{"id":274035,"date":"2025-12-15T15:36:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T15:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/?p=274035"},"modified":"2026-02-23T14:48:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T14:48:42","slug":"a-christmas-blessing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/a-christmas-blessing\/","title":{"rendered":"A CHRISTMAS BLESSING"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1331.2px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p>Christmas is a time for giving and receiving and a time for blessing others but <strong>who<\/strong><span class=\"s1\"><strong> was the first person to bless Jesus?<\/strong> Was it a shepherd or one of the wise men? Or, if you know your scriptures, you may remember <strong>Simeon or Anna<\/strong> at the temple (Luke 2)?<\/span> <span class=\"s1\">However, in the gospel accounts did you know that one of the very first acts of blessing upon Jesus is proclaimed over him while he is in the womb?!<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">In Luke 1 we read how Mary (having conceived Jesus by the Holy Spirit) visited her <strong>Aunt* Elizabeth<\/strong> who was six months pregnant with her own baby, John (the Baptist). Elizabeth\u2019s pregnancy was an unexpected miracle too:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cbecause Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they (she and her husband Zechariah) were both very old.\u201d Luke\u202c \u202d1\u202c:\u202d7\u202c\u202c\u202c<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Her pregnancy had been a long time coming, so long in fact that when it was announced to her husband Zechariah (by the archangel Gabriel no less), he was so full of doubt about it that the angel had to silence him with muteness &#8211; for over 9 months! (Read more: <span style=\"color: #b73755;\"><a style=\"color: #b73755;\" href=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/how-not-to-stop-your-miracle\/\">&#8216;How not to stop your miracle&#8217;<\/a><\/span>). Little wonder then that 4 months into her pregnancy Elizabeth was so excited to see her niece Mary visit her home in the hills for some much needed companionship and conversation!<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1331.2px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-274041 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/blessing-liz-2-292x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"292\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/blessing-liz-2-200x206.jpg 200w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/blessing-liz-2-292x300.jpg 292w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/blessing-liz-2.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 292px) 100vw, 292px\" \/><\/h3>\n<h3>AND I THOUGHT IT WAS ALL ABOUT ME!<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">For this reason I can imagine that Elizabeth was looking forward to being the centre of attention, after all, it was her husband who had been visited by the Angel Gabriel, and it was she who had miraculously conceived. But this was not to be, because, as Mary arrived, before she had any chance to tell her Aunt anything, Elizabeth, <strong>filled with the Spirit<\/strong>, launched into a spontaneous blessing over her niece<\/span><span class=\"s2\"> instead:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cBut why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!\u201d\u201d Luke\u202c \u202d1\u202c:\u202d43\u202c-\u202d45\u202c<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Wow! Talk about an unexpected turnaround of events! Elizabeth felt her unborn child \u2018leap\u2019 in her womb and was simultaneously filled with the Holy Spirit! All at once she had a revelation about Mary and her baby.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cIn a loud voice she exclaimed: \u201cBlessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!\u201d Luke\u202c \u202d1\u202c:\u202d42\u202c<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span class=\"s1\">And so Elizabeth is likely the first person on earth to recognise and declare the present incarnation of Jesus before he is even born.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">THE POWER OF BLESSING OTHERS<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Don\u2019t get me wrong, this first <strong>\u2018Christmas Blessing\u2019<\/strong> between Mary and Elizabeth is of a highly significant prophetic order. However, one of the insights this highlights is that <strong>the act of blessing doesn\u2019t only initiate and release others into their destiny but it also activates ours<\/strong>. <\/span><span class=\"s1\">Because, as Elizabeth announced this blessing she also inaugurated the ministry of her own son John to<strong> &#8216;prepare the way of the Lord&#8217; <\/strong>&#8211; in affect declaring (as John would), &#8220;He must become greater; I must become less.&#8221; John 3:30<\/span><\/p>\n<p>So remember this Christmas that though you may need many things from God: a divine healing, a prophetic word of guidance or a miracle provision, <strong>often these blessings come as we bless and proclaim the favour of God upon others<\/strong>. <span class=\"s2\">And this is the great power of blessing others &#8211; that as you bless others it releases and draws down the blessing of God on your own life too:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cThose who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them, and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings will be saturated with favour.\u201d Proverbs\u202c \u202d11\u202c:\u202d25\u202c<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">So this Christmas why not ask the Lord for an opportunity to speak out and express Gods blessing and favour over others and see what God will do in your own life as a result?