Struck Dumb
Luke 1:18 Do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is an old woman.” (The Message Bible)
Zechariah and Elizabeth had been praying for a child; one day the angel Gabriel visits Zechariah and tells him their prayers have been answered and his wife Elizabeth will give birth to a child and they are to call his name John (the baptist). But Zechariah begins to question Gabriel,”Are you sure, my wife is past the age of childbearing”.
At this response Gabriel strikes Zechariah dumb and tells him he won’t be able to speak until John is born. Why is this? It’s because Zechariah was speaking doubt and unbelief and God cannot work in an atmosphere of doubt and unbelief. His words would have kept Elizabeth’s womb closed and thwarted the plan of God for their lives.
Whereas when Gabriel visited Mary to tell her she would give birth to a child (Jesus Christ), Mary’s response was to say,” Let it be done to me according to your word“. Mary was speaking words of faith and trust in God’s word and created an atmosphere within which God could work and sure enough the Lord Jesus was born.
Every day you and I are faced by problems,difficulties and pressures; and we have to choose. Are we going to speak with a Zechariah spirit or a Mary spirit. A Zechariah spirit is a victims approach to God’s Word resulting in a defeated, depressed Christian lifestyle whereas a Mary spirit is a victors approach to God’s Word resulting in a successful, overcoming Christian lifestyle. 1 John 5:4 This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. (KJV)
Meditation Point: When I’m faced with a problem, do I speak my own words of doubt and unbelief or God’s words of faith and trust.
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