Quit battling in the Flesh

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Faith, Social Issues, Walk of Faith

WarfareAre you fighting battles in the flesh? Are you trying to resolve stuff with in your own strength? Put on your armor and take it to the LORD in prayer. Worship him for who HE is and what HE has been doing for you Trust in HIM for the Victory!

There  are times that I have found myself  in tough situations that seemed to appear from nowhere – well not nowhere, I realized that the signs  were evident but ignored them as they seemed harmless to the point of  insignificance. When these ignored signs later caused full blown turmoil I was thrown in disarray. Feeling unprepared and disenfranchised I resulted to fighting in the flesh. This quickly led to frustration and it was only after I went down on my knees to seek the LORD when  I realized how wrong I was.

Red Flags / Signs

Before we get to the warfare  part ,let me point out the signs  the red flags to watch out for. These tend to creep in slowly  but surely and before you know it, you fall flat on your face!

1. Too busy to pray
Does the day find you awake or does the day wake you up? These covid times have been trying for all people ,all nations, and all colours regardless of one’s social status. It should however not be an excuse for one to fail to pray nor to I have found that best way to start one’s day is to start it with the LORD in prayer ,preferably before the day breaks.

2. Too busy to study the word
Individual bible study is crucial for the survival of any child of God who wants to spend eternity with the LORD. How can one be in a relationship if there is no communication? The Word of God is Alive and active! No other text in this universe is alive, or Sharper than any double-edged sword,able to penetrate even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; to judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

3. Too busy to worship
Worship is what we were created to do. If mankind does not worship God they tend to find something else to worship. This of course leads down the slippery slope of idolatry. We worship out of our delight in Him.
CS. Lewis a famous author and theologian noted in his book  Reflection on the Psalms that  praise not only expresses our enjoyment but also completes our enjoyment.

4. Too grumpy to be grateful
Have you ever felt that someone was literally stealing your joy? Going about minding your own business and being joyful then suddenly ,you get robbed. Robbed off your Joy! One may be overwhelmed by challenges of life that it seems there is nothing to be grateful for. This is a tactic of the enemy to get you too grumpy to be grateful. The enemy only comes to steal kill and destroy .That includes stealing your joy. We are urged to “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

5. Harboring sin instead of confessing it
This is the stealthiest of all. Un-confessed sin lies low in one’s heart  when one has past wounds that have never been cleansed and healed by the blood of Jesus. The sin is harbored as the “victim” feels that they were treated unjustly and thus have a right to complain and hold on to the pain.
In other cases the sin could also be a flaw in one’s character  – stuff you know you are doing that you shouldn’t be doing but keep on doing anyway coz  you think no one knows about it, or that you got a grip on it. Harboring these sins can make one wither while still abiding in the vine and wondering why no spiritual fruit is forthcoming.

6. Misinterpreted warning dream
I truly believe that the LORD does speak to us in dreams and visions. There has been evidence of this in the bible even for non- believers. Take Pharaoh in Joseph’s time. He had a warning dream that occurred thrice, the same message in different scenarios. The Lord  allowed Joseph to be in prison  so that he would be the one to interpret Pharaohs dream at the right time. This way the people of two nations were preserved.
God does still speak to us this way, but most often than not we are too busy to take note or quickly run to horoscopes, false teachings and other worldly ways to try and interpret dreams hence running into the issue of misinterpreting the dream altogether. A misdiagnosed condition would not get the right medical attention and  treatment it deserves.

Weapons of our warfare

This topic has been exhaustively covered by experts in the field, hence this is just a summary of my findings.The word also tells us that “though we live in the world ,we do not wage war as the world does.The weapons we fight with are not of this world.On the contrary,they have divine power to demolish strongholds.We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ Jesus.”2 Corinthians 10:3-5

  1. Prayer & The Armor of God
    As described in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 6: 10- 18 .The children of God need to put on this armor, the Belt  of Truth ,Breastplate of righteousness ,Shoes of Peace, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation ,Sword of the Spirit and to Pray in the Spirit.
  2. The Blood of Jesus
    The bible tells us that We shall overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our Testimony .The Lamb here refers to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world, Jesus Christ .His precious blood paid the price for our ransom.
  3. The Name of Jesus
    Jesus before his crucifixion prayed for his disciples and all believers.” I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me” This name is Jesus Christ. John 17:11
  4. Worship and Praise
    Most may think that praise and worship is done only when everything is hunky-dory. On the contrary, when the going  gets rough get your praise on! Switch to a channel that’s got some serious praise going and  sing along ,or simply sing hymns that you sang as a child in school or those you heard old folk singing(yeah especially those that you didn’t fancy coz it was Old English).Bottom line is sing with your whole heart and dance.

