“The Son of God became the Son of Man so the sons of men could become the sons of God.”

These words have been resonating in my spirit every since my pastor friend Duncan Smith delivered them at a Conference a few years back. On this Christmas Day it seems to me that they sum up perfectly the reason why our Father in heaven sent His only begotten Son into our world.

The apostle Paul put it this way in Galatians 4:4-5: But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

Clearly, the heart of the Father is not to limit “sonship” to the Only Begotten Son, Jesus, but to everyone who desires to be part of His family. Paul tells us that He does this through the process of adoption.

Prior to becoming part of the family of God, we are like orphans who long to belong. Then we are given an opportunity to become His children. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)

Simply by receiving Jesus as Saviour and believing that He is Lord (Romans 10:9), we are adopted into God’s family.

Paul goes on to point out the significance of this new identity. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”  So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 4:6-7)

Take a moment to let that sink into your spirits…an heir of God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, Father of Jesus himself. You and I have the same access as Jesus to all that the Father has. As Jesus himself said in Luke 12:32: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

Wow! What an awesome change from being orphans without a family to becoming heirs of the one from whom every family on earth derives its name!!! He is now our “Abba!” our “Daddy.” It is an intimate relationship that every orphan child yearns to have…and we have it through Jesus!!

Dear, this identity is the key to advancing into your destiny. Knowing who you are in Christ, knowing whose you are, knowing that you are a joint heir with Jesus, gives you the confidence to forge ahead without fear, with no insecurity whatsoever. Because all of heaven backs you up every step of the way.

This is why God sent Jesus. Not just for us to see His only begotten Son, but for Him to see that all of us become His adopted “sons.”

Duncan Smith was absolutely perfect in his summation of Christmas: “The Son of God became the Son of Man so the sons of men could become the sons of God.”

Merry Christmas, everybody!

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.’”(Matthew 3:1-3)

In July 1985 we bought our very first house on Sangster Boulevard in Regina, Saskatchewan. After a couple of years, we decided that the entire place needed to be painted—both inside and outside. Hiring professional painters was out of the question and beyond our budget.

 

Only one problem: Neither Sulojana nor I had ever picked up a paintbrush in our lives before. The only rollers we knew were of the holy variety 🙂

 

Enter Muriel Rae, a newcomer to our church and denizen of the same Argyle Park subdivision where our house was situated. She promised to give us a hand with it and promptly proceeded to give us a short, swift and thorough course on painting.

 

It was nothing like I had imagined. Much to my chagrin, painting did not begin with a can of paint and a brush. We had to first prep the walls. Muriel patiently showed us to how to fill the nail holes and cracks with polyfill, use sandpaper to smooth out rough edges, wash the surface with a sponge, tape the trim, etc. Then we had to “cut in” an inch from the ceiling and the baseboard before we could start splashing the paint on with a roller.

 

To be honest, I almost quit before the first coat of paint was ever applied. It was a lot of work…but painting without proper preparation would’ve been an exercise in futility. It was indeed a necessity.

 

Have you noticed that before Jesus could make a splash onto the scene, John the Baptist had to do the prep work? Both Matthew and Luke spill a considerable amount of ink describing in great detail the vital work he did to prepare the way for Jesus to launch his earthly ministry.

 

It was not a pretty job. Admittedly, John was not exactly a savoury character–sporting the first ever camel hair coats, munching on grasshoppers which were not coated with chocolate first, to name a few idiosyncrasies.

 

And his message wasn’t exactly smooth either. He had to do the harsh prep work, preaching an unpopular message of repentance. The sandpaper grit was also evident in the way he addressed Pharisees and Sadducees as “a brood of vipers.” Talk about the ax being ready to be wielded to chop down the trees that did not bear fruit revealed the, er, “cut-in” edge of his message.

 

Yet, John’s prep work and baptism of repentance was absolutely essential for Jesus to proclaim the message of the Kingdom and baptize with Holy Spirit and fire.

 

Jesus himself acknowledges the greatness of John’s ministry when he says of him: “Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.”(Matthew 11:11). Quite a high compliment, wouldn’t you agree? That is how much Jesus values the prep work of John.

 

Dear DWOD friend, do you realize that you too are called to prepare the way of the Lord? Your prep work may not be the same as John’s. You may be called to fast and pray for those who have not yet met Jesus. You may be called to “witness to the Light” (John 1:6-8) by sharing your testimony or demonstrating the works of the Kingdom.

 

Granted it is not a glamorous calling. It is not as easy as splashing paint on a wall with a roller. But, just as Jesus needed John the Baptist to prepare the way for His coming, so too does He need you to be His prepper today.

