4GIVEN

MORNING PRAYER:
Father, I anticipate with great expectations the good things You have prepared for me today. Bring complete and divine order to my day as I seek You first and make Your will, plan, and purpose my priority. I rejoice in the new day You have given me and my family. I praise You for making it abundantly fruitful and productive. Thank You for teaching me ways to increase my effectiveness— to work smarter. I chose to work according to Your Spirit’s agenda and perform for an audience of one—the Lord Jesus Christ as mentioned in Colossians 3:23. In Jesus’ name I ask all these things by faith, amen and amen!!

I declare in the name of Jesus that I am a pioneer of new territories. Like Joshua, I walk in favor with God and man, and I will possess all the land God has given me. With Christ on my side, I believe there will be no holdups, no holdouts, no setbacks or delays. Unlike Lot’s wife, I will not look back to return and desire the former. Father, cause me to ascend into new realms of power and authority and access new dimensions of divine revelation and inspiration. Breathe new life into every dormant dream and dying aspiration. In the Jesus’ amen and amen!

Father, I decree and declare that I will be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, I will make my requests known to You. I arise in faith today knowing that You hear and answer prayer. Because I bring my needs to You, I will walk in the peace of God that surpasses understanding, and it will guard my heart and mind. In stillness and quietness I will wait for You, and You will lead me in the way I should go. I seal these declarations in the name of Jesus, amen
-Cindy Trimm

Lord, bless the works of my hands. Let my name be associated with good things. Shield me from persecution and false accusations; guard me against greed, discouragement, and sabotage. I welcome opportunities to grow and mature. Let my actions be in sync with Your will. In Jesus’s name, amen

We live in a dark sin-filled world in desperate need of a Savior. However, the darker the world is to us, the more clearly the light of our Savior and stands out. Look at it this way, it’s not hard to focus on a light in a darkened room. “We have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19). Those who stay focused on Christ will find their perspective on worldly things changing and fleeting. As Helen Lemmel says in her hymn, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, / Look full in His wonderful face, / And the things of earth will grow strangely dim / In the light of His glory and grace.” Despite all of this domestic and international ruckus we got stay focus on the truth spoken in God’s word. Jesus said in Matthew 24:6, “And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.”

Is anger the same as murder? Certainly not, right? But Jesus says differently, equating anger with murder when it comes to the root of the sin. In other words, there’s no scale when it comes to sin: losing ones’ temper, contempt for others including name calling, and murder are the same in God’s eyes. In Matthew 5:21-23 Jesus said, “….But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty…..”and Paul said in Ephesians 4: 26: “In your anger do not sin.” We are constantly being bombarded with some form of hate in all types of media streams and truthfully speaking it’s easy to jump on the bandwagon because we are all emotional creatures. However, when this happens it’s time to redirect your energy.  Ask God to help you redirect the energy from your negative feelings of anger into positive actions that are useful and productive, such as cleaning your house or exercising your body. Rather than letting anger take root in your soul, pray daily for God’s help to let go of your struggles and forgive others so you don’t carry over unhealthy attitudes into a new day.  Also ask God to fill your mind with thoughts of His goodness toward you, which will give you peace.

We don’t ‘dodge’ bullets, we are not ‘just’ making it, nor do we ‘just’ get by. We are exempt from these worldly idioms. However, we are favored by God because of Christ. It is his divine grace, his undeserved mercy, and his limitless provisions that keeps us from hurt, harm and danger! Don’t you get it?! Even on our worst days we are the apple of God’s eye! When he thinks about us, he gets excited with immeasurable joy! He loves us beyond words and there is nothing that he won’t do to help us remember who we are in him! I hope this reminder stirs your soul and wakes up your heart. God really does love you. He made you and believes in you. He’s for you.

Don’t let any one or anything steal your joy today. God brought us here to live an abundant life in Christ (John 10:10) Will we experience storms? Of course! But remember storms come and go! We have access to subterranean joy that is simultaneous with, and deeper than, our sorrows. God is as committed to our joy in him as he is to his ultimate purpose in the universe (James 1:2).

As our culture continues to spiral deeper into the pit of fascism, narcissism,  nationalism, hatred, and racial injustices it’s easy to take matters into our own hands. But, we must not forget that God is large and in charge. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” We should not depend upon our own wisdom and understanding in the conduct of civil life rather, we should always seek direction from almighty God! I’ve heard it said, “God is never blind to your tears, never deaf to your prayers, and never silent to your pain. He sees, He hears, and He will deliver you!” Notice that God never once said, ‘Figure it out’. But over and over He says, “Put your trust in me.” Yes, we live in a broken world but remember God ain’t broke!

Merciful and gracious heavenly Father, thank You for not giving up on us. Instead of turning Your righteous back, You chose to keep a watchful eye on us despite the many times we failed and disappointed You. Thank You for Your generosity in forgiving our past, present, and future sins. Thank You for sending Jesus to our aid and for blessing us with the Holy Spirit to help us mature and grow to become more like Him. Please forgive us for our impatience with others when You have been so patient with us. Stir up the living waters in us so we can live a life pleasing to You, and to be a blessing to our family and our neighbors. In Jesus’ name I pray; hallelujah and amen.