Every time I get to this phase of Christmas I am so surprised at how my optimistic planning is looking a bit lackluster. I am breaking all kinds of promises to myself about what I would and wouldn’t do this year. I have a smile on my face and my heart, though. I can’t lie and say I am stressed. Walking with The Lord in prayer will take you to a new place of peace and remind you of what is important to be concerned about and what is not.
My promises to myself are not always the easiest to keep, but God’s promises are the stuff life is made of. You can guarantee if God said it, it’s going to happen and it’s true.
What are some of the promises God kept concerning the birth of Christ?
1. The Messiah would crush Satan’s head. Genesis 3 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.
2. The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
3. The Messiah would be born of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
4. The governments of the world would be upon his shoulders. Isaiah 9 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.”
5. He would bring peace and deliver his people from bondage.
Isaiah 61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners
There are so many hundreds more! One of my favorite promises or prophecies is Genesis 3’s prophecy to Satan. After tempting Adam and Eve into sinning by eating the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, Satan receives his curse first.
“Virgin Mary Consoles Eve”
By Sr. Grace Remington, OCSO
Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey in Dubuque, Iowa..
A picture is worth a thousand words.
God does not lie and he will not go back on this promise:
“So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”” Genesis 3:14-15 NIV
At the fall of man, we see family receiving the due penalty of sin. Men and women were trapped by the curse into pain and suffering and this is where all the family tensions begin. God promised, from the very fall of mankind, to provide a remedy for the curse. This would be a battle. Satan would strike the heel of Eve’s offspring and her offspring would crush the enemy’s head.
We know from this declaration that life will be difficult because of sin. But now, in retrospect, we also rejoice in the fulfilled promise that Jesus has already crushed Satan’s head on the cross and with the resurrection.
This Christmas, the promise of Satan’s defeat needs to be something we rejoice in! Jesus, our savior, has crushed the head of our enemy and we can walk in victory over him in Christ. Our families can find peace and our loved ones hope.
Here is a favorite Christmas Hymn
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
God rest ye merry gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay
For Jesus Christ, our Savior
Was born this Christmas day,
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray.
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and Joy! Oh, Tidings of Comfort and joy!
I rejoice when I see the promises of God fulfilled in his people.
God has so much he wants to give you today! This prayer includes prayers for the (sometimes dreaded) Christmas family time, spiritual warfare and protection and for peace of heart and mind.
Let’s pray…
Father, in Jesus name, thank you for keeping your promises. You are faithful and your name is great. You not only keep your promises, you make the best promises.
God, we love you! Thank you that our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Father, you sent your son to deliver us from sin and from Satan’s plans. Thank you, Lord God that we do not need to fear evil, because you are greater than all evil. Your life swallows up death in victory!
Thank you, God, for your daily provisions. Help me to be satisfied with you this Christmas and not to be jealous or negative. Remove all expectations, except the expectation of Christ from my heart. May I not put unrealistic expectations on myself or others or make promises out of guilt I can’t keep. Also, help me not to hurt people in my fear or overwhelmed state. Help me to walk in the peace that Christ brings this Christmas season.
Remove family discord, selfishness and bitterness. Dismantle the Devils plan to confuse situations, to bring about confusion, grudges and to stir up discontentment in hearts, in Jesus name. Bring true peace, acceptance and forgiveness through Christ.
God, I forgive those who have hurt me and family members who have injured me in the past, in Jesus name. Help me to see if fear or suspicion created a false reality in me against someone. Reveal to me anything I need to repent of concerning judging someone else’s motives during family or holiday time.
I stand against fear of failure, rejection and all anxiety and anxious thoughts, in Jesus’s name. I give you my emotions and my mind, Lord God. Please fill my mind with your Spirit’s anointing that I may think like Jesus and walk in peace and humility.
It says in your word that you have given us authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy, nothing will harm us. We rejoice not in this, but in our salvation. We know this battle is necessary and part of our walk, so we rejoice in Christ’s victory!
Jesus, I use the authority you have given me in Christ and pray against all of Satans tactics over my family this holiday season. I pray for protection through the blood of Jesus Christ in their travels and in their health.
I pray for those that I love who are straying from you. I pray right now against Satan’s schemes and plans for them. I pray that his lies would be undone and that his tactics would be turned back against him. I declare over this person the victory of Jesus Christ. I pray for their repentance and for their eyes to be open to you, Lord God. I ask for their salvation. I ask that your Spirit will bring about conviction and the peace of God to turn to Christ.
I pray that you would destroy the Devils plans for my community, church, neighbors and friends, in Jesus name. I ask for the Angels of God to be unleashed to work in my neighborhood, town, community and nation to work for building God’s kingdom. Your kingdom come, your will be done in my life, in my family, in my workplace, in my community, in my nation and on earth as it is in heaven. (You can insert anything or anyone’s name that you are lead to pray for.)
This Christmas, may your will be done in my life. I surrender to your will and your plan. I know you are good. Your will for me is good. You have good plans for me for eternal life. You want to prosper my soul. I pray for Jesus, God with us, to be manifest in every part of my life.
Jesus, prince of peace, I invite you to my home today and this whole season, in your name, Amen!
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