What are You Carrying (3)

What Are You Carrying

What are You Carrying

Giving honor to God, Pastor, Saints

Luke 1:5-15; 57-60

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judæa, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

Skip down to 57

57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.

58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.

59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, play mothers, aunts that are like a mother. I can attest that there is no other gift greater than being a mother. My testimony remains that if God only anoints me to raise my children, help rear my grandchildren, and become the spiritual matriarch of my family I have truly lived a rich and fulfilled life. There’s nothing else like being a mother. Experiencing life growing on the inside of you that God has entrusted you with. Souls that He has lent you to be stewards over. Is a responsibility we shouldn’t and I don’t take lightly. And to be a grandmother, that’s motherhood on a whole different level! I know most of you, if not all spend time on social media, you might have come across the videos or post that state I was today years old when I learned this. And its usually something very simple that blows your mind or something you probably should have already known. But I learned something that made me ponder why being the grandmother of girls is such a bond. And of course grandsons are just as precious, but the special thing about girls is that girls are born with all of the eggs they will ever have in life. Which means that ever generation of females are birthed in the first mother of the family. So while I carried Jazmin in my womb Zuri was safely there too and her daughter and her daughter and all the daughters Alysa will have. What a load to carry, what a blessing to carry! So to every mother and form of mother in this place today, I honor you! I tell you there aint nothing like being a Mother.

But the women in the text today have all experience what it feels like to yearn to be a mother and seemingly God says no. Sarah (Isaac), Rachel (Joseph), Hannah (Samuel), Manoah’s wife (Samson), Elizabeth (John the Baptist) All experienced the guilt and shame of not being able to have children. Feeling like God had no blessing for them, God had forgotten about them. But as our Pastor reminds us consistently…Greatness Takes Time! And while the others where speedily birthing out good men, God was preparing these women to carry greatness that would establish great imprints that the world would be talking about for generations to come! So we’ll take as a text on this Mother’s Day…What are You Carrying?

We all the know the story of each of these women Sarah who was old in age and after Abraham was stricken in years was promised their first child Isaac who would go on to be one of the Patriarchs of the bible: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The covenant and promise that God gave Abraham was established with Isaac, even though Abraham had 2 sons. It was Isaac names that went down in the prayer history of the Jews. And just think at the hearing of the news Sarah doubted in her heart that it made her laugh to think God would be able to do thing that He promised. She had no idea the greatness that she was about to carry!

Sometimes dreams can take a long time to come true, prophecy can be a long-time manifesting, hope can be deferred so long if you’re not careful it will make you doubt what you know God has said about you. It will make you question whether that blessing is too big for you. And young people don’t get me started on social media. The internet has been the biggest blessing that’s a curse I’ve ever seen. Information literally at your fingertips. But, the way some of its being used will cause you to think you don’t have nothing going on in your life. if you take to heart some of the things you see on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok; the way people as you say cap online will make you think God aint thinking about you. I’ve learned just like people can tell a lie, they can think one and post a lie! You better know what ever God is birthing in you doesn’t have to have all eyes posted on it. You better take a lesson from Joseph’s book and keep some dreams to yourself. I tell my daughter all the time, sometimes God allows blossoming dreams to come quickly cuz ain’t no weight to it. But what you’re carrying God’s got to put you in just the right position so the maximum amount of recipients can get the benefit from the blessing. It’s one thing to be carrying a blessing for yourself, for your family, but when you’re carrying a gift for the nation, God’s not gone just let you birth that gift anywhere! Monroe can’t contain the gift that God’s birthing in you! Ya’ll better not let social media cause you to give birth to premature blessing just because you want something to post!

Rachel and Hannah had to watch the women in the social settings of their time give birth after birth to baby’s to the men they loved. The yearned to be able to have what the other women were taunting them with. But what Rachel and Hannah didn’t understand was that they just wanted to have babies with their husbands, but God wanted to birth destiny in the earth! Samuel was the birthing of the replacement of Eli and the beginning of the prophets and Joseph was an Old Testament type of Christ who would be a savior to his people! They had no idea, what they were about to carry! People will try to make you get on the mediocre train with starting a ministry out of time, or business that God has not ordained. You better know what your carrying and when its time to make a move. Saints we have to move in God’s time not with the masses. Our parents used to say, you gone jump cuz everybody else is jumping. I’m not saying not to walk by faith…Walk in God’s time. There’s a whole lot that goes on between conception and birth. Just because God called you to the nation today, doesn’t mean you arrive tomorrow. What you’re carrying for the nations take a lot more preparation than those who are carrying a gift for Monroe.

