” It is what Mary does not say that I find remarkable.  She does not say, “You have got to be kidding me. That is not going to happen!”  She just asks a question in a posture of learning. We too should be teachable, ready to learn even when it seems impossible.

How many times have you questioned God? Maybe God has asked you to do something and your brain just can’t seem to wrap around it because it doesn’t make sense in your natural reasoning.

Can you imagine being in Mary’s situation? You are young, and you’ve never been with a man and now an angel comes and tells you that you will be pregnant and give birth to the Son of God. Mary’s character really shined at this moment because she didn’t shrink back in disbelief. She was in for a lot of ridicule and shame from people who would think the worse in her situation; either she was unfaithful to Joseph, was pregnant before they were betrothed, or even worse, that they had sex out side of marriage. In those days it was the worse evil a woman could do. Yet, Mary was open to what was going to happen. It messes with our natural thinking. This is where a lot of people turn their backs on accepting Jesus because of His miraculous conception. This is why so many atheists fight in our nation to get Christ out of Christmas. It doesn’t make sense and they don’t believe.

Doesn’t make sense

Often God doesn’t make sense. Did it make sense when the Israelites finally were freed to go into the promised land and they came to the Red Sea and water was on one side and the Egyptians were on the other and yet the Israelites prevailed and walked on dry land and their enemies were destroyed and drowned? Did it make sense when the blind man needing to see and Jesus spit in the dirt and put it in the blind man’s eyes and he could see? Did it makes sense that Jesus lingered a few more days while his close friend, Lazarus was very ill and died? Did it make sense that Jesus raised him from the dead? Did it make sense when Jesus died and then rose again and sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for you and me?

We all have had “How can this be” moments in our life. This leads me to my next point…

3.  Jesus is our Mercy Seat.

Luke 1:35 Amplified Bible
“Then the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a shining cloud]; and so the holy (pure, sinless) Thing (Offspring) which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God.”

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a shining cloud];…” The word “overshadow” is really interesting when you find out more about it.

Other versions of the Bible state;

CEV – “God’s power will come over you.”
GNB – “God’s power will rest upon you.”
ISV – “Holy Spirit will come over you, and the power of the Most High will cover you.”
LITV – “Holy Spirit will come upon you.”
Message Bible – “Power of the Highest hover over you.”

“Come over,” “rest upon,” “cover you,” “come upon you,” “hover over you”… all these statements are what happened to Mary in the conceiving of the Son of God. The Holy Spirit overshadowed or hovered over Mary to make her fruitful.

Overshadow is translated in the Greek (G1982 Strongs Hebrew and Greek Definitions): “to cast a shade upon, to envelope in a haze of brilliancy; (figuratively) to invest with preternatural (Supernatural) influence.”

God supernaturally investing Mary with His power, his life, and she was divinely impregnated. This makes me think of the Cherubim who hovered over the covering or lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark represented God’s presence, the most holy place. The lid or covering was also known as the mercy seat. Read Exodus 25:17 – 22.

In the Old Testament, Leviticus 16 talks about how the Priest were to approach the mercy seat. How they were to bring a cloud of incense to cover the mercy seat so that they wouldn’t die. They were to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifices and on the mercy seat for atonement for the uncleanness of the children of Israel sins (Lev. 16:12 – 17). God spoke to Moses in the Holy place from the mercy seat (Numbers 7:89).

Mercy seat is translated “to cover, to condone, to cancel, appease, make an atonement, cleanse, disannul, forgive, be merciful, pacify, pardon; to pitch or to purge (away), (make) reconcile (-liation).” (Strongs #H3722)

Jesus Christ, was the ultimate High Priest appearing before the throne of God after His making atonement or covering of the sins of humanity, and He is our mercy seat (Hebrews 9).

The very act of the Holy Spirit hovering or overshadowing over Mary, who would give birth to the “mercy seat” (Jesus) to pardon, cleanse, conceal, cover, disannul to pitch or purge away our sins has brought the Old Testament to the New Testament as Jesus Christ covers us all. He is the mercy seat of atonement! Mary was the Mercy Seat mother.

We need the Mercy Seat (Jesus) in our relationships with people to pardon what they have done to us and help us forgive them. We might even need the Mercy Seat to pardon what we have done to others. It is a place of mercy. How many of you need mercy today? We all do.

Getting back to Mary’s teachable question: “How can this be?” It was the Holy Spirit that made Mary’s womb fruitful. The Holy Spirit makes us fruitful (Fruit of the Holy Spirit Gal. 5) and equips us with His power (Acts 2) to do what God has called us to do.

