Christine Caine - A Life Interrupted, Part 3
We love a plan, knowing what's coming around the bend, not being caught off guard or by surprise. Plans are great, but what happens when God steps in and changes your plans? What happens when your normal life gets radically interrupted by a supernatural God? I'll tell you what happens. Something awesome. I'm Christine Caine, and I have a personal mission to Equip and Empower people like you to connect with your God given purpose and potential. I'm so glad you're joining us today. Let's dive right in.
Hey, welcome back! I'm so glad to be with you today. I am so glad that you've tuned in. I'm loving this series on a life interrupted. I want to encourage you to understand that a life interrupted by God is going to take you to your purpose and destiny. And God often interrupts our plans with his purposes so that we can fulfill the supernatural destiny that he has for our life. This series has been awesome. We've been based in the book of Luke and I'm going to turn there today. Luke 1:26. The Bible says:
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.
You know, I love this text. An angel of the Lord comes to a teenage girl getting ready for her wedding, and he interrupts her plans with his purpose, and he says Mary, you are favored and highly favored. And then he gives her the biggest divine assignment ever known in humanity. He says, will you carry God to your generation? And the fact is you and I have been given that same invitation by God. You and I who are filled with the Spirit of God, born again believers, we are called to carry God to our world. We are called. Jesus said go into all the world and make disciples. And it's the Spirit of God on the inside of us that enables us to be God Carriers. That's what makes us a God Carrier is the fact that we carry God on the inside of us, and we need to get those rivers of living water out of us into a lot of and broken world.
So already in this series we've covered the fact that God only uses ordinary people. He came to Mary and she was an ordinary girl. There was nothing extraordinary about this young woman. But God chose her to carry him to her generation. The Lord says, the angel of the Lord says to Mary you are highly favored and you have found favor. Favor is not for status. Favor is not for arrogance. Favor is not that we think we're better than somebody else. Favor is for service. To whom much is given much is required. So the fact is if you have a lot, the Bible tells us in the parable of talents, to him who has, more will be given. So don't despise someone that's got a lot if God gives them more. I find that God will often give more to someone that's already doing a lot with what I've got. If you're doing nothing with what you've got, why would God give you more.
So, sometimes we go well Chris, you're already doing A21, Propel, you're teaching and doing different things. Why do you keep doing stuff? Because to him who has, more will be given if you're doing what you're supposed to be doing with what you have. There's a people that have only got a lot a little bit but they're not doing anything with a little bit, so if you're already not managing a little well, why would God give you more to mismanage? Now, that's a word for somebody on the other side of the screen. You've been asking God to pour more into your life, and he says but you're not even doing anything with what I've given you right now. And if you're not prepared to do something with what I've given you right now, why would I give you more to do nothing with? And so you need to stop despising those that have got a lot that are doing a lot with a lot and God keeps giving a lot more to those that have already got a lot but they are already doing a lot with the a lot they've got. And if you would do a lot with a little, you'll do with a lot, but if you do nothing with a little, you'll do nothing with a lot. That's the bottom line. That's the bottom line.
So he says you have found favor. Favor is for purpose. Not for status. And then we understand that the angel of the Lord says, fear not. He goes through and it's an interesting command I find when the angel of the Lord said, do not be afraid, Mary. What an understatement. Do not be afraid. Now, not only was there a thumping huge angel. Sometimes we'll have these little cherub kind of ideas of this angel playing a harp, and I'm like no. If you could see in the spirit realm right now, there is a humongous angel. Can you imagine an angel of the Lord guarding over us? That angel boom, drops in front of her. And do not be afraid. I'm like, I need to change my underwear. But anyway so do not be afraid. Not only that, she was just about to become pregnant out of wedlock.
I don't know if you know much about this but that means in these days you could be stoned to death. I'm not talking about smoking weed. I'm talking about rocks. Okay. Rocks. Somebody's watching that and you don't know much about church culture. And you're like awesome. I'll take some of that. Stoned to death. Awesome. It's really no laughing matter really. The fact is there are still nations in the world where women can be stoned to death for being pregnant outside of wedlock. So this could have literally cost her her life to say yes to this divine assignment. And the angel of the Lord is going, don't be afraid? Now, she was not only going to do that but she was going to give birth not to a ten pound baby, not to triplets, but to God. I just want you to wrap your head around that. The angel of the Lord goes, you know, the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God. You know, the one that flung the stars and the moon and the galaxies into being. That God is going to somehow end up in your womb. He's going to fill a body and fingers and toes. That God.
