From: rborvitae5@aol.comTo: rborvitae5@aol.comSent: 12/14/2010 11:49:56 A.M. Eastern Standard TimeSubj: Kingdom Keys: Joy to the world! The Lord is come.
Dear friends,
I pray that things are well with you. In years past I have written some thoughts concerning Christ's birth and today I'd like to remind you of some things that I believe will encourage you.
Years ago as I heard the Christmas story being read, the Lord dropped something my spirit. In the part in Luke 2 where it speaks of the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night and then the glory of the Lord shown round about them. The Lord spoke these words in my spirit,"The shepherds who are faithful in the darkness of night are the ones to whom I will reveal My glory." Be encouraged you faithful shepherds. I hear the words from Isaiah 60. "Arise shine for the light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you, for out of deep darkness there has shone a great light." God is faithful; don't give up.
God gave me a revelation of His sovereignty one Christmas as I pondered the Christmas story. I thought about a very much pregnant woman and her espoused husband making a seventy mile journey on foot to be counted for the purpose of taxation. God used a tax notice and a pagan emperor to position Joseph and Mary for the fulfillment of prophecy.He used external circumstances to position them for blessing. He used a pagan emperor to have the Bread of Life born in the "house of bread as prophesied." It may well be that the difficult circumstances you find yourselves in are positioning you for blessing. God is able to bring redemption out of everything that comes in our lives.
A couple of years ago, I did a study on the wise men. It was very revealing. God revealed Himself to these men in powerful ways. I am sure that you have probably seen the statement on church signs,"wise men still seek Him." It was true then and true now. As I thought about writing this morning, this verse came to mind,"And I will be found by you when you search for Me with all your heart."
I pray that during this season with all hustle and bustle, that you will make time to worship Him. I know some believe that the Christmas celebration has pagan roots. I respect that, but every day is His day and I choose to celebrate the fact that God so loved the the world that He gave His only begotten Son. He may not have come on December 25th, but praise God! He came. Joy to the world! the Lord is come.
I hope these little reminders were an encouragement to you. I pray that you will receive a greater and greater revelation ofm who Christ is to you, in you, and His life through you. May you have a wonderful season of celebration and a new year of hope, expectation, and prosperity; body, soul, and spirit.
In His love,
Herb Dean