4GIVEN

You may ask yourself is GOD listening to my prayers? You May even feel like God is so distant. Well, TRUST me he is not! Happy Psalm 145:18 says, “GOD is there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it.” Beloved, GOD is watching over you. Right here. Right now. You may not see him or hear him, but you’re constantly on his mind, and he loves you. Therefore, don’t loose hope or think for a moment that GOD is ignoring your prayers-He hears all and sees all! Keep your eyes open, and watch for GOD’s presence in your life. You may not see him all the time, but like the wind, you can see the effect he has. Maybe you will see him in how he provides. Or comforts. Or the people he sends into your life. God wants you to keep on praying and reading his Word and living out your faith. Jesus said Matthew 28:20, “….surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” and Jeremiah said in 29:12-13, “Come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,” GOD says. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

God went through a whole lot of trouble to reconcile us! We are so bless to have a good-good Father that cares so much for us that He would lower himself to that of a mere human, be ridiculed, beaten, falsely accused, sentenced to death, and crucified on a cross so that we could have life and life eternally (John 3:16). I Peter 1:3 (MSG) says, “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.” You can have all the money, friends, worldly/historical knowledge, and possessions this world can offer but nothing and I do mean nothing compares to the love that God offers us through Jesus Christ. No love is greater nor more profound than the love of God! What a God we serve!!

When we’re communicating with a significant other, family member, colleague or friend, we want to be heard. And when we’re in conflict—when emotions are often inflamed—our understanding can be compromised. If anyone had to deal with conflict in the OT it was certainly David. In Psalm 116 dubbed the ‘thanksgiving’ Psalm, David remembers the the ominous dangers, cruel torment, and the mental anguished he endured and then how remarkably he was preserved by God. The MSG paraphrase of verse 1 put it this way, “I love GOD because he listened to me, listened as I begged for mercy. He listened so intently as I laid out my case before him. Death stared me in the face, hell was hard on my heels. Up against it, I didn’t know which way to turn; then I called out to GOD for help: “Please, GOD!” I cried out. “Save my life!” GOD is gracious—it is he who makes things right, our most compassionate God. GOD takes the side of the helpless; when I was at the end of my rope, he saved me.” When was the last time you didn’t ask God for anything and out of the abundance of His grace you reflected on His goodness with thanksgiving?

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You don’t have to wait until we celebrate Easter to remember that JESUS CHRIST is risen! He is risen above sickness, finances, ignorance, hatred, division, political systems, governments, heavy hearts, grieving hearts, sin, iniquities, transgressions, hurt, pain, rejection, trials, tribulations, and death! You see, possessing a praise-filled attitude despite your circumstances does not mean that we should never cry out to God in our suffering. However, praising Him and lifting Him up in the midst of our battles should stifle our worries, weeping, and doubts. When praying honestly to God and praising him in suffering we will find that God hears us and He alone will give us joy and peace that surpasses human comprehension. So trust JESUS CHRIST today even with the infinitesimal [smallest] problem because when we are at our worst God is always at His best!!

God never promised that we would live forever on this earth. So why do so many choose to live as if they will never die? Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Death is the destiny of everyone, and the living should take this to heart. Because of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, we do not need to fear the final deadline, but neither should we be nonchalant about it. Jesus said in John 3:36, “The One that God sent speaks God’s words. And don’t think he rations out the Spirit in bits and pieces. The Father loves the Son extravagantly. He turned everything over to him so he could give it away—a lavish distribution of gifts. That is why whoever accepts and trusts the Son gets in on everything, life complete and forever! And that is also why the person who avoids and distrusts the Son is in the dark and doesn’t see life. All he experiences of God is darkness, and an angry darkness at that.”Marcus Aurelius said, “Live not as though there were a thousand years ahead of you. Fate is at your elbow; make yourself good while life and power are still yours.”

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We all know what it feels like to take a loss ( aka “L”) in life and if you’re anything like me you’ve experienced in some shape, form, or fashion hatred, racial profiling, segregation, humiliation, degradation, discrimination, and opposition. However, when I stopped comparing my ‘L’s’ to other people and started comparing my struggle (s) to the struggles that Jesus endured, I quickly learned the power of true humility. Philippians 2:8 of the MSB paraphrase says, “Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life [despite all that He endured] and then died a selfless, obedient death – and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.” Humility requires vision, strength, and maturity. It’s one of the most difficult beatitudes to being into submission. But, the reward far exceeds the painstaking process in harvesting it’s fruits.

James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” Humility is obedience and obedience is better than sacrifice!

God’s love for you never fails, it never gives up, and it will never go bankrupt! His love for you far surpasses human comprehension ! You are extremely valuable to God and it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, His love for you never changes!! Have a terrific week and don’t forget to relish in God’s indelible loving embrace!!

PS. He is waiting on you!!

I’ve heard it said, “Follow your passion and you will find your purpose.” Well, passion is defined as having an intense desire or enthusiasm to do something and purpose is the reason for which something is done. Ultimately, our main purpose in life is to know Christ and make Him known. However, you must possess the desire to accomplish this purpose in order to fulfill it or see it manifested in your life. According to the MSB, Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20, “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you……..” You might be thinking Jesus was referring to ‘qualified’ individuals; right? Well, what if I told you Jesus is speaking directly to you and me!! You don’t need a certification!! All you need is desire! So, your ready but don’t know where to start? Prayer and theBible are only the tools you need in your started kit and the Holy Spirit will lead the way to you manifesting your purpose!