4GIVEN

What does unshakeable peace, unshakeable hope, and unshakeable faith have in common? The adjective in front of them. Unshakeable means to be firm, staunch, resolute, sure, certain, fixed, secure, constant, absolute, unassailable, well-founded, steadfast, unwavering, immovable,and unswerving. I Corinthians 15:58 says, “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable [unshakable]. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” Now this doesn’t mean that life will always be peaches and cream. On the contrary! Life will be fill with pits, twists, peaks, and valleys. However, there is a reward for those who are remain unshakeable. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast [unshakeable] under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.” In the famous words of Danny R Blair “And it just don’t get any better than that!” 

(PS. Danny Blair is my handsome father-n-law 🙂 

God, thank You for life! Thank You for healing. Thank You for deliverance. Thank You for restoration. Thank You for peace! Thank You for comfort! Thank You understanding! Thank You for being patient with me! Thank You for readily accepted me just as I am and for loving me so much that You will not leave me the way that I am. Thank You for courage! Thank You for providing! Thank You for never turning a deaf ear to my prayers and supplications. Thank You for answered and unanswered prayers, petition, and supplications.Thank You for the spare change that I have in my car, kitchen drawer, and in the couch. Thank You for my wife, children, and family. Thank You for my friends, frenemies, and enemies! Thank You test, trials, and victories. Thank You for strength of my limbs and mobility of all of my senses. Thank You for never leaving me nor forsaking me! Thank You for taking all of my sins and casting them into the sea of forgetfulness! Thank You for giving me Jesus and for His sacrifice! Thank You that He rose in three days with all power in His hands! Thank You that my salvation is dependent on what He accomplished and not on what I accomplished! Thank You for the last breath, I just took while typing this prayer because it too wasn’t promised but You saw fit to provide it! I love You Lord and I am not ashamed to tell the world that You are The Lord of my life and without You I am nothing! In Jesus name, hallelujah, glory to God, and AMEN!

Quiet as it is kept rejection can be at times, a silent killer. Most people often respond to rejection by seeking isolation but some relentlessly seek inclusion and acceptance. We can relive and re-experience rejection more vividly than we can physical pain. Why, because just like still waters run deep, so does rejection. Here are few things about rejection you may or may not know: Rejection destabilizes our “Need to Belong”, rejection creates surges of anger and aggression, rejections send us on a mission to seek and destroy our self-esteem, and rejection does not respond to reason. Unbeknownst to me, rejection went undetected throughout my life. Like most, my undiagnosed condition was rooted in my childhood years. Thank God, my condition wasn’t my conclusion. Fast forward a few years later (lol!), I have learned that rejection flows from what we say. But it’s origin derives from the way we think of ourselves and the way we perceive how others think….about us. But what does God’s word say?? So today, if you are on a journey from rejection, be encouraged that God does not ask you to do this alone. Invite Him into your circumstances and ask His Holy Spirit to guide and direct you.  You can pray a prayer like this one:

“Dear Father,

Thank you that my circumstances are not hidden from you.  Over and over again you tell me in your word that You love me.  I choose to believe that today.  What I am facing seems more than I can bear.  I need your strength to walk this laborious path called life. Thank You for Your promise that I will never walk alone. In Jesus’ name! 

Amen!

Don’t live and react as if Satan has greater ability to accomplish his desire to abort God’s plan for you. Ain’t no way God will ever allow this to happen!! There ain’t a devil in hell that could ever thwart the plans of El Shaddai (God Almighty)!! God is able to perform wonders that cannot be fathomed and miracles that cannot be counted (Job 9:10). God’s power is unlimited. He can do anything He wants, whenever He wants because He got it like that! So today, look through your spiritual lens and hold tightly on God’s victorious design for your life. In due season, He will lift you up just like He elevated Joseph in Egypt!! Remember, God is above all things without limitation or reservation. 

“Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord,…. Even the brute creatures, as in a preceding; but more especially man, in whom God has breathed the breath of life, and is become not only a living but a rational soul; and more especially spiritual men, converted persons, whether Jews or Gentiles; on whom the Spirit of the Lord has breathed, and whom he has quickened; and who breathe in prayer after divine things; and who also have abundant reason to bless and praise his name for what he has bestowed upon them, and has in reserve for them; and for which they should praise him as long as they have breath” Gill’s exposition. 

Notice that God didn’t say let every talented vocalist or  gifted musician. He certainly didn’t say let every sinless person that has breath praise Him. However, He said, “Let EVERYTHING that hath BREATH PRAISE the Lord! 

