Welcome to another awesome time going through our weekly lectures on WOW. Very quickly, say ‘Father, speak to me’.
We are looking into the story of Elizabeth as recorded in Luke 1 vs 39 – 45. But before we continue, I need you to help me answer a few questions. Thank you in advance. The questions are crucial to some people right at this moment.
- Precious is a young believer. Tomorrow, she intends to go to the most powerful shrine in her area. People have warned her about the shrine and the danger of not returning alive but she has turned deaf ears. She believes that as a child of God, she is safe and protected. What will you advise? Please, respond as soon as you can. Thank you so much.
- Mide received a strong potion from a renowned herbalist. The potion prevents bullets from entering into the body. Mide needs it because he is going to the war front. Mind you, Mide is not a Christian. If you were to advise Mide’s opponent, what advice would you give? Sincere answers please. Note: his opponent is not a Christian either. Thank you so much for your beautiful responses.
Now, let’s quickly move on to our Bible reference- Luke 1 vs 39 – 45. Let me give you a brief background to the story. An angel appeared to Mary. He told her that she would get pregnant without having sex and give birth to a boy who will be the son of the Most High God. Mary had asked how this was possible. I mean, how could someone get pregnant without having sex. The angel said it would be by the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit that cannot be seen. But the angel added one more information to help Mary’s faith. He said that her cousin Elizabeth who was already old, was pregnant. On hearing that, Mary accepted the Word of the Lord. She said “be it unto me according to Your word”. She received God’s Word!
This leads us to where we are looking into today. On hearing that old Elizabeth was pregnant, Mary decided to travel to visit her. As Mary entered into the house, she began to greet. As soon as Elizabeth heard the voice of Mary, she became filled with the Holy Spirit and began to scream with a loud voice. I hope you know that the Holy Spirit does not force people to speak? Elizabeth spoke as she was filled with the Holy Spirit because she believed and agreed with the Holy Spirit.
Verse 43 of Luke chapter 1, Elizabeth actually asked what kind of honor she had received to have the mother of her Lord visit her. I need you to understand this part. Let me paint the picture for you. Elizabeth was not Mary’s age-mate cousin. She was an old woman (Luke 1 vs 36). She had been termed barren. This means that she had gone for years without a baby before people stamped that name on her. She was an elderly woman. Mary, on the other hand, was a young, beautiful lady who was just getting ready to be married. You can imagine the age difference. On a ‘normal’ day, the visit of Mary to that house would have meant work for Mary and relief for Elizabeth. Mary may have been there on previous occasions to help with the dishes, cleaning of the house and whatever chore. She was the much younger cousin. She probably ran errands for Elizabeth. But this particular visit was different. Different because the Holy Spirit showed Elizabeth something that made her see Mary very differently. She said, “and why am I so blessed that the mother of my Lord visits me?” Luke 1 vs 43 MSG. I make bold to say that the humility and love that Elizabeth exhibited was born out of a revelation of God’s Word. She ended by saying the words in Luke 1 vs 45- “And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Let that be our memory verse for this post.
Now, we have the story. Let’s see the points and lessons.
- The scriptural definition of humility is different from that of the world. Humility, by the world’s definition, often implies diminished self-confidence. But humility in the Bible means confidence in God who loves and values you more than you do yourself. Biblical humility means believing what God says about you over anyone else’s opinion, including your own. It requires embracing who you are in Christ over who you are in the flesh. To be biblically humble is to be so free of concern for your own ego that you unreservedly elevate God’s Word above every other thing. To be humble is to always remember that God is bigger, smarter and more powerful. That God is Truth. Humility is believing that what God says is truer than what you think, see or feel. To be humble is to trust that what God says about you is right. To me, humility is so vital to Christian living – even to becoming a Christian. Elizabeth was humble in her relationship with little Mary because of what the Holy Spirit had told her. She believed God’s Word and that dictated how she related with Mary regardless of age or status. God wants us to see others the way He sees them. How does He see them? He sees them as precious. He sees them as worth dying for. He sees them as potential vessels for His kingdom. He sees them blessed and prosperous. Do you see people the way God sees them? Notice that humility begins with the foundation of knowing what God has said.
