And the Angels Sang

 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord…” 

(Luke 2:8-11 NIV)

After an angel of the Lord had delivered the incredible message of Christ’s birth to the watchful shepherds living out in the fields, the Bible tells us that “a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God“.

“Alleluia! O how the angels sang.
Alleluia! How it rang!
And the sky was bright with a holy light,
'Twas the birthday of a King.”

(William Harold Neidlinger)

The angels descended upon Bethlehem singing glorious songs of praise in celebration of the birth of Christ – it was Christmas!

It’s not yet December 25^th, the day we celebrate the glorious birth that continues to cause great joy for all the people but today and every day can be Christmas Day for you.

Beloved, Christ’s birth – the manifestation of God in human form here on earth (see John 1:14) – can be an intimate, personal celebration in your life today. Simply ask Him to come into your heart and He will bring you new birth; if you have already done so, you can ask Him to be birthed anew in you.

When Christ comes into your life, you too, like the angels, will burst into songs of praise saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

(Luke 2:14 NIV)

And the Lord of peace himself will give you peace at all times in every way and cover you with favour as with a shield (2 Thessalonians 3:16 & Psalm 5:12).

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Thessalonians 5:23 AMP)

Amen †

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “And the Angels Sang” ©2013 revisited December 20, 2025

Let it be to me

 

For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.

(Luke 1:37 AMPC)

When angel Gabriel came to Mary with the fantastic news of Jesus' conception and birth, she did not hesitate to believe. Despite the shock and ridicule she would have to face, Mary accepted the reality of what would be with humble acquiescence.

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
(Luke 1:38 ESV)

As a matter of fact, Mary, as a sign of her trust in, and devotion to God, sang a song of praise. And in that song, she glorified God, she rejoiced in Him and declared His goodness. Mary believed and therefore, in her case, sang (see Luke 1:46-55).

If we believe, we too must sing praises to God.

Beloved, determine in your heart to believe and therefore speak,

God’s plan for my life is far greater than what I am currently living! God’s word contains power and no word from Him is impossible of fulfillment! I am the Lord’s servant and what the Lord has said, will be fulfilled in my life. Everything is possible to me because I believe!

(see 2 Corinthians 4:13; Mark 9:23)

 

Amen †

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Let it be to me” © 2014 revisited December 19, 2025

Our Verb

 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. – Romans 8:28 (NLT)

As children of God our verb must be “know”. With synonyms like, apprehend, recognize, grasp, perceive, appreciate, discern, and differentiate, surely, when it comes to our verb “know”, certitude has to be our attitude.

To know is to be keenly aware of something.

To know something is to have perception of a fact or truth.

To know a truth is not simply to understand its meaning but more so to comprehend its implications and applications.

Apostle Paul’s Romans 8:28 is a God-guaranteed truth which we can know with absolute assurance.

However, there is no absolute assurance in God’s guarantees without faith.

Faith is the essential element that actuates our verb.

Our verb confirms our belief in God’s promises which shall not fail.

Failure is not an option as God is faithful to His Word and faithful in His Word.

God’s Word, written and verbal, logos and rhema, is His bond, He does not make empty promises; He cannot lie.

To lie is a human malady which causes us to distort the truth, mostly about and to ourselves.

This distortion of truth exposes low self-esteem and emphasizes a general lack of confidence.

To know is to have confidence; confidence not just in ourselves but more than ever in a God who will never distort the truth but extends to every one of us, the truth of His Word as a spiritual lifeline to grab hold of and never let go.

The truth of His Word as a spiritual lifeline that we have been given is Jesus Christ our Saviour!

In Jesus Christ is the certitude our verb encapsulates, for in Him “we know” things that others doubt.

In Him we know that our Redeemer lives! (see Job 19:25)

In Him we know that we have “life in all its fullness” (John 10:10 TLB).

In Him we know that our sins have been forgiven (see 1 John 2:12).

