4GIVEN

No matter how hard life tries to knock you down know that for those who are in Christ, greater is He that is in you, than he who is in the world! Paul said in 2 Cor 4:8-10, “We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, He does in us—He lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. [So today remember,] while we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!”

#AMEN

“The light bulb went off in my head,” is an old adage said to reveal sudden insight, clarity, inspiration, and/or an idea. IOW, you finally get it! I’ve heard it said that when we make it to heaven one of the most repeated phrases perhaps might be, “AHA!!” No, I am not talking about the early 80’s new wave pop group however; God is saying, “Take on Me!” Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you…” Jesus is commanding an “AHA” moment; He is asking us to surrender to Him and allow Him to lead us in the light of His love, life, and truth. So today, keep the light on and witness the power of God illuminate your path.

God and sin in I John 1:5 are symbolically represented as light and dark. When you choose the dark rather than the light you loose fellowship with God. Yes, you may be close in one sense to God, but in a spiritual sense, you remove yourself far away from God when you sin out of commission. Apostle John said, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not know the truth.” (See 1 John 1:6.) Don’t fall for the banana in the tail pipe; too many Christians deceive themselves because they really don’t know Christ much less God’s word. I’ll be the first admit that I struggled and I continue to struggle with sin related issues. However, I declare that if had not been not been for the blood of Jesus Christ, I could never stand before a holy God to let Him in, on what He already knows (confession). So today remember, the “light” of God’s Word (Christ) will reveal to you the areas of your life you need to change. When that happens, leave the sin and cleave to God in humble repentance. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

“God works in mysterious ways.” Is a phantom bible verse. This biblical paraphrase derived from a 19th century hymn by the English poet William Cowper (“God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform). John Blake CNN Blogger said, “Our fondness for the short and tweet-worthy may also explain our fondness for phantom biblical phrases. The pseudo-verses function like theological tweets: They’re pithy summarizations of biblical concepts.” The truth is: God only appears to work in mysterious ways to those that are not spiritually mature. Daniel 2:22, “He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light.” Paul said in 1 Cor 2:10, “But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” My point is ask, seek, and knock. God don’t want to keep you in the dark. Jeremiah 29:11 clearly confirms that we don’t need Scooby-Do and the gang to figure out what God has in store for those who love Him.

People keep their cars, offices, and homes cleaner than their own hearts. Life is too short to encumber your heart and mind with junk and trash from the past. If you are harboring trash from the past don’t wait till 2015 to let it go. Let it go today! 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.” Trust me, I have to clean my heart daily and I fall in the trash pit of discouragement frequently but that’s when I reach for Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.” So today don’t wait till Spring to clean….life is too short.

If prayer is our weapon to win how do we utilize it to secure victory? I believe in order to answer that question we must first define what prayer is. Simply put, prayer is communicating to God. Paul tell us in I Thessalonians 5:16 to pray without ceasing. When we communicate (pray) to God it communicates to Him that we are dependent on Him to respond, deliver, and release answers/solutions to the barrage of challenges that we endure on a daily basis. Abijah prayed for victory, Abraham prayed for a son; Ishmael, Sodom, Abimelech, and his servant. Cain prayed for mercy. Daniel prayed for the Jews. Elijah prayed for drought and rain, Gideon prayed for proof, Hezekiah prayed for deliverance, Issac prayed for children, Jeremiah prayed for mercy, Jesus taught The Lord’s prayer. He then prayed for the children, church, the resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus also prayed for the folks responsible for His murder at the time of death. What’s the common denominator? You got it, for every prayed lifted an answer was given. So today, don’t allow the enemy, people, or circumstances hinder, deter, or prevent you from uses the only weapon that guarantees victory over the affairs of life.

Things not going the way you planned? Don’t be discouraged because your plan may not line up with God’s plan. Proverbs 16:1 says, “We make our plans but God has the last word.” Verse 9 says, “You may make your plans, but God directs your actions.” If God shuts the door remember no man can re-open it. Therefore, quit banging on it! So today, maintain the right attitude and submit all of your plans to God. Remember if God switch gears in lieu of asking “why”simply say, “God, if this is what You want, this is the direction I’m going to go. I trust that you know what’s best for me.”

Across the planet pain, hurt, burden, heartache, brokenness, emptiness, lack, disappointment, and a barrage of medical challenges are often non-prejudicial. We all suffer from time-to-time however; God’s remedies are equally non-prejudicial to those who are wiling to give it all to Him. Jesus said, “COME to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. TAKE my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find REST for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matt 11:28-30) So today remember give all your worries, concerns, and anxieties to God. When you do you will discover in most cases, it’s not that you are waiting on God rather, it’s God waiting on you!!

#come
#take
#rest

God’s doesn’t see us the way we see each other. Think about it the caterpillar for a moment. No, I am not referring to the machinery and equipment company. We typically don’t see the butterfly until after it’s transformed. In Romans 8:29-30 we learned for those who God He foreknew (beginning) will eventually (transformation) be glorified (butterfly). God is omniscient; He knows the beginning for the end and the end at the beginning. Simply put, God sees the butterfly not the caterpillar. So today see people beyond their faults, mistakes, and errors. As it stand we are all butterflies in God’s eyes!