So, I ask you:
What has God said about you?
About your husband?
About your children?
For instance, He says that we should submit to our own husbands. Do you take Him at His Word and obey or do you rebel?
God says that none shall be barren in His house. Are you calling yourself barren because of the current situation?
God says that your children will be taught of the Lord and great will be their peace. Are you still calling your children stubborn and disobedient?
God says that all that you lay your hands upon shall prosper. Are you still telling people that businesses fail in your hands?
God says that He has healed you by Jesus’ stripes. Are you still thinking that a sickness will kill you?
God says that He will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory. Are you still seeing yourself as poor or less privileged?
What has God said?
What are you seeing in your mind?
- Humility believes what God says and speaks accordingly. (1 Corinthians 4 vs 13). Yes, I know that the situation doesn’t exactly look like what God said, but what are you saying?
Are you speaking the negative situation or are you speaking God’s Word?
In the midst of that severe lack, are you declaring that God supplies your needs?
In the midst of that pain, are you speaking God’s Word?
In the midst of waiting to conceive, are you already praying for your children knowing that they will come? This is the life of a believer. The life of faith. The life that keeps speaking God’s Word regardless of the situation. The life that trusts God is the life of humility. See, believing God’s Word births in you greater dimensions of love for others regardless of who they are at the moment. John 3 vs 16 says “For God so loves the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I am born of my Father; I love people because He loved them. I preach the gospel to them because He died for them. Love is born out of understanding and accepting God’s Word.
- 4 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV.
Read that passage over and over and ask yourself if you are walking in love fully. God says we should walk in love because WE CAN. He has given us the ability! Say this: “I walk in love.”
Remember, at the beginning of this lecture, I asked two questions. Do you realize that many people saw Precious as someone who is ready to die? It shows how much we believe in the power of the devil. For Mide, we actually also believe that bullets will not affect him. But how much of that faith do we have in God? When the Bible says that nothing shall by any means hurt us, do we actually believe it? Do we speak it? See, Faith comes by hearing (Rom 10 vs 17). If Nollywood and negative news is all you fill your mind with, you will speak in line with those things. You are saying that you are not safe because of things happening around you. Is that what God say? Did He not promise to keep you from all harm? No evil shall come near you, are you speaking that? My dear, watch what you give your eyes and ears to. Does faith deny the current situation? No. It just does not consider it. Read Romans 4 vs 17 – 21 later on your own.
I want to help us a little to be humble by believing what God says. So, I’m sharing three real life stories with you.
- Everyone knows EJ. He appears to be very arrogant. Some people feared him actually. However, in the same city, there are some voodoo priests. They were feared by everyone. But EJ did not fear them. This made them very angry. One day they challenged EJ. They told him that they could call on their god and he would destroy EJ in just a second. EJ then laughed hysterically. They were angry. They decided to have a public contest. On the day of the contest, it was decided that the first group to call down fire will be the winner. The voodoo priests started. They chanted incantations. They shouted, they screamed and did everything possible but their god refused to answer. They remembered that blood signifies a very powerful covenant. So, they began to cut themselves with a knife until their bodies started bleeding. Their god saw the blood but still didn’t answer. EJ kept laughing at them. He taunted them telling them to shout the more just in case their god was asleep and couldn’t hear them. He mocked them and told them that their god must be on a journey and they must wait for him to return. The voodoo priests were disappointed. They tried everything they could from morning to night yet there was no smoke not to talk of fire. After 12 hours, the judges decided that it was EJ’s turn. EJ asked the people to pour water on the altar. I mean, he did everything to make sure that fire would not come. Then he prayed a very simple and short prayer. Guess what happened? A great fire came down and consumed everything on the altar. The fire even licked up the water. Such is the power of the God of EJ. The God of Elijah, our God. Your God. Hallelujah!
