4GIVEN

The enemy is a liar! Just because you may experience some struggles in life doesn’t mean you’re failing in life!! James 1:2-4 (MSG) reminds us to, “Consider it a sheer gift when tests and challenges [struggles] come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” God takes everything crappy thing about lives and He turns them for his glory and our good. Can I get a witness? Y’all know their stories and y’all also know their conclusions were far better than their dilemmas. Coming to the witness stand: Job and his trifling friends, David’s plight and fight, weeping Jeremiah, and 3x denying Peter? Many of us sojourn through struggles that test our faith however; there is no faith worth having that is not tested by fire. As our faith becomes more refined it becomes more precious than gold because it lasts. I Peter 1:7 confirms, “These trials [sufferings] show that your faith is genuine. It has been tested as fire tests and purifies gold-though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise, glory, and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world!”

According to Dr. Art Lindsley, “C.S. Lewis believed that (agape) love is not primarily a matter of feeling but of will. Obviously, it would be ideal if both duty and desire are fully present in our emotional and spiritual life. But we need to remember that love is commanded. We are obliged to love whether we like it or not. Thus Lewis says, “Christian love, either towards God or towards man, is an affair of the will.” In another place, Lewis amplifies this thought further, “Love in the Christian sense, does not mean an emotion. It is a state not of feelings but of the will; that state of the will which we have naturally about ourselves, and must learn to have about other people.” Jesus, our greatest example of love taught, exampled, and demonstrated to his disciples and the world how to put love in action. In this same article C.S. Lewis said, “The rule for all of us is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less.” My point is love is a matter of the will not emotion so if you say that you love someone but if it doesn’t line up with 1 Corinthians 13 then I invite you to re-examine the biblically rewarding prerequisites of true love in action!

If what’s ahead of you scares and what behinds you hurt you then just look up above and remember that God never fails to help you! Psalm 46 says God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. The reality is that there will be difficult times, but God promises to be our refuge. When buildings crumbling and our world is rumbles Psalm 62:1 reminds us that our soul will always find rest in God and our salvation comes from him and him only. God is our rock, salvation, fortress and HE (unlike us at times) WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN!

The Message Bible’s paraphrase of Psalm 103:13 make is REAL plain because, “GOD makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet. He showed Moses how he went about his work, opened up his plans to all Israel. GOD is sheer mercy and grace; not easily angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins. As parents feel for their children, GOD feels for those who fear him. He knows us inside and out, keeps in mind that we’re made of mud. Men and women don’t live very long; like wildflowers they spring up and blossom, But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here. GOD ’s love, though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him, Making everything right for them and their children as they follow his Covenant ways and remember to do whatever he said.” In this passage of text David is simply comparing our love for our children to God’s love for [us] his children. God doesn’t throw us in the trash rather He shows us compassion, mercy, and grace when we are sick, weak, and have fallen short of his glory. I too have to remind myself that I am made of mud….humbled!!

The immutable God we serve is a way-maker, and a rain-maker. He will fix-it, shift-it, and turn-it for His glory and your good! Therefore, stand in agreement with Him, maintain your faith in Him, continue serving Him, and be patient with Him. One thing is certain everything God is preparing for you will be worth the wait….I guarantee it!!!

There are many who believe the mark of a true follower of Christ is found in their church membership/attendance/giving. However, this is not completely true in its entirety. There are several distinguishing marks of a true Christ follower and a few of them are found in the Beatitudes recorded in Matthew 5:1-12: Peacemakers (V9), pure hearted (V8), merciful (V7), and thirsty for righteousness (V6). Make note, the Beatitudes are not telling you how to become a Christian as salvation is a gift that you merely accept by faith through grace (Eph 2:8). In point, the Beatitudes tells us what a true Christian looks like. Yes, learning to be a Christ follower is taught/preached/ministered at church but it must be lived outside of the walls of the church. Let’s be honest, it’s easy to profess our Christian status but what happens when someone cuts you off in traffic and shoots you the ‘bird’?? The reality is Christians are not perfect people because we all fall short of God’s glory ( Rms 3:23). But, we ALL need to regularly examine ourselves to see how we are lining up!

