Jesus, The Son of the Most High God, should have been born in a palace, wouldn't you think? So then, why wasn't He? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Could it be that it was because Gad was demonstrating His willingness to be identified with the outcast, the imperfect and the impoverished? God was willing to sit down in the middle of the messiness of humanity. Jesus was born in a stable. It was there that Majesty entered the mess of mankind, for the purpose of becoming THE solution. The shepherds needed instructions as to where to find Him. They never would have imagined that He would be found in a stable. God came to the unclean, where it was unclean. Your messy circumstances or dysfunctional life will never disqualify you from having a relationship with The Sovereign Lord. Open your arms and let Him have access to you. Jesus is as close as the mention of His name. He can handle your mess. He came to help you clean it up.

In the Gospel of Matthew, the second chapter, they were asking where they could find the One who was 'born, King of the Jews’. When Herod heard this, He and all Jerusalem were troubled. Jesus was not a politician. He was not MADE King. He was BORN to be King. He was not born to be a political revolutionary, or a social reformer. He was not born a religious scholar. He was born to be KING. He was born to be Savior, Healer and Deliverer. He was born to be THE LORD over every problem! They were nervous, because they had a stake in the system. They didn't vote Him in and they couldn't vote Him out. He was, is and always will be, THE SOVEREIGN LORD.

The wise men followed the star, which was the sign of the promise they expected. God will always enter your world and lead you to the fulfillment of His purpose for your life. When you can't see the whole picture, look up and follow what has been revealed to you. Most of our attention is focused on the details. God doesn't always reveal everything at once. We learn to walk in the light that we have been given, until there is more light. He moves and then we move. He leads and we learn to follow. We keep moving forward. It was said that when they saw the star, they rejoiced. Notice that they started to rejoice before they saw the child. They rejoiced in anticipation of the miraculous discovery. They rejoiced on the way. That is an act of faith! God is FOR you! You may not have arrived yet, but have you seen enough to begin rejoicing? He that has begun a good work in you, SHALL COMPLETE IT! Therefore, He will sustain you in the night season. You can count on it!

There is a difference between the shepherds and the wise men. The shepherds CAME. The wise men FOLLOWED. Sometimes we may have to follow what we can see, in order to arrive at the place we want to see. In order to see a star, you have got to be willing to look up in the darkness. It takes faith to walk in darkness. The wise men had to journey in the night. It is so much easier in the day. Anyone can walk with Christ in the daytime. In darkness, there can be peril. Let God give you the tenacity to keep moving forward, no matter what, until at last you finally come upon what you were longing to see.

The Gospel of Luke, chapter two, describes a decree that went out from Caesar Augustus, that ALL the world should be taxed; everyone to his own city. Today, it also seems that our entire world is experiencing taxing times, in one form or another. The truth is, we are being taxed on every level. Maybe at work we are expected to do more with less compensation. Relationships may be emotionally wearing us out. Financially we may have more month at the end of the money. Problems seem to be compounding. But it was the "taxing" that brought Mary and Joseph home. Could it be that your taxing experiences are meant to bring you home? Do you need to be re-calibrated? Perhaps the pressures are supposed to drive you back to who you were meant to be, or to what you believe. Pressure can redirect us, realign us, instruct us or remind us. It’s all about your perspective. Trust God with what taxes you. He has promised to be in every bit of it WITH you!

In one moment, Mary's life was forever changed. Her life would become marked by scandal, due to a teenage pregnancy. She would literally be impregnated by God. She was a good girl, a virtuous girl. Who would believe her? When God gives a promise, you can't try to figure out the procedure in the flesh. Don't allow the impossibility of your circumstances to negate the infinite possibilities of what God can do. Mary said, " Be it unto me, even as you have said!" Thank God for those who could bear the burden of scandal in order to give birth to the promise. It is precisely when no human being can bring it to pass, that God gets glory through it all. He shares His glory with no man.

What does it mean to experience a real metamorphosis? The mind has two primary functions; to access memory and to use imagination. It can be more easily defined by replay and preplay. When you replay a memory, you can retrieve it and relive it. Spend some time today replaying the goodness of God in your life. Meditate on all the memories you have of His mercy, grace and faithfulness toward you. This will give you confidence to imagine a future where He will prove Himself to be the same way. It is not only possible, but necessary for you to direct your thoughts. Cast down imaginations that are inconsistent with what The Lord has revealed to you. Choose to align your thoughts with His thoughts. If you want to know His perspective, then ask Him for wisdom. Do not be victimized by your thought life.

Science has revealed, that the mind thinks between fifty to seventy thousand thoughts per day. It is safe to say, that not all of those thoughts are good. The greatest internal warfare occurs, when my imagination contradicts what I know to be the truth. We don't choose our thoughts, but we can choose our meditations. Its the thought that stays that has power. We can choose the thoughts that we grab onto and hold. What I hold in my mind will mold my life. Scripture teaches us, to set our minds and our affections on things above. This is not easy. It is not the thought you have, but the thought that has you, that will be a determining factor in your life. Shut out noise. Protect your mind. What you see in your mind's eye, will be manifested in your life. Choose carefully.

Christianity has forfeited the key to transformation, to the world system. A religious experience, liturgy, form and dogma have replaced strong biblical teaching. The desire for a quick fix, emotional service or pomp and circumstance, have been exchanged for the study of The Word of God. This is not to suggest that those elements in worship are wrong, they just will not answer a lifetime of frustration. It takes discipline to be a disciple. What do you do when the religious feeling is gone or the religious service is over? A renewed mind is the key to your transformation. We were saved to live from faith to faith, from strength to strength and from glory to glory. We were not saved to flounder through life. God is the answer. He has the answers. The more you investigate and study His word and learn of Him, the more your life will be reflection of His story written in you.

When we experience spiritual transformation, it means that our outside life begins to mirror what we believe on the inside. There is great pressure to conform and embrace popular opinions these days. Don't be squeezed into the world's mold. The word transformation in the Greek means, metamorphosis. When a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, it doesn't change it's identity, it changes its appearance.The butterfly was always inside the caterpillar. There was an inward process that took place to reveal an outward change. When we come to know Christ, we are heaven bound, but we must be transformed so that we can be equipped for life on earth. The mind must be renewed each day. The greatest hindrance to growth is an unchanged mind. Jesus came to give us LIFE, and that more abundantly!