I have been listening to this amazing series by TD Jakes called Divine Strategies. He always ministers to me whatever I seem to be going through. Anyway, there are 3 different messages in this series. The one that has blown me away is the one called "The Conflict of Being Chosen." He talks about Mary and Joseph, and Elizabeth and Zachariah. I began to study about these couples this past December. I watched (and bought) The Nativity which did a wonderful job of showing what both of these couples went through and experienced. TD Jakes taught further about the conflict that Mary and Elizabeth had in what they were chosen to do and bring forth and how that relates to us as well. Mary was going about her business, planning on getting married, and then God "chose" her to have a baby, to bring forth Jesus. She didn't ask for it, it was not in her plans, but God "Chose" her to be a part of His bigger plan. The same way He chooses us to be a part of His bigger plan. We are not our own, we are bought with a price. We didn't choose Him, He chose us. Now think about it, when the angel came to Mary and told her what she had been chosen to do and what was going to happen, who could she go and talk to about it? She couldn't go and hang out with her old girlfriends anymore, how would they believe her? They would talk about her and call her crazy. Even Joseph, her fiance' would not believe her. This was the conflict of being chosen. She had no one to turn to, no one to talk to, no one that would believe her, but God had Elizabeth. Elizabeth too was in a Conflict of her own. She had become pregnant in her old age with a child she had prayed for and believed God for all her life. Her husband was now struck dumb, he could not talk to her, she had not felt the baby move in 6 months. She was afraid, afraid that her dream was dead, afraid that the promise would not come to pass and she had no one to talk to about it. God sent Mary to her. When the two of them came together, and explosion happened! The baby leaped in her womb! She knew, she had the confirmation that her baby was alive, that her dream was not dead and Mary had encouragement that what she had been told about Elizabeth being pregnant was true, so she knew that what God had told her, shown her about her own situation was true and He would bring her through it. When God brings you together with another believer, especially with your "Chosen" spouse, there should be and will be an explosion! God can and will be able to accomplish what He needs accomplished when the two of you come together, because you could not accomplish it alone! As TD was saying, what makes your "baby" or dream or promise that God has shown you "leap" inside of you? Don't hang with those that don't make your "Baby/Dream/Promise" leap! The point of His message is that we have all been chosen and set apart as followers of Christ. We are part of His master plan, not the other way around. That takes the pressure off of us. He already has the best plan, we were invited to be a part of it, to play a role already written for us. That is where the conflict can take place, because sometimes others don't understand or believe the part that He has chosen us to play, to take part in. The role He has for us. Sometimes we can't tell others what God has told us, what He has shown us because people will think we are crazy......but it does not matter what people think. God did send his angel to Joseph, and showed him the same thing that he showed Mary, he confirmed what Mary had said to Joseph and then Joseph knew that it was God's plan, He believed Mary and confirmed to Mary that God had too shown him the same thing, the same plan and his role that he was to play. God got all of the glory because He did it, He brought it to pass, He confirmed it.....not man. I will leave you with the prophecy that TD Jakes spoke at the end of this message and it is for me, it is for you, as followers of Christ:
"I don't know whether you are in your first trimester or your third trimester, we are all in different places in this; but I prophesy to you right now in the Name of Jesus that the thing that is on the inside of you can not be hidden any longer! That thing will come to pass and no weapon formed against you shall prosper. And every tongue that rises against you God will condemn. It doesn't matter what Joseph said, it doesn't matter what Zachariah doesn't say, and what God has for you.....it's for you! Some of you are hurting because of some things people have said about you, others are hurting because they didn't say anything, no support no help no encouragement, but both of you are pregnant with Destiny! And I tell you today that the thing that God has placed in you WILL COME TO PASS! We're better together than we are apart."