    Psalms 8:2 “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou hast established strength, Because of Thane adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease. (NAS)”

    Let me explain this further by quoting  a renowned Bible teacher ,Pastor and Author Derek Prince in his book Spiritual Warfare.
    “We see here that God has provided strength for His people against their enemies. Two words are used for the enemy. First, “adversaries,” in the plural. I believe this means Satan’s kingdom, in general. These are the principalities and powers, the rulers and authorities that are spoken of in Ephesians 6:12. The second word is “enemy,” in the singular. I believe that refers to Satan himself.”

  5. Weapon of Preaching
    I was astounded to discover this from Derek Prince’s book on Spiritual warfare as I had never heard anyone explain it like he did. He puts it this way ;
    “    It is solely and exclusively the preaching of God’s Word. It in no way applies to the preaching of other things, such as human philosophy, political ideologies, or even elaborate theology.”
    To  expound on this he highlighted various scriptures but that which stood out for me was Acts 19:8 -10
    “Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. (NIV)”

    He then described this kind of preaching from Paul as intense ,continuous and extensive and the end result  was that “God did extraordinary miracles through Paul” Acts 19:11

    6.Weapon of Testimony
    According to Google Testimony refers to a public recounting of a religious conversion or experience ,evidence or proof of something, a demonstration, a witness.
    By sharing our own personal testimonies of what the LORD has done for us is another way of triumphing over the enemy.
    Revelation 12:1 “They triumphed over him
    by the blood of the Lamb
    and by the word of their testimony;
    they did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death.”

    7.Fasting
    The very same verse above ,the second part  “they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death”  This verse is often interpreted as fasting. A dying of self, crucifying one’s flesh, denying oneself in order to grow the spirit man and focus on prayer.Jesus also taught his disciples the same. They had been unable to drive out an impure spirit that had possessed a boy .Jesus told them – “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting” Mark:9:29

    It is my sincere hope that next time you are tempted to battle in the flesh, you will be wiser and apply what you have learnt here and all that the LORD reveals to you in His infinite wisdom.
    Shalom.

 

FREEDOM FROM FEAR

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Covid 19, Freedom, Inspiration, Mental Health, Walk of Faith

renderedIt’s high time I wrote about this subject. Now more than ever especially due to the current times we are living in,facing one of the worst pandemics ever in the 21st century.

The Covid 19 pandemic has wrecked havoc in the lives of many across the globe , not to mention the ripple effects it  has caused on all economies of the world, the markets, our communities and even families. There has been so much uncertainty, anxiety ,anger ,despair and fear gripping the hearts of all humanity.

Fear  according to google is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. I had always believed that fear is synonymous with anxiety until I came across these guys  who put it plainly that there is indeed a difference between the two.

“Fear relates to a known or understood threat, whereas anxiety follows from an unknown, expected or poorly defined threat.

“What about worry ?”You may ask –  This I found is to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.

Experts in psychology have given various antidotes or ways to overcome fear  and anxiety ranging from positive thinking ,making affirmations, forms of meditation and even humour.

What I cannot comprehend is how can a fearful mind create positive thoughts on its own? How can a sorrowful soul affirm itself and laugh off its sorrows let alone meditate on new thoughts that its unable to create.

I have found that these methods can only be successful if one roots himself/herself on something higher ,more powerful than our weak souls, on a supreme power that exists beyond time, that is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient all at the same time -the eternal love of Christ.

Fear is a very common emotion in us human beings, but it doesn’t mean that we should tolerate it in our lives. Neither should one accept it as the norm to the extent that  it is given a seat in your mind’s living room, propped up ok nice and cosy so that it doesn’t intrude in any other area of your life! Once it gets a foothold through your door it will invade the entire house!

Fear shouldn’t be ignored either, or simply wished away. It’s not just pure emotion but has an evil spirit that exploits the fear emotion. What we need to do is to identify it and deal with it head on!

The following passages gave me much insight-

“For GOD did not give us a spirit of fear but a spirit of power ,of love and sound mind” 2Tim .1:7
A very self explanatory verse.

“So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir” Galatians 4:7

Our old self was crucified with him so that the body that ruled by sin might be done away with ,that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who  has died has been set free from sin.

We also know that fear is sin in the eyes of the LORD, hence we should no longer be slaves to any form of sin ,that includes fear as well.

Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” John 8:34

For people are  slaves to whatever has mastered them “ 2Peter:2: 19

“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves as  slaves to someone as obedient slaves,you are slaves of the one you obey-whether  you are slaves to sin,which leads to death, or to obedience which leads to righteousness.” Romans 6:16

“ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:17

The summary of all these verses is to look at what the scriptures says about fear, slaves, children and heirs.
Many often think that its pointless quoting several verses of scripture. Let me point it out to you that scripture is a compilation of various letters. To understand what your beloved is writing to you ,you need to read the entire letter! So here goes the summary;

  1. God did not not give us a spirit of fear
  2. God gave us a spirit of power, love and sound mind
  3. We are no longer slaves
  4. We are God’s children
  5. Since you are His children he has made you an heir
  6. You are heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ – means we share in his sufferings and in his glory
  7. Everyone who sins = slave to sin
  8. Fear is one of the many sins
  9. If one is fearful = one is a slave to sin
  10. Believe in Christ & surrender to him and you will no longer be a slave

More verses that talk about how to overcome fear

Psalm 34:4–5

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.”

Psalm 23:4

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Psalm 27:1

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

1 John 4:18

‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…’

Hebrews 13:5-6
God has said,

“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.”[a]

6 So we say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?”[b]

The Lord is in control of nature, If he could calm this storm ,what about the storms in your own life?

Jesus Calms the Storm Luke 8:22-25 New International Version (NIV)

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

The fact that Jesus asked them ,”where is your faith is very telling.I believed that he was showing them that with faith they too can face the storm and make it still

Psalm 46:1–3

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”

These scriptures are just the tip of the iceberg on how to deal with fear, I would encourage you  to read more of the bible and the LORD will give you more revelation and understanding. For starters you could chew on these.

The most important thing to remember is that we are to meditate on the scripture, what the word of the LORD says. No need to strike a pose while you meditate, you could do it when seated alone, while you are stretching, while standing in queue at the grocery shop or while waiting to get your covid test, as you take a walk or walking the dog, as you flip through the TV channels, as you work out, in a bus ,as you drive ,as you are doing the dishes, doing your house chores, as you are logging on to your virtual meeting, as you tuck the kids in at night and even as you lay on your bed. Meditate on the word, study it, ponder upon it ,let it sink in and marinate in your spirit and soul and the word will transform you into who you are meant to be and will sanctify you for his word is truth.

Last but not least, is worship. Worshiping God could be done in various forms song, dance, art, poems, spoken word .This beautiful song I rediscovered ,so simple many may over look it as an old boring hymn, but it is powerful. Worship is a weapon one could use when feeling overwhelmed with fear and anxiety. True worship goes up to the LORD as a sacrifice, surrendering your all to the LORD and praising him for his goodness and his power. I say true worship as there as some songs that are wrongly labeled as worship yet they are just feel good songs we sing and they do not glorify God in anyway. If anything they only temporarily lift the singers mood and as soon as you are done you come tumbling down.
Worship changes the spiritual atmosphere around you and the LORD will respond.

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

Summary

  1. Only God can deliver us from all fear
  2. He is always with us, even when we do not see him or hear him
  3. He sees and knows what we are going through, he wants us to trust him always.
  4. He is our refuge and ever present help in time of need
  5. All nature is under his control
  6. Study and meditate on the word of God
  7. Worship – truly worship God

 

Awaiting the LORD’s Command

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Uncategorized


WhatsApp Image 2020-05-25 at 19.31.26Awaiting the Lord’s Command

Despite the challenging season you may find yourself in, hope is on its way. Things may seem gloomy; dry winds in the air, dry fields in the horizon, scorching sun, not a single cloud in the skies, dead crops, dying livestock, no harvest, nothing on the threshing floor, no singing or rejoicing anywhere, no flicker of hope to be found everywhere you look.

Yet despite it all, hope is on the way. The angels of the LORD are on standby awaiting his command to respond to your prayers, if only you continued to pray and do not give up. It’s as if the prayers are to reach a certain intensity and volume to make the LORD issue his command.

Pray with a Contrite Heart
I have come to discover that it is not the lengthy prayers that touch the LORD’s heart, nor the ones with the most impeccable English, nor the most vocabulary, nor those said with the best oratory skills but the ones said from a contrite heart, a broken heart- these are the heart felt prayers that have much intensity to touch the LORD’s heart.

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart O God you will not despise” Psalms 51:17
This drawing is very special to me because it also seems to align to a passage in the Psalms, on how the LORD cares for the earth and is able to water it and enrich it abundantly.

