Joseph was worried about Mary and her pregnancy. He couldn’t see the blessing we understand today. God’s gifts are often wrapped up in adverse circumstances and challenges. Fear can limit your perspective and make you give up before you come into the blessing.

fear can make you give up something that

God is going to use to bless you fear

can make you try to put away as Joseph

did the only redemption that was

available to him he was about to give it

away because of fear be careful that you

do not allow fear to rob you of God’s

gifts this is the posture

oh thank you for allowing me to be a

part of this very special day as we

commemorate the birth of our Lord and

Savior Jesus Christ this is a great time

and I want you to understand how

significant it is to Christians all over

the world to acknowledge the entrance of

the divine into the human Jesus Christ

the Lord of glory the message don’t be

afraid of the gift may it bless you

today enjoy your family and friends

enjoy your life and from our house to

your house

Merry Christmas you know when we hear

beautiful songs that have been shared

with us o come all ye faithful O Holy

Night o little town of Bethlehem when we

watch the beautiful renditions that are

depicted through the auspices of

Hollywood and the modern technology of

television DVD and VCR all come together

in collaboration to bring to life the

miracles the magic the Wonder and the

splendor of Christmas sharing with us

the great story of our Lord’s entrance

into the world that the King of Kings

the Lord of lords of the mighty God

would step down from eternity down into

time wrap himself up in flesh that he

acquired from the dressing room of

Mary’s womb and Tabernacle amongst men

is calls for even angels to celebrate

the glory and the presence of God and

because of this great gift that God has

given to us the world stands in awe and

the church in spend difference praise

unto God celebrating the gift that he

has given us through Jesus Christ and

that gift expressly is eternal life

without his coming into the world and

without him taking on human form and

becoming kin to me he could not redeem

me as kinsman redeemer from the eels and

the plight of humanity and the

consequences of sinful endeavors are all

eradicated in the presence of Jesus

Christ for wherever Jesus

ears tits heaven there and whenever

Jesus shows up

deliverance it’s bound to happen we

celebrate his entrance into the world

but be careful in all of the splendor

and all the glitter and the pageantry

and the beautiful lights and the

gift-giving and all of the wonderful

things that we do to commemorate the

birth of the Lord the depictions of the

Manges and all of the holy scenes that

we have be careful to understand that

the first Christmas was not quite as

beautiful as the ones we see today the

first Christmas was not filled with all

the splendor and all the wonderment all

the fine foods and all the pageantry and

all the wrapping paper then even golfing

or a living room right now the first

Christmas was not even feel with all the

joy and all the praise and all the

wonder that we feel right now

particularly in the life of some people

who were directly affected by Christ

coming into the world you would think

that there would be joy but the reality

if most in generally with the gifts God

gives us we have joy in retrospect as we

look back and see that his plan was

better than ours I want to warn you my

brothers and sisters that initially when

God gives you a gift it does not always

evoke joy and praise and splendor it

often causes confusion mayhem and chaos

and you wonder in your own mind whether

this is a gift from God or a plot from

the enemy to destroy your very life you

would think that Joseph would be filled

with glee and excitement about the birth

of Jesus Christ that God had chosen the

woman that Joseph had chosen that God

had set her aside even it’s Joseph etc

side that God himself had selected her

should have eased all ill in his mind as

to whether she was a virtuous woman but

sometimes being chosen of God and

selected of God and receiving

just from God leaves a fellow in

disarray and so when we see Joseph we

don’t see him dancing and celebrating we

don’t see him

opening up gifts with joy and exuberant

no we see Joseph worried and upset

because generally when God gives the

gift

it often worries you before it blesses

you

Oh frankly at the time that Joseph leaps

on the pages of this holy writ he is not

trying to find a way to get closer to

the baby Jesus or his mother his mother

who is pregnant with him no he’s trying

to figure out how can I get out of this

just as quietly and if calmly as

possible

without drawing any attention to myself

just show me the door so that I can exit

and get away from this gift I want to

warn you that many times when God gives

you a gift

instead of running toward it our

propensity is to run from it because

after all who knows what’s in a gift

given until it’s unwrapped