I don't know any woman, only man could have written this. Only a man because any woman that has popped out a kid would be freaking out. This was before epidurals. There was no epidural, and this was not just a little baby. This is God. I would be afraid. And the angel of the Lord says, do not be afraid. You know, fear is the biggest killer of destiny. Fear is the biggest killer of our purpose and our destiny. After 31 years of ministry, I can say without a doubt the difference of when I think of some of the people that I started out in ministry with and those of us that are still going and those that may be have dropped off a long the way or just not fulfilled the purpose that God had for them, it was because they were not willing to take a step of faith or a risk because they were crippled and paralyzed by fear. At the threshold of every transition in your life, the enemy will send a spirit of fear.
You can go to the spiritual bank on that. And you might not believe in spirits, but let me tell you in the book of Timothy, the Bible says God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind. The only way to move forward into your God given purpose and your God given destiny is in love, power, supernatural power from a supernatural God, and with a sound mind. You see in the world today it is like a spirit of terror or has been unleashed on the earth. That's what terrorism is actually. It seeks to strike fear into the hearts of people, and you see that with bombings happening in public place ands shootings happening in public places. The goal is to make people too scared to go out, too scared to go to church or a movie theater or to school or to go to an airport or to catch an airplane. That's why it's called terror. It's terrorism because it strikes a spirit of fear into the heart of people.
So the way you come against fear is with a spirit of faith. That's why God has given us faith. And more often than not, the reason we don't step out of the boat and take a risk is because of fear. Fear cripples you. Fear paralyzes you. Fear makes the giant bigger than the God that's on the inside of you. And faith says God on the inside of me is bigger than any external hurdle, any external challenge, any insecurity that I feel, any doubt that I feel. You've got to make God bigger. Now, theologically of course we can't make God any bigger than he is. God is as big as he ever will be, as big as he ever needs to be. God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. God is big, but the truth is the God of the universe is made big or small in the hearts of his people. How big is your God? Is your fear bigger than your God? Because if your fear is bigger than your God, then you are not going to be able to step out into the purpose God has for you. There is nothing I have done, and I mean nothing that hasn't involved overcoming a spirit of fear. There is no free rides or free passes for anyone.
I always say that I wish people told me what a 21 would be like ten years in advance. Man, I would have had a lot less anxiety over the last ten years. But God doesn't tell us the end from the beginning. You've got to trust his character on the way. There is no free ride. It's like walking on water. I tell people all the time, I feel like I have lost sight of the boat. I don't even know where the boat is. I am so far out on the water, if God does not turn up, I'm sunk. That's the way that it is. And so what do you do? Well, I have to do exactly what you have to do. I have to say out loud, Christine, be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer, supplication and thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Stop. Make my requests known to God. I put it out. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding shall guard your heart.
That's for someone right in this moment, that you have been riddled and tormented with anxiety. You've not slept for numerous nights. You're churning and obsessively ruminating over what's going on and you're anxious and you are fearing what if, what if, what if? You are going to have to make a decision to make what you know about God bigger than what you don't know about the future. You're going to have to meek a decision to trust the character and nature of God. Lay it at the feet of Jesus. You know what? The Bible says that God never sleeps and he never slumbers. So what you need to do tonight as you're going to bed, just tell the devil I'm going to sleep. You know what? God never sleeps or slumbers. There is no point both of us staying awake. I'm going to go to sleep. God can worry about this. Be anxious for nothing but in everything with prayer, thanksgiving, and supplication, make your requests made known to God.
Write out your list and what I speak over you is that the peace of God that surpasses all understanding shall guard your heart in Jesus name. Shall guard your heart in Jesus name. So what happens is that you're just going to have to make a decision that I'm not going to freak out about the what ifs or play it out to the worst case scenario. She would have thought well, what when I go to my parents I'm going to shame my family. Some of us we haven't taken steps of faith because we are worried about what will our culture say? What will our traditions say? What will people around us, what will my friends and boss think? Some of us are more scared of our friend than we are faithful to God. And you cannot be a good pleaser and a man pleaser at the same time. Sometimes you have to be willing to understand that some of your friends are not going to come on the journey with you and for me I'm such a relational person. I love to build bridges between people. I love to tear down walls.
There's nothing, in fact, I love more than when my friends become friends with each other. I love building bridges with everyone. So for me, almost nothing is more gut wrenching than when I have to make a decision to keep going forward with Jesus and some of my friends made a decision that you know what? We don't want to go that way. And I know that if I'm going to fulfill my purpose, I'm going to have to say no here so I can say yes to God. So what are you willing to say no to and who are you willing to say no to so you can say yes to God because that's what it comes down to. So imagine she's thinking my community, I could be killed for this or held in judgment for this.
