“Hold material goods and wealth on a flat palm and not in a clenched fist.” Alistair Begg

CLENCHED FISTS
Clenched fists are not able to receive anything, including blessings, because they’re closed. It takes an open hand to receive back from God; but if we’re holding onto everything tightly, God can’t place His blessings into our hands. Why not hold everything loosely so that you can receive freely what God wants to bless you with?

OPEN HANDS
When we pray to God, we often are petitioning God for some need; but if we’re not praying with open hands, we can’t take what God has for us. Why would God bless us if we don’t share what we already have with those who have needs? It is not the way God works. We are commanded to serve one another and to love one another. Further, Jesus said we are to “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:3, but that’s not possible with closed fists and laps that are full.
GIVING BACK
Why wouldn’t we want to give back to others with what God’s blessed us? How often have we seen a need and then closed our eyes and hearts to that need? I know I have. James wrote that “whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17). It is a sin of omission but a sin nonetheless. Never resist a generous impulse. God may be prompting you by His Spirit to give back to those who have little so that we might also receive back from God His very best blessings.

CONCLUSION
Alistair Begg’s comment that we should “hold material goods and wealth on a flat palm and not in a clenched fist” is for our own good because clenched fists cannot receive what an open hand can. And if we don’t give, we miss the blessings that God desires to pour into our lap, running over. To see a need and do nothing about it is sin. Besides, it’s in our best interest to give so that we might receive back from God His great blessings. ihaveaGod.com

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

HIS WORD
God works in us by the power found in His Word. Since He is the God of the Word, He has power in His Word. Listen to Isaiah, who wrote, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). The Apostle Paul wrote, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). Tap into God’s Word and you’ll harvest His work in you.

“The measure of a man’s greatness is not the number of servants he has, but the number of people he serves.” John Hagee
GREATER IS THE SERVANT
No one is really great besides God and most certainly Jesus Christ, Who is also God. So what does Jesus use to measure the greatness of His servants? He measures the greatness of His servants by the number of those he or she serves. If someone seems to be great or claims to be great, don’t look at how much they own or how many servants they have but how many they serve. That’s the measure of greatness.

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, `Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.” – (Mark 11:23 NKJ).

Jesus said that you will have whatever you say — dependent on believing and not doubting. Think of that. What you say determines what you get in life. It did for the children of Israel. And the Bible says the things which happened to them are lessons for us.

“Say to them, As I live says the Lord, just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:” – (Numbers 14:28 NKJ).

“you are snared by the words of your own mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth.” – (Proverbs 6:2 NKJ).

Words can get you in trouble. And words can deliver you (see Revelation 12:11 and Romans 10:10). Words control your destiny.

All of us face trouble in life and it can sometimes be tempting to wonder why God does not help us sooner and in greater measure. While there is much that we don’t understand, we must, on the basis of what Jesus said, realize we are responsible for what happens because of the words we have spoken. SHALOM! IhaveaGod.com

The Bible is the perfect place to turn when you are going through rough times. “Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken” (Psalm 55:22). These are true promises, with the seeds of inner peace hidden in them.

But it’s easy to misread these passages to mean that God is a magic problem-solver, a genie whose main job is to make us happy today. It’s easy to assume that casting our troubles on God means He will take our troubles away. Sometimes, though, He doesn’t.

I love the phrase “Let go and let God” because it sounds so simple. But there are times when we aren’t clear what it is we’re supposed to let go of. And there are other times we want to let go, we try to let go—and it just doesn’t happen. Why?

Sometimes there’s a difference in what we want to give up and what we need to release. We might be holding tightly to something we think of as good, like better health for a loved one or changed behavior in a wayward child. And though it’s never wrong to desire good things, there are times when we have to let go of what we think is best.

Other times we grip tightly to assumptions about the way life “should” be. We think things ought to be easier or being a parent shouldn’t be so hard. We fight what we’re being asked to do—effectively resisting taking up our cross (Matthew 16:24) the way Jesus commanded. Sometimes what we must give up are our preconceived notions of how life is supposed to work.

But in every case, what “Let go and let God” comes down to is this: We need to let go of our own will. We must claim as our own the incredibly hard prayer that Jesus prayed: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42). We need to let go and let God do what God wills. This submission will lead to peace and joy, even when the way is difficult. “Father, I place my life in Your hands!” (Luke 23:46). Read More on IhaveaGod.com

MAY YOU KNOW THE GRACE OF GOD IS SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO CARRY YOU THROUGH WHATEVER YOU FACE IN LIFE TODAY. AMEN.
IHAVEAGOD.COM

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” – (Philippians 2:13).

Holy Spirit actually changes our attitudes and actions. There are times when I don’t want to change my attitude, but the Holy Spirit reminds me that He even helps me “want to” change.

He helps us to be nice to strangers. We can be calm when drivers are going to slow. We can be thankful when things are not going the way we expected.

So I encourage you to put into practice the wonderful promise in Philippians 2:13 – at home, with the family, at work –anytime of the day or night – God is always listening.

Lord, thank you for changing us so we become more and more like Jesus. Thank you for giving us everything we need to be mirrors that reflect Him. Amen! IhaveaGod.com[color=#000099][/color]

I have a God is a Christian social networking website that will allow registered users to create profiles, upload pictures and videos, send and receive messages and keep in touch with Christian friends, family, and colleagues. I have a God will be a sacred haven to share your testimonies, hopes, and struggles without having to contend with the immoralities of our society. We join with Christians worldwide to assist one another in need with non-interest loans for small business, exam fees, school fees, rental assistance, medical assistance etc. https://www.IhaveaGod.com