When we have those “How can this be” moments in our own life remember no matter the task; be it great or small, public or private, physical or spiritual, God is faithful to equip us with His power through His Holy Spirit. We can stand and remember that “Nothing is impossible with God!”

Luke 1:37 Amplified Bible
“For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.”

4.  Be obedient.

Luke 1:38 Amplified Bible
“Then Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said. And the angel left her.”

Mary could have refused to be pregnant and NOT carry the Son of God. I am sure she was surprised that the angel told her she would give birth, let alone to the Son of God. It was unexpected. Something she didn’t even expect or think could happen to her. Yet, she trusted God and His plans and purposes.

Mary had an immediate response of obedience.  She had and exemplary attitude of servanthood in the face of a crazy word from an Angel!  She knew that she would get looks, loose friends, get ridicule, and receive persecution.  She was about to be pregnant as a Virgin!  She is not married yet!  She knew this would be very difficult and the community would shame her, BUT despite this, she said, “I am the Lord’s Servant!”  Q. Can you say that?  Are you quick to obey God no matter the circumstances?  Are you sticking close to his Word, not wavering from the Truth no matter what others might say or do?  Let’s be like Mary!

Has God ever asked you to do something you never expected to do? Mary’s trust in God, and her obedience and cooperation with God’s plans and purposes, is a great example to follow. Allow God to work in you as He wants to, and know that all His plans for you are for your good. When unexpected things happen, keep trusting Him!

5. Mary knew how to be quiet and trust God.

Whatever Mary may have thought or felt, she controlled it because she said to the angel who first brought the news, “…let it be done to me according to what you have said.”

I believe that when God speaks something to us, many times we need to keep it to ourselves. He gives us the faith to believe what He has said to us, but if we try to tell it to others, they may think we have lost our minds. Other people do not always have the faith to believe what God has told us.

Luke 2:19 NKJV
“But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

When God spoke to Mary through the angel, there was a gift of faith that came with that word to her from the Lord so that she was able to say, “Let it be done.” But she was also wise enough not to go around knocking on doors saying, “I just had a visitation from an angel who told me I am going to give birth to the Son of God. I am going to get pregnant by the Holy Spirit, and the Child I will bear will be the Savior of the world.” Mary knew how to keep her mouth shut and her heart open. I encourage you to do likewise.

Allow the Holy Spirit to equip you. Spend some time with Him as He hovers over you to do great and mighty things. God can use anybody and He wants to use you. Don’t think less of yourself. Know that since God created you, He has good plans for your life. Have you given up on a dream God gave you? It is time to resurrect that dream and believe all things are possible with God. He will help you fulfill what He has called you to do. Don’t give up!

Your sister in Christ,
Pastor Kris Belfils

http://www.krisbelfils.com
http://www.HopeFellowshipSpokane.com
http://www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com

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Now Women (A Mother’s Day Message)

Now WomenI would like to address the men for a minute. Yes, this message is geared towards Mothers/Women, but I encourage you to be praying for your women. Your women, in this message, might be receiving a wonderful revelation that will minister to them and will possibly be transformed and changed. Please encourage your women today and let them know that you love them and support them in life. Give them freedom to be themselves.

Role of Woman

Defining the role, as a woman in this world, is a hard thing to do. Tradition has placed women in a less equal role than God has ordained for them.

The “feminist” movement has left a bad taste in our mouths and Godly women do not want to be associated with the views and tactics of this movement. They just want to be treated well and given the same opportunities as men.

History has not been kind to women. Women in third world countries are still being viewed as “less than” and treated as a material object instead of a human being that was created by God.

In the past, Satan has caused women to retreat for fear that he would bruise their heels. But God is raising them up NOW to crush the enemy’s head.

After Adam and eve sinned, God told Satan, who had appeared to Eve in the form of a serpent and deceived her:

Genesis 3:15 NIV

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He (Jesus) will crush your head, and you will strike his (Jesus’) heel.”

Many women lose sight of the fact that Christ in them will crush the enemy’s head. They shrink back in fear that Satan will bruise their heels or their “seed”.

We as women are called to be women of purpose. This call has been given directly by God.

Women of Purpose

*Women of purpose consider it a privilege to be Ambassadors for Christ.

*Women of purpose understand the bigger picture of life.

*Women of purpose respond to responsibility, giving 100%.

*Women of purpose daily set priorities, placing God first in all things.

*Women of purpose see family and community as opportunities to demonstrate Christ’s love.

*Women of purpose model servanthood to all in the body of Christ.

*Women of purpose, by the Holy Spirit, manifest excellence in every part of their lives.

Some Facts:

▶Over 60% of the people in a given church are women.

▶75% of families are from single mother homes.

▶The first 5 years of a child’s life is influenced by the mother more than the father.

