YOUR PROMOTION IS ON THE WAY

And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter. Esther 2:7 (KJV)

15 Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.

16 So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

18 Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.

Esther 2:15-18 (KJV)

Esther's real name was Hadassah. The name Hadassah is derived from the Hebrew word hadas (Heb. הדס), a myrtle tree from the Myrtaceae family. The myrtle has a pleasant fragrance. Just as a myrtle has a sweet smell and a bitter taste, so too Esther was good and listened (“sweet”) to the righteous Mordecai, and was adverse (“bitter”) to the wicked Haman. 

Changing her name to Esther by the Babylonians did not hide her qualities or God-giving abilities. She lived up to her name. She was true to herself! As a young Hebrew girl, she held on to the teachings she had received and she stood firm in the face of many adversaries to the point of even risking her own life to save her own people or nation. She could have decided to enjoy her new found life in the king's palace but the spirit in her was not at peace because of the suffering she saw among her people and heard from her cousin, Mordecai, who had taken care of her after she was orphaned.  

Situations and circumstances in your life would change but always stay true to your God, who sees all things in secret. You may be called by different names by different people because of the way they perceive you, but let not that change you. Always be authentic and true to the best of your ability. Know yourself and focus on maintaining your relationship with God no matter where you find yourself. Your inner beauty stands out when you are always genuine and craft your our personality and self as God intended it to be. Your inner beauty would attract others to you because of the favor that the Lord bestows on you. This favor would then be extended to others and an entire people would be blessed because of your focus on God. 

Esther was a nobody until God promoted her to somebody in the king's palace.
Joseph was a nobody in prison until God promoted him to somebody in Pharoah's palace.
David was a mere shepherd boy until the Lord promoted him to be king of Israel. 
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was nobody in the little village of Nazareth, until the Lord showed favor on God, and she became the mother of our savior Jesus Christ. 

No matter where you are now, when your focus is on God, he will ensure that you are promoted in due season. 

For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them. Psalm 75:6-8

Wait for your promotion in the year 2017.

FAVOR COMES BY AVAILING YOURSELF TO GOD

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.  Luke 1:38 (KJV)  

When the angel, Gabriel, visited Mary, she least expected that she would be highly favored over her peers. How can a young village girl expect to become the mother of God's own begotten son? Though she was afraid of such an enormous responsibility to be placed on her, she availed herself to be used as a vessel of noble use because she believed in God. She knew that once the Lord has spoken, He will certainly accomplish His word. She was assured of God's presence with her in her present situation. 

In the house of God, there are many vessels, some made up of gold, silver, bronze, clay, etc. The are some vessels of honor and some that are not. When the Lord speaks to a congregation, not everybody allows the word to penetrate the heart and water it to grow and influence the person's life. To be used of the Lord, you must open your self up to Him. You have to personally and wholeheartedly avail yourself to Him. You must declared that "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." God would not force Himself on you. You have the choice of allowing Him to use you or not.

Mary response was that "I am at service, Lord", "I am at your disposal, Lord, use me as you please", "I will do whatever you command me to do because I know that with you, nothing is impossible." There was danger of spoiling her marriage, and blemishing her reputation, but she left the issue with God, and submits entirely to His will. This is what humility in spirit means. Being ready to do God's work without fear of what it would cost you. This is the attitude a Christian needs to adapt in order to be used by God. 

Bring yourself low and allow God to elevate you today. You too can be highly favored like Mary. With God all things are possible. The favor of God would abound in your life during this season of Christmas in your your marriage, education, health, job, and church. Claim this by faith and expect a miracle this season in Jesus' name. 

YOU WHO ARE HIGHLY FAVORED – THE LORD IS WITH YOU!

 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”  But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.  And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to 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.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.  For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.  

Luke 1:26-38 (KJV)  

Mary was one of the daughters of the house of David. Her name signifies “exalted”. Coming from a royal lineage, one would expect that she would be rich, yet she was poor and lowly. She lived in Nazareth, a city of Galilee, located in a very remote area of the country. It was bordered by the heathen, so it was called, Galilee of the Gentiles. Out of the many daughters of the house of David, the Lord sent His angel Gabriel to proclaim good news to Mary saying, “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” It was this same angel who had appeared to Zacharias in the temple in Jerusalem. Mary was very shocked to hear that she had been chosen out of many to be the mother of the savior of the world. Luke 1:29, But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.”  Being selected from many qualified applicants is favor! When it is time for God’s favor to be upon you, He visits you in the remotest place and calls you out of the least expected situation or condition. Out of your wretchedness and poverty, you can find favor when you call upon the Lord.

You may be in a low estate to today because things are knocking things in your life, like the angel of the Lord, I announce to you, “Rejoice, you are highly favored.” Your good health has come, your prosperity is here, your financial break through has come, doors of opportunities are knocking, your immigration status has changed, your marital status has changed. Rejoice! Hail!

Rejoice, for God has changed your disgrace to grace, and your shame to honor. There is someone here who somebody has said, nothing good can come out of you, today, I declare and decree that you are about to surprise them. You who people have said you will not live long, I decree and declare, that because of God’s favor, “You will not die, but live to proclaim the works of God.”  You shall see your children’s children and you will be called blessed among many. Because of God’s favor, you shall not go hungry. You will always have food on the table for your family. David said,

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. (Psalm 37:25)

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 (ESV)

Because of His favor, you have been declared righteous so you would not be shaken or moved when the surging waters roars at you. You shall abide under the shadow of the almighty.

The angel said to Mary, “The Lord is with thee.” This signified the presence of God with her. This raised her faith. When the Lord is with you, all fear is gone. Despair becomes hope and hopelessness becomes hopeful. The impossible now becomes possible because He is the creator of all things. When you are convinced in your spirit that the Lord is with you, you allow His favor to manifest in your life for all to see and declare His glory. You become blessed so that others may be blessed through you. 

Mary sang a song of praise in Luke 1:48-55 saying:

 “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.  He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.

May this be your song today as you find favor from the Lord and become a blessing not only to yourself but to many generations to come.

AMEN!

A RIGHTEOUS PERSON IS BLESSED!

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit  the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22 (ESV)

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. Psalm 37:25 (NIV)

A RIGHTEOUS PERSON IS BLESSED!