Gifts of Christmas: Gift No. 20 ~ Preparation
My gift to you is: Preparation
From Luke 1:17 - It is he [John the Baptist] who will go as a forerunner before Him [Jesus] in the spirit and power of Elijah . . . so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
I once told someone that success is when preparation meets opportunity. He has made that saying well known to many of you, and it is true. I told another that between the promise and the provision, there is often a problem. But do not worry my loved one. I am telling you that if you have prayed, and there is still a problem, investigate that problem to see how you might use it to use it for good. Often, I hide my best answers inside problems, but my young children sometimes mistake the problem as my indifference to their prayers. They do not yet know me well. They think I am angry, distant, hard to please. That kind of thinking makes it hard for me to do a thorough work. But I am patient, forgiving, and loving.
My gift is the preparation that comes in the problem. That problem, that resistance, is the preparation that causes you to expand so that you might receive and contain your request. You see, many of my children persist in their problems because the real problem is in their heart. I must deal with heart issues for they are often what causes the problem in the first place. My gift to you is the problem that causes the preparation. When the powers of darkness come against my children, it is always, always, my heart to heal the wounds and to make my children strong, to cause them, to cause you, to grow during the problem and become mighty warriors, world changers who can reign with me in and over every problem that shows up, prepared to train others to do the same. That is my calling over you. Preparation is my gift that gets you ready to reign, to overcome, and to serve.
I came to earth, to Bethlehem, to be a King and to save the world. There has been a long road between my humble birth and the restoration of my kingdom. But I endure for the glory set before me. Is a servant greater than the master? Come and endure. Set your heart to preparation and, in due course, the kingdom will be yours.
What problem persists and what is it teaching you?
Click to watch the video for the 20th Gift: Preparation
An excerpt from "The Twenty Five Gifts of Christmas;
25 Daily Conversations with Jesus"
A daily devotional for December 1st through the 25th
These twenty five daily devotionals are written in first person from Jesus to you revealing twenty five gifts coming from His heart to your heart this Christmas season.
This devotional comes with a companion book: “Twelve Miracles of Christmas”. As a gift for becoming a Member of the Grace Becomes You community, we have included a download of the "Twelve Miracles of Christmas" book here. On December 25th, at the end of the series, we will make available to you all of the gifts in e-book form as well as the “Twelve Miracles of Christmas”.
The Christmas season is so busy with holiday activities on top of regular jobs, family and household duties. It is so easy for the real reason for the season to get lost in the frenzy. If your devotional life takes a dive during the holidays, fret not! Jesus has a personal word for you that will make this Christmas season spiritually vibrant.
These daily, three minute devotional readings are based on the events that took place in the lives of people around Jesus at the time of His conception and birth; Mary, Joseph, Zacharias and Elizabeth. Through these simple readings, new light springs forth from common words revealing powerful truths that will release the power of Jesus’ birth into your family, business, and your whole life all year long.
Never has one event had so much impact on the nature of man and the course of human events, from individual lives to whole of societal structures. Never has one event rewritten the lives and times of so many people on our planet. Are there personal truths just for you, hidden in these familiar passages, that could release the same earth shaking, life changing power of Jesus’ birth into your life? I believe the answer is a resounding "YES"!
Each of these twenty five personal messages reveals twenty five “gifts” Jesus is giving you. Each message is from a verse and the word that stood out to me as I prayed for you, which I have highlighted in bold. In just a few minutes a day for the next twenty five days, you can receive His gifts and release the power of Christmas to live a new, Holy Spirit powered life all year long.
Come now on a personal journey with just you and Jesus. Discover new intimacy with Him in these twenty five daily conversations leading up to Christmas. Each one is written in first person tense, as a personal message to you from Jesus. If seen with the eye of the heart, and acted upon, the twenty five gifts will release His power into your life.