perhaps it is not so much the gift that

I want to warn you about because

ultimately God’s gifts always will pay

off in the end perhaps it’s not the gift

that I should sound the alarm about and

tell you to watch out for perhaps it is

the wrapping paper because God’s

greatest gifts are often wrapped in

problems in anxiety and worry and chaos

God’s greatest gifts often come to us

camouflage in a fine array of disgusting

perilous circumstances that seem

insurmountable great gifts can come

wrapped up and being fired from a job

great gifts can come wrapped up in a

package where somebody you thought you

couldn’t live without walked away and

left you in fact God can give you a gift

and you not feel gifted at all in fact

being gifted can be a problem with God

because many times when God gives you a

gift people are not happy for you they

don’t celebrate the gift that God has

given you they they don’t come to

worship the gift they often come to kill

the gift to destroy the gift I suggest

to you my brothers and sisters that we

must move beyond the meat and mercury

borders of just discussing the birth of

Jesus Christ from his historical

perspectives as wonderful as it may be

but to extract from this historical

illustration some contemporary word of

wisdom that we can use it against the

challenges that we face today is what

makes our faith vibrant and relevant and

effective we didn’t come to just

commemorate a historical God for

something that happened 2,000 years ago

we came to recognize a relevant God who

is still affecting change and

contemporary society the very first

thing the angel says to worry

Joseph is fear not touch somebody and

say fear not why did they tell them to

fear not because fear can paralyze your

faith fear can limit your perspective

fear can intimidate you from growth fear

can make you give up on something

prematurely not recognizing that God is

not through working his magic and his

miracle if the gift he’s given you fear

can make you give up something that God

is going to use to bless you fear can

make you try to put away as Joseph

feared the only redemption that was

available to him he was about to give it

away because of fear be careful that you

do not allow fear to rob you of God’s

gifts there are three different types of

fear that I believe engulf Joseph mine

and I want to share them with you today

not only so that you might have a deeper

and more intrinsic understanding of

Joseph and the propensity of the fear on

his life but that you might be able to

effectively use them in your own life as

you face God’s gifts new jobs new

marriages new children new opportunities

new obstacles new enemies can all be

gifts from God still to come on the

Protestants he said in Revelations I

have set before you an open door can you

receive that word for yourself that God

has

before you in the coming year he has set

its firm is anchored his concrete is

unbreakable is under invest is unmovable

he has set before you an open door he

has a place in mind somebody ought to

thank God for shut doors a piecing store

God can give you some things that your

money and not buy and provision for you

need he already has the manger in place

while man was shutting doors so don’t be

afraid of the gift God gives don’t be

afraid when he bypasses a hotel and

takes you to the barn because God has a

way of turning a barn into a penthouse

suite don’t be afraid of the gift God

gives for helping us reach others with

your best gift we would like to give you

don’t be afraid of the gift God gifts on

CD as well as a bonus message the

Rainmaker

on DVD and when your gift is $150 or

more receive our blessed and loved

calendar a blessed and loved journal for

recording your experiences to new

heights and our blessed and Luft

inspiration cup when you visit our

website or call one 800 Bishop 2 today

you

I know you’re used to the traditional

gifts that come wrapped in beautiful

packages but not God he doesn’t wrap his

gifts that way there were three things

that I believe that caused Joseph to be

in a conundrum of fear and adversity

number one was the fear of perception

what will people think often when God

gives you a gift he gives you a gift

that called this you to become

controversial in the eyes of people and

if you were not so gifted my brothers

and sisters you would not be so hated

if you will notice our society we seldom

waste hate on people who are not gifted

and if you understand it correctly it’s

a privilege to be hated for his namesake

it’s an honor to be so chosen and so

selected and so gifted that somebody has

set out a decree to kill it I want to

tell you somebody’s on the hit list of

hell but it’s only because you’re gifted

touch somebody and say you’re gifted

even if you didn’t receive anything from

Christmas even if you’re in a nursing

home and nobody came by to see you even

if you’re a lovely mother and your kids

didn’t recognize you for Christmas you

are still gifted with life and health

