Christmas Countdown. How To Know When God Takes the Lid Off.

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

What does it mean when God takes the lid off? Isn’t it funny how we as Christians try to limit God although we know He is Sovereign? We often give Him just enough room to move in ways we are comfortable with. Unfortunately, that’s not how God works. Often, God will always contradict our expectations and even experiences. God most times will not move in the same way He did in the past. Although we know that, we rarely give room to the new thing that God is trying to do. Why so? God will never use the same method twice. Why is it so? Jesus used different methods to heal the blind. In one, He used His saliva to create mud. While in another He made a command and the blind man could see. In one it was instant, while another was gradual. Why?

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Why does God move in different ways?

• To prevent us from worshiping a move instead of the one who caused the move. If God moved the same way every time we needed Him, we would get stuck in the way He moved and even make it a religious practice. By doing so, we forget that it was God who moved on our behalf and not the action in and of itself. When something that worked before does not work again, it is a sign that God has taken the lid off. God has endless ways to bring about a specific result. This is why in one instance Jesus healed a man by touching His eyes. And yet in another, He spat on a man’s eyes and healed Him.

• To get us to experience Him in a different and greater light. God is Sovereign and powerful and this means He is not limited by anyone or anything. By God moving in different ways, He wants to show you a different facet of who He is. Ever considered that the reason the angels say Holy in the book of Revelation after every second is that they discover a new aspect of who He is each second? And with that being the case, imagine the layers we are yet to discover of God while we are here on earth. God wants to show you a new dimension of Him and that’s why He will take the limits off time and time again. There is a fresh revelation that God wants you to experience today. Are you willing to experience Him today?

• To take you to a higher level. God wants to increase your faith and experiential knowledge of Him. And how He does that is by letting you discover something new about Him each time you have an encounter with Him. When you discover a fresh revelation of God, you gain the opportunity to experience a new level of glory and elevation in your life. And this is also a way of God taking the lid off.

How the birth of Jesus portrays how God takes the lid off.

Jesus was born by a virgin woman.

This at the time was impossible. (scientifically it is possible though, because of modern inventions). God wanted the Israelites to know that He can do anything and He can never be limited. God taking the lid off is a sign that there are no limitations in Him.

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[b] the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to cannot conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

God is not hindered by what hinders us. And His birth through a virgin was Him showing Himself as a Sovereign God. This particular miracle is to help you realize that nothing is impossible with God. What are you experiencing today? Are you in a fix that you deem impossible? Today I want you to know that whatever situation you are facing, God can turn it around. If He can have a virgin conceive a child without any medical intervention, He can come through for you in your situation. Don’t remain defeated when your God is undefeated. Give that situation over to God and watch Him come through. It might look impossible but God!

Jesus, a king was born in a manger.

Isaiah the prophet prophesied the Messiah would be the Prince of peace and King of kings. How could a king be born in a manger? It had to take the Israelites some level of faith to believe that Jesus was and is the king. Jesus being born in a manger signified that Jesus the Saviour came for both the rich and the poor. He is relatable, although He is the King and is God. 

Although He is fully God, Jesus came on earth and became fully human too. This is mind-blowing in and of itself. Imagine that.

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. Luke 2: 15-16

Jesus being born in a manger brings out the aspect of reliability. He wants you to know that He does not care about your social class or pedigree. There is room for you. And again Him being born there is also to help you realize how special you are. Isn’t it nice to know that a king could go to such great lengths to relate to you? There is room for you. And your deficit, He can cover.

The birth of Jesus signifies Sovereignty, redemption, and hope. In what area do you need God to come through for you today? There is hope for you. And His birth, death, and resurrection guarantee your place in God’s kingdom. God has time for you and He cares about you. You don’t need to prove yourself to Him. He loves and accepts you anyway.

How then can you partner with God when He takes the lid off?

Trust Him.

God’s ways are higher than your ways. He always has great intentions for you. Trusting God means taking the step even when it does not make sense. Maybe for you, it means holding on to that business, although it’s not making any money. You might look foolish at the moment, but you can trust that God has a plan for your life. And although it does not make sense now, it will in the future.

God will never disappoint you but at times He will lead you down a path you don’t understand. The beauty is that He always has exciting places along the way for you. If His ways are higher, why would you want to follow your predictable path? Decide that you will follow God’s ways even when it doesn’t make sense. 

Trust comes from relationships and quality time. Today I want to encourage you to prioritize spending time with God. And get to know Him by spending time in His word. This will make it easier for you to trust Him. For you to trust God you need to know His heart towards you. And one of His desires for you is to live a life of abundance and experience freedom.

Stop limiting God.

God is not a human being. This means that He is not limited like we are. He has countless ways to get to the same destination He has in mind for you. You should stop expecting God to move in the same way He did years prior. Do not allow another person’s experiential knowledge and encounter with God to become your blueprint. God has a different way He wants you to encounter Him And it is going to take your yes for you to experience it.

There is someone who is waiting on your story so that they can be ignited in their Christian journey. Just like with the Israelites, God wants to show you different ways of doing things.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN: GOD WATCHES OVER HIS WORD TO ESTABLISH IT.

We see in the book of Exodus that in one chapter Moses had to strike a rock for water to gush out while in another he only had to speak. The same God who instructed him in the first instance is the same one who instructed him in the second one. God is not done revealing Himself to the world, He is looking for willing vessels. Will you decide to partner with God by taking the limits off? 

