4GIVEN

Isaiah 55:8 declares, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” Wow, I love to remember that God’s thoughts, plans, ways, methods, and strategies are infinitely higher and greater than my own. They are better in every way. They take me by surprise. They go where I could have never dreamed. They are accomplished in ways that surpass any and all expectations that I ever had. So if you’re reading this message, God unequivocally still has a greater plan and purpose for your life. We may not see it from our limited vantage point, but trust that God sees the whole story, not just the page in history we sit in!

God gives us the freedom and responsibility to make plans. And yet, God relates the decisions we make to our future. However, this is not a reason to be passive or fatalistic, but rather it is an encouragement that you can rest assured that God is in ultimate control of your life. You need not be frozen in a state of indecision. You can trust that God will work out everything for the good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Simply put, I am not the boss of me! I’ve learned to put GOD in charge of my work so that whatever I plan becomes grafted into the fabric of His plan, purpose, and promise for my life (Proverbs16:3).

Pray with me:

Lord God, thank you that you are the sovereign Lord and that you control the events of history. Forgive me, Lord, for the times when I have perhaps known I am on the wrong path but have tried to manipulate my way. Help me always to stay in line with your plans, will, and purpose. May all my plans be your plans, and may these plans succeed and bring you glory and honor. In Jesus’ name, amen and amen!

Make every breath count TODAY and pray that GOD help us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in WISDOM.” (‭Psalms‬ ‭90‬:‭12‬ NLT)

God’s love for us is unconditional period! In Christ, there is nothing you can nor can’t do that could ever diminish God’s love for you (Romans 8:38)! Nobody is perfect (Romans 3:10) however, we grow into ‘reflective’ perfection in Christ and Christ alone (Phil 1:6). Now then, our imperfections should never be used to excuse our sins or weaknesses, but rather illuminate the areas of our lives that propel us to the foot of the cross. Our Father said in Isaiah 54:10, “‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” I don’t know about you—I plan to kneel my way into and through everyday of 2k19!! Hallelujah, I know that God loves me because of who He is (1 John 4:8) and not because of who I am.

Life is not eye candy, it’s soul food! God afforded you one life-to-live so choose to live today as if it were your last! You don’t have to wait till the turn of a new year to start living a purpose driven life! As it stands, the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose!

#ForwardLiving

God teaches us contentment through adverse circumstances, disappointments,

and unexpectedness.

Philippians 4:12,“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.”

Father God, thank you for sending your son so that after death we may know something other than the suffering and pain this world offers. Thank you for Jesus’ birth, for it opened the door to unending joy that we can’t imagine but so desperately yearn to experience. Father God, bless the brokenhearted, especially those who are mourning the loss(es) of loved ones you have called home to be with you! Caress them O’God with moments of insurmountable and incomprehensible peace and remind them that even though their broken hearts may be all they have, that is all You want. Lord, you said in Psalm 34:18, that you are close to the brokenhearted and that you rescue those whose spirits are crushed. You also reminded us in 1 Peter 5:10 that after we suffered for a little while, you will restore, support, and strengthen us and you will place us on a firm foundation. Father God, as the grieved and broken-hearted walk through life especially this holiday season, give them a fresh glimpse of who You are. Help them remember the suffering You experienced as You watched your Son on the cross, a gift given that saved us from eternal death. Help them remember with joy and wonder the amazing gifts we have simply because you gave, a precious baby born that Christmas morning and who later abandoned a tomb on an early Sunday morning. Help them focus their hearts and mind on Immanuel, God with us (Isaiah 9:6). Father God, Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit, you are our hope, our only hope, for Christmas and every day we walk on the surface of this earth. May we always carry your hope within us despite what happens directly and inadvertently to us!! In Jesus precious and hope restoring name I pray, amen and amen!

#MerryChristmas2018

Today’s Prayer by Noël Pinnock

Dear Lord, we always appreciate the doors that open and become quite discouraged when one closes. Without any notice, the hands of God moves silently yet consistently as His broad brushes fills the canvass of our life. We are reminded that despite our earthly expectations, Your will is sovereign because You reign as Lord over our lives. You are in the business of perfecting what You started in us as sometimes getting better hurts because it pushes us to recalibrate how we think and process our thoughts. One day we will thank You for everything that didn’t work out when we see what does work out was ordered by You. Jesus is the door and anyone who enters through Him shall be save albeit the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy but Christ has come so that we have life and life more abundantly. Father God, You are free to enter our lives and because You have the master key for all locks in life…it doesn’t matter the doors that close because who cares about doors that are closed when we can walk right through them, if it were in Your will for our lives. We stand today healed, whole, and healthy…in Jesus’ name, the Author and Finisher as well as Lifesmith of our lives, we pray with fervor and faith…amen!

I’ve heard it said, “It’s not what something cost, it’s what something is worth.” In theory this cliche sounds good but it’s not entirely true. We live in a transactional world and before any kind of currency is exchanged, the worth or value must at a bare minimum equal the cost required for acquisition. Let me lift it up….ignoring man’s foolery (sin) God saw enough value in us that he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). The blood stained cross was the currency used to pay our sin debt in full and reconcile us back to God because he valued his glory and us greater than our sins! The value of your soul is measured by the price paid for its redemption. The Bible says, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

All relationships go through good and not so good phases. When you recognize that your relationship is in a rough spot, take heart. Great relationships don’t happen by proxy. Realistically speaking, you must consider and be willing to accept disappointment. No one is perfect and yes that includes you! Two people will always have a difference in their expectations. Psychological studies have proven that once we become convinced of an idea, our brain will ignore and discredit any information that contradicts what we believe. In Acts 15:22-31 we learn of a crippling ‘what-we-believe’ disagreement in the early church that nearly caused the church to split in half. However, a thoughtful letter hand delivered by well-respected and humble leaders helped to settle the dispute. The leaders of the early church demonstrated conflict resolution 101! In lieu of bickering and harboring resentment they choose to respect the ones who opposed them, they considered their dispositions (they didn’t just write them off), and they were willing to seek out a long term resolution. God is not a fan of relational chaos! He desires that we all get along peaceably (Romans 12:18) because we enter relationships to build and grow our lives together. Therefore, don’t get caught up in the grind of life’s logistics and remember strong and healthy relationships are built on respect, integrity, and humility which can only happen when all parties are honest and willing to to subordinate with each other. Nothing will ever change until something changes!

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