 

Will you accept the challenge? I hope so. I pray so. Let it be so.

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:38)

 

As prophetic words go, it was in a league of its own, wouldn’t you say?

 

“You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (vs. 31-33)

 

Notice that Mary does not jump up and down with glee and do the Hallelujah break dance! It was such a far cry from the reality of her life at the moment that all she can see is the impossibility of this word being fulfilled.

 

“How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (v. 34)

 

Then Gabriel gives her an explanation about the Holy Spirit overshadowing her. He points out how her own “barren” cousin Elizabeth is in her sixth month of pregnancy to illustrate the truth that “with God nothing will be impossible.” (v. 37)

 

Now comes the critical moment. What will Mary do with the prophetic word?

If this were a movie, this is when the pace changes to slow motion, the orchestra slowly starts to swell…will she accept the offer? Politely decline? Walk away from the table?

 

You can almost visualize the hosts of heaven waiting with bated breath along with Gabriel. Freeze frame.

 

Then Mary’s lips start to move. The movie returns to normal speed. And these words come through in a barely audible whisper amplified by the Dolby Surround Sound System: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”

 

It is only at that point that “the angel departed from her.”

 

For Gabriel’s mission to be accomplished, someone has to say “Yes.” Would it be Mary? Or would he have to make another stop?

 

God would not force His will upon Mary. She has to exercise her free will and say “Yes” or “No.” She says “Yes” and the rest is history.

 

What was true of Mary is true of us as well today, isn’t it? God can give us the most incredible promises and prophetic words. But nothing happens until we say “Yes” to Him.

 

The moment we say “Yes”, everything changes. Heaven begins to move on our behalf and the word is on its way to being fulfilled.

 

As we near the end of another calendar year, you may wish to look back at the words you received from the Lord over the past 12 months. Did you like Mary say: “Let it be to me according to your word?”

 

If yes, praise God! You should be on your way to seeing it fulfilled. If no, God could still be waiting for your answer to the offer. The movie just went into slo-mo. Freeze frame. Can you hear the orchestra playing?

 

C’mon…move your lips…say “Yes”…and your life will also start moving forward toward its prophetic fulfilment. Just as it did for Mary.

Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. (Luke 1:39)

 

Mary has just been shaken to the core by an angelic visit. She has received the startling news that she will be the mother of the Messiah. And this pregnancy will proceed without the procreative participation of her husband-to-be.

 

Was it a Wow! Wow! Wow! moment? Perhaps it was more like Pow! Pow! Pow? Or was an alternating Pow! Wow! Pow! Wow! Pow! Wow!

 

Either way, Mary’s life has taken an unexpected turn.

 

What would you do next, if you were in Mary’s moccasins?

 

Mary packs her bags (moccasins and all) and heads in the general direction of her cousin Elizabeth’s place. Did she make the trek simply to verify her miraculous pregnancy? Or was there something more to this visit?

 

When we read what happens in Elizabeth’s house, we get the impression that these two had a very special relationship. Listen to Elizabeth’s words to Mary:

 

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” (vs. 42-45)

 

Elizabeth confirms the word of the angel by addressing her as “the mother of my Lord.” She then delivers an encouraging word (“Blessed is she who believed”) with a prophetic edge (“there will be a fulfillment”).

 

Wow! Wow! Wow! No more Pow! Pow! Pow! to contend with for Mary. These words were exactly what Mary needed to hear at this critical juncture of her journey.

 

Every Mary needs an Elizabeth. One who will speak words of life into your spirit, straight from the Holy Spirit.

 

Perhaps it is someone with whom you have developed the kind of rapport that existed between these two women. It may have taken you a long time to get to that point.

 

Or it may be someone with whom your spirit connected, just like that! Someone in your church, a member of your small group, a new addition to your family circle or someone you met at a conference?

 

No matter how it comes about, it would be wise to have someone similar to Elizabeth in your life, wouldn’t you agree? You would really appreciate them when you, like Mary, get hit with a Pow! Pow! Pow! or experience a Wow! Wow! Wow! Or a combination thereof.

 

A Pow-Wow with a prophetic confidante would provide you with the encouragement that you need to keep advancing into your destiny.

 

So, let me ask all of you “Mary’s” out there…do you have an “Elizabeth?”

 

Please share your responses with the rest of your DWOD family. We would all appreciate hearing from you very much.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son (Hebrews 1:1-2).

 

This Scripture reminds us that God speaks to us not only in our inner being and in the written words of the Bible, but “in various ways” through the “prophets.”

 

One of the Hebrew words that is translated prophet literally means “a mouthpiece of God.” In other words, a prophet speaks on God’s behalf. To put it even more plainly, a prophet hears from the heart of God and uses his/her mouth to release that word into the heart of the person(s) for whom it was intended.

