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, Lk 1:31–32 NIV
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, Lk 1:31–32 NIV
God did not ask Mary’s parents or fiancé for permission.
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her. Lk 1:38 NIV
Young Mary made one of the most important spiritual decisions in the history of the world without consulting any man or older person.
What about Mary’s father? The Holy Spirit did not mention him.
What about Mary’s fiancé, Joseph? God told him after Mary was already pregnant.
Mary’s response was magnificent. She made perhaps the most important spiritual decision in history all by herself, even though it meant losing her reputation for chastity, risking the loss of her fiancé and her prospects of marriage and making her a social outcast.
Perhaps you have been trained to submit important spiritual decisions to elders, pastors, fathers or your husband. Mary did none of these things, and the Bible story commends her for her bold faith and her sacrificial obedience, obedience to God alone.
Suppose God is challenging you to make a decision which could lead to rejection by your church or even your family, is it possible the Holy Spirit wants you to follow the example of Mary?
If God is really calling you, and you know your parents or church leaders would not agree, asking these same people to discern or confirm your call is not obedience, as you may have been taught but actually disobedience to God.
Sometimes it helps to discuss a decision with friends or wise elders, but there are times when you have to step out in raw faith and suffer the consequences as well as reaping the blessings.
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