4GIVEN

We’ve heard it said, “Trials, storms, and test don’t come to stay; they come to pass!” Now this sounds good but when you’re going through one of those ‘valleys’ it’s not very pleasant. Who truly enjoys going to the dentist (no pun intended)? No one is thrilled to go to the dentist especially if they’re going in for an aching tooth, a root canal, or gum disease issues. (Ouch, I can hear the drilling as I write this devotional message.) Pain is a place we visit but we must remember it’s not our forever destination. We may never completely understand why God allows what He allows and that’s ok! Romans 8:28 reminds us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.” It is our sovereign God that is all-knowing, all-wise, and all-powerful not us!! And if we truly love God then we should always trust His goodness, His power, and His will to work out all things for our good in spite of the various trials, storms, and test we encounter throughout our lives. Just so you know, the fact that God works all things together for our good simply means God’s plan will not be thwarted; in the end God wins!! Remember Joseph in Genesis 37? He experienced plenty of trials, storms, and test: kidnapping, slavery, false accusations, wrongful imprisonment, rejection, and famine. But in the end God took what the devil meant for evil and brought things back to a wonderful, life-affirming conclusion. Undoubtedly, Joseph’s faith saw the light of God moving in his circumstances even though the only thing his eyes could see was darkness and

God blessed him and his entire family through those painful trials, storms and test! So today, remember faith isn’t a feeling rather it’s a choice to trust God even when you can’t see the remedy!

Let the CHURCH say AMEN!!

We each possess specific spiritual gifts, according to the grace given to each of us and God is calling all of us to use those gifts in accordance with our faith (Romans 12:6). Therefore, it’s incumbent for us to remember that God anoints and appoints certain people to accomplish certain tasks in building His kingdom here on this planet! Some of us are anointed with gifts that stand out while others receive gifts that are more private (like intercessory prayer). But the Spirit distributes different gifts for different callings to all types of people. For a variety of reasons, we become critical and jealous, leading to an attitude of arrogance and rebellion. Those bad seeds sow destructive fruits. People who eat that rotten fruit get sick and spread those destructive germs to many others. So let’s not covet our neighbor’s gift(s) and start exercising our own gifts. It doesn’t if you are holding a mic preaching in an auditorium filled with a thousand people or cleaning a stall in the church’s restroom; the glory God’s receives from your obedience is received all the same. Walter E. Disney said, “Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.”

I DECLARE it ain’t too late to accomplish everything God has purposed in your heart. The enemy is a liar, you have not missed the window of opportunity. God has moments of favor in your future. He is preparing you right now because He is about to release His special grace to help you accomplished that dream/vision. Don’t give up or give into doubt, frustration, nor aggravation. Remember God is faithful in keeping His promises. So today DECLARE His Word over every situation in your life and holdfast to your confession of FAITH. Be confident that God can make a way when there seems to be no way. Even when your mind begins to waver, don’t allow your CONFESSion of FAITH to waver. DECLARE that God is working behind the scenes on your behalf and for your benefit. You are the BENEFICIARY of every BLESSING He has prepared even before you were a substance in creation! DECLARE that He Who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it, DECLARE that your MIRACLES will GLORIFY CHRIST, and DECLARE GOD’S PROMISES over your LIFE TODAY!

“You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow, Say this: “ GOD, you’re my refuge. I trust in you and I’m safe!” That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you— under them you’re perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because GOD ’s your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get through the door. He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path.” (Psalm 91:1 MSG)

”Not that I was ever in need, for I have LEARNed how TO BE CONTENT with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” (Philippians 4:11-12)

God has something great prepared for all of us! I Corinthians 2:9 reminds us, “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” God is “moving the pieces” of our lives with insight, forethought, and brilliance all for your good and His glory! Therefore, remember as followers of Christ our goal is not to come up with good ideas or plans, but to seek out God ideas and plans, and to walk in-line and in-sync with them!

Pray with me:

Father God, help me, Lord, to walk in the good works you have prepared for me. Help me to be open to all that You would have me do. Teach me to see my whole life as You see it. By your Spirit, may I come to see every open heaven moment of every day as an occasion to do good works—including good work—for you. In Jesus’ name Amen.

There are many times in our lives when God calls us to go somewhere or do something. He wants us to step out in faith/ obedience in a situation that seems extremely ridiculous so He can amaze us with what He does. Unfortunately, most of the time we miss out on these exciting opportunities because we fail to move–or let Him move through us. When He asks us to move, He never asks us to go alone. He asks us to move because He wants to go somewhere and He wants us to move with Him! In Joshua 1:2 He tells Joshua: “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.” He also reminded him that He would be with him and for him to be strong and of good courage. For Esther, God’s command to go meant risking her life and going before the king so that her people might be saved from death. Her walk of faith/obedience was a short one–down the palace hallways–but it could have been quite costly to her and her people if she chose to stay put! I don’t know what God is calling you to do–but you do! You have have been vacillating long enough so it’s time to get moving. Servanthood is all about faith and odebience. And if you fail to serve/obey God on the way to where He has called you to go, you will never be able to serve Him when you get there.

It doesn’t matter if you’re 1 inch from the cross or 1000 yards from the cross, God still wants you!! 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” God has told the sinful world, in no uncertain terms, to repent (Mark 6:12; Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; 17:30). To repent means to change your mind from the embrace of sin and rejection of Christ to rejection of sin and embrace of Christ. Those who refuse to repent and turn to Christ in faith will suffer eternal consequences. This is why Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “…now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation!” So, if you’ve been straddling the fence stop resisting the voice and pull of the Holy Spirit. Think about it, there was a time when the Lord shut the door of the ark, and the flood swept everyone outside the ark away (Genesis 7:16) and there came another time when the wedding party began, and those who were not ready for the coming of the bridegroom were locked out (Matthew 25:1–13). Beloved of a God, it’s up to you to accept or reject. Don’t shoot the messenger rather, open your heart to the Message of grace, peace, mercy, forgiveness, and love!

Today, is the day for your salvation!

Your greatest enemy is your own anger and rage. Our life is fleeting; much like a vapor. James 4:14 says, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog–it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” Harboring resentment, bitterness, ill-will, and anger only sucks the life out of you and the real question is do you really want to spend the brevity of your fleeting life holding on to an offense(s) that can easily be forgiven? Why would you drink poison and hopes the ‘other’ person (offender) will die? King David had the opportunity to kill Shimei in 2 Samuel 16:5-8 as it was the King’s right to do so but he chose the path of humility instead of ending his vitality. In verse 10 we find that David avoided feelings of anger, bitterness, and resentment by viewing the situation from the Lord’s perspective. I’ve heard it said, “Holding on to anger, bitterness, and resentment is like holding on to an anchor and jumping in the sea! If you don’t let it go, you will eventually drown.”