4GIVEN

God ain’t done with you yet! God promises to complete in you what He began in you even before your baby shower (Phil 1:6)! Why am I so confident of this fact? Look at it this way, Christians aren’t complete when they accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Salvation (redemption/forgiveness) is given instantaneously but the life of becoming a saint is a process that God works in us and then through us day-by-day. A piece of clay can’t be turned into a great vessel until heat is applied and without heat, there can be no molding or shaping. Like you, I too have a testimony of His leading in ways I would never expect and he has provided for me and my family in so many areas during my life. I can look back on those heated tempering tests and see just how God brought me through each of them sometimes beaten and bruised but God remained faithful even when I was faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). I have confidence that He knows what is best for me regardless of what I see since I can’t see the entire masterpiece of God’s upper story plan! Needless to say, I unequivocally know that He cares and loves me and for that I will be forever grateful! The transformation process isn’t always easy, but I’m thankful to know that He’s not finished with me yet.

Each of us possess at least one spiritual gift that God intended us to use for his glory and to build his kingdom here on earth. If we are all gifted, then why are some of you squandering what God gifted to you? The greatest commandment Jesus said it is to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds and the second is to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). God gives us gifts so that we will use them and show his love to others. In most cases, some Christians squander their gift(s) because they’re afraid to use them, they haven’t identified their specific gift(s) or they simply don’t believe their gift(s) is important enough!! Make note: this message is not intended to point an accusatory finger at anyone, rather I am sending out a clarion call for all that have been sitting on their gift(s) to get off the fence! In Matthew 25:14-30 we find the parable of the Talents spoken by Jesus. In short, we find that two out of three servants chose to do something with their talents, whereas one elected to bury/ hide his talent because he was afraid to do something with it. So, his talent was taken from him and given to the one who did the most. In V. 29 Jesus said, “For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” It doesn’t matter how big or small, important or unimportant your gift is, God personally tailored your gift specifically for you to contribute to the building of his Kingdom today not tomorrow or the next! Our world is in deep trouble and it’s time for all who have been straddling the fence to get off the fence because we got a lot of work to do, the body is counting on you, and more importantly God needs you!

James is 💯% on point (James 4:14): “Life is a vapor! Like a morning mist that soon vanishes, so life is short and uncertain.” There are no guarantees about tomorrow, let alone next year or ten years from now. You may be young and healthy this morning, but you easily could be a corpse by sundown tonight. You may be thinking, “That’s morbid! I don’t want to think about such things!” But if you ignore these things, you will not live your life properly in light of eternity. James wants us to know that it’s imperative for us to humble ourselves before God and obey His will. Simply put, life is frail, short, fleeting, and death is imminent. If you are breathing and reading this message today trust me when I say that you’ve taken yet another step closer to the expiration of your life. Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” Those who have learned to number their days spend them in pursuit of wisdom, goodness, and the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). They don’t have to fear the wrath of God when their earthly lives expire. They trust in the finished work of the cross and eagerly anticipate for the Lord to speak 10 words, “Well done, good and faithful servant(______________) come on in!!!””

There is a distinct difference between contentment and ambition. By definition contentment is a state of satisfaction and ambition is as having a strong desire to do something greater. So what is the distinction? Inarguably, it’s the driver or motivation. For example: I’m content with what I have and what God has entrusted to me. On the other hand, I’m not content to sit around and do nothing just because i’ve been blessed. Jesus said, “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought” (Matthew 5:5 MSG ). Jesus knew that worldly discontentment would adversely motivate us to pursue “stuff” we don’t necessarily need! Paul followed up with Jesus’s teaching by helping the Church at Philippi understand the peace found in situationAL contentment. He said Philippians 4:11-12, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” The key to balancing these two giants is to maintain active contentment and consistently evaluate your motivation. You can be happy in your present moment and still challenge yourself with goals and aspirations for the future. With this balance, ambition can be a positive aspect and contribute to your development as a person without taking away from your active contentment.

