4GIVEN

Are Christians really fireproof? What do you do when the flames of life become unbearable? In the movie Fireproof, the actor Michael Simmons said, “Fireproof doesn’t mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it.” I got three witnesses (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) that will testify Michael Simmons cinematic attestation is spot on! In short, they were thrown in the fire bound and death was eminent but they walked out unscathed. Dan 3:27 says,”So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.” So today when the flames of life get out of control remember, Ps. 46:1; “God is our protection [refuge] and our strength. He always helps [is an ever present/timely help] in times of trouble [distress].” If God did it back then, He is able to do it again!!

Lord God, as You know Monday’s for some are more difficult than others. Therefore, we pray for strength, stamina, and stability. We pray for Your perfect will to be lived out in our lives today. Draw us closer to thee and when things get chaotic, stressful, and/or hectic infuse us with wisdom, discernment, and clarity. Keep us from hurt, harm, and danger. Place a hedge of protection around us and in Jesus name we bind any plot, scheme, and/or assignment from the enemy. We loose provision, prosperity, and promise over our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. Lord, we thank You in advance for being attentive to this petition and for moving on our behalf. We surrender everything today and we glorify Your most holy and precious name. It’s an honor to be a part of Your family. Even if we had 10,000 tongues we couldn’t thank You enough for everything that You do for us! Thank You Lord God, in Jesus’ perfecting name, amen and amen!!

If you grew up in the 80’s (the greatest era Eva) than you remember this commercial jingle; “If your transmission’s got you down or your motor falls apart. It’s the time to come to Thunderbolt. You don’t need a brand new car! We still believe in value, and we pass it on to you. At Thunderbolt we fix it right and guarantee it too. We put the yeeee-hawwww back in your motor and transmission.” Let’s for moment metaphorically replace transmissions and engine parts with life and life’s circumstances and the destination changes from Thunderbolt (auto and parts) to the church (salvation healing, and deliverance.) It would most likely jingle like this, “If living has got you down or your life feels like it’s falling apart. It’s the time to come to Jesus Christ because you need a brand new start. You see He died to bring you value, and He is wiling to pass it on to you. With Jesus Christ He’ll fix it right and He guarantees it too. He’ll put the yeeee-hawwww back in your life and life’s circumstances.”

#GIVEITOJESUS!

Lord, we confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and we believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. Therefore; we relinquish, bequeath, bestow, commit, devise, endow, entrust, grant, hand down, hand on, impart, leave, leave to, and legate my will for Your will, plan, and purpose. When we surrender our will to God’s will we begin to follow God’s lead without knowing where He’s sending us, it means waiting for God’s timing without knowing when it will come, it’s expecting a miracle without knowing how God will provide, and it’s trusting God’s purpose without understanding the circumstances. So today remember letting go is not a reflection of human weakness rather it is a reflection of divine strength.

Where is God? With the barrage of unexpected tragedies, disease scares, wars both foreign and domestic it’s easy to become angry, sadden, discouraged, afraid, uncertain, and frustrated. When we look at these issues through natural lens we will always respond in a carnal capacity. We must view everything through supernatural lens. The nation of Aram was always at war with Israel. Yet every time they would attack, God would tell Elisha what there plans were. In 2 Kings 6:17 right when Aram’s army of chariots were closing in to capture Elisha, his servant woke up tripping! Elisha prayed for his servant, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” That’s right God was with Elisha then and He is with us now. So today don’t be let the current events of this world get the best of you. God ain’t sleep; He knows!! Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in times of trouble.”

Stop depending solely on yourself or anyone else to accomplish the things only God can accomplish in your life. When we stop depending on us (& people) and start depending on God we will begin to see things that need changed….CHANGED! Whenever we do things in our own strength we either burn-out or give up however; when we do things in His strength we will not only PREVAIL we will EXCEL!!! Think about it; even the world strongest man has a max but in God there is no max, no limits, and
no boundaries. So today stop leaning on your own understanding: God got your back!! In Ephesians 3:20 Paul said, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power [HOLY SPIRIT] that is at work within us.”

Service is not measured by what you do nor by how much you do. Service is measured by the intentions of your heart. The bottom line is we serve to bless God and not ourselves. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1Peter 4:10-11) Peter makes it clear that we have received our gifts from God for two purposes— to serve others and to bring praise to God. So today remember serving isn’t about us receiving attention or glory; it is for Him to receive glory.

Morning devotional with momma and the kids!! “Do I truly love God?”

#FEEDMYSHEEP

“You can bet your boots” and “You have my word” are phrases that means that the person speaking is making a promise based on his or her own track record. IOW, you can trust me. Fact is our boots and words aren’t always guaranteed. Even the most trustworthy person on the planet will on occasion drop the “You can count on me ball” due to mitigating circumstances. 2 Peter 3:9a says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering towards us.” It behooves us to realize that God promises are real. His track record is 100%. Oftentimes, it’s not that we don’t believe that God can’t deliver on His promises, more so than it’s the time in which we become recipients of His promises. So today remember God’s promises are real. When we become impatient (faithless), He is consistently patient (faithful) because He can never deny Himself!

#canigetawitness

Weeping endures for the night but joy comes in the morning! Soon and very soon, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4) If your investment is in Christ, remember His investment in you far outweighs any trials, heartaches, tribulations, disappointments, and frustrations you may endure. So keep moving forward and look to the future….your latter will be greater!!