Victoria Osteen

What environment do you put yourself in?

Do you let people talk down to you?

Do you put yourself in an environment that God wouldn't want to be in?

Are you careful?

Do you protect it?

You see, there were many naysayers when Mary showed up pregnant.

See, she was a virgin and God did an immaculate birth in her, but the people didn't recognize it.

I'm sure they were saying, did you hear about Mary and Joseph?

The wedding's off.

What's Mary been doing?

But you see, God took her out of that environment and he put her into a protective environment.

And I just want to suggest to you and I today that we begin to put what's in us in a protected environment.

It's not easy to birth the promises of God.

Listen, Mary had to go out of her way.

Mary had to change her plans.

Mary had to do some things that maybe a lot of people wouldn't want to do.

But Mary was willing to see this thing to the end.

It also says that Mary treasured up all of these things and pondered them in her heart.

See, that tells me that Mary fought discouragement, that Mary fought the critics, that Mary fought the hardships by pondering all of this in her heart, by just imagining and talking to God about all that was about to happen and all that would happen in the future.

And see, that's what we need to do.