In Him we know that “God will liberally supply (fill to the full) [our] every need” (Philippians 4:19 AMPC)

In Him “We know [positively] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] is under the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19 AMPC)

In Him “we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is.”  (1 John 3:2 GNT)

Beloved, our verb is not to misunderstand or calculate or think up or conjure up or devise, our verb is to know. Our verb is about the certainties which Jesus Christ brought to us, so do not hesitate to use our verb instead be bold, steadfast and sure of what you know.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Our Verb” © 2025 December 17, 2025

 

 

 

 

 

Mary Believed

 

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, revealing to her the greatest and most incredible news.

“Don't be afraid, Mary; God has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end! For there is nothing that God cannot do.”

(Luke 1:30-33 & 37 GNT)

Mary, in humility, chose to believe.

“You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

(Luke 1:45 NLT)

Beloved, decree and declare from today,

God is gracious to me!

I am blessed because I believe that what the Lord has said to me will be accomplished!

I believe that God is the God of the impossible! There is nothing that He cannot do!

I believe that God will do what He has said that He will do!

I believe that God will bless me beyond my imagination!

I believe in God and today I choose to trust and obey Him!

Praise be to God!

Amen †

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Mary Believed” ©2012 revisited December 17, 2025

“What about Joseph?”

 

As you know we’re in the season of Advent – the time when we celebrate the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And, during this season, through different media, we are transported back to when Jesus was born. We hear the familiar story of God choosing a humble young woman named Mary from an insignificant town named Nazareth to give birth to the Christ. And, of course, we hear about the baby, Jesus, after all, He is the reason for this celebration.

But, what about Joseph, Mary’s husband? No one seems to pay him much attention. His journey must have been quite a perplexing one. God had also chosen Joseph, he was engaged to Mary and was to be father to God’s “only begotten (unique)”  Son Jesus. Like Mary, he too had to pay a very dear price for his role in humiliation. Let’s go to the Gospel of Matthew for Joseph’s perspective.

Matthew chapter one lets us know that Joseph was already engaged to be married to Mary when she would have received the message from the angel Gabriel. Verse18 tells us that “before they came together, she was found to be with child”. What a blow!

Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes for a moment. You’re about to marry a young sweet virgin girl; all the plans are in place and preparations for the wedding have already begun. You see, in those days, once that pledge had been made and accepted, immediately preparations began for the big day.

Joseph would have journeyed from his father’s house to offer Mary’s father a price for marrying her; the two would have agreed, the price paid, and a covenant made and Joseph and Mary would drink from a single cup to symbolize their shared life.

Then Joseph would have gone back to his father’s house to wait and prepare their future home, while Mary prepared herself and her clothing and waited for Joseph to return. This was a 12-month period of sacred separation where they were absolutely committed to be faithful and pure.

The couple was committed to being faithful and pure, you get the picture.

So, to hear from his wife, that she is pregnant? He knew that “he had no union with her” (v 25). What thoughts must have run through Joseph’s head. He might have said “What manner of story is this Mary? Didn’t we commit to be faithful and pure? I was.”

“Then Joseph her husband, being just and not willing to expose her publicly, desired to leave her secretly.” Matthew 1:19 (JUB)

Joseph was a just man – morally upright and obviously well brought up – he wasn’t one to hastily jump on Facebook and twitter to air his dirty laundry in an attempt to embarrass his wife for her perceived indiscretion.

Joseph did not fight humiliation with humiliation. He was not determined to seek revenge. Instead, despite the hurt, the confusion, the disappointment, the mistrust, the emptiness, the emotional upheaval, and the humiliation he must have been feeling, Joseph decided to divorce Mary quietly.

Joseph’s reaction to his dilemma ought to teach us all a lesson. He patiently and thoughtfully considered what he should do. His was not a knee-jerk reaction. And it proved to be a good thing because it was while he was contemplating his next move that “an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream” (v 20).

How do you react to news that impinges upon your ego?

How do you respond to perplexing situations?