Women have great influence in this world. They have influence with their family, work, church, and community.

Women have nothing to fear from Satan, but Satan has reason to fear women. Why? We have Christ living in us and He will crush the enemies head! We win! It is because in this “now” season, God is calling WOMEN to rise up as “NOW” women and help usher in the new thing God is doing.

The New Thing God is doing amongst women:

▶ Giving the freedom to be who they were created to be. It is time we as women become happy with ourselves and walk in the freedom it gives us.

▶God is bringing reconciliation between genders.

▶Women uniting with other women to do a mighty work for God. An army of Mighty Women Warriors to do unimaginable things for God’s glory!

▶Raising them up with mantles of authority and wisdom to build the Kingdom of God together.

Now Women

1.  Now Women Initiate the new thing!

What does a NOW woman look like? Studying the account of Jesus’ first public miracle gives us a clue.

In John 2:1 – 11, The wine had run out at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. Mary, the mother of Jesus, determined the need of more wine. She responds and immediately went to Jesus and informed Him of this need. Mary goes to the Only one who could help. She knew the miracle working powers that were available in the Son of God, and accessed them.

Notice Jesus’ response to His mother: “Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). Basically Jesus was saying; “Why are you telling me this? It is not time yet for Me to display My glory.”

Mary initiated the “new thing” by going to Jesus. Mary was a NOW woman who knew it was time for something new to happen, and she was prepared to initiate it.

Mary told the attendants; “Whatever He says to you, do it” (John 2:5). Here is an example of a NOW woman initiating a new thing. In response to her initiation, Jesus gave instructions to the servants to fill the stone water pots with water so He could create the needed wine.

Many times, women initiate the next move of God on the earth, just as Mary initiated the beginning of Jesus’ ministry of miracles.

2.  Now Women conceive the new thing.

In the natural, only women can conceive and give birth to a child. Women are created that way. Hebrews chapter eleven is known as the “Hall of faith.” Sarah is recognized as the first woman of faith.

Hebrews 11:11 NKJV

“By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”

Though Sarah was old, she conceived the “new thing” God wanted to birth; Isaac, the child of promise.

Like Sarah, Now Women conceive the “new thing.” Even in your old or young age you can conceive and give birth to a new move of God. Such women are desperately needed in the church! If there is one thing wrong with us right now it is that we’ve lost the passion to be able to conceive the new thing God wants to do on the earth for this very hour! We need to cry out to God for conception of the New He is doing and say, “Let it begin in me!”

3.  Now Women announce the new thing.

Mary Magdalene announced the resurrection of Jesus to the Disciples. The bible tells us that Jesus chose her, a woman, to appear to first.

Mark 16:9 NKJV

“Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.”

Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that Jesus was alive. She was the first preacher of the Gospel, a woman. Why did Jesus appear to a woman first? I believe it was because Jesus knew the others were too filled with fear and unbelief. to announce His resurrection. In fact, they didn’t believe Mary when she made the announcement, but she knew she had seen her Lord.

Mark 10 – 11 NKJV

“She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.”

In this situation, Mary was not afraid to tell others of what she encountered. She was a mouth piece for Jesus letting His followers know that He was alive and well. She had the courage to announce the good news because she knew what it meant. He truly was the Son of God! She realized all what Jesus said was true too. History was forever changed and she was chosen to be the announcer of this miraculous event.

Like Mary, women are about to become the next trumpeters of faith throughout this land. Don’t be surprised if criticism comes and people do not believe what God has shown you. It happened to Mary, and it may happen to you. Continue to initiate, conceive, and announce the NOW thing, the NEW thing God has shown you.

4.  Now Women Intervene for the new thing.

Abigail had the ability to circumvent trouble by intervening at the right moment. She was married to Nabal, a wicked, evil person.

In 1 Samuel 25:2 – 42, Nabal was a rich business man. David and his men protected Nabal’s men and wanted to get provisions for his men from Nabal. David’s young messengers approached Nabal and asked for food and water. Nabal rejected their request and didn’t give them anything. This made David mad. He immediately went with 400 men to go and destroy Nabal and all that he owned. One of Nabal’s men, who David helped, went and told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, what had happened and that David and his men were coming. Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys She sent her servants on before her. She didn’t tell her husband, but went undercover behind a hill and saw David and His men. She dismounted quickly and fell on her face before David and bowed down to the ground. She fell at his feet and took all the iniquity her husband did towards them. She explained how her husband is exactly what his name means; folly and evil. She expressed “as the Lord lives,” she prophetically decreed how David would hold back the bloodshed and from avenging what Nabal did and any enemy who seeks harm like would experience what Nabal will experience. She asked for forgiveness for what her husband did. David received all the gifts and vowed to not harm Nabal. She waited to tell her husband in the morning, after he had his feast and all the wine was out of his system. When she did, he experienced a heart attack and died ten days later. David heard that Nabal died and took Abigail as his wife.

