4GIVEN

The word of God will always: speak what is true, command what is right, and provide us with what is good, and will never comfort us with a lie! 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” and Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” God’s word is incessantly under fire but yet it remains inherently and firmly fixed in the heavens ( Ps 119:89); it doesn’t change (immutable). There is no limit to its perfection (Ps 119:96); it contains nothing corrupt. All God’s righteous rules endure forever (Ps 119:160); they never get old and never wear out. In short, we should love what God loves and delight in whatever He says. God does not lay down arbitrary rules. He does not give orders so that we might be restricted and miserable. He never requires what is impure, unloving, or unwise. His demands are always noble, always just, and always righteous. In closing and as I mentioned above; we can always trust and believe the word of God will always speak what is true, command what is right, provide us with what is good, and will never comfort us with a lie!

We need not fret or worry about life’s obstacles and circumstances. I know it’s easier said than done. But, what if I told you that life circumstances are part of an angelic battle (Ephesians 6:12). On one hand the enemy uses these offsets to defeat us so that we squander our praise. Whereas, God uses them to fortify our praise! God is bringing-forth out of us the praise He pre-built in us even before the beginning of time! Yes, our praise exist in our belly but it’s up to us to release it by giving birth to it!! We can either wait for tragedy to release it or we can choose to praise God every single hour of our waking day despite our storms. In either case, we were created to praise and praise is who we are! I don’t know who I am talking to that has been walking around the city of Jericho for days on end but it’s time to blow the trumpet and watch those walls that have been blocking your promise come tumbling down (Joshua 6:2-27)!! God told the Israelites to walk around that city 7x not 8x or 9x etc!! Some of y’all didn’t hear the cue! It’s time to start praising!! If neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love….nor the power in the sky above or in the earth below can ever separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)….what in the heck are you waiting for….NOTHING….NO – THING can ever STOP God from performing radical and profound miracles in your life!! So believe it and receive it today and press forward to your destiny because God is desiring for you to bring-forth His praise, glory, and honor!

We’ve all read in the Bible where God literally changed a person’s name because the trajectory of their destiny had been redirected. But there was a minor character in the OT where God didn’t change his name but He did change the trajectory of his life. The obscure man I am referring to did not choose to be called by his name, but after a complicated birth, he was so-named by his mother and then he discovered that his name meant ‘pain’ or ‘one who causes pain’. His response to this discovery is found In 1 Chronicles 4:10, Jabaz boldly cried out; Oh, Lord, bless me indeed and expand my territory. Keep Your hand on me, and keep evil from me, that I may not cause pain!“ Jabaz name meant pain, yet he became “more honourable than all his brothers.” He took his supplication and prayed to “The God of Israel” and God responded! Yes, Jabaz was conceived in pain but delivered in victory. In the end, Jabaz turned out to be more than a minor character in a forgotten time. Instead, he is found to be a man whose prayer had a significant impact on the history of Israel. Though this story takes place over 3,000 years ago, its impact still affects us today. Therefore, as we set our sails into 2020 let us boldly pray Jabaz’s prayer over our lives believing in the power of God to radically change the trajectory of our destiny.

This ain’t no cliché! Therefore, I don’t need to get an ‘amen’ because it’s already done by God’s hand in Jesus’ all powerful name!!

#Favor

#Purpose

#IssaSonOfGod

#Vision2020

It’s easier said than done but we have to stop allowing our circumstances to get the best of us! We need to stop wavering and refrain from doubting the capacity of the God we serve to see us through! Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast to this confession of our hope for He who promised is faithful.” And so you know; to hold fast simply means to remain tightly secured. So why is it important to hold fast, whether it is through a fiery trial or the tedium of everyday living? Faith is a gift dispensed by God and through faith we have the capacity to trust God even when we can’t see God moving in our situation. Our confession of faith is not based on any strength or determination of our own, but on the promises of God. The Westminster Confession of Faith states, “This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which arises also the certainty and infallibility thereof” (WCF 17:2). Beloved of God, you may be facing some heavy circumstances right now or perhaps you know someone that is going through a difficult time. Never forget that your confession of hope reveals that you’re indeed holding fast to the Son of God. He is our righteousness, He paid our debt, and we have new life in him as He is now at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf. So ignore what the enemy is telling you and refuse to accept defeat! Remember holding fast means to remain tightly secured to the One who holds you! The only reason we persevere is because our faithful God is preserving us in Christ through his Holy Spirit. Amen and glory to God!!