 

Although most of us tend to think of the Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel when we hear the word “prophecy”, the New Testament has a lot to say about prophecy as well.

 

You may wish to read all of I Corinthians 14 to see how the apostle Paul explains the purpose and protocol of prophecy.

 

In verse 3, he says that every prophetic word is given by God for these 3 purposes: “edification and exhortation and comfort.”

 

To edify is to build up or strengthen. (The root word in Greek is the same as “edifice” or building)

To exhort is to encourage.

To comfort is, well, to comfort J

 

In other words, when God uses someone to give you a word that builds you up, encourages you and/or comforts you, you have received a prophecy!

 

Most of you, our readers, have received at least one prophetic word this year, I hope. At the beginning of this year, Sulojana and I held two online sessions where we prophesied over every one who was able to join us.

 

If you have not received a word from the Lord through a prophetic person, you may have sensed in your spirit an indication from the Lord about what He had in His heart for you in 2013. For some of you, a particular passage of Scripture or a Scripture-based promise may have been the “central theme” for this year.

Either way, there are still 18 days left in 2013…and, to quote Yogi Berra: “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

 

God says this about His word in Isaiah 55:10-11: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

 

God’s word will be fulfilled. One way to press in for their fulfilment is to listen to the recordings and/read written words and decree them.

 

For example, one word spoken over Sulojana and me this year by prophets consistently is about provision coming to us to take care of all our needs. It has come in to a certain degree, but not in the measure that it needs to be for us to be completely debt-free. So my decree would go something like this: “I decree that the provision promised by the Lord for us in 2013 is being released in full measure by Dec. 31.”

 

This is obeying what the apostle Paul told Timothy to do in I Timothy 1:18: “I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well.”

 

So, rather than get down about the fact that the income has not exceeded the outflow, we decree the outcome that God promised.

 

Can you do likewise? Of course, you can!

 

Now it’s your turn: Begin with this general decree: EVERY WORD FROM THE LORD FOR 2013 IS BEING FULFILLED BY DEC. 31.

 

Then get specific with every promise from the Lord…and wait with hope. For, “You shall decree a thing, and it shall be established.” (Job 22:28)

The Lord’s Prayer is so familiar to us that we can easily repeat the words without realizing the full significance of what exactly we are praying.

 

This is especially true of that part of the prayer that goes: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”

 

Greek scholars tell us that the tense in which this is written is what is known as the “aorist imperative. “

 

Say what?

 

Here is one explanation: “The use of the aorist imperative in a command is to denote either instantaneous action or action that is to begin at once.”

 

So, for example, when Jesus says in Matthew 16:24: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let Him deny himself, and take up his cross…”, the tense of the commands “deny” and “take up” is the aorist imperative. In other words, do it right now.

 

Did you catch the tone of urgency in the aorist imperative?

 

This is why the proper translation of those familiar words in the Lord’s Prayer should be: “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done! On earth as it is in heaven!”

 

These words are meant to be prayed with a sense of urgency. Something like, “this needs to happen RIGHT NOW!” (Or we’re sunk J)

 

Sadly, the translations that we use do not capture the aorist imperative all that well 🙂 Fortunately, we can fix that as we decree these words.

 

So, friends, the first thing to keep in mind that is that you decree these words with a sense of urgency.

 

Secondly, what do you decree?

 

A good way to approach this is to ask this question: “What here on earth right now does not match the way it is in heaven?”

 

Ask Holy Spirit to give you the answers that are specific to your particular situation right now. Don’t be surprised if He makes you repeat some of the decrees from previous days. After all, you have been decreeing according to Heaven’s dictates so far!

 

Here are some decrees I am being led to make as a result of asking this question:

 

“I decree that the culture of heaven becomes the culture of our churches! Kingdom of God, come! On earth as it is in heaven!”

 

Since there is no sickness in heaven, I decree that the health and wellness of heaven be here on earth for me and those I know who are dealing with illness (I name them one by one). Kingdom of God, come! On earth as it is in heaven!

 

Clearly, there is no poverty, indebtedness or lack in heaven. I decree that the riches of heaven come down so I can have “all-sufficiency in all things and more than enough for every good work!” (2 Corinthians 9:8). On earth as it is in heaven in my finances!

 

Since there are no unsaved people in heaven, and since our Father in heaven “is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance”(2 Peter 3:9), I decree that …………………is saved. Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven!

 

Get the idea?

 

Go ahead! Decree according to how Jesus taught us to pray: KINGDOM OF GOD, COME! WILL OF GOD BE DONE! ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!