Footsteps to Zion

In the Bible, there is a beautiful passage sung by Mary, the mother of Jesus, which we now call as the “ Magnificat .” The word Magnificat literally means “an utterance of praise” (Merriam-Webster). Mary sang this after the Angel Gabriel revealed to her that she will conceive and give birth to the Christ Jesus. As we read the Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55 , we can easily sense Mary’s joyful spirit as she sang this. However, what we often fail to realize is the challenging situation in which she was praising God. At that time, she was just a humble teenager engaged to marry but also about to bear a child. People could have easily thought of her child as one born out of wedlock. That could have even been considered adultery which was punishable by stoning in Jewish law. Mary could have feared for her own honour and dear life. Yet in spite of all these, she chose to magnify the Lord. And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, a nd my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour."

Based on the message of Pastor Dick Carumba Throughout world history, man has fought countless battles to conquer peoples and lands. But while those battles may be intense, the greatest battle man faces is the one that is spiritual. It is that constant battle against temptations, wrong thoughts, and negative emotions that truly torments man. It is this invisible war in the mind of every person that seems the hardest to fight and win. But for every believer in Christ, God has promised victory according to His Word. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Romans 8:37 However, we often forget this truth. ‭We must hold on to the several Scriptures which testify to us that whether in the past, present or future, we are victorious through Christ:‬‬ We became victorious in the past through what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross according to Colossians 2:14-15 (NLT): “ He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by