4GIVEN

Trusting God in the light is easy peasy. However, trusting God in the ominous depths of darkness is moderately arduous. So how do we trust God while navigating through the valley of fear? Well, Tony Evans put it this way, “As we consider how to trust God in the dark places in our lives, let’s also think about the story of Peter as he saw the Lord walking on the water. Jesus told him to come out on the water with Him. Peter stepped on the water, but the Bible tells us he began to get distracted by the wind and waves whipping around him. In other words, he began to focus on his circumstances. When Peter took his eyes off the Lord and began to focus on his situation, he began to sink. Just like Peter, we will sink every time if we are focused on our circumstances instead of our solution, Jesus Christ.” The solution is not giving up, it’s not detaching, nor is it becoming a bravado! God resolutions are different with different individuals and situations because God doesn’t have a ‘cookie-cutter’ way of doing things. But He is the same in His purposes, and He will always accomplish His plan. So today, trust Him and continue to move forward!

The human spirit is more powerful than we could ever imagine however, it requires nourishment. In order for any plant or vegetation to grow it must have soil, water, and sunlight. As it is in the Plantae kingdom so it is with the human spirit. We too need to be nourished and filled with love, grace, mercy, worship, praise, prayer, work, friendship, and family. Our spirits must thirst for Christ much like our plants and vegetation thirst for rain in a drought. Jesus said in Matt 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”. He also declared in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and who ever believes in me will never be thirsty”. Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in Him, because the Giver did not make us to be filled up by the gifts but only by the Giver. May God help us to be able to distinguish between the two and to want the right one, because we cannot serve both God and Mammon. 
#iAmThirstyForChrist

What do you do when God seem silent? The lyrics in Andrew Peterson’s song “The Silence of God” hits the nail on the head; “It’s enough to drive a man crazy, it’ll break a man’s faith It’s enough to make him wonder, if he’s ever been sane. When he’s bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the Heaven’s only answer is the silence of God.”

Here are 8 things to do when God seem silent:
1. Ask Him why. (Isa 55:8)
2. Trust him. (Pro 3:5-88)
3. Anticipate! (Joshua 3:5)
4. Respect that he has the right to be. (1 Peter 2:13-25)
5. Read God’s word.(Romans 10:17) 
6. Keep Listening. 1(1 John 5:14)
7. Keep praying. (James 5:16)
8. Claim victory. (Deut 20:4)
“The Lord will work out his plans for my life— for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.” Psalm 138:8 

2 Corinthians 1:20 says,”For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.” I don’t know about you but I have learned that God’s delivers on all His promises. Do you remember learning about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as a child in Sunday school class? These three Hebrews boys decided they would not bow down and worship a golden image, even if they were doomed to die in a fiery furnace! They knew the consequences—everybody in the kingdom did. But they made a clear, unyielding decision that if the God they served wanted to deliver them out of the fiery burning furnace, He would—but even if He did not, they still would not bow and worship another god. Their commitment was unwavering and non-negotiable. Watch this! God didn’t save them before they stepped inside the fire. He saved them inside the fire. Yes, I know that sometimes It feels like God moves slowly. However, the bible confirms in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” So If you are waiting stay vigilant and keep your armor on. We serve the same Almighty God that deliver those three Hebrew boys and YES, He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

What’s the one thing in life we often waste, take for granted, and/or fail to appreciate? If you guess ‘time’, you are correct! Do you know why time is one of the most precious gifts? To answer this question in short; it’s because we only have a set amount of it and when you waste time, you can never get it back. Rick Warren said, “You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.” The currency of life is not found in our bank accounts, stocks, bonds, nor our retirement accounts. The currency of life is time-investing it with family, friends, and serving God. I have heard it said, “Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to a good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no over draft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no drawing against ‘tomorrow’.” In Ephesians 5:16 Paul says, to make the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.” Time is a talent given to us by God, and it is misspent and lost when not employed according to his design. So today, do a self evaluation because your time is priceless. As Ralph Waldo Emerson advised, “Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.”