{"id":6,"date":"2013-02-20T10:17:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-20T10:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/2013\/02\/20\/the-40-day-challenge-day-23\/"},"modified":"2013-03-07T16:49:10","modified_gmt":"2013-03-07T16:49:10","slug":"the-40-day-challenge-day-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-23\/","title":{"rendered":"The 40-Day Challenge: Day 23"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201c<\/span>Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, \u2018Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.\u2019 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: \u2018Glory to God in the highest,\u2028and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/i> (Luke 2:8-14)<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
Why did God appear to the shepherds living out in the fields? What were they doing that drew God\u2019s attention?<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

They were alert; they were keeping watch over the flock by night.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

They had zeal for their animals because they valued them.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Now, how do we show that I value God, my faith and my salvation? When we are watchful, alert; when we sacrifice to do what God wants from us, not what we want to do.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

And how do we know that we are doing what God wants?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

When we listen to what He is telling us and immediately put it into practice. Many people think the message is for someone else, and so they do not watch their own lives.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

They keep watch over other people\u2019s lives, not their own.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

They consider themselves to be perfect, without flaws; this is why they think everyone else needs to change but themselves. And because they can\u2019t see their mistakes, they don\u2019t fight for their salvation! They think, \u201cI am baptised with the Holy Spirit. I don\u2019t have problems. I make mistakes and have flaws, but this is normal\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

They may even hold an important position, but they don\u2019t have life! They do not value their salvation, and this can be seen in the way they speak and behave.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

If they do not value their own lives, how can they value their sheep? <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cAnd behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

When we are vigilant, when we have a desire to become better for God, not for others, the angel\u2014God\u2019s servant\u2014appears to us.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
No one was watching the shepherds, yet they kept watch over the animals. This reveals their care and appreciation.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

When we appreciate God, we value our salvation and we take care of the \u201csheep\u201d, our neighbours. This causes God to become the Shepherd of our souls.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cDo not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

God\u2019s words bring fear, respect. They make us think.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\u201cAnd suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The angels praised God because of His mercy and glory. He gave His life for those who would later on deny Him.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

God only saves those who believe, but everyone is given the same opportunity.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Now I ask: What have you done to draw God\u2019s attention? Have been watchful?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

If you say \u201cyes\u201d, it\u2019s because you\u2019ve decided to give Him your best; but if you say \u201cno\u201d, this means you don\u2019t see the need to be saved.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Watch it! We all need salvation.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

Vivi Freitas<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cNow there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, \u2018Do not be afraid, for<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-40-day-challenge"],"better_featured_image":null,"yoast_head":"\nThe 40-Day Challenge: Day 23 - Viviane Freitas<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-23\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 40-Day Challenge: Day 23 - Viviane Freitas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cNow there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 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