Author: Victoria C. Aladi

How do we react when we are faced with a daunting task? When we read the promises of God in his holy book, how do we believe them? When we are promised greater and better prospects in life, but reality does not seem to concur with it, how do we believe them?

The caption of this article originates from Mary’s response to Angel Gabriel when he delivered God’s good will message to her according to Luke 1:30-33 “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
When Mary heard what the Angel said, her human mind could not process it. Did she just hear conception without copulation? How is it possible?

Humanly speaking, it is impossible! What’s the point Angel Gabriel is driving at? because she’s getting confused.
Further more, he included she would not only conceive and birth God’s Son, the Child birthed by her would be great and have an unending kingdom.
These messages were too ambiguous for Mary to understand. She had no other option but to ask the angel, HOW SHALL THESE THINGS BE?

Going down history lane in the Bible, I observed that whenever God relayed messages to his servants, he starts with pacifying their fears. He does this because his divine messages are mysteries to them. They tend to fear when they consider the daunting challenge God assigned them, or doubt the unimaginable blessings God promised them.
For example, consider when Sarah heard the good news from the angelic visitors, she laughed in disbelief. How could she conceive at this age of hers? That was meant to be a Joke, right?
Also, consider Joshua, when God allotted divine tasks to him;God did not cease to remind Joshua to exterminate fear, if he must fulfill the divine mandate.

Now, back to Mary’s question, how shall these things be?
The Angel wasn’t just sent to deliver God’s message, but also to provide answers to her questions. Therefore, he readily replied her,”… The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God…..Luke 1:35 “

It wasn’t until Mary understood that the whole process would be divinely orchestrated, that she replied “… Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word…“

Dear Friend, what has God promised you that looks unrealistic? What vision had he painted in your precious mind that looks impossible to attain?
Remember, the things that are impossible with men are possible with God.
You might be confused on how you’lld go about achieving it. You might doubt the authenticity of God’s promises for you because reality is not in support. You are asking God,how do you want to do this? Because it looks like I can’t.

Let’s turn our minds to Angel Gabriel’s reply to this question ” …the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee…“

One might ask, is that all?

Yes! That’s all we need to hear, and believe.

However big the vision God has given you, do not be scared because he has also provided the means to achieve it through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Let’s not be fearful or worry over how these great things shall be in our lives. God has made provisions for them already. All we need to do is to keep asking for the provisions he had made.
If we would keep asking for his power, and keep advancing by God’s grace towards our God given vision, it would materialize right before our eyes, like it did for Mary.

Moreover, you might be experiencing great trials of your faith, and you feel bogged down and unable to withstand the pressures within and without to compromise. You might be thinking, how will I overcome all these?
I want you to hear God’s message from angel Gabriel : “…the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee…” Then, you will be able.
When the presence of God overshadows us, we can overcome everything.

We must also vanquish all forms of fear that would make us refrain from doing God’s will, or doubt God’s better promises for us.

Therefore, when we have understood like Mary did, let us submit ourselves to God for his will to be done in our lives, like it was done in Mary’s life

Victoria C. Aladi.

Happy New Year! That sounds like a Cliche I’ve gotten used to hearing whenever the clock strikes 12:00 am on every 1st of January.

It was on Sunday night, about 11pm, I was where most people would be about that time on the 31st of December. Even those who ditched church services for the whole year availed themselves to participate in the watchnight service. There’s something special about the service, and I can attest to that.

Ask me how I knew about the latter set of people?

Well, the unusual attendance revealed it. More chairs were occupied, compared to the scantiness on weekly days of service.

So, we were talking about the new year right?Yes, and I’m not off track.

The message preached was great, and I rejoiced with those who shared their testimonies. Not only that, I didn’t forget to plaster a smile on my face as I mouthed the words, “ Happy New year “ to as many as I could after the service ended.

My house is quite proximal to our Church, so I trekked home in the company of my family. I think I have developed the habit of gazing at the sky for a time now, so it wasn’t unusual for me to look up; This time, I expected to see something different since it was the early hours of January 1st. I observed the moon, which shone brightly and lit the streets. Probably that’s the reason I didn’t notice the unkind gesture of “NEPA” .

Speaking about the moon, I observed its shape and thought it would be a full moon with perfect sphericity, since we’re on the 1st of January but it was in its waxing gibbous phase.

You know that kind of perfect mentality most of us have when we’re celebrating the new year; We want everything to be new. We clean up and do a whole lot of things to usher in the new year, which is commendable.The moon wasn’t a full one; It was just there, perfectly positioned in the outstretched sky and was doing an excellent job( like it has always done). I also looked at the stars; They’ve always been there, twinkling and beautifying the sky with their glitter.

Nothing was different, except on the calendar and the ever inconstant face of the clock. The moon neither shone brighter than it used to, nor did the stars twinkle in a special way because the clock struck 12 am on the Ist. The knockouts couldn’t simulate the glittery effects of the stars, neither did they knock off my tympanic membrane ( thankfully )

It’s a New year and many resolutions have been made. We have decided to do things better, and with a grateful spirit, we have decided to be better individuals.

However, we shouldn’t keep this mentality only on the first and let it wane before mid year. Every day of this new year should be a happy New day for us. Whether it’s on January 1st or December 1st of 2024, it should still be a Happy year for us.

Every day of this new year should be a happy New day for us.

The moon shines and the star twinkles because that’s the way God has created them to function; They do not have a choice to be otherwise, rather they retain their magnificence everyday.

We also have a glory that God bestowed on us by creation and redemption. The glory doesn’t get brighter on the first neither does it fade away by the end of the year. It is always there in us as long as we retain a cordial fellowship with God.

However, we do have a choice either to remain in the purpose of our creation or to deviate from it. Nevertheless, we should remember that,as long as we desire to be radiant, sticking to God’s path is the only option for us, and it’s a choice we must make daily, not only on the 1st of January.

sticking to God’s path is the only option for us, and it’s a choice we must make daily, not only on the 1st of January.

I pray that God helps us every day of the new year to bring glory to him, and live radiant lives even in 2024 and beyond.

Whether it is crescent, gibbous, or full, the moon shines. Therefore, whether it’s the first of January or any other date, maintain your God given radiance.

Do not also wait till the next watchnight service before you attend the next church service( I’m sure my readers are different)

This is Victoria, wishing you a Happy New Year and Welcome to my new blog!

Anticipate more godly contents on this platform by God’s grace. Enjoy, and be Blessed!