OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what do I learn about the Holy Spirit?
1. The Holy Spirit is responsible for 'what is conceived in her [Mary]'

INTERPRETATIONS:
I asked myself why is it so significant that the Angel of the Lord lets Joseph know 'what is conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit'?
In Joseph's mind, Mary's pregnancy was very troubling because he knew that he was not with her for her to become pregnant. So, different thoughts were going through his mind in the pain and shock he was in. It is in this situation that the angel of the Lord intervenes to assure Joseph that Mary did not do any wrong. On the contrary, she has been faithful to Joseph in her relationship and is still the virgin Mary that he fell in love with.

Now, the pregnancy is a result of the miracle of God's intervention in Mary's life without her having to do anything but believe in what the Lord was going to do in her life through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the initiation of the Holy Spirit to work in Mary's life for the miracle of conception without the involvement of Joseph or any other human being for  the conception. The angel of the Lord wants Joseph to be aware of that without being afraid to take Mary home as his wife. Also, the angel of the Lord is letting Joseph know that what is happening in Mary cannot be explained scientifically or logically for it is a miracle and will be a miracle.

IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what are the implications for my own life here and now?
I need to remember when the Lord decides to act in my life or my loved one's life, everything cannot be explained scientifically or logically for there are areas of our lives that can only be explained using the word miracle because it defies human reason. But more than that, it is because the Holy Spirit decides to intervene and make a miracle happen just as the Holy Spirit was responsible for Mary's miraculous conception without any involvement by man. Therefore, whatever is happening in my life or those around me, I should never forget the power of the Holy Spirit and what the Holy Spirit can do if He decides to intervene. Praise the Lord! He has intervened in my life many times and He can still intervene in our lives here and now this Christmas season.

I ask you now dear friend, why expect a M.I.R.A.C.L.E in your life this season?
Dear friend, I do not know what you are going through right now. You maybe in a painful situation, a  confusing situation, a perplexing situation, etc. It maybe related to relationships, finances, academics, career, health, behavior, job, etc. From a human viewpoint, there may not seem to be hope for any change BUT I want you to know that there is hope for the season and the hope is in the power of the Holy Spirit. Whatever you are going through, be assured that the Holy Spirit can intervene if He chooses to, for nothing is impossible with God. If God could make Mary pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit, God can make anything happen if He chooses to. Rest assured in the power of the Holy Spirit.

I say chooses to because the Lord has his own purposes and timing that we cannot understand. What I do know is that He loves you and me very much and wants to always be our Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and Wonderful Counselor.

He wants you to believe that miracles do happen even in this time and is not limited to 2000 years ago. This Christmas season, the greatest miracle of all in your life will be when you accept the Lord Jesus Christ in your life. It will be a miracle because when you do that, your life will change dramatically and others will notice the difference. When they cannot explain why you have changed so much for the good, the arrow can point to the Lord Jesus Christ and how the Holy Spirit is transforming your life by His grace. When they cannot explain why you have been healed, the arrow can point to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in your life by His lavishing grace. These are just two examples. The miracle starts with the Holy Spirit which I have experienced in my life and our family expects to witness it again this Christmas season if the Lord chooses to give it!

Many years ago, I had severe asthma and was even admitted to the ER. There were times I even felt like I would die.  I lived through that for many years. Slowly, I was learning about Jesus and what He has done in people's lives through the Bible stories my mommy would read to me. One day, I was watching the 700 Club and Pat Robertson was talking about 'accepting Jesus Christ into your life.' I did not know what that meant so I went and asked my mommy.

I thought to myself if Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow as the Bible says He is, then what He did in those days, He can even do right now. That means, Jesus can even heal my severe asthma. So, coming from a Hindu family background, I believed in Jesus accepting Him into my heart to be my Lord and personal Savior.

When I believed in Jesus, the Holy Spirit not only healed me of my severe asthma but my life was also transformed. I was almost failing the first 3 quarters of a semester but after accepting Jesus into my life, I made honor roll the final quarter. Other than being healed of my asthma completely and being able to do things I could never do before, I was also so ecstatic that my beloved dad who was a Hindu at the time would ask my mommy, "Ramesh is so different, what brought the change in him?" My dad would even ask me and I got to share about Jesus with my dad.

My dad did not become a Christian right away but I praise the Lord that He gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ right before He went to be with the Lord. This too was a miracle including everything that happened before that.

