4GIVEN

When we seek God our hearts should open and our hands empty so that we are able to humbly cleave to the foot of the cross. Conversely, something amazing occurs when we’ve reached our wits-end or have hit rock bottom; the cross reminds us that God understands, He cares, and He is already turning things around for our good. As you know, God is omniscient, knowing all things, and He joins us as the Rock, the Chief Cornerstone, at the depths and in the center of our despondency. God knows first hand what pain is. David said in Psalm 56:8, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” While being pursued by his enemies, David had the wisdom to write these words. Jesus also empathizes with our pain as Hebrews 4:15-16 reminds us that, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses [pain], but we have One who was been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence [humility], so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Humility precedes honors much like His crucifixion preceded His resurrection. In Isaiah 43:26, the Prophet reminded us ‘to keep God in remembrance of His promises. That we are not to keep silent and to keep on asking until whatever we are asking from God comes to fruition’. Beloved of God, please hear me: if you are experiencing pain today please know that you have a God that cares for you and Jesus knows your pain. Your situation may seem impossible, but God makes the impossible, possible. No word from God will ever fail nor return empty (Luke 1:37). There will be a day when pain, mourning, and crying will be permanently defeated (Revelation 21:4). Let us then, brothers and sisters, operate in hope and complete faith in anticipation of that day.

Pray with me:

Father God, I surrender to Your plans, purposes, and will for my life. As I cleave to the foot of the cross and praise You despite the pain, I am reminded that Your grace and mercy, are afresh and anew daily. I refuse to stay in the depth of despair and I choose to walk in the light of Your victory!! In Jesus’ name, we pray and grip we stay…Amen!

Magical, breathtaking and jaw dropping things happens whenever we commit our plans to God. Recently, I review the concept and technique of ‘putting first things first’ authored by Stephen Covey and I began to ponder on the big rock illustration. I’m sure most of you reading this message have seen it: the big rocks represented the urgent important priorities whereas the smaller rocks, granulated sand, and water non-urgent priories. What do you think would happen if you applied this concept to your spiritual walk and not just your vocational endeavors?! Well, re-read the opening sentence! Above all things, your spiritual walk is by far the most urgent priority in the life of a Christ follower. Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” In this verse, the word “commit” (gol) comes from the Hebrew root galal, which could be rendered as “roll away” or “heap” (gal means a heap or pile of stones). Are you catching on? Great, now let’s paraphrase Proverbs 16:3; “Give all your big rocks, small rocks, granulated sand, and water to the Lord and He will establish your plans.” Talk about supernatural prioritization, rest, and fulfillment!! When you trust in God’s love, when you “roll away” the burden of your life to His care, your thoughts will be “established” and you can truly enjoy the confidence that God Himself is directing your way (Psalm 37:23; Psalm 90:17; Proverbs 16:9). When you commit your ways and your work to the Lord, He will bless your efforts according to His perfect will in ways beyond our understanding (magical, breathtaking and jaw dropping)! You should serve the Lord faithfully and then leave the consequences to Him. Inevitably, you will still face times of difficulty, but you can trust that God is working for His ultimate good—and yours—through your efforts to please Him in your daily vocation and walk with Him!

James 4:6 says, “ God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Other translations say it like this: God gives grace to the humble, God favors the humble, and God blesses all who are humble! Simply put, bible-based humility is being comfortable with who you are in the Lord and therefore putting others first. One example of biblical humility is found in Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” With that said, bible-based humility doesn’t in any way suggest that as a Christ follower you’re to be weak or passive! That’s not God’s message to us!! However, God does want us to die to self, devote ourselves to helping others, delight when others win, depend on Him in every circumstance (good or bad), and to incessantly direct our thoughts on His unwavering grace every day! Colossians 3:12-14 structural cements these concepts nicely and it reads, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” True bible-based humility demolishes pride, builds healthy relationships, and brings out the best in people despite negative or adverse circumstances!

Steve Jobs dies a billionaire, with a fortune of $7 billion, at the age of 56 from pancreatic cancer, and here are some of his last words… 👇👇👇

“In other eyes, my life is the essence of success, but aside from work, I have a little joy. And in the end, wealth is just a fact of life to which I am accustomed.”

“At this moment, lying on the bed, sick and remembering all my life, I realize that all my recognition and wealth that I have is meaningless in the face of imminent death. You can hire someone to drive a car for you, make money for you – but you can not rent someone to carry the disease for you. One can find material things, but there is one thing that can not be found when it is lost – “LIFE”. ❤️

Treat yourself well, and cherish others. As we get older we are smarter, and we slowly realize that the watch is worth $30 or $300 – both of which show the same time. Whether we carry a purse worth $30 or $300 – the amount of money in the wallets are the same. Whether we drive a car worth $150,000, or a car worth $30,000 – the road and distance are the same, we reach the same destination. If we drink a bottle worth $300 or wine worth $10 – the “stroller” will be the same. If the house we live in is 300 square meters, or 3000 square meters – the loneliness is the same.”