We must embrace the principle of knowing that God is omniscient and does not make mistakes! In fact, God has never made a mistake. He has had a purpose in everything, and outcomes are no surprise to Him, for He declares the end from the beginning (and the beginning from the end): “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Unlike God, we make plenty of mistakes, we live with our mistakes, big and little, petty and disastrous, and we become accustomed to making them. But we serve an omniscient, infallible, and mistake-free God whose greatness cannot be fathomed. There are times we question God’s infallibility in regards to ‘things’ that occur in our life and in our world. However, certain experiences and conditions beyond our control make us wonder if God has maybe miscalculated. (“wronger”) This is where grasping the concept of the above principle corroborates with scripture; “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). Bottom-line, it takes faith to accept the ‘things’ we don’t understand, but “we are (supposed )to live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). In everything we must understand that the ‘things’ of this life are expendable and are being spent for our eternal reward according to the wisdom of Him who “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy” (Jude 1:24). We can rejoice that our Lord God makes no mistakes in our lives but has a good and loving purpose for everything He allows.

In short, quit doing the same thing expecting a different result! Jesus said in John 21:6, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” The disciples were frustrated, tired, and wearied because they went out night fishing and caught no fish. Jesus appeared to them at dawn and ask them if they caught any fish. He then asked them to do something that appeared ridiculous (re-read the verse above). I know Peter was trippin!! He probably was thinking…’really Jesus’!! But, in an act of simple obedience they followed Jesus’s command and they caught enough fish for nearly a lifetime! So, I don’t know the number of years you’ve been laboring and coming up empty, but what I do know is that when obedience becomes a lifestyle and not an option you will experience greater miracles, breakthroughs, and victory in your life! Notice that Jesus didn’t tell them to get a new net, nor did He ask them to move the location of the boat. He simply asked them to take whatever mustard seed of energy they had remaining to trust Him!

Take that breath God bless you with today and give him praise, glory, and honor. Psalm 150:6 is one verse in the bible that regardless of the translation, transliteration, and/or paraphrase is worded almost identically; “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” As you might know, Psalm 150 is a praise Psalm we use to worship God, who can deliver us from the sicknesses, burdens, demonic attacks, and bondages of Satan. The word, “praise” is derived from a Latin word which means to prize. When we praise, we are expressing our approval by valuing something or someone who has worth or merit. The word also means to “shine” or “make a show by raving and celebrating.” To praise the Lord is to prize Him and rave about Him as the only one worthy of glory and honor. When praise becomes a priority in your life, you will miraculously witness the power of God working through your life! God is not only good, He is great and God is great all the time, not half the time or just on Sunday. God wants to be a part of our daily lives and our daily praise. He values time with us. He cherishes it when we thank Him. So today remember to take that breath He gave you and do something with it! Praising God in every circumstance produces joy and pleases God. God gets glory from every act of praise no matter what shape or form.

Father God, I may not understand how everything will work out, but I choose to place my faith and trust in You! Right now, I don’t see a way, but I know that You can make a way, out of no way! I have faith at this very moment You are touching hearts, opening doors, closing doors, canceling demonic assignments, and lining up the right breaks and opportunities. Though things may appear dark and bleak right now, I have faith that my dawn is coming! As the Psalmist says in Psalm 30:5 , “…in Your favor; weeping endures for a night but joy cometh in the morning!” Father God, I declare and decree that my manifold breakthrough is getting ready to break through and this glass ceiling that has been restraining me from experience all of You is getting ready to shatter so that, I can receive the vertical blessing that You have been waiting to pour out over my life that will change my horizontal situation for the rest of my life. Father God, I am reminded of your word penned in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For my light and momentary affliction is producing for me an eternal glory that is far beyond comparison.”

Thank You Lord for restoration, elevation, and manifestation, in Jesus’ life preserving and enduring name, amen and amen and amen!