You see in October 2007, my dad went into cardiac arrest after battling renal kidney disease for more than 6 years. On the day he went into cardiac arrest, my prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ was, "Lord Jesus, please don't let Satan take my daddy, for he does not know you yet." The Lord Jesus heard our prayers and my dad was able to be resuscitated and spent the next 70 days in the ICU, etc. During that time, everyday we prayed for a miracle. The Bible verse that came to my mind was Jesus' response to Martha when Lazarus had died: "The purpose of his illness will not result in death but for the glory of the Lord."   In those 70 days, almost every minute my mommy was by my dad's side. She would read to him the Psalms and New Testament everyday from Matthew to Revelation. On Dec 17th right before he died, my beloved dad gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. In those 70 days we saw miracle after miracle happen. But the greatest miracle of all is that my beloved dad was called to be Jesus' very own and resides in Heaven. So, even though my daddy died physically, spiritually his illness did not result in death but life with the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Jesus!

My mommy had led both of us to Christ at different times. I was led to Christ on Valentine's Day and my dad was led to Christ during the Christmas season. The prayer my mommy prayed with me went something like this which I prayed almost everyday, believing in my heart:

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. I am so sorry for all my sins. Please forgive me of all my sins. I repent of all my sins. Please cleanse me with your precious cleansing blood and I will be clean again. Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Thank you for dying for my sins and coming back to life on the third day to save me. Please Jesus come into my heart and make my heart your home. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus so now I can live for you. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior accepting you into my heart. Please be my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior Jesus. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

After 7 years of heartache, my precious wife Chandraleela's marriage to me is a miracle in itself including how the Lord Jesus made everything fall in place in the right time for my precious wife to be with me in the states after a painful 1.5 year wait due to visa situation.

But more than that, both of our daughter's birth's were a miracle too. Because of complications during the pregnancy, a C-section had to be done. When baby Esther was delivered she had the umbilical cord wrapped twice around her neck. We praise the Lord Jesus for a healthy baby Esther that Jesus gave us. She is 7Y2M13D old today.

When baby Evangeline was born, she had swallowed so much meconium, did not breathe right away, and apgar score was 0 so she had to be in the NICU. Pastor Hugo, Heather, Pastor Mike, Jeanne, Calvin, Elise, Edwin, Marie, and so many others visited her and prayed for her. A miracle happened in her life too. She is now a healthy 4Y6M14D old child.

We know if the Lord Jesus wanted to, He could have kept our dad alive physically and completely heal him but we cannot understand His ways always. What I do know is through the power of the Holy Spirit, our family has experienced miracles. Thank you so much Jesus.

You too can experience miracles and the greatest of them all can be a transformed life from how you were to how you are now when you allow Jesus to touch your heart.

To be continued....

May you come to experience a miracle this Christmas season knowing Jesus is the reason for the season.

"Miracle Is Redeemer's Awesome Capability Loving Each! (M.I.R.A.C.L.E)"/"Why expect a M.I.R.A.C.L.E in your life this season?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much for the miracles you have done while you physically walked the earth. Thank you for the miracles we experience even 2000 years later because of the power of the Holy Spirit that resides in us as we turn to you. In essence, it is you that is residing in us. Thank you for transformed lives by your grace. Oh Lord, when I gave my life to you, you transformed my life and others noticed the difference. Forgive me Oh Lord because through the years, I have gone my own way many times and caused so many people pain. I am sorry Lord. Help my life to reflect your presence in me. Thank you Oh Lord. Help me please to be guided by your Spirit. Thanks so much for your help. I pray for your miracles in the lives of those who are suffering and in pain. Come Lord Jesus and intervene in their lives. Come Lord Jesus and reveal yourself to them, strenghtening them by the power of the Holy Spirit. Choose them to be your very own Oh Lord. Thank you for dying for my sin and coming back to life to save me. I yield my life to you Oh Lord and ask for your help. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior as I yield to you. Thank you for healing me. Thank you Lord that you have heard my prayer and answered me. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray the prayer below, meaning it in your heart.

Prayer:
God I am a sinner. I am invaded by this deadliest virus. Many times I feel so guilty and yucky inside. I need forgiveness. I am so sorry for my sins. I have not obeyed you with my whole heart! I have gone my own way and done my own things. I  struggle with sin. I need you Jesus in my life so I can receive forgiveness and a new beginning. In the process, I can forgive others as you help me to. Thank you so much Jesus. I accept the antidote you have sent me. I believe Jesus you died for me and your cleansing blood will cleanse me from all my sins. You came back to life to save me. Thank you God I am set free, free from the bondage of sin. Hear my cry Oh Lord. I accept you Jesus into my heart. I make you my Lord and Personal Savior of my life. Thank you Father God for giving me Salvation. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you for being my Lord and personal Savior! I can live a life of peace with you on my side. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me! In your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN!

No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help!

No matter who you are, it is not ever too late to join a Bible-believing church or a college fellowship. I highly encourage each of you to come to Small Group on Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Oakland International Fellowship on Sunday mornings at 9:00 a.m. for prayer, 10:00 a.m. for Community Bible Time in Gospel of John, worship at 11:30 a.m, and fellowship lunch at 12:30 pm.

May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His love now and forever! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!