Abigail did several things that were correct: She positioned herself correctly, she humbled herself correctly, and she interceded and intervened correctly. Her prophetic declarations showed boldness and insight into what God would do for her.

God has placed many NOW women in difficult situations in which they have the opportunity to intervene. When they do, God intervenes on their behalf. When they acknowledge the anointing of God on a person, God blesses them and they will receive the respect and favor of God on their lives. Not only do they recognize the anointing on their leaders, they have an anointing on themselves also. NOW women not only intervene, but they are given eyes to see and ears to hear what is needed in any situation. They are anointed with an anointing that breaks any yoke of bondage!

5.  Now Women activate the time of change for the new thing.

Naomi is another example of a NOW woman. She was a woman who knew it was time for change. In the Book of Ruth Naomi had moved to Moab from Bethlehem with her husband. But then she lost him as well as both her sons. Realizing that Bethlehem held the key to her future, she decided to return. On of her daughters-in-law, Ruth, chose to leave her native land and go with Naomi. Together they began to rebuild their lives. Ruth went to work gleaning the fields of a man named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s husband. When the harvest ended, Naomi realized that it was again time for change. She felt that Ruth needed a more stable situation. She told Ruth she wanted to secure a future for her and sent her to Boaz, hoping that he would take care of her because she was a relative.

Naomi was a NOW woman because she seized the opportunity to activate a cultural law of redemption in order to protect her daughter-in-law. She gave Ruth several instructions; to wash and anoint herself, to put her best garment in place of the widow’s garb she had been wearing, and wait for the right timing and to lie down at Boaz’s feet.

The result of Naomi’s taking action at the right moment and Ruth’s obedience was that Boaz got up and blessed Ruth. He also promised he would abide by the law of redemption and would take care of her if a closer relative would not do his duty. He became her “Kinsman Redeemer.”

Now women know when it’s time for change and activate it. If they step out in courage and move to initiate the change at the right moment, they will secure their future.

Why is this important? Because if Women can discern, but the spirit, what God is doing and rise up to pray, His plans will be fulfilled through them.

6.  Now women complete instead of compete for the new thing.

We as women have always seemed to compete with each other. Sometimes it feels like we have to have a “one up” on every other woman we see. Women compete for looking the best, for men, for position, for relationships, and so much more.

It is time we stop competing with each other and start completing one another! Where one lacks in strength another can pick up the slack. Each of us have different gifts and talents. Too many times women use those gifts against each other. It only brings strife, division, hatred and hurt feelings. When women lock arms together mighty things can happen. There is no stopping what God can do with a group of women who have their hearts set on helping each other succeed.

Women have to rise up and see the bigger picture. There is strength in numbers. The devil wants to destroy anything and everyone that is connected with you and God. He wants to cause division and hatred. He fuels the fires of competing with one another. He places thoughts and lies in our heads for us to act upon. Let us recognize this and stop falling for his schemes of trickery.

We are sisters! My fellow sister is not my enemy or competition, the enemy of my soul is. Let us join together and win souls for the Kingdom of God. Let us come together and unite in love, God’s love. And because it is perfect love from God, it drives out any fear of rejection from others. It drives out any worries of being replaced or someone getting a “one up” on us.

Let’s be women who support one another and encourage each other. Be quick to have mercy and grace for each other. There is always room for my fellow sister to make mistakes. Remind yourself that you are not perfect and make mistakes too. Treat each lady as if she was your best friend. This gives freedom for relationships to grow, heal and sore to new heights. I have done this and it has helped me forgive my sister.  Choose to love in spite of your feelings. We need to build a community of loving, caring, supporting, encouraging, and never back bitting women in our church today!

Recap:

  1. Now Women initiate the new thing.
  2. Now Women conceive the new thing.
  3. Now Women announce the new thing.
  4. Now Women intervene for the new thing.
  5. Now Women activate the time of change for the new thing.
  6. Now Women complete instead of compete for the new thing.

 Beauty Tips

By Audrey Hepburn

▶For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.

▶For lovely eyes, seek out the GOOD in people.

▶For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

▶For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

▶For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

▶People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mode, but the true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows.

The beauty of a woman grows with the passing years.

If you are woman, always remember you were created for a purpose. Be a NOW WOMAN for God’s glory to change your world!

Pastor Kris Belfils

www.krisbelfils.com

www.hopefellowshipspokane.com

www.krisbelfils.wordpress.com