When your spouse, significant other, or loved one tells you something that leaves you confused and dumbfounded, what do you do?

Beloved, Joseph did not go to God, God came to him through an angel of the Lord but nothing is stopping you from going to God if you find yourself in similar unimaginable circumstances.

Do not be hasty, instead, like Joseph, take time to consider, and talk to God. Ask Him to lead and guide you. Then wait patiently for God, allow Him to sort things out for you.

Amen †

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “What about Joseph?”  © 2015 revisited December 16, 2025

Let us Pray…standing firmly on His Word

 

Gracious God, I come before You in the precious Name of my Lord Jesus to pray according to what You have said in Isaiah 65:24, “I will answer them before they even call to Me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!” So, I call to You, confident that while I am still talking You will answer my prayer. I ask You to step into (name whatever you need) and bring about a miracle for Your glory.

Your Word also tells me that if I believe, I will see the glory of God (John 11:40) and that’s exactly what I have chosen to do, I choose to believe no matter what I feel, see, or hear because according to Your Word in Mark 9:23, anything is possible if I believe. I am believing You for a mighty miracle for You are the God who performs miracles; You display Your power among the peoples (Psalm 77:14).

I give thanks to You who alone do mighty miracles (Psalm 136:4).

Heavenly Father, You have also told me, through Your Beloved Son Jesus, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you…the spirits submit to you.” (Luke 10:19, 20) Moreover, You have given me the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, so that whatever I bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever I loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18).

So, in the mighty Name of Jesus I exercise the authority of Almighty God and declare, in and through Jesus Christ, I bind every enemy of God that would interfere with the answer to my prayer and the miracle I am believing God to perform.

Dear God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – as I stand firmly on Your Word, I thank You in advance for what You are already doing and about to do in my life; for answering my prayer before I even call to You. For Your faithfulness and Your love that endure forever, I thank You. All the glory belongs to You and You only!

I offer my prayer in the matchless Name of Jesus Christ with much gratitude, Amen†

 

Shelley Johnson “Let us pray…standing firmly on His Word” © 2016 revisited December 15, 2025

Speak the Word

 

The Word of God says, “Just as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and don’t return there without watering the earth, making it conceive and yield plants and providing seed to the sower and food to the eater, so is My word that comes from My mouth; it does not return to Me empty. Instead, it does what I want, and accomplishes what I intend.”

(Isaiah 55:10-11 CEB)

The Word of God holds inherent power. That is, God’s Word cannot be separated from Who He is, His character, His nature. God is His Word and His Word is Him.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

(John 1:1CEB)

When God speaks, power is released and whatever He says will accomplish its purpose, make no mistake about that.

God said, “Let there be light.” And so light appeared. 

(Genesis 1:3 CEB)

And having been created in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:26), we reflect His nature therefore, when we speak God’s Word, in faith, power is also released and that power can change our circumstances.

Your reward depends on what you say 

(Proverbs 12:14 GNT)

You see the Word is truth and the truth sets us free (see John 17:17 & 8:32); free from bondage, sickness, depression, fear, loneliness, temptation, bitterness, anger, doubt, despair, worry, addiction, loss, and other negative circumstances in our lives. All these may be the facts that plague our lives, but the truth is more powerful than any negative facts we may be experiencing.

Beloved, even if your life is great, speaking the Word will only make it so much better.

I am the Lord! The word that I speak is the word that I will speak! It will happen and be delayed no longer. In your own days, household of rebels, I speak a word and make it happen. This is what the Lord God says!

(Ezekiel 12:25 CEB)

The Word is like a seed that is planted every time we speak it, and God promises that it will fulfill its intended purpose.

This seed is God’s life-giving and enduring word.

(1 Peter 1:23 CEB)

So, speak the Word, declare God’s truth into your circumstances and over your life, and see your life transform.

Amen †

 

 

 

 

 

Shelley Johnson “Speak the Word” © 2016 revisited December 14, 2025