and strength and integrity and ideas and

concepts that create a potential oh my

god

you are gifted if you do not allow fear

to rob you fear perceptions what will

they think what will they say what will

they do how will they feel about me the

fear of misperceptions often robs us of

the gifts that God came to give us so on

this Christmas morning I would encourage

you to shake off the fear of perception

because if you can shake off the fear of

perception on Christmas then in the new

year you’ll be ready to receive the

abundance I’ve got something to tell you

there’s something coming for you in the

new year that will justify

but you can’t receive it if you’re more

concerned about perceptions than you are

receiving the power of what God has to

give you number two I want to warn you

against the fear for provisions can I

afford this gifts do I have what it

takes to maintain this gift I never will

forget at the young man just starting to

work and make a nice living I decided to

take my mother out to dinner took her to

a very nice restaurant I grew up in an

age in an era where we didn’t go out to

dinner very much and I took it to a very

plush and posh restaurant to show her

the depth and the height and the breadth

of my love toward her and we sat down if

the waiter drop a white linen into our

lap and begin to discuss the options and

entrees that were available to us and I

noticed peeked over top of the menu that

my mother did not seem particularly

happy her reaction was not what I had

expected it to be at all she peered over

top of the menu not to say what a great

son I was she said child have you seen

these prices

I was frustrated I said mother I didn’t

bring you here to worry about how much

it cost I brought you here to enjoy the

meal be careful that God doesn’t take

you a place of blessings and you’re so

worried about how much it cost that you

don’t enjoy the meal I am NOT trying to

imply that Joseph had no resources at

all obviously he had enough resources to

have a diary in order to espouse the

virgin to be his bride obviously he had

enough resources that as they traveled

he and his pregnant fiancee moving from

place to place

he wasn’t looking for benevolence he was

looking for hotels you don’t look for a

hotel if you have no money but when you

are dealing with provisions you must

understand that sometimes you need

provisions that money cannot buy Joseph

had the money but the inns were all

filled and it did a frustrating thing

that by time by the time you realize the

money you need for the places you need

to go suddenly you find out that money

is not the only provision that you need

to sustain you where God in other words

I’m trying to tell you that God can give

you some things that your money cannot

buy

touch it later and tell them God’s going

to give you something that your money

cannot buy

don’t be afraid fear not fear not God

has the provisions covered he already

has a place prepared for you he already

has a provision set up for you and when

people shut the door on you it’s only a

sign that God is about to open another

door in your life oh my god I don’t know

who I’m preaching to this Christmas Day

but somebody ought to thank God for shut

doors

look at the man say he shut the door to

open a new one

lord I thank you for shutting doors say

they shut him out you can’t come to this

hotel you can’t stay at this motel

we’re feel for the night no vacancies

over here but God had an open door when

man closed in the door God opens another

door to God be the glory

from the doors he opens and for the ways

he’s made

how many people are believing God for

open doors oh I thank him oh how I think

him for doors he opens no man can shut

and doors he shuts no man can open God

will open a door for you and you don’t

have to live in fear of somebody

shutting the door that God has opened he

said in Revelations

I have set before you an open door can

you receive that word for yourself that

God has set before you in the coming

year he has set its firm is anchored is

concrete is unbreakable is unravel is

unmovable he has set before you an open

door

tetra Davis they don’t be afraid of the

gifts God gives

yes it is true wherever God guides he

will provide I wish I had some he will

provide folks in here today

he will provide number three the fear

for Providence the fear for Providence

Providence simply God’s guidance the

fear if I go will you go with me if I

say yes to this Lu door and this new

opportunity and this new direction if I

seize the gift that I used to run from

if I embrace the thing that historically

I’ve been terrified I could do it better

if I knew for sure that you were going

to go with me because I know if you go

with me the storm can break out the

lightning can flash the Thunder can roll

and the boat still will not sink as long

as I understand that you are with me

maybe I should understand that Christmas

looks better in retrospect than it did

in reality and maybe life looks better

