4GIVEN

We are all from different walks of life (ethnicity, gender, locale, etc), we are all in different stages in our spiritual journey, and we are all saved sinners however, when we come together in one place and focus on one God, great things happen! God be glorified! Check out the chorus penned in the song, Together We Praise, “One body in Christ. We worship in love together. One Spirit in Christ. We lift up our hearts, we lift up our voices and sing. For You are worthy, You are our Lord, our Savior and King!”

I believe that God has deposited blessings in our spiritual accounts that we have left unclaimed. According to Claimittexas.org, “There is currently about $3.4 billion in property that has not been claimed and approximately $586 million in shared property that has been partially claimed and paid to some of the owners.” That’s a lot of unclaimed money! I have 64 of those dollars unclaimed but I am too lazy to go through the process. In short, my point is many of us (including me) are either unaware or too lazy to go get what God has deposited. I am not only referring to financial blessing but also peace, comfort, healing, love, and joy. So today, remember It’s never too late to make a claim to redeem that which God has pre-orchestrated and pre-ordain before the beginning of time. (Ephesians 1-1-3)

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“It takes imagination to walk with God. Mostly His, of course. Ours simply determines the extent to which He can express it.” Andy Holmes. I betcha you by now everyone reading this post has either sat in a chair or is sitting in a chair. Did you question the chair’s ability to support you? Did you check it for structural integrity? Nope, you just sat down, right!!! God is not looking for church folk rather He is looking for folk in the church to be His ‘copy cats’! Jesus said, “I only do what I see my Father doing” and He wants folks like you and me to do just as He did! 

“The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?” Proverbs 20:24

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In most cases, God has already equip us with the faith, strength, and wisdom required to overcome life’s challenges. However, it’s almost like a cloud of ‘doubt’ hovers over every positive step towards progression.  Doubt impedes, deters, and delays the blessings God has withdrawn from your heavenly account and deposited into your earthly account. Watch this; F-A-I-T-H W-O-R-K-S is the PIN code required for access. Now, if this PIN code doesn’t work, you are probably at the wrong bank. 

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” James 2:14

Sometimes, we wait to see the hand of God move in our life when in reality God is actually waiting to see your hands, feet, and butts move in your life! 

“And when He saw them [10 lepers], He said to them, Go [at once] and show yourselves to the priests. And as they went, they were cured and made clean.” (Luke 17:14)

I believe we can learn a thing or two from a turtle. In my view, a turtle’s shell represents protection, safety, and comfort. This protective shell is an integral part of the turtle’s anatomy. Its shell (armor) is a casing of bones. Plates of bone are fused with ribs, vertebrae and parts of the shoulder and hip. Although shells vary from family to family, the basic structure remains the same. Turtle never leave home without their shell. What am I saying?? As Christians we should never leave home like the turtle without wearing our armor (shell). Ephesians 6:13 says, “So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up.” You see God’s armor should be fused to our ribs, vertebrae, shoulders and hips! So today remember that in His armor you have protection and access to truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and His word! 

When we are discouraged it doesn’t mean that God is absent rather the enemy is present. John 10:10 says, “The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. I [Jesus] came so that they could have life-indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest.” Charles Stanley said, “Disappointment is inevitable. But to become discouraged, there’s a choice, I make. God would never discourage me. He would always point me to himself to trust him. Therefore, my discouragement is from Satan. As you go through the emotions that we have, hostility is not from God, bitterness, unforgiveness, all of these are attacks from Satan.” So today, lay down your burdens, hurts, mistakes, and disappointments! Continue moving forward and remember it’s not in your strength but in His. “This is My command-be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you where you go.” Joshua 1:9

Grace is easily received but at times difficult to extend. 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+18%3A21-35&version=NLT

Receiving blessings from God are awesome but being a blessing (hands and feet) for God is even better. Joel Osteen said, When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance.” I am a firm believer that God sends blessing to who He can send blessings through. My momma use to say, “Son, what can a clinch fist receive…..NOTHING!” We are created to be a conduit for blessings others. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” So put yourself second and be a blessing to somebody today for no reason. Charles Stanley put it this way, “If you tell God no because He won’t explain the reason He wants you to do something, you are actually hindering His blessing. But when you say yes to Him, all of heaven opens to pour out His goodness and reward your obedience. What matters more than material blessings are the things He is teaching us in our spirit.”

Essentially, an eviction is a notice to ‘GET OUT’! Nevertheless, the term eviction is the most commonly used in communications between the landlord and tenant. For this devotional landlord represents God and the tenants represents His children. The real estate isn’t dirt, homes, condos, or apartments rather it’s your ‘PAST’. So many of us are walking through life like the ghost of Christmas past chained to past hurts, pains, and heartaches. Whether it’s the death of a loved one, a painful breakup, a business failure, or a treacherous betrayal, holding onto pass pain and resentment will only hold you back. Life-changing Speaker, bestselling Author, and Behavioral Science Academic Steve Maraboli said, “The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” The only thing you can do about the past is learn from it! Paul said it like this, “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…” The fact is  God doesn’t want His tenants living the past. LBJ said, “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” Today is your day to live in freedom, liberty, and victory. Our Landlord  has issued a notice to evict (eviction) so why are you still living there?