“Your true inner happiness does not come from the material things of this world. 🌍 Whether you’re flying first class, or economy class – if the plane crashes, you crash with it.”

So, I hope you understand that when you have friends or someone to talk to – this is true happiness! ✅

💥 Five Undeniable Facts 💥

1️⃣ Do not educate your children to be rich. Educate them to be happy. – So when they grow up they will know the value of things, not price.

2️⃣ Eat your food as medicine, otherwise you will need to eat your medicine as food.

3️⃣ Whoever loves you will never leave you, even if he has 100 reasons to give up. He will always find one reason to hold on.

4️⃣ There is a big difference between being human and human being.

5️⃣ If you want to go fast – go alone! But if you want to go far – go together.

And in conclusion… 👇

👨‍⚕️ The six best doctors in the world 👩‍⚕️

1️⃣ Sunlight

2️⃣ Rest

3️⃣ Exercise

4️⃣ Diet

5️⃣ Self-confidence

6️⃣ Friends

Keep them in all stages of life and enjoy a healthy life. 😊

Whichever stage in life we are at right now, with time, we will face the day when the curtain comes down.

Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends…

Treat yourself well. Cherish others. 🎉

“Love the people God sent you, one day He’ll need them back.”

🙏🙏 🙏 Something worth sharing!!! 💯‼️

Sometimes faith doesn’t make sense!! Can I get at least one witness?! We’ve all heard people say, “When you can’t explain it, you know it was God that did it.” Well, let me testify. My assignment was to relocate my office off Galveston island to a location further mainland. I was then given a general vicinity and specific relocation guidelines as to what to look for etc. Fast forward approximately 3 years later, I thought I found the perfect location but to my dismay it wasn’t a good fit for the company’s vision or business model. So the hunt continued… Now, although the corporate team said ‘no’ to that location, the owner of the retail center said ‘yes’ to my proposition. I offered to find a piece of commercial property in Alvin and he agreed that if the location met his criteria he would build a commercial retail center and tailor a lease space to fit the parameters my company desired for their build-out. Now, I’ll submit to you in the back of my mind, I said to myself, “This sounds good but how in the heck am I going to pull this off.” To make a long story short, I prayed and God revealed to me a tract of land that wasn’t being advertised but for sale located on HWY 35 N Bypass in Alvin, Texas. There’s a lot more twists and turns to this story but to God be the glory (#TGBTG) and in His grace,
I successfully negotiated the commercial real estate land transaction and nearly 1 year later (2019), we successfully moved in to our new retail space and not to mention several other great small businesses: Red Oak Cafe, Sombreros, and recently La Costa Seafood. Here’s the kicker, on March 7th I was honored to speak at a marriage conference hosted by Ed & Kim Oratvez at the Red Oak Cafe. I never saw any of these awe inspiring events transpiring in full sight (read 2 Corinthians 5:7) but God did and I think this is why faith doesn’t make sense, it molds heroes. God is not asking us to see the full picture rather to trust that He is the Artist that painted picture! We are traveling in a season where God is using our circumstances to mold our faith and to turn our hearts back to Him! So in times such as these, don’t ever forget that God leads (Hebrews 11:8-13), God provides (Genesis 22:1-3), and God blesses (Genesis 22:5). We all have a story…..what’s yours?!

While we are masking/guarding our mouths to prevent the spread and possible contraction of the COVID-19, let us also be mindful to mask/guard our hearts during these ambiguous times! Proverbs 4:23–26 instructs believers to, “above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” When Solomon refers to guarding the heart, he really means the inner core of a person—the thoughts, feelings, desires, will, and choices that make that person who he/she is. The Bible tells us that our thoughts often dictate who we become (Proverbs 23:7; 27:19). Believers know the peace of God, which surpasses all human comprehension (Philippians 4:7) will enable them to guard their hearts and minds in Christ amidst all circumstances. Here’s some more good news; the Lord will not relinquish His grip on the treasure of His precious people but will hold us firmly in Christ (Romans 8:31-39). We guard our hearts because the Lord, our Warrior, goes before us, in front of us, and is on every side at all times and in every place we go. Our heart is the most important leadership tool we have. It is not our experience, knowledge, or skills. It is our heart that matters most so it’s incumbent upon us to guard it!