When you are feeling lost, discouraged, and broken remember that Christ is right there to bring you through it. In fact, you can never be completely broken because God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, his promises is likewise unchangeable (Hebrew 6:18). When the walls of life closes in, it’s not the time to give up and turn away from God. Rather, it’s the time to draw nearer to God; he acutely knows how to operate the ‘jaws of life’! God is our solution and for every problem he has prescribed an irrevocable promise. This is why we should all incessantly seek God all the more for direction, clarity, help, and strength especially in times of trouble. It’s in these times we should ask God to remind us of his plan and purpose, because sometimes we lose sight of his perspective as we journey through the valley of ambiguity and uncertainty. However, when we come out on the other side, we’ll have more faith, more joy, more strength, more hope, and a closer relationship with Him. So, don’t give up. Let Ps 31:24 encourage you: “Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.” Take heart, you have a purpose to fulfill and much work to do. We should cleave to the beauty in our brokenness because we can never ever be completely broken!

Harboring unforgiveness is not a healthy habit to lease or own. The worst kind of victim is the one that creates another victim and the most well-known teaching on unforgiveness is Jesus’ parable of the unmerciful servant, recorded in Matthew 18:21-35. In the parable, a king forgives an enormously large debt (basically one that could never be repaid) of one of his servants. Later, however, that same servant refuses to forgive the small debt of another man. The king hears about this and rescinds his prior forgiveness. Jesus concludes by saying, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart” (Matthew 18:35). Forgive!Let Go!Move On! Romans 8:18 declares that our present sufferings are not worth to be compared to the glory that will be revealed.

Sometimes God will keep you from the fire. Other times God will make you fireproof and take through the fire. To point one, David reminded us in Psalms 121:7, “The Lord will protect you from all evil [fire]; he will keep you safe.” To point two, David yet again encourages us in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil [fire]…..” Bottom line, God is your rear guard (Isaiah 52:12), blocking the enemy’s weapons. This is why the devil will never win! To remind you that God is fighting the enemy on your behalf, I’m stirring Exodus 14:14 into your cup of revelation and inspiration, which says, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” As you drink down the contents of your latte, place your hope, confidence and trust in the Lord who

defends you. Know that He is your present help in trouble. And remember, the attack the enemy had planned will not succeed. God has already blocked it and surrounded you with favor to move you forward.

Now let’s pray.

God, the enemy is attacking me from every angle, but I know I am protected, blessed and favored. Despite what it looks like right now, I refuse to speak defeat, but I declare that no weapon formed against me shall prosper, for You are my help. Thank You Lord for the victory You have already won!

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Time is fragile, precious, and in most cases is considered the most valuable commodity; worth more than gold, but wasted more than all else. Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). A good way to gain wisdom is to learn to live each day with an eternal perspective. C. S. Lewis wrote: “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.” One of life’s greatest paradox is when time collides with a crisis. What do I mean? Well, we don’t truly appreciate time until something forces us to pay attention. I can safely opine that hospice care nurses would testify the number one request before a person’s transition is to have more time enjoying their lives and enjoying their families. David implored the Lord in Psalm 39:4 he said, “LORD, make me aware of my end and the number of my days so that I will know how short-lived I am.” I’ve heard it said, “Wise people make wise use of time.” The book of Revelation tells us that when we all step into eternity, time will be no more. But until that last day, it is God’s desire for His people to build wisely upon the framework He has given to us.

How we choose to spend our time will determine our success or failure; our work and our reward, not only now but also in God’s eternal kingdom. God wants us to achieve something bigger than ourselves!! Point blank, when we are good stewards of our time, we can achieve all God has for us to do (Psalm 139). Look at this way, although time can be measured, it can’t be stored so if you’re holding onto grudges, resentment, past pain, faults, indiscretions, and regrets…let it go and start living life NOW because yesterday ended last night, tomorrow ain’t promised, and today is your present from God so receive it today!!