There is so much more that God has in store for you. But you can only access it when you take Him out of the box. After all, His ways are higher. You might be fixated on a particular outcome not knowing that God has something better. Your rejection could be a redirection to something better. Could it be that the very thing you are asking from God is beneath what He has for you? Maybe you are thinking small. Can I encourage you to take the limits off today? Give God room to move in ways that only He can. He wants to make a name for Himself in your life. ( Ephesians 1:19)

Let go of control.

No matter how much you try to control a situation, you can only do so much. This is because you lack the sovereignty to control the outcome of any given situation. So the best option is to trust and this requires total surrender. When you surrender all to God you give Him room to move in the ways He always wanted to and this gives you a happier and more fulfilling life. Wouldn’t it be beautiful not to worry about anything because you have relinquished control? Do you know that that is what God is asking of you? Make up your mind to fully trust God and flow with the HOLY Spirit. He wants to show you exciting things about God and Jesus. And this will require you to yield to Him. 

Be expectant of the new.

If you know that God will not move in the same way He did in the past, then it’s time for you to expect something new. God is always doing something new. The problem is that we do not perceive it. Maybe you have been praying to God for a financial breakthrough and God has given you an idea to start something and you are ignoring it. Could it be that this idea is the solution to your financial crisis? Or maybe it is through a partnership. Either way, God answers prayers, and often it is in ways we don’t expect.

Then how do you stay ready and sensitive to His moving? Familiarity inhibits the new thing that God wants to do in your life. Stop expecting God to move the same way He did before. He wants to reveal to you a different facet of who He is and that is found in the new

.

Embrace the new thing He is doing in your life and step out of your comfort zone.

 It took the Israelites moving out of Egypt for them to experience the freedom they had been praying for. Is God asking you to get out of the familiar and expected? You don’t have to do things the same way others have. God wants to show you a different and improved way of doing the same things that others have been doing for years. And how God does that is by taking the lid off. Just like Jesus the King was born in a Manger, God wants to blow your mind through how He does things in your life. The question then is, will you let Him? God wants you to embrace the new. Here are 3 clear signs that you should embrace a new path.

Resolve to take the first step and silence the fear.

If Mary had not partnered with God, she would not have been part of the miracle. God wants your life to be a living, breathing testimony. But it takes you saying yes for you to live it out. Fear will tell you how impossible it is for a virgin to give birth. Or how ridiculous it is for a king to be born in a manger. But God wants you to stop PUTTING him in a box. He wants free rein but He is waiting for your yes. The first step is simply telling God that you are ready for whatever He has for you. Once you say yes, silence the fears by actually taking the first step. 

What first step is God asking you to take today? Maybe He is asking you to apply for that job you don’t feel qualified for. Or it could be that He wants you to start a business in an area you don’t have experience in. Trust Him anyway and leap. He’s got you. Don’t be afraid. He would never ask you to do something if He did not know you had it in you to do it. You’ve got what it takes.

• 8 KEYS TO LIVE A SURRENDERED LIFE!
• The Proven Method to Relinquish control and Minimize Setbacks in Your Life
• The Easter Series: When You are Birthing Your Purpose.
• FEELING HIDDEN? THESE 2 THINGS WILL HELP YOU.
• How To Know When God Is Asking You To Move.

Learn who God is.

For you to trust God to lead you, you have to know who He is and His character. And how you can learn God’s character is by reading the Bible. Are you having a hard time trusting God and following His leading? Carve out time every day to read the word of God. By doing so, you will learn who He is and this will make it easier for you to trust Him. 

Conclusion.

When God takes the lid off, He exposes you to a fresh revelation of who He is. And He reveals a fresh aspect of who you are. This Christmas resolves to give God free rein and takes the limits off. God wants to take the lid off because He has an amazing plan for your life. The birth of Jesus was supernatural in every sense, and God wants your life to be supernatural, too. By trusting Him and flowing with the Holy Spirit, your life will become a sign and a wonder.

As we draw closer to Christmas, reflect on ways you have been limiting God. Ask yourself how many opportunities you have let slip by you because they did not look like what you expected. And resolve to get God out of the box and also step out of your comfort zone. A new path is waiting and a beautiful destination with a new beginning is on the horizon. Step out of the old and into the new. It might not look like you thought it would, but rest assured that it will be better than you ever imagined. 

However, there is wisdom that we continually speak of when we are among the spiritually mature. It’s wisdom that didn’t originate in this present age, nor did it come from the rulers of this age who are in the process of being dethroned. Instead, we continually speak of this wonderful wisdom that comes from God, hidden before now in a mystery. It is his secret plan, destined before the ages, to bring us glory. None of the rulers of this present world order understood it, for if they had, they never would have crucified the Lord of shining glory. Therefore the Scriptures say: Things never discovered or heard of before, things beyond our ability to imagine— these are the many things God has in store for all his lovers. 1 Corinthians 2:6‭-‬9 TPT

Prayer

Dear God,

I thank You that you are Sovereign, and nothing can limit you. I repent for the times I have limited you by controlling the narrative. Today, I ask you to strengthen me to fully surrender and let go of control. Holy Spirit, help my unbelief and reignite my faith to trust that Your path for me is not only perfect but that Your plan for my life is pure and full of good intentions. I trust You. Have your way Lord in me. This I pray in Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen and Amen.