By Tom Shanklin

Have you ever been at that place in your life where you had a promise from God in your heart? Something that God has spoken to you by His Word or by His Spirit? A promise for victory in your family, in your business, in your ministry? Salvation for a loved one. Healing for your body or mind or the manifestation of some unfulfilled dream in your life?

You have a promise. You believe that God is in it. . . that He will bring it to pass in your life, but something inside of you is also crying out, “That is impossible. How will that ever happen?”

That’s exactly where Mary was when the angel spoke to her one day saying, “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.” (Luke 1:31, KJV).

Like you, Mary had a promise from God, something miraculous, something glorious, something revolutionary and of eternal consequence. But when she thought on it, just one question came to her mind. “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34, KJV).

Angel, she said, that sounds wonderful, almost too good to be true, that I should bring forth the Son of God, but my one question is: “How shall this be?”

This was not a question born of doubt and unbelief. Her query did not bring a stinging rebuke from the angel Gabriel. It was not wrong to ask such a thing. It was an honest, heartfelt question from within: “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” Nothing has happened in the natural to enable to me to experience such a thing.

And the angel answered and said unto 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, KJV).

It occurs to me that the answer for Mary is the answer for us today.

We too are asking, “How shall this be?”

• How shall my business succeed?
• How shall I overcome this financial problem?
• How shall I get victory over sin?
• How shall things change in my family?
• How shall I reach the world for Jesus Christ?

God’s answer to us as well as to Mary is, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee. . .”

Did you ever think about it? The Holy Ghost is God’s agent of change in the earth. From the beginning, the Holy Ghost has been activated by God’s spoken Word to bring transformation in the earth. Genesis tells us, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:2-3, KJV).

God’s spoken Word came forth and activated the Holy Ghost, and He began to bring shape and form to things on this earth. In the very same way, the Holy Ghost will begin to bring shape and form to your dreams and vision as His Holy Word comes forth in your life.

How shall that rebellious child come back to God? How shall that fatal or debilitating disease be removed from your body? How shall you accomplish that impossible task?  The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. . .

God’s power is released in you as you allow the Word of God and the Holy Ghost to have place in your life. The key is yieldedness, allowing God to do what He wants to do. This is what God is looking for today. He’s not looking for vessels of silver and gold, but yielded vessels to do His will in the earth.

It will be by faith. It will be by the Holy Ghost. It will happen in somebody who is willing to believe God when things look impossible, when the world says “No way.” When everything seems to be against it. . . 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.

Just as the Son of God was conceived in the virgin’s womb, so shall He be conceived in your heart when you believe God. Allow Him to come in and transform you into another man, another woman. Become supernatural by allowing God’s power to take over in your life. When you do, nothing shall be impossible. That which is impossible with man, is possible with God. As the angel told Mary, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37, KJV).

Jesus came to earth and was born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life. He went to the cross of Calvary to die for your sins. He arose victorious over sin. He ascended into heaven and poured out the Holy Ghost. Now the spirit of Christ can live in every believer. Now, the supernatural power of God is available to all of us. Jesus can be born in us, by the Holy Ghost. All His life and attributes can be manifested in us, as we give Him first place in our lives.

Now, I want you to take this to heart today! Nothing is impossible WITH GOD! Another version says it this way: “No word of God shall be void of power.”

Mary made a statement, you might say a decree, after the angel had spoken to her.  She had lacked understanding about HOW such a thing could happen in her life, HOW something so miraculous could ever happen to her. But the angel had explained, “The Holy Ghost shall come. . . the power of the Highest shall overshadow. . . that which is born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

Mary saw it in her Spirit. Her faith arose to receive. “And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38, KJV).

I want you to know something today. That dream, that vision, the thing that is in you for change in your life, in your circumstances, it’s of God. The Lord put that inside of you as a hope, as a picture for change in your life. He will bring into pass as you allow him the right of conception in your spiritual womb, as you allow God to flow into your life with His everlasting power and glory, as you agree with His Word and say, like Mary of old, “Be it unto me according to thy Word.”

Like the Apostle Paul tells us, God “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” (Ephesians 3:20, KJV). We all know “God is able. . .” but what we must understand is that it is “according to the power that worketh in US.”

Allow His power to work in you today. Invite the power of the Highest to overshadow you, and expect to see the miraculous results in your life. Once that conception of faith takes place, do not let go of what God has done in your life. Believe to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Rise up and take what God has given you, saying, “Be it unto me according to thy Word!”

God bless you!

Pray this prayer today, inviting Christ into your heart:

“Dear God, thank you for Jesus Christ. I believe He died to give me eternal life. I believe He rose from the grave to give me the victory. Come into my life and rule and reign. Give me power to live for you. Bring change in my life. Bring salvation. Bring purity. Bring holiness. Bring the miraculous power of God. I confess with my mouth Jesus Christ is Lord. I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead. Thank you for salvation in every area of my life, in Jesus name. Amen.”