“The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.

9 You care for the land and water it;
you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain,
for so you have ordained it.
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
11 You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
the hills are clothed with gladness.
13 The meadows are covered with flocks
and the valleys are mantled with grain;
they shout for joy and sing.” Psalms 65: 8- 13

If the LORD is able to care this way for the land, how much more you and me? How much more is he able to provide for you and answer your prayers?

Pray in accordance to God’s will
We also learn from the book of 1 John that we should pray in accordance to God’s will. One cannot ask the Lord for anything that is contrary to his word and expect to get a positive response, one must know what the word says in the first place .Further I believe that the LORD is able to give one discernment on specific issues in one’s life and guide you on how to pray

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” I John 5:14 -15

Pray in the name of Jesus
Jesus himself also taught his disciples that they need to believe in him, pray to him and invoke his name.

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.” John 14:13-14

Jesus said this as he explained the sure way to the Father ;that he was the only way, the truth and the life and that no one came to the Father unless through him. Therefore if we prayed to the Father in his name, he would do whatever we asked.

Pray with Faith
“ Now Faith  is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see…And without Faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him “Hebrews 11:1,6
When we pray  we must have faith, believe that the LORD is alive ,that he sees you and that he hears you and understands you well ,in fact better than anybody – better than your BFF ,your spouse, your ride-or-die chick, your partner in crime sibling, your homie, your ex, your amigas and amigos ,your mentor, your children, your hero, or even your parent.

Faith I also learnt goes with deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do” James 2:18
“A Person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone” and” As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2:24&26

Let’s  then pray with a contrite heart ,in accordance to God’s will ,pray and take action by faith and pray in the name of Jesus. I’m certain the angels are on standby, awaiting the LORD’s command to release the answers to those prayers.

 

#faith #hope #Jesus #prayer #command

Flowers and Seasons

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Grace, Inspiration, Walk of Faith

20200415_122543-COLLAGENow that we are home on lock down due to Covid 19, I’ve been watching these flowers in my Mum’s garden- day in day out. These flowers bud, bloom, grow and eventually wither and die .Bud, bloom, grow, die. The process repeats itself over and over .It’s like clockwork. Interestingly ,the flower instinctively knows what it should be doing and at what time .It’s as if it understands its God given DNA and the elements required for it to flourish and how to behave when these elements are met or not.

This rose knows it’s destined to be a beautiful orange flower, and that is exactly what it’s aiming toward. It seems to have some innate wisdom that once it reaches full bloom, it’s petals wither, fall and it dies .It knows this fully well and doesn’t seem to be perturbed that another young’ un will take its glory shortly after its gone.
I noted that when we prune the roses, the process seems to jumpstart all over again and the budding happens sooner – they become more fruitful.

This made me reflect on human life, we too go through various seasons; sadly not all of us know what we should be aiming toward. We seem to be thrown off balance and are left reeling after going through difficult seasons. We forget that seasons come and go and that they are meant to leave us changed, transformed, closer to who we are becoming. Closer to who we were created to be – closer, to our destiny.

In this life process, we too are pruned by God. It may seem unpleasant and painful and some of us think it is some form of punishment, but really he is cleaning us up so that we become even more fruitful. Jesus says in John 15: 1-7;-
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, so that it will be more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

One has to yield to be guided by the Lord, to trust in him and remain in him and believe in his word. Trust him as you go through the seasons, even as he prunes you to become more fruitful .He is slowly transforming you to be who you are meant to be. Without him, we are lost and left reeling by the effects of the seasons and will hardly bear any fruit and eventually we would dry up and be burned in the fire. He promises us, that if we trust in him and believe in his word, we will give us whatever we ask.
Trust him through your ups and downs do not be afraid of the challenges that come along, like the rose flower  ,anticipate the changing of seasons and rely on God to transform you to who he created you to become.

The Woman Named Mary

by ComeFullCircleblog, posted in Grace, Inspiration, Walk of Faith

Mary
I recently took it upon myself to study Mary, who played a significant role in Jesus’s life. Much has already been written about her, centuries of study to be precise. So I figured to do my own little biblical research with the aim of uncovering the truth. Revisiting all that I had been taught about her and what the research tells me and share what we could all learn from her.

This is a journey through the entire bible, from the Old Testament through to the new where Mary played an important role in the Messiah’s life who is the center of the word of God. To get a full picture, I thought it best to look at all references to her in the bible. This spans from before Mary’s existence; prophecies in the Old testament through to their fulfillment in the New. In addition to this, I also delved into the word to find her identity, a 360 degree view; who she said she was, what those close to her said of her and who God said she was.

