Luke 1:39 -43, 56

In those days Mary arose and quickly went into the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She spoke with a loud voice, "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb....Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her own house"


As soon as Mary found out that she would be pregnant with Jesus, she knew that she needed Elizabeth who had been on the journey. One who has experienced the morning sickness, the discomfort of pregnancy as well as the joy of carrying a destiny. She knew she needed a mentor who "has been there and done that". Thank God the angel gave her the information that she needed about Elizabeth.


When God gives you a vision (pregnancy), you need someone (mentor) who has been through the same or similar road. They can give you insight on how to navigate your way during the process. Remember, your experience is not your best teacher, a wise person will learn from other people's experience so that they will not go through the same land mines as the mentor has been through.

Elizabeth was still pregnant when Mary went to visit her. Mary did not go to look for someone who had already delivered the baby. You know they always say that the moment you deliver the baby, you forget the pains of pregnancy and childbirth. She looked for someone who was still carrying a pregnancy! Elizabeth, even though her pregnancy has advanced normally beyond miscarriage, but she is still in the process, she has not "arrived" yet.

A good mentor is not someone who is no longer relevant in the vision you carry. An Elizabeth is someone who has been through what you are going through but is still carrying and nurturing a godly vision. You do not need an expired mentor in your journey of destiny. An expired mentor has no vision and they will kill your vision with their words.

The baby in the womb of Elizabeth leaped for joy when He heard the voice of Mary. Why? Because the destiny that Mary carried had aligned with her own destiny. The deep had called to the deep! When you are aligned with the right connection, there will be a "leaping" in the destinies that you both carry. Your mentor is the one that sees the destiny you carry and there is a leaping in her womb as well, there is an excitement that is beyond comprehension. And it is a joyful leap. Your mentor gets excited at the vision that you carry. It resembles her own vision.

And as the baby leaped in the womb of Elizabeth, she spoke out with a LOUD voice. She echoed what the Holy Spirit said to her. A relevant mentor will not stop speaking to you about the greatness that you carry. They will be the one always reminding you of that project, that vision, dream or desire that you spoke to them about a while back. They will not allow you to be complacent about your future. They will push you and stretch you. Visionary mentors are relentless, they will call and pray with you, share ideas with you regarding your vision or dream.

Why a loud voice?
You see, sometimes when your vision is so great, you can be overwhelmed and may not be able to hear God. You need someone with a loud voice to acknowledge what God is doing in your life. You may feel like you are drowning in the sea of your vision, that is when your Elizabeth will need to be loud.
Mary must have been overwhelmed with all that was going on; pregnancy while not married, she would give birth to the savior....I can imagine the thoughts that would be running through her mind. Who would believe her? What would the people say?
Have you been in a situation that you know you have heard God, but....this is just too much. People already think you are crazy. I remember when the Lord asked us to move to Canada from the USA to start Faith Chapel, our family members and my co workers thought we were crazy. One specifically told me that we would soon be back! You need a voice louder than those voices in order to stay focused, otherwise the pregnancy will be aborted. Thank God for Elizabeth!

Your mentor is the one that helps you to clarify your vision. Elizabeth told Mary that she was the mother of her Lord, she helped Mary clarify that vision, if there was any doubt in what the angel had told Mary, coming to Elizabeth had removed all doubts.
May God lead you to your Elizabeth in Jesus name.

The other part to this story is found in verse 56:
"Mary REMAINED with her about three months and returned to her own house"

Why 3 months?
Mary could have left Elizabeth the same day or after 2 weeks. The first trimester is the most delicate period of every pregnancy. That is the period when miscarriages commonly occur. Mary made sure she stayed under the tutelage of her experienced cousin until, she was sure that the vision would stay.
Many proteges nowadays would desert their mentors too early. They want to stand on their two feet and do their own thing. Don't be too quick to launch out. Preparation preceeds successful performance. Stay under cover.
Like I wrote in my book, Destiny Drivers, offence that stems from familiarity is one reason why people leave their mentors, especially if you are being mentored closely. There is an human factor to every one, no matter how spiritual they are. Once some people get close enough to see the humanity of their mentor, they lose respect for that person.

Do you know that Elizabeth could have gotten on Mary nerves? Elizabeth was not a soft cookie, how did I know? Remember at John's christening, she refused to be quiet and follow tradition to name the Zechariah Jr. She was outspoken and stood her ground (see Luke 1:59-60). She was a tough lady. She may also have had some habits that were not pleasing to Mary. But Mary remained with her until she was sure that the vision could not be miscarried any more. I can imagine what they would be doing daily, Elizabeth would be calling out the destiny of the baby in prophecy and Mary would be singing. What a great combination! A singer and a prophetess! Glory to God!


You must be blind to the shortcomings of your mentor (as long as they are not in unrepentant sins) if you want to go far with them. Don't allow familiarity to breed contempt.
May God lead you to your Elizabeth and may He help you to be a Mary in Jesus name.
May your destiny not be aborted and may your vision be realized in Jesus name

Shalom
Pastor D