Why do we often mistake ‘busyness’ for ‘productiveness’? Pastor Adrian Rogers said, “If the devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy.” Busyness is a tactic the enemy employs to get us off track and to steal our time. For example, you will find yourself having more time for everything except prayer, bible reading, bible meditation, devotional, evangelism, interceding, tithing, attending church, praise, and worship. John 10:10 reminds us the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And, one of our most precious non-replenishing commodities that’s incessantly fleeting and always under fire is our time. If I had a dollar for every time, I heard someone say, “I wish I had more hours in my day!” The enemy loves to distract and inundate Christians with activities that don’t contribute to our spiritual welfare. In Luke 10:38-42, we find Mary at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teaching and conversely Martha running around doing 100 & 1 things around the house. Jesus didn’t rebuke her but he explained to Martha that she was ‘doing the most’ and that perhaps she should be more like Mary and prioritize her time with him and not her chores. Martha’s busyness caused her to separate herself from the Lord, while Mary’s stillness intimately connected her to Christ. There is a reason why we all yearn for peace! Mainly because that’s where true rest, quietness, and joy resides. Don’t allow the enemy to fool you; peace can be found here on Earth, within the very spirit and breath of God that’s lives in you. The only prerequisite to experience it, is for you keep Christ at the center of your life and everything else will fall into its proper place! Question is, what’s on your itinerary today??

It is not a best practice to prejudge a person based on superficial examination! Now, let’s examine the Message Bible Paraphrase of 2 Corinthians 5:16-20, “Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.” Can you imagine what our world would look like if everyone chose to presume innocence and focused on keeping the main thing—the main thing?!

Why is it so important to proclaim victory, healing, and wholeness over our lives? Before I answer that question, let me say this; Christians really need to articulate the difference between the prosperity movement and declaring God’s promises. Church planter Dr. Gary Linton said, “Victory was God’s original plan for mankind, but it was forfeited through the fall, and is restored through the cross. His Word will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent (Isaiah 55:10-11), but we must speak it out, unleash it, and send it out into the world (Matthew 4:1-11).” God has promised and proclaimed victory over every situation and circumstance that we encounter in life. Therefore, we must do the same over our lives and situations, in agreement with Him and His Word (Matthew 18:19). We have got to stop allowing the enemy, doubt, and fear from restraining our tongues! It was God’s wind behind the rock that slayed Goliath but it was David’s initial proclamation of faith and trust in God that secured the victory before the battle begun. David said to Goliath in I Samuel 17:45-47, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!” Like David; we need to boldly and authoritatively declare, decree, and proclaim victory/vitality over our marriages, families, children, relationships, finances, jobs, ministries, education, and government! “There is power of life and death in our tongue” (Pro 18:21). And, as believers, we need to get serious about using it to articulate life! We need to begin to put our words to work for us like God Himself does. The Bible tells us that He uses words to “Call those things which be not as though they were” (Romans 4:17). So today, stand in agreement with God’s word/promises by speaking them out and unleashing them into your current situation and/or circumstance!

I John 2:15-16 says, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. In other words, you should never let the things you desire make you forget what you already have in Christ Jesus! We all need to examine our hearts daily and ask if what we are desiring lines up with God’s heart. If you open your hands and let go of the things you’ve so desperately wanted, you’ll be surprised by the vision God will instill in you. Your worldly wants will begin to shift into Kingdom desires and your heart will experience fulfillment in ways you never knew possible. Psalm 37:4 didn’t instruct you to delight yourself in the world rather it said, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Yes, God will give you the desires of your heart, but the first desire of your heart should be to serve Christ and not yourself. When you have Christ as your Chief desire, all of the worldly desires of your heart will be subordinate to His lordship, and you can willingly pray, ‘Not my will, but Thine will be done.’ When that happens, God will give you what your hearts’ desire, which will also line up with His heart’s desire for you!