4GIVEN

How many of you successful executive professionals are making tremendous strides at the workplace but are failing miserably at the home place?? If this day was dubbed transparent Friday, I believe that I would be unfortunately overwhelmed with many men and women that are failing miserably at the greatest investment that will outlast any career endeavor. This is not a finger pointing post rather it’s a clarion call (if this applies to you) to evaluate your priorities. Achieving public success while fostering a broken family is not good business! I don’t care what position you hold; we are all expendable (ask John Schnatter)! It makes absolutely no sense to gain the whole world and forfeit the relationships that truly matters the most! There are some folks that will travel around the globe helping, coaching, and supporting strangers but won’t spend 5 minutes with their husband, wife, son, and daughter investing, pouring, and enriching their lives. If this message is hitting home just know it’s not too late to make change! Here is my point, put your family first. Give them the best, not what is left over.

If you are breathing right now and can read this text I want you to do me a favor (in a little bit) and it doesn’t matter who you are nor what you are going through. We don’t win spiritual battles with carnal weapons. We have an enemy–Satan and the spiritual forces of darkness that stand in opposition to God and his people. We can’t win that battle by fighting on his terms. God gives us a different set of weapons to use. Prayer. Testimony. Praise. Worship. The Word of God, and the precious blood of Jesus by which we have already won the victory. We can’t win our battles the world’s way. We win through following God’s battle plan; by living out radical praise and worship.The favor I asked earlier is for you to simply read and live out Psalm 150:6,”Let everything that has breath praise [worship] the Lord.” Lastly, remember that our God has already given you victory–a victory won not in battle but on a cross. Stand in obedience on the truth of His word. Bathe your battle in prayer, praise, and worship. Then open your eyes and look to see what God will do and has done, for He who promised…. is faithful.

Stay bless on purpose!!

There is only One road that leads to eternal salvation, life, and peace with God. I love the way the Message Bible paraphrased John 14:6, “Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him. You’ve even seen Him!” There so many debates about this spiritual truth; in fact from the Pharisees and Sadducees perspective this was the main reason they crucified Him. So don’t get all hung up on trying to figure out how this was possible instead read Philippians 2:5-8. Simply put, we serve a God that make impossible things possible and there is no way our mere human comprehension can fully dissect the spiritual complexities of how God does what only He can do throughout history and our present lives today!

Expectations are beliefs that spring from a person’s thought process when examining evidence, situations, and circumstances. Our expectations are not always correct because of flaws in our logic and the bias of hope and desire. Often, we form expectations automatically, without conscious effort. When expectations are not met, pain ensues, and we often place blame on the something or someone who did not live up to our expectations—even if our expectations were unreasonable and/or not communicated. Therefore, don’t place expectations on others before you first communicate and then agree on what the expectations you are setting. Assumed expectations only leads to disappointment, discouragement, and discord. In everything, we should look to God and trust Him (Proverbs 3:5–6). His promises are absolutely sound, and our expectation that He will fulfill His Word is called faith. We can expect God to do exactly what He says he will do (2 Corinthians 1:20; Joshua 21:45; Psalm 77:8; 2 Peter 1:4). When based on God’s Word and properly communicated our expectations will never fail to be met by God nor by man!