{"id":7,"date":"2013-02-19T12:17:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-19T12:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/2013\/02\/19\/the-40-day-challenge-day-22\/"},"modified":"2013-03-07T16:49:19","modified_gmt":"2013-03-07T16:49:19","slug":"the-40-day-challenge-day-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vivianefreitas.com\/en\/the-40-day-challenge-day-22\/","title":{"rendered":"The 40-Day Challenge: Day 22"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

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\u201c<\/span><\/i>And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span><\/i> (Luke 2:1-7)<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
A census took place in the days of Mary and Joseph, and despite being pregnant, Mary was not treated differently.<\/p>\n

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One thing draws my attention: if you visit Israel, you will see that there are many mountains and cliffs, and in those days there was no public transport.<\/p>\n

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Now, imagine Mary, heavily pregnant, going to Bethlehem to be registered\u2026 Imagine yourself, how would you feel?<\/p>\n

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I think I\u2019d be complaining\u2026 looking at the difficulties!<\/p>\n

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But Mary did not do so.<\/p>\n

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In those days, only men were registered, but that was not an excuse for Mary to leave Joseph\u2019s side, even though she was about to give birth.<\/p>\n

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

When they arrived at the city, they did not find a place to lodge\u2026<\/p>\n

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

The woman was heavily pregnant and looking for a place to spend the night, but everywhere she went, the place was full; nobody offered Mary and Joseph a room in their houses.<\/p>\n

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

The same happens today. Many people are so busy that there\u2019s no space for God in their lives.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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

Mary and Joseph had to pay a high price for \u2018carrying\u2019 the Lord Jesus.<\/p>\n

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

If we examine our reactions when faced with the unexpected, we will certainly find a lot of complaints and grumbling: \u201cWhy now? I\u2019m pregnant!\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Mary was not treated differently from the others because of her situation. Everything had to go as planned.<\/p>\n

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

But Mary\u2019s willingness to obey became evident the moment she said to the angel: \u201cHere I am.\u201d And now, she was saying it with her actions. <\/p>\n

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

When a person complains, looks at the difficulties, this means that his or her \u2018Here I am\u2019 is nothing but empty words\u2014pure emotion.<\/p>\n

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

\u201c\u2026there was no room for them in the inn<\/span><\/i>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

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There was no room for them, yet they found a way\u2026<\/p>\n

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

No matter the circumstances, there\u2019s always a way!<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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

God allowed this to happen to teach you and me that He works when we depend entirely on Him.<\/p>\n

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A person who lives by faith depends on God.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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

And so, when he or she faces adverse circumstances, they do not complain or grumble. When we allow God to work in our lives, we have peace. But those who do not live by faith are constantly worried, insecure, fearful, timid and uncertain about their future.<\/p>\n

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

Maybe you ask, \u201cHow can I control my feelings? When I least expect it, I am complaining, saying negative words, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Dear friend, you are not different from the rest of humanity\u2026 We do make mistakes, but we have to be watchful. <\/p>\n

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

Mistakes are inevitable, but we can discipline ourselves and be vigilant, alert. By doing this, you will allow God to fulfil His plan for you.<\/p>\n

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

There\u2019s a lesson to be learnt with every adverse circumstance. If we decide to do things our way or complain, it\u2019s as if we were saying that we don\u2019t want to depend on God.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

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

What\u2019s your faith? Do you depend on God when the unexpected happens, or do you immediately take the lead?<\/p>\n

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When your life in God\u2019s hand, you trust! When faced with a difficult situation, you are not shaken or worried. On the contrary, you have peace.<\/p>\n

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

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

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

\u201cAnd it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of<\/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-7","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-40-day-challenge"],"better_featured_image":null,"yoast_head":"\nThe 40-Day Challenge: Day 22 - 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-22\/\" \/>\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 22 - Viviane Freitas\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cAnd it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 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