Don’t get me wrong; I love the holidays—spending time with family and friends, enjoying special meals and celebrating together. But to be honest, I am somewhat relieved once they are over. The rich dishes and desserts leave me so bloated that my body yearns for simple, healthy foods—some fresh fruit or a tasty salad. As we enter the New Year, we often make plans to eat whole foods, exercise more, and shed those extra pounds. It’s time to improve our eating habits.

Did you know that the Apostle Peter also proposed a change in diet? However, he was referring to what we feed our souls. He said that we should get rid of all of the unhealthy malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander (1 Peter 2:1-2 NIV). Many times we enjoy these feelings at first because they make us feel more important than others, but soon they leave a bitter taste in our mouths and weigh us down. It’s time to clean out the pantries of our minds.

A friend of mine quipped that she had decided to get rid of all of the holiday sweets in her kitchen pantry. Once she finished, she said, “They were delicious!” Of course she was only joking; the idea is not to consume them, but to throw them in the trash!

​Karen Prevost, a licensed AG minister, has served alongside her husband, Kevin, as a missionary to Spain for 39 years. Together they have pastored churches and worked with an evangelism training ministry in Madrid with a heart to equip believers to share their faith effectively. They currently reside in the Springfield area where they continue to create evangelistic courses and tools for local churches. Karen also travels to minister in women’s events in Latin America and Europe. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, artwork, taking walks in nature, and spending time with their three grown children and six grandchildren.

Mary's response to this uncomfortable intrusion isn't immediate rejoicing; it's perplexity and trouble
(v. 29). She was, quite naturally, shaken by the scale and nature of this divine disruption. Being thus favored wasn't a ticket to an easy life; it was a path to a profoundly difficult one.

As women in ministry, can we not relate? God’s call on our lives often comes as an interruption to the life WE planned. It demands a sacrifice of comfort, privacy, and sometimes, even acceptance from those we love. When the favor of God delivers a weighty, prophetic assignment, it’s okay to be troubled. It is a sign that we understand the gravity of what is being asked of us.

The angelic message seemed like a holy impossibility: she would conceive the Son of God. This is where Mary, like a good theologian, asks the practical, crucial question: “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34 NASB)

Gabriel’s answer testifies to Pentecostal faith and empowerment for ministry: “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35 NIV)

Mary’s miraculous pregnancy, which established the full deity and humanity of Christ, was not achieved through human strength or will. It was conceived through the direct, dynamic agency of the Holy Spirit!
This is our lifeblood! We are called to tasks that are holy impossibilities—to raise the dead in spirit, to heal broken hearts, to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. How can we do it? Not by degrees and credentials, organizational skills, or a tireless work ethic, but because the same Spirit that overshadowed Mary is the one who empowers us (Acts 1:8). The power is His, not ours.

Mary offers one of the most poignant, humble, and powerful acts of surrender in Scripture. She moves from perplexity to acceptance, from question to consecration: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38 NIV)

This is the moment she accepts the shame, the potential scorn, the physical burden, and the total upheaval of her life. She accepts the call not just to bear the Christ, but to carry Him, to nurture Him, and to release Him to a world languishing in darkness–longing to see the Great Light.

The winter wait of Advent mirrors the nine months Mary carried Jesus. It was a time of hidden growth, quiet faith, and immense discomfort. What “holy impossibility” is God asking you to carry right now? Is it a painful ministry assignment? A period of growth that feels like pressure? A message that requires vulnerability? Remember that you are not carrying it alone. The same Spirit who overshadowed Mary indwells you. Depend on His power instead of your own strength; rely on His wisdom instead of your own understanding. Re-affirm your “Yes!” to His call. Let this winter season be a time of re-consecration. When you choose to embrace the unexpected and uncomfortable favor of God, trusting Him to fulfill His word in and through you, you are privileged with the abiding and reassuring blessing of His presence. Take heart, beloved. You are highly favored, and the Lord is with you! Let the power of the Spirit overshadow you today, and may the Christ you carry shine brightly through the winter darkness.