<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/the-power-of-blessing\/\"><span style=\"color: #b73755;\">THE POWER OF BLESSING<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>* It is possible that Mary and Elizabeth were cousins but given their age difference I&#8217;m going to favour aunty and niece.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-3 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-margin-top:30px;--awb-margin-bottom:30px;--awb-background-color:var(--awb-color2);--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1331.2px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-2 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3\"><h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">MORE RESOURCES ABOUT THE POWER OF BLESSING<\/h3>\n<\/div><div class=\"awb-gallery-wrapper awb-gallery-wrapper-1 button-span-no\" style=\"--more-btn-alignment:center;\"><div style=\"margin:-5px;--awb-bordersize:0px;\" class=\"fusion-gallery fusion-gallery-container fusion-grid-3 fusion-columns-total-3 fusion-gallery-layout-grid fusion-gallery-1\"><div style=\"padding:5px;\" class=\"fusion-grid-column fusion-gallery-column fusion-gallery-column-3 hover-type-none\"><div class=\"fusion-gallery-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/the-power-of-blessing\/\" target=\"_self\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Blessing.jpg\" width=\"1280\" height=\"850\" alt=\"The Power of Blessing\" title=\"The Power of Blessing\" aria-label=\"The Power of Blessing\" class=\"img-responsive wp-image-265575\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Blessing-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Blessing-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Blessing-600x398.jpg 600w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Blessing-800x531.jpg 800w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Blessing-1200x797.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Blessing.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 2200px) 100vw, (min-width: 824px) 423px, (min-width: 732px) 635px, (min-width: 640px) 732px, \" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding:5px;\" class=\"fusion-grid-column fusion-gallery-column fusion-gallery-column-3 hover-type-none\"><div class=\"fusion-gallery-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/livestream\/\" target=\"_self\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/BLESSINGSLIVESTREAM-3.png\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" alt=\"\" title=\"BLESSINGSLIVESTREAM (3)\" aria-label=\"BLESSINGSLIVESTREAM (3)\" class=\"img-responsive wp-image-273763\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/BLESSINGSLIVESTREAM-3-200x105.png 200w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/BLESSINGSLIVESTREAM-3-400x210.png 400w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/BLESSINGSLIVESTREAM-3-600x315.png 600w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/BLESSINGSLIVESTREAM-3-800x420.png 800w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/BLESSINGSLIVESTREAM-3.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 2200px) 100vw, (min-width: 824px) 423px, (min-width: 732px) 635px, (min-width: 640px) 732px, \" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding:5px;\" class=\"fusion-grid-column fusion-gallery-column fusion-gallery-column-3 hover-type-none\"><div class=\"fusion-gallery-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/how-not-to-stop-your-miracle\/\" target=\"_self\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/How-not-to-stop.jpg\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1200\" alt=\"How not to stop your miracle\" title=\"How not to stop your miracle\" aria-label=\"How not to stop your miracle\" class=\"img-responsive wp-image-110770\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/How-not-to-stop-200x133.jpg 200w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/How-not-to-stop-400x267.jpg 400w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/How-not-to-stop-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/How-not-to-stop-800x533.jpg 800w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/How-not-to-stop-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/How-not-to-stop.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 2200px) 100vw, (min-width: 824px) 423px, (min-width: 732px) 635px, (min-width: 640px) 732px, \" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"text-align:center;\"><a class=\"fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-default fusion-button-default button-1 fusion-button-span-no fusion-button-default-type\" style=\"--awb-margin-top:30px;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/become-a-member\/\"><span class=\"fusion-button-text awb-button__text awb-button__text--default\">FIND OUT MORE<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":274039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[283,177,1057],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-blogs-by-rob","category-living-the-kingdom"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A CHRISTMAS BLESSING - Spirit Lifestyle with Rob &amp; Aliss Cresswell<\/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:\/\/spiritlifestyle.com\/a-christmas-blessing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta 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After graduating from ministry school in 2006 they established a local church in their home town of Chester and several exciting outreach initiatives (known for salvations, healings and miracles) including a caf\u00e9, shop and B&amp;B. Rob is the author of 'The Threefold Miracle Mandate', 'The Believer's Guide to Survival' and 'The Believer's Guide to Thriving'. 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