You’re not condemned, your loved by God so don’t live in condemnation (Romans 8:1)! Hopefully, I got your attention! Condemnation is one of the enemy’s favorite weapons. He’ll use anything—the flesh, the media, our past, and even fellow believers—to feed into our sense of unworthiness and fear of punishment. There’s an old Nanticoke Indian tribe parable referred to as ‘The Tale of Two Wolves’: a boy asks his grandfather about his internal struggle between good and evil. The grandfather explains that there are in fact two wolves battling inside of him. “Which one wins?” the boy asks. The grandfather responds: “The one you feed.” This parable is not written in the Bible, however it powerfully illustrates Paul’s point recorded in Romans 8:3-6. Beloved, when we set our minds on the flesh, we naturally begin to feed into its desires. But the opposite is also true: when we set our minds on the Spirit, we begin to walk by the Spirit and give glory to our Father in heaven. I get it!! We battle with this negative opposition daily, but we must remember God’s Word is “living and active and it’s sharper than any two edge sword” (Hebrews 4:12). So when condemnation begins to surface it’s ugly face from our flesh, the devil, or the world, we can boldly proclaim “there is therefore now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). As it stands, Jesus paid our sin debt- in -full and He rose victoriously so that we can live in the depths of His victory!!Thank you Jesus, hallelujah, and glory to God! Yes, we have the freedom in Christ to live free from condemnation now and forever! No gift is more liberating than this!!

Billy Graham said, “ l’ve read the last page of the Bible. It’s all going to turn out all right.” In Revelation 22:1-5 says, “Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,a with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.” Now let’s flip back to Numbers 6:24-26 and it reads, “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;The Lord [a]lift up His countenance upon you. And give you peace.” Did you catch it? The phrase, “The Lord Shine”! You and I both know that’s exactly what our world needs right now! When the Lord ‘shines’ His countenance upon us, it shows that He is looking on us for our good. God wants to bless us. He wants to protect us. He wants to heals us. He wants to deliver us. He wants to save us! He wants to love us. However, I order to become beneficiaries of these benefits we must follow the command in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” The good news is God’s clarion call to repent and his promise to restore hasn’t change! When I read the first verse in Genesis 1:1, I learned it was going to be alright because in the beginning was translated from the Hebrew word Berashite which means, the SON of GOD will be DEVOURED by His own STRENGTH on the CROSS!

#Berashite

#בראשית

English Puritan Church leader, Richard Baxter once said, “This life was not intended to be the place of our perfection, but the preparation for it.” Let’s be honest, life would be much easier if we had the perfect spouse, children, parents, in-laws, jobs etc. The candid reality is that no one is perfect. We are all works in progress , flawed, and Romans 3:23 reminds us that, “All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory [perfection]! Paul formerly known as Saul was one of the best persecutors of the early church. But you would think post his conversion and transformation that his latter life would be nothing short of perfect. He is responsible for writing two-thirds of the New Testament Gospel but yet check out his conviction in Philippians 3:12 (CEV), “I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize.” Paul was focused on pursuing the prize, not being the prize. He was running a race and he knew that seeking the goal protected the cause of Christ from criticism and reproach. When we aspire to live a godly life and pursue the goal (like Paul and countless others), our life becomes more in tuned and consistent with the character of Christ and the character He upholds in Scripture. At the end of the day, the prize is knowing Christ and as recipients of the prize our response is to make Him known!

Pray with me:

Father, we approach your throne room of grace beaten, battered, and flawed. We know that you are actively aware of every imperfection in us. Henceforth we pray that you dispense in us a fresh level of determination and commitment so that we continue to run this race, focused, motivated with maximum effort, dependent on Your resources for those times we fall short of tour perfected glory! Help us to be consistent in the Word and prayer, following a pattern that we might be like Christ, as much like Him as we will be in Your flawless presence, in Jesus’ life resurrecting, transforming, and conforming name, Amen.

It behooves us to trust God with the small things just as much as we, trust Him with the big things. It’s truly unfortunate that many Christians today fail to turn their small and minuscule burdens over to God. In most cases, people who elect to do carry these tiny weights end up with 100 pounds of compounded pebbles on their chest and they wander why life is so difficult!! Yes, life is filled with little burdens. Lots of them!! You know, the details of life like bills and carpools and in-laws (not my in-laws, of course). The flesh tells you that God is pleased when you carry the load, that He will help you when you help yourself—particularly on the trivial, little stuff. I get it! I know we should always trust God to carry the heavy burdens that are beyond our ability—like our salvation, deliverance, healing, or getting out of a speeding ticket 😁. So, the real question is why should we bother Him with small burdens when He has all these wars, storms, and now a catastrophic worldwide pandemic to deal with? Beloved, God measures “trivial ” burdens a little differently than we do. We measure “trivial” burdens based on our ability to handle it ourselves, whereas God measures it based on our ability to trust Him with ALL THINGS (big or small). Most people have committed this scripture to memory, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight ( Proverbs 3:5-6). 2 Corinthians 2 5:6-7 is another scripture that most Christians remember, “walk by faith and not sight.” Simply put, Solomon and Paul are encouraging us to live life in light of eternal consequences and to trust God with every circumstance! So, today tune and turn your hearts over to the voice of the Holy Spirit and the truth of His Word (John 10:27; 16:13) and choose to live according to the strength that God deposited in you through the Holy Spirit that lives and works through you and never forget; NOTHING is too small or big for our God! He wants it all because He can handle it all!!