Sometimes mother’s that are carrying have complications or stipulations that cause them to be high risk during the pregnancy. Manoah’s wife was high risk. What she was carrying was such a gift from God that he gave her specifics during the pregnancy and even how to care for the gift after she gave birth. No strong drink and unclean food to be consumed during the pregnancy and no razor to Samson’s head. Samson would be a Nazarite from birth. Sometimes what you’re carrying is so special to God he’s already set the gift apart from all the other gifts. In this text we can equate Strong drink to carnality and unclean food to sin. You better know what you are carrying! See when you know what you’re carrying your careful to protect it at all cost. When you’re carrying something so great in your spirit, when your carrying a great anointing, when you’re carrying a powerful gift in the earth…you can’t afford to slip in and out of sin and you why would you want to run with the footmen when you God’s provided you a horse! What are you carrying! Are you carrying a gift for the Kingdom? Are you carrying a blessing for a Nation? Are you carrying an Anointing worth protecting? What are you carrying? Samson was such a gift to the nation that he was endowed with supernatural strength.

The thing about these women that are so unique and common to them all was that God didn’t want anyone else to get the glory out of those births but Him! Even when Sarah tried to intervene in the plan of God, God said it’s not time and he’s not the one! Surrogacy, adoption, and fertility drugs have been great strides in the world of natural pregnancies, but in the spirit adopting the gift of another, copying the ministry of another, moving out of turn will not last. Only a God breathed purpose will bring for the blessing that God has intended. If I tried to sing like Alysa or Brianna, the anointing that God put in me for the gift of song will not flow as He intended. When we try to walk in the plans of others we are doomed to fail. You got to know what you’re carrying and how you need to carry it! When you are carrying a high-risk blessing! The devil will try to make you miscarry by doing what worked for someone else.

Saints sometimes barrenness is a blessing. God does everything decently and in order. The time of waiting for those women, was a time of preparation for God. The gifts that they birthed in the earth was born just in time for what God needed at that time! Isaac was a recipient of a promise, Joseph was a savior during famine, Samuel was a prophet to a nation, Samson was a deliver for his people, and finally John the Baptist was said by Christ to be the greatest man; born to man.

Elizabeth only second to Mary to carry the greatest gift ever born. Was told she was going to have a baby after being barren for so long. She was not only given specific instructions for her the birth, but she was given his name! Saints when God gives you a name, you better believe you have a purpose! And the thing is when God names what your carrying you gotta believe it is when nobody else does. After Elizabeth gave birth, the people wanted to name him Zechariah, but she knew what God says and stood on that word. And When she said no, His name is John, they said aint nobody in your family named John. Now isn’t that just like people to try to insert themselves into a God thing. You better know what you are carrying. People will tell you in a minute, you can’t be a grammy winner aint nobody in your family ever been. Aint nobody else in your family a doctor, aint nobody else in your family got 3 degrees. Saints God is ready to birth purpose into the earth and if nobody else you know is carrying it you better stand on what God told you!

Lets look at john’s life and see what Elizabeth could have miscarried had she listened to the people. John was the forerunner to Christ, John was holy and separated, John was a preacher of repentance, John gave his life for his purpose. Does what your carrying lead people to Christ? Are you setting your gift apart from sin and carnality? Are you protecting your anointing? Are you giving your life for the purpose of God’s purpose? What God wants to birth out of us will take just that and more. God shut the mouth of her husband because he doubted the word. It’s great to have a birthing partner, a birthing coach, but sometimes you have to give birth yourself! Sometimes what you’re carrying is so great God requires you to give birth without anesthesia; Birthing greatness come with ridicule from others, birthing greatness comes with abandonment of others, birthing greatness comes with jealousy and sabotage of others. But you’ll never birth out the greatness God has in you without going through the labor pains. But oh my God after the pain.

What you carried, brings people to repentance!

What you carried leads people to Christ!

What you carried brings healing!

What you carried brings deliverance!

God is ready to birth out Kingdom Ministries,

Birth out Kingdom Wealth. It’s one thing to have generational wealth. That perpetuates throughout your family, but Kingdom wealth is enough to flow outside your bloodline!

John was the forerunner for Christ. God’s birthing some Johns in the earth as forerunners to the Second coming of Christ! What are you carrying?