We serve a BIG GOD that can do BIG MIRACLES! We serve a God that thinks about our lives, our world, and his creation on a completely different level than even the smartest human has the capacity to think (Isaiah 55:8-9). It’s easy for us to become discouraged when we fail to see things from God’s omniscient perspective. Let me put it this way, when things don’t go our way, our tendency is to ask ‘Why, God, why?’ But what we should be asking is ‘What, God, what?’ What miracle is he trying perform in our lives? I get it, it’s impossible to know the transcending thoughts of God but we do have empirical evidence that proves God will inform us about what he is doing through prayer and through faith he will bring it to past. A.W. Tozer says, “Because God knows all things perfectly, he knows no thing better than any other thing, but all things equally well. He never discovers anything, he is never surprised, never amazed.” Below is a non-exhaustive list of some amazing BIG MIRACLES; there are hundreds more in the Bible but for the sake of time let’s start with these:

1. Abraham and Sarah have a baby in Genesis 12-21. They were both over 90 at the time of his birth.
2. The plagues fell upon Egypt. Exodus 7-12.
3. God parted the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to pass through on dry land surrounded by two enormous walls of water. Exodus 12-14.
4. God sent manna to feed the Israelites. It fell from heaven like the dew. They could only collect what they needed for one day or it would spoil. Exodus 16.
5. A poor widow prepares her last meal for the prophet Elijah and it lasts for many days. 1 Kings 17.
6. A man was healed of leprosy after washing in the river seven times. 2 Kings 5.
7. Three men are rescued out of a super heated furnace without even being singed. Daniel 3.
8. Daniel spends the night in a pit of hungry lions and walks out the next day. Daniel 6.
9. A virgin gave birth to a baby. Matthew 1, Luke 1-2.
10. Jesus and Peter walk on water in a Cat V Hurricane. Matthew 14, Mark 6.
11. A paralyzed man got up and when told to. Matthew 9, Mark 2, Luke 5. Acts 9 (different man that the first three).
12. Five thousand people were fed with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6.
13. Jesus drives the demon out of a possessed boy. Matthew 17.
14. Lazarus was raised from the dead three days after he died. John 11.
15. Peter is delivered out of prison by an angel. Acts 12.
16. Paul & Silas prison doors are opened by an earthquake. Acts 16.

Another HUGE MIRACLE that’s not penned in the canonized scriptures is your birth! If you are reading this message, God has a BIG PURPOSE for you to PURSUE and FULFILL! So when life becomes too overwhelming always remember the God we serve that is able to do BIG MIRACLES!

We all experience highs and lows in life. However, we must learn never to forget that God is greater than our \/s &/\s! The prophet Elijah was not only a spokesman for this concept, he was also a client. A few of Elijah’s highs consisted of God provided an unlimited supply of flour and oil for a widow where he had stayed. When the widow’s son got sick and died, Elijah through the power of Jesus resurrected him. Elijah won a battle against 450 prophets of Baal. Fire came down from heaven and consumed his offering on the altar in Mount Carmel (I Kings 18:20-30). Then Elijah prayed, and heavy rain came after seven years of drought and famine. Elijah outran the chariot of King Ahab with his God-given speed (1 Kings 18:46). In sterling contrast to Elijah’s spectacular highs, he acutely suffered great distress after the idolatrous Queen, Jezebel threatened to kill him (I King 19-20). He ran away to the wilderness and asked God to take his life. He was filled with hopelessness, fear, and despair. BUT in a stunning and remarkable ‘Rocky Balboa’ style comeback, an Angel of the Lord came and gave him food and drink (I Kings 17:2-16). In the end of Elijah’s life he didn’t experience a natural death rather, God transported him to heaven in a whirlwind ( II Kings 2:11-12). My point of encouragement is that our Abba Father knows what to do and what’s best for us when we are confronted with difficult circumstances. Therefore, we shouldn’t tune our focus merely at the negative side or front side of the obstacle(s). It behooves us to remember Elijah’s back story and how God’s upper story plan was greater than his highs and lows. As we trace back history, as early as yesterday, we should recognize and be grateful for the love God has given us and the unlimited of grace and mercy He has extends. Our hearts should be filled with gratitude and humility just like Elisha in II Kings 2:12. Despite the pangs of life, God has wonderful things in stored for our future much like, Elijah, Elisha, Peter, Paul, Moses, Noah, and all those that have preceded us in the faith because God is greater than our than our \/s&/\s!!