Now, here's the deal, that Mary throughout her whole life would have had to live with the shame of what happened because not everyone thought Jesus was God. Not everyone thought this was an immaculate conception. Even to this day today there are plenty of people in the world that don't believe. They think this is a fairy tale. I'm teaching this text today and I'm teaching it like it's a fact because it is, because I believe that. That's part of what I believe as a Christian. I believe there was an immaculate conception. That is part of... and people go wow, Christine, how can you believe that stuff? It can't happen in the natural. Absolutely but I don't want a God that can only do what can happen in the natural. I want a supernatural God that can do what can happen supernaturally. I don't need a God created in my own image. I know I need a God that can do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond anything that I could ever ask, hope, or think. But you know what? For a lot of people today they would still see there's a stain around Mary. And that she got pregnant outside of wedlock.
So no wonder the angel said do not be afraid. I mean, there's the physical biological you've got to carry this child, but there's also the relational consequences that this is going to have, the emotional consequences of what this is going to be. So you're going to have to overcome fear, and the enemy will always send it. You see it all throughout scripture. As the children of Israel were about to go into the Promise Land in Joshua 1, how many times did God say, only be strong and very courageous. Only be strong and very courageous. Fear not. Only be strong and very courageous.
There's a reason why there are 365 fear nots in the Bible. And I think in the day and in the age in which we live we have to hang onto that more than ever because we live in a fear based culture. There is so much crime, there is so much terror, there is so much economic instability. There is so much political instability. You know, we see so much environmental crisis happening all over the earth. Wherever I go, I see people are gripped and riddled with fear and anxiety. The amount of people that are now on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication it's in unprecedented numbers. I'm not saying people don't need that but I am saying there is a disproportionate amount of people that are suddenly reaching out because they're looking for something that is going to calm them. And I need you to know in the day in which we live, it is the peace of God that is able to surpass all understanding. He himself is our peace. You will find your peace in Jesus.
And you know, when you're going "Christine, what about when I'm in a really anxious situation"? Say the name Jesus. I can't tell you how many times in my life I have gotten up, maybe I'm going into an environment where I have to speak and I think this thing is bigger than me. You know, when I was recently in India and we received that Mother Teresa memorial award, I had to speak before the vice president of Afghanistan. If you don't think that I felt out of my comfort zone. There was all of these speakers from, you know, that were just highly esteemed and world leaders, and I went up with fear. And I just kept saying Jesus, Jesus. The name of Jesus. There are times on my bed where I'll just open up my Bible and I will just open it to Psalm 91 or Psalm 92 and just leave it open and go Jesus, Jesus.
There are times that you know, you just have to go I don't know how this is going to work out, God. But I trust Jesus. Jesus, you do. I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but it's not about what I don't know about the future. It's what I do know about you, and God, you will make a way where there is no way. And what we need I have been known to walk around my lounge room, just to hold this Bible and literally, this is for someone today, you're watching this on the other side of the screen. Pick up that Bible that is just closed right there on your coffee table and start walking around your lounge room, your living room, and go Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. And then this peace. There's peace in the name Jesus. It's a name that is above every other name.
Speak Jesus. You're anxious about what's happening with your children. Speak the name of Jesus. The hound of heaven is chasing your children now wherever they are. Some of you you're watching this now. There's mothers out there and you're so anxious. My kids are so drug addicted. You don't even know if they are still alive. Jesus. Speak the name of Jesus. Sometimes I see what's happening on the news and so many of us, we're so overwhelmed. You don't know what to do. There is just such a huge refugee crisis. There is so many natural disasters. You get your notification on the phone. It's just like it's too much. And what I have found, you go, what do I do, Christine? The answer is not to run away from it. The answer is to speak the name Jesus to it.
Sometimes I don't even know what to pray. I just speak the name Jesus. I just hold it and I have prayer requests and I'm like Jesus, you know. This is too much for me but you said your burden is easy, your yoke is light. So I'm putting this into your hand. Some of you, you have stopped living of sorts because of the burden that you're having about relational challenges, friendship, conflicts, conflicts is in your marriages or with your children. There are things happening at work and you don't know how it's going to resolve, and you've been anxious and worried and you're like, what am I going to do? And you've done everything you know to do. You have prayed and fasted and talked about it until there's nothing more to talk about. You have thought about it from every angle. You have made up angles that don't even exist.
That's how much you have ruminated about this. I mean, you've had every conversation in your head that you could ever have and if they just ring you, it you better not because you are ready. You have had, you know what? It's time to just put it all down and go God, I cannot work this out. I pray. I cover. I can't tell you how many times I've done this because there are just so many things that are just too big for me. And I say God, I just cover this with the blood of Jesus. I do not know what to do or think. I don't know what to say. This is too... I can't reason my way out of it. This is not logical. What has happened it's not fair. It is not right. So Jesus, I just give it to you. I speak the name of Jesus. That is the name that is above every other name. I am not going to allow fear or doubt or negativity to take me out. There is a name that is above the name of fear, and that is the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth in Jesus name. Amen.