when you look back at it than it does

while you’re going through it and maybe

there’s somebody in here right now

who’s rejoicing about something that you

used to cry about

maybe it’s in retrospect that God

calibrates the issues and the

vicissitudes of life maybe it’s when we

look back at it that we say you know

what it was good for me that I would

have flicked it because if I didn’t go

through what I went through if I had not

gone through it if I hadn’t faced it if

I hadn’t endured it if I hadn’t have

been fired if I hadn’t have been

rejected if I hadn’t have been turned

down if I had not been ostracized I

wouldn’t have found the door that God

had in store in fact thank you for

hating me thank you for leaving me thank

you for rejecting me thank you for

disappointing me thank you for shutting

the door and telling me you can’t stay

here you’re not welcome here

thank you if you had not done that I

would have never gotten to spend the

night in a barn serenaded by angels

illuminated by stars and behold the

wondrous splendor of God’s provision

often takes you away from normal places

because where God is going to bless you

maybe outside of the box outside of the

system away from the norm in a place

that you never thought a blessing could

be God may bless you in an unlikely

place don’t be afraid of the gifts God

gives don’t be afraid when he bypasses a

hotel and takes you to the barn because

God has a way of turning a barn into a

penthouse suite don’t be afraid

of the gift God gives I know it’s

Christmas morning and you’re excited

you’re all dressed up in your you’re

ready to hurry up and get home and open

up gifts and eat turkeys but tips three

or four people tells God is up to

something yes God is up to something in

every barn in every manger with the

moving of every cow the gathering of

every lamb in the midst of every

gathering of hay and goats and sheep God

is up to something

any time God takes a holy thing and puts

it in a mundane thing God is up to

something

any time God promised you a blessing and

you see yourself going down and stood

them up God is up to something

any time God takes you outside in the

system who am i preaching to God

God is

he’s up to something stop being afraid

of change

because whenever God is getting ready to

rearrange your life you’ve got to open

up and say change whatever needs to be

safe move whatever needs to be moved

shake whatever needs to be shaken I’m

available to you I trust you I opened

this gift by faith God is up to

something

take a look inside

fear not Joseph

fear not calm down Joseph you’re so

troubled that you’re worried in your

sleep and I had to speak to you and your

dreams because when you’re awake you’re

so worried you’re not listening to me

and so I invaded the only space left

available to speak to you when you

finally give up on your thoughts long

enough to hear my thoughts I spoke to

you in the night because you’re not

listening at me and the light fear not

Joseph hold somebody’s hand and say fear

not the Lord is with you

here are a few takeaway points that I

want you to get out of this text he says

fear not Joseph that that is within Mary

has been conceived by the Holy Ghost

what are you saying stop worrying about

how things are going to turn out because

whatever God starts he will finish it

hate to stop you right there but I’ll be

right back

he has a place in mind somebody ought to

thank God for shut doors a piecing store

God can give you some things that your

money and not buy and provision for you

need he already had the manger in place

while man was shutting doors so don’t be

afraid of the gift God gives don’t be

afraid when he bypasses a hotel and

takes you to the barn because God had

the way of parenting a barn into a

penthouse suite don’t be afraid of the

gift God gives for helping us reach

others with your best gift we would like

to give you don’t be afraid of the gift

God gives on CD as well as a bonus

message the rain maker on DVD and when

your gift is $150 or more receive our

blessed and love calendar a blessed and

loved journal for recording your

experiences to new heights and our

blessed and Luft inspiration cup when

you visit our website or call one 800

Bishop 2 today

just in time for the holidays

Bishop TD jakes and The Potter’s House

present this Christmas complete with

your favorite Christmas classics like

Silent Night the Christmas story oh holy

night with a special holiday prayer from

Bishop Jake’s and more receive your CD

today when you visit us online or call

1-800 Bishop 2 also check out this CD

and other holiday specials when you log

on to TD jakes org as we come to a close

today I pray that God’s choicest

blessings would be given to you and that

you would have the Grace and the faith

to receive the gift because it does take

courage to receive what God has for you

our series don’t be afraid of the gift

is challenging you to be all that you

can be may God bless you may heaven

smile upon you is my prayer

this is the