- I had always felt pity for the Obiora family (Papa and Mama). My own grandparents got married the same year as Papa and Mama. Papa and Mama Obiora had a very big wedding back in those days and they invited lots of guests. They dressed so gorgeously and everyone used them as a point of reference and teaching to their own children. They were successful in every sense of the word. Until the years rolled by and life played them bad. They still had money, in fact more money. They had several workers and sponsored the education of many of them till the university level. They were givers. But something was wrong. They had no child. They visited the best hospitals, saw the best doctors yet nothing came forth. Do you know how many times they tried IVF? 43 times. Can you beat that? I remember the story about the year Papa impregnated their office secretary. The lady showed Mama pepper and fire. She eventually gave birth to a handsome baby boy who looked so much like Papa. That was when we knew that the problem was with Mama. At last, Mama made sure they drove the secretary away with the boy. She didn’t even let the boy have any part in the plenty wealth of Papa. Truly, hell has no fury like a woman scorned. While all these were happening, my own grandparents were struggling to stop childbirth. It seemed like every intercourse was destined to result in a pregnancy. My father is the 12th child and he’s not the last born. Large family, I tell you. My uncles and aunties started getting married and having their own children, yet, Papa and Mama Obiora were still childless. I really think it began affecting their brain because they started referring to each other as Papa and Mama Triplets. Papa Obiora said that an unseen being had appeared to him and told him that he would have children born to him by Mama Obiora. He said in fact, their family will be so large that their children and grandchildren will spread to every part of the world. People laughed and laughed. Eventually, they stopped laughing. They accepted it as insanity caused by barrenness. They only felt pity for the family. I am the last grandchild of my grandparents and I got married last year. We were already expecting our baby. The scan revealed that we will be having twins. What a pleasure. But something shocking happened. I had traveled home to visit with my grandmother as grandpa had already died two years before. I had bought her a number of things and had also taken someone along who would stay with her and care for her. I got there and the first thing grandma told me was that Mama Obiora is pregnant. Immediately, I called my dad to let him know that his mum was already hallucinating and needed to be checked into a hospital. I mean Papa Obiora was almost a hundred years old and his wife should be no less than ten years younger. The entire city was getting ready for Papa Obiora’s 100th birthday in a few months. How could such old, age-stricken people get pregnant? Grandma looked at me and said, “Tobi, Mama Obiora is really pregnant. Go and see for yourself.” I drove the short distance to the Obiora’s mansion. As I stepped out of my car and into their mansion, I couldn’t but admit that these guys were truly rich. I was still admiring the beauty of the compound when I heard a voice. “Chimaroke, Good to see you!”. Only mama Obiora calls me by that name. She had given me that name when she heard about my birth knowing that my parents wanted a girl after four boys. Well, I came as yet another boy and she had said that God knows how to share gifts. I turned and she was truly the one. She was indeed pregnant! I left my mouth open for few minutes. Mama Obiora said, “Are you surprised? Did you doubt our God?” That day, I dropped down on my knees and accepted Jesus as Lord. That God is indeed God. And I’ve never stopped telling people to keep saying what God has said about them no matter what. God never fails. Mama Obiora gave birth to a handsome baby boy. You know already. We call him Isaac. Don’t tell me you didn’t know that I was telling you the story of Father Abraham and Sarah. Can God fail? Will you be humble enough to trust Him and say what He says?
- The doctors said that I would never be able to walk in my life. Well, God said differently. I walk. I teach. God is faithful. Right now, I want you to say “Lord, I judge You Faithful”. Now, begin to confess His Word concerning you, your family and your situation.
Thank you so much for your time and attention. God bless you richly.
Topic: Elizabeth- An Example of Humility And Love
Lecturer’s Name: Grace Kukoyi
Date Delivered: 30th of March, 2022.