Prophecy of the virgin with child
Let’s go back to the beginning, way back to when the prophets of old prophesied of the virgin. This prophecy is mentioned in the Old Testament in the book of Isaiah. That in the future their salvation would come when a certain virgin would miraculously conceive and this child would be their savior

Virgin to conceive and give birth to a son
“Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign; the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
Isaiah analyzed the failures of the nations around him and pointed to a future Messiah who would bring peace to the nations and the earth. He goes on to say that the people living in darkness have seen a great light, to those living in the deep darkness a light has dawned. This light refers to the same Immanuel (God with us), the Messiah

“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this. Isaiah 9: 6 -7

In the New Testament we see a virgin introduced to us; this virgin’s name was Mary pledged to be married to Joseph, a descendant of David. An angel appeared to her with a very special message, a prophecy of her child who would have the throne of his father David and whose kingdom would never end.

 “In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.  Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.” Luke 1: 26 -38

The prophecies all come to pass, Jesus is eventually born; born of a virgin, she conceived him through the Holy Spirit, and he was in the lineage of King David through Joseph. His genealogy is clearly detailed in Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-37

Virgin until the birth of Jesus
One thing I would like to point out is that Mary was a virgin all through her pregnancy until the birth of Christ. After his birth she and her husband Joseph had other children. Here is the evidence as recorded in the New Testament. The first when the angel of the LORD appeared to Joseph.

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son .And gave him the name Jesus.” Matthew 1:25

Once Jesus began his ministry some people did not believe in him, those in his home town. They questioned his authority and power by saying.

“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas (Jude)? Aren’t all his sisters with us?” Matthew 13:55 – 56

Mary’s identity: Her own perspective

Lord’s servant
When the angel Gabriel visited Mary to inform her of the birth of Christ she received the news with humility. She accepted what the Lord had planned by saying;
“I’m the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled” Luke 1:38

She humbly refers herself as the Lord’s servant some translations put this as maid servant, she understood that her life was in the hands of the Lord and fully accepted is will.

Later on she goes to visit Elizabeth, her cousin who was also with child in her old age.

Blessed

Elizabeth welcomes her warmly indicating that she was aware of her pregnancy with the Messiah. Mary bursts into song; Luke 1:46 – 55.
She also confesses that from then on people would call her blessed for the Mighty One had done great things for her and continued to praise his holy name.

Mary’s Song
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.” Luke 1:46-55

Mother
She and her husband were concerned parents of Jesus. When Jesus was a boy he and his family went to Jerusalem for the Festival of Passover as was their custom. However on one trip when he was 12 he was left behind. His parents searched for him all over and found him after three days in the temple courts. (I think these 3 days are pretty significant and point to him being the Passover lamb and would be resurrected after 3 days.)

Upon finding him Mary asked “Son why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you”

Mary’s Identity: Perspective of those around her

Blessed
In her visit to Elizabeth during her pregnancy Elizabeth welcomes her with the well-known greeting as she was filled with the Holy Spirit.

“Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child that you will bear. But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!”
Luke 1:42- 45

I took the liberty of pasting the entire context here as you will note I have done for most of the scripture references as there have been several misquotations that have been widely circulated over the several centuries.

Elizabeth refers to her as blessed among women and mother of my Lord. Elizabeth knew through the Holy Spirit that Mary had the Messiah in her womb hence referred to him as my Lord.

One time when Jesus was teaching the people, a woman from the crowd called out “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you” Luke 11:27 to which Jesus promptly responded;

“Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it” Luke 11:28

Mother
She was also the mother of other sons and daughters whom she had with her husband Joseph, as earlier mentioned in Matthew 13: 55

“Isn’t this carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas (Jude)? Aren’t all his sisters with us? “Matthew 13:55 – 56

At the wedding in Cana where she informed Jesus of the lack of wine he responded “Woman why do you involve me? My hour has not yet come.” John 2:4

At the time of his crucifixion, he saw his mother there along with the disciple John and he said to her endearingly.

“Woman, here is your son and to the disciple “Here is your mother” From that time on this disciple took her into his home” John 19:27

Jesus must have cared for his mother, he knew very well in the custom at the time that widows were often shunned and he being the first born and male, it was his responsibility to care for her.

