Less than 48 hours to go, so let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas from your DaniJohnson.com family! I hope your week is off to a great start, and I pray abundant blessings on you and yours this Christmas, whether you are spending the holiday quietly, with only a few people or surrounded by a huge family.

I recently learned something really profound, and I have to share it with you today. It is very simple, yet it has changed the way I think and the way I pray. It has built my faith tremendously and has helped me through some really hard things.

There is something you’ll have to understand right off the bat: This is not your typical Christmas message. But I am going to talk about Jesus, and I’m going to talk about the real meaning of Christmas. I will refer to the best success book ever written, which is the Bible. And the bottom line is, I have my beliefs, and they may not be the same as your beliefs. And that’s okay! But please keep an open mind, because what I’m going to share with you is going to help you, not just during Christmastime, but through every single day moving forward.

Whether you believe Jesus was born in the fall or winter is your choice. Different people have different beliefs, and that is perfectly fine. The most important thing for us all to understand involves less about when he was born and more about who Jesus is, why He was born and why it matters to you today.

In the first summary of Jesus’ conception and birth, it says, "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, God with us."

I’m sure you’ve heard that before – probably several times. But what does that mean to you? What does that mean for your job, your business, your family, your finances, your community?

It’s not just a story we read once a year on December 25th. I’m telling you, once you grasp the significance of this name, this character trait of God, it will change everything for you, just as it has for me.

My pastor talked about this name a few weeks ago, and I am still turning it over in my mind today. "They shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, God with us."

Think about it! He is God with US! That means you and me. He is here with us. He is not far away – He is HERE!

When I came into the understanding of what this really means, it changed the way I prayed. I am a woman of faith, but this gave me a whole new, higher level of faith.

See, when you say, "God, please be with my children," or "God, please be with me and help me in this meeting with my boss today," it’s almost as if you wonder if He really is going to do it. Sometimes it sounds like we don’t have faith to believe what we ask Him to do. But when you say, "God, thank you for being with my children! Thank you for being with me in my meeting today!" you acknowledge He is already there! You acknowledge He IS Immanuel, God with us.

I have a goal of giving away a million dollars every single month. There are a lot of things that must happen in order to reach that goal. One of those things is our staff has to be a completely solid, unified, top-notch team with rockin’ skills. We will never be able to reach this goal of giving away a million dollars each month if our team is not working at its full potential.

As I was praying for our team, it was no longer, "Please, God, be with our team. Please help them to grow in their skills. Help them to stay focused and to succeed."

I began to pray this way: "Thank you, God, for being with our team! You are with our current level of skills, and you’re already with the new skills that are coming. Thank you for being with each and every one of them and meeting their needs. Thank you for giving them more wisdom and increasing their skill sets. Thank you for increasing their ability to solve problems!"

I no longer begged God to be with three children who are out of my home and my two who are still at home with me. I thanked Him for already being with them! I thanked Him for being Immanuel, God with us, God with my children, God with our team, God with our clients – God with US!

When you really know God is already with you, you are then free from pressure, stress and anxiety. You don’t have to worry, because He is already with your family, your business, your job, your health and your finances. And He is with your future clients, your future relationships, your future staff, your future boss.

He already knows the answers to your questions. He is already in the midst of every problem you are facting right this very moment, and He has the ability to fix those problems. He is already there in your busy schedule. He is in the midst of the secret sin you are dealing with. He is right in the middle of your dreams and goals – even the ones that seem so big, so unattainable. He was with you yesterday and a week ago and 10 years ago.

He'll be with you tonight, tomorrow, next month, and every moment for the rest of your life. He is already with you, and He makes a way where there is no way. That's just who He is!

Whatever you are facing right now, begin to thank Him for being with you! Thank Him for being with you in your trials and your hard times, as well as in your happy and successful times. Thank Him for being with your family and friends, your clients and coworkers. Whatever you and I face today and in the coming weeks and years, He is with us. You are never alone, because He is Immanuel, God with us.

As we celebrate Christmas this week, I want to encourage you to share this message with your friends, family and coworkers. Just the simple act of sharing this reminder of truth could bring comfort, joy and reassurance to someone who needs it. This could be the most important gift they receive this week, so simply share this link on Facebook or print it out and hand it to them personally.

Be sure to join me this Wednesday night on the Spiritual Equipping Broadcast as we go even deeper into this topic!

In great faith,

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