4GIVEN

It’s been said that there are 365 “Fear nots” in the Bible, one “Fear not” for every day of the year—actually there are more than 365 “Fear nots” in the Bible! Thank God because we need to be reminded to “Fear not” and trust God every day. OTH, “Fear” is spoken of over 500 times in the KJV. Furthermore, in addition to the “Fear nots” many times it’s saying “Fear God,” which really means reverence God alone and do not fear anyone or anything else. Here was David response when he was seized by the Philistines, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, In God I trust; I will not be afriad. What can mortal man do to me (Ps 56:3-4)?” God is greater than any man and He is bigger than our fears. When we are grappled by fear, the only way to break its shackles is by placing your trust in God (Isaiah 41:10).

Notice that Jesus said,”Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need” (Matt 6:33). Think about it; you don’t have to seek for someone if you already know where they are! The word ‘seek’ was translated from the Greek word ‘zētéō’ and it means properly, to seek by inquiring. In others words, Jesus is saying that when we seek God though fervent prayer and supplication, God supply an answer (aka) need(s). So,’if you need something don’t worry or complain about it rather turn it over to God and He will supply a more than adequate resolution.

Paul tells in I Corinthians 10:31, “That whatever we do, do all to the glory of God.” So what is God’s glory? The glory of God is the beauty of His spirit. It is not an aesthetic beauty or a material beauty, but it is the beauty that emanates from His character, from all that He is. Tony Reinke said, “Glory is the light of divine delight. Specifically, it is the brilliant, emanating overflow expression of God’s infinite delight in being God. Glory light expresses God’s glorious worth. God chooses to express His invisible, infinite worth in a visible, created way. A created thing can reflect or express a spiritual reality. Glory to us looks like light. It is bright. It is radiant.” Now, in light of this understanding, I would rather spend one second basking in ‘God’s infinite glory’ than to live a lifetime of limited riches basking in the ‘glory of man’! 

“Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit (Psalms 51:9-12).” In Jesus’ name amen and amen!

God is making something genuinely beautiful out of all of us. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” and I Timothy 4:4-5 says, “For every creation is beautiful to God, and there is nothing to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.” “As Romans 11:36 states, all things are from God and to God. Beauty boomerangs from God into created beauty, then through the senses and soul of the image-bearer, and finally back to God with praise and glory.”

The throne room of Grace is a place where God doesn’t recall your past sins, mistakes, and failures. It is a place where God measures Jesus’ righteousness i/l/o our unrighteousness. Hebrew 4:16, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. In Esther 5:2 we learned as Esther the queen was standing in the court, that she obtained favour [grace] in the sight of her king. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of his scepter. Similarly, when our Father sees us from afar as we are standing in the court of His palace and the entrance hall to His throne room seeking entrance to the throne of grace, He extends and holds out to us the scepter signifying His grace [favor] which then allows us to enter into His presence and come to His throne.

I declare that I have confessed all my past sins and mistakes. Therefore, I am forgiven; I am clean; and I am free in the sight of the Lord. He does not hold my past against me. He is my Redeemer, my Restorer, my Deliverer, and my Salvation. His Spirit is operating in me right now to get me out of every mess I have created, both intentionally and unintentionally. My heart is repentant, and my desire is to do what is right. Therefore, God is helping me walk out of the problems that have tried to grip my mind and my life! I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name! Amen and amen!!

Christian leader and Anglican cleric John Stott once posed a question, “How did Jesus expect His disciples to react under persecution? In Matthew 5:12 Jesus said, “Rejoice and be glad!” Stott continues, “We are not to retaliate like an unbeliever, nor sulk like a child, nor lick our wound in self-pity like a dog, nor just grin a bear it like a Stoic, still less pretend we enjoy it like a masochist [self denial]. What then? We are to rejoice as a Christian should and even “leap for joy” (Lk. 6:23).” Well, Stott’s observation is correct. In Matt 5:11 Jesus said, “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers.” Now then, leaping for joy is a tough thing to do especially when you really want to leap on the person (s) that’s causing the injury. One thing is for sure, suffering does produce perseverance (Romans 5:3) and scripture confirms when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:4).

Do you really know how much God loves you? God loves us with an audacious kinda love. His love for us is immeasurable, incomprehensible, uncommon, unfailing, unconditional, and everlasting! The world, our flesh, and the enemy will attempt to diminish the light of God’s love for us, however, God’s love is persistent! David describes this love in Psalm 23:6, stating, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life” (NLT). So today remember that in all circumstances that God is there for you and He loves you…….immensely!!

Do you really know how much God loves you? God loves us with an audacious kinda love. His love for us is immeasurable, incomprehensible, uncommon, unfailing, unconditional, and everlasting! The world, our flesh, and the enemy will attempt to diminish the light of God’s love for us, however, God’s love is persistent! David describes this love in Psalm 23:6, stating, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life” (NLT). So today remember that in all circumstances that God is there for you and He loves you…….immensely!!