At the beginning of his ministry, his family heard that he had appointed disciples and was performing miracles .He entered a certain house and crowds gathered, his family went to take charge of him .Upon arriving Jesus was informed that his mother and brothers were outside looking for him to which he responded;
“Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother” Mark 3:34 In so doing ,he made it clear that anyone who  did the will of God would be blessed as part of his family.

Mary’s identity: The Lord’s perspective

Highly Favored and blessed
Angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary he addressed her as highly favored one and blessed for the Lord was with her. She had found favor with God for he chose her to give birth to the Messiah.

“The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:28

Woman
As Jesus  hang on the cross dying ,he noticed Mary at the foot of the cross weeping next to his disciple John. He spoke to her addressing her as Woman and giving John to her as his son and she his  mother. The NIV translation points out that the  Greek word for Woman  used in the original scripture does not denote any disrespect. The bible reference for his is John:19:25-27

Believer and Follower of Christ

After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ ,she was with the other disciples who regularly met in the upper room  to pray and was even present in the selection of the twelfth apostle who would replace Judas Iscariot.

Mary and her younger sons  were also among the disciples and other believers on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them as tongues of fire. This is recovered in the book of  Acts 1: 12 – 2:4

Lessons we can learn from Mary’s experience

Humility and Faith
I believe that Mary is to be respected as she had an important role to play in Christianity. She accepted to  be conceive a child yet she was betrothed .Back in the day a woman caught in the scandal of adultery was stoned to death. Joseph knowing this fully well opted to divorce her quietly to save her from the wrath of the law. However his fears were calmed after the angel of the Lord appeared to  him in a dream confirming that she really did conceive through the Holy Spirit.
We can all learn from her on how  to embrace humility and still have steadfast faith in God. She did not object or reject the Lord’s will in her life, she accepted it willingly knowing full well the implications of what it would mean in her day. She not only risked her reputation but risked death by stoning for she was found with child, yet was unmarried. She worshiped God and praised him for his deeds his mercy  and faithfulness.

Respecting her as one would the other women  and men of faith in the bible  is what we should do .The Veneration of Mary  however is not biblical and hence should be discouraged.

Worship
Mary praised God and glorified his name for the great things he had done in her song that is captured in Luke 1:46-55.

“My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”

When Mary gave birth to Christ in Bethlehem ,Magi from the east came in search of the new born child,  King of the Jews. When they found him with is parents ,they bowed down and worship him and presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They worshipped the Messiah  for the knew who he really was.

At his dedication in the temple at 8 days old an old man named Simeon ,righteous and devout had the Holy Spirit upon him ,when he saw baby Jesus he praised God saying that  he has seen the Lord’s promise ,his salvation and a light for revelation .A prophetess who had lived in the temple for several  years worshiping night and day, fasting and praying said that he was the redemption of Jerusalem.

In all these cases, worship was directed to the Lord Almighty and the Lord Jesus Christ alone. The  famous greeting from Elizabeth called her blessed for she had believed that the Lord would fulfill what he had promised her, therefore she too glorified the Lord. It is therefore imperative for us ,followers of Christ to direct our worship and adoration to the Lord Almighty and the Messiah alone.
Prayer

Mary’s song ,found in Luke 1 is the main reference we have of Mary’s prayer life.
It seems she was praising him for prayers she made to him that were now answered. The Lord was mindful of the humble state of his servant. He had showed her great mercy and she was grateful for it, knowing that this mercy would go on for many more generations.
The Lord heard her prayers and those of the faithful in Israel by remembering the covenants he had made to Abraham and their ancestors and showed them mercy and sent the promised Messiah. Once again her prayers and praises were directed to the Lord Almighty.

Fast forward to the New Testament, when her Son the Messiah finally begins  his ministry ,he teaches his disciples how to pray. He gave them and us the Lord ’s Prayer.

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. “Matthew 6: 9 -13

Jesus also taught his disciples further about prayer, in the Gospel of John .He explained to them that they should pray in his name so that the Father may be glorified.

“And I(Jesus) will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
John 14:13-14

We learn from Mary that all prayer is directed to the Lord Almighty. Jesus  further teaches us that we should pray in his name so that the Lord Our Father is glorified. In the New Testament we learn that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between man and God.
We should not therefore invoke any other person’s name while praying ,be it an ancestor, be it  Saint, be it Mary ,and be it a prominent personality dead or alive.
“Salvation is found in no one else (other than Jesus Christ) for there is no  other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people” 1Timothy 2:5

I hope this has been insightful  and my prayer is that this would invoke deep introspection in every reader and seek the Lord’s guidance on the way forward.