So today, despite disappointments, situations, or circumstances I betcha if you dig deep enough, you will find one infinitesimal reason to give God the praise, honor, and glory that He rightfully, respectfully, and undoubtedly deserves!!



What does deferred action and procrastination have in common? Yup, u got it! Putting off what you needed to do yesterday for tomorrow, next week, next month, and/or next year. Canadian Hockey player Wayne Gretsky said,”Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.” A. Michael Houdmann cited, “The Bible commends hard work and industry (Proverbs 12:24; 13:4) and warns against sloth and slackness (Proverbs 15:19; 18:9). One cure for procrastination is more diligence, regardless of the task. The Christian should be supremely motivated to be diligent in his work, since he is ultimately serving the Lord. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23). If we put our hearts into our work, as this verse says to do, we will probably find it difficult to procrastinate too much.” So what action steps have you deferred completing in the last 7 days? The bottom line is we all need to stay on the positive side of task management.  Especially when it comes to your salvation, serving, family time, and spreading the Gospel message. Time killer are out there and the best way to combat them is to gain awareness of time wasted and time value. Time is the scarcest resource, and unless it’s managed, nothing else can be managed. 

Before you give up on God….DON’T! Don’t turn back!  Don’t faint!  Don’t give up!  Don’t give in!  Don’t retreat!  Don‘t turn to the right!  Don’t turn to the left.  Don’t even make a “U” turn. What’s impossible for man, is possible for God because He is God…..period!! You may be asking yourself why does it get harder when the glimmer or sunrise  of victory and breakthrough gets closer?  The Bible tells us our walk with God is going to be a journey of ups and downs that is incessantly moving from strength to strength, victory to victory, and glory to glory!  However, in between the strength there will most likely be struggles! In between the victories (manifested promise) there are attacks! In between the breakthroughs (promises revealed)  there are battles! Satan’s job is to get us to turn back when the struggle heats up!  To cause us to cease fighting and surrender so we never experience the joy of the morning!  I’m not saying that the battle will be easy because the forces of hell have come to destroy you.  But don’t turn back even if it seems like you are being shaken and/or rattled.  You may feel tossed all around but don’t give up!  You are on the verge of a new experience that will bring you to a higher place.  To somewhere you’ve never ever been before! Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time you will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9). So today, remember the darkest hour always appears just before a new dawn!  Just keep fighting this is the battle before the breakthrough! Strength is not born by seeing miracles – it’s born in the struggle! Read 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, God knew that we may be shaken but He also knew that we would be entering into a realm of anointing. One like never before!  So don’t be frightened. Just push on not looking back and you will gain the land that God has promised you.

Looking for a way out? How about looking for a way in? Sometimes it’s God that subjects us to life’s storms. Why? Well, in 2 Corinthians 12 Jesus said, “MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU, for MY STRENGTH IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS.” So how and what does “perfect in weakness” look like? Isn’t this an oxymoronic paradoxical declaration? Charles Spurgeon said, “TRIALS teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.” James 1:2 says for us to count it all joy when we experiencing trials. As born again believers Christ infused His perfect DNA with our imperfect DNA. IOWs, we were filled with God’s Holy Spirit. Therefore, we never encounter storms without the perfect presence and assurance of God’s spirit working in and through us. Galatians 2:20 says, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” So when I said don’t look for a “way out” rather, look for a “way in”; the “way in” is through Christ. Beloved, you can do all things through Christ, no weapon formed against you will prosper, greater is He who is in you, and your current sufferings is not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed! Bottom line, storms helps us by reminding us who’s really in control, storms prunes us for more fruit, storm leads us to Christ, storms teaches us obedience, and conforms us into the image of our Lord and Savior!! If it’s still bad God ain’t done yet because as you can see, He never ends on a negative!!

LIFE has no burdens that CHRIST can’t heal!! 

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matt 11:28-30 (Msg)

I just heard Pastor John Gray speak of his mother’s miraculous healing. She was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and within 4 days she was completely healed. Prior to her healing, she asked her son not to pray for God to heal her rather thank God in advance for healing her. She said, “Son, step your faith up with my faith because God promised that I wouldn’t die of cancer.” What a testimony! Perhaps you or someone you know is going through something right now and the situation looks dismal. I want to encourage you as well as myself  to not give in to what looks like defeat, failure, or despair. Don’t merely pray for God to bring you through rather THANK GOD in advance for bringing you through the trial, challenge, or storm. His promises far outweigh our problems! So today remember, our current sufferings are not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed! (Romans 8:18)