The Power of Thanksgiving

This has been and continues to be a process for me. I want to continually be thankful. I have been praying and reading about what it looks like to be thankful. I have not arrived in this area but I PRESS!!! I PRESS into thanksgiving because I want to see the blessings of the Lord in my life everyday. 

1 Thess 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstance; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The enemy’s job is to prowl around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. We as believers have been given instructions to be alert and of sober mind. To be alert is to quickly notice any unusual and potentially dangerous and difficult circumstances. It is the state of being watchful for any possible danger. To be sober is not to be drunk. To be sober minded is to have a disposition or temper habitually sober. It is a disposition that is ready to respond without any distractions.

Unthankfulness causes us not to be alert and sober-minded.  Ps 62:8 says, trust in Him at all times, O people, pour out your heart before him, God is a refuge for us. Un-thankfulness makes us vulnerable for the enemy to devour us. Romans 1:21 teaches us that being unthankful is a foundational sin to many different sins. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking become futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” The word teaches us to guard our heart.  We are called to guard our heart above all else, for everything we do flows from our heart. ESV says for us to keep our heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life.

When we walk in unthankfulness, we trade the truth about God for a lie. We begin to serve created things (houses, cars, clothes, relationships) rather than the creator. As a result, God gives us over to shameful lusts. This leads to covetousness, worshiping things more than God, all sexual sins including homosexuality, pride, gossip, and all kinds of malice that eventually leads to full-scale rebellion against God.

Thankfulness is ONE key to overcoming sin in our life. A heart of thankfulness is not dependent on circumstances, people, materialism, or the pleasures of this world to be satisfied. The kingdom of darkness is defeated by thanksgiving. Thankfulness should be a way for us. It should naturally flow from our hearts and mouths.

 The following are some negative consequences of living unthankful lives: (From Shalom In the Wilderness Josephmaettera.org)

We will not be able to see the divine opportunities in front of us: God has already provided for all of our needs (Ephesians 1:3; 2 Peter 1:3-4). Praise takes the veil off our eyes and turns on the switch of faith and insight that enables us to see all the hidden opportunities that are masked by problems and challenging circumstances.

We will focus on the actions of people instead of the processes of God: When we are unthankful we magnify the actions, activities and circumstances produced by other people for or against us, and weigh our lives based on their responses, which inadvertently saps our faith in God! When we are God-focused we see the providential activity of God behind every circumstance, even as Joseph did when the word of the Lord tested him when his brothers sold him as a slave in Egypt. He told his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).

We will worship pleasant circumstances rather than be satisfied with God alone: When we are constantly complaining, then we as believers are in essence saying that God is not enough to satisfy us. This is unlike David who said that the Lord was His portion, cup and inheritance (Psalm 16). Because Paul the apostle lived a life of rejoicing and praise, he was not a victim of outside circumstances and he did not allow the actions of others to control his attitude. This enabled him to worship God even while bound in chains and stocks in a Philippian jail (Acts 16).

We will give place to the devil who operates in lust, greed and pride: Satan’s original sin was pride, which led to him not being thankful for his place as a covering cherub (Isaiah 14:12-14). This led him to covet the throne of God which eventuated in him being thrown out of heaven. Since the beginning of the world Satan has been the father of all greed, covetousness and complaining. We give place to him in our hearts when we are not grateful for the things God has already given us.

We will repel key people around us: When we are not living lives of praise to God we are not thankful to Him for His goodness. When we are not thankful to Him then we will not be grateful for the key people God has put in our lives, leading to accentuating negative aspects about these people in our minds. This result in us repelling them by our negative speaking and communication towards them. When we live lives of constant complaining, grumbling and lack of thankfulness we will exude the wrong spirit in our homes and nurture families that are ungrateful towards one another and even towards God. We will be teaching our children that it is only time to “turn on the switch” of thanksgiving during a two hour worship service on Sunday. Unfortunately, this compartmentalization will produce hypocrisy in their lives and result in them not fully serving the Lord!

We will repel the presence of God within us: The psalms teach us that God dwells in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). This also can be reversed: when we don’t have an attitude of thanksgiving towards God we can repel His personal presence within us, which grieves His Spirit and hurts our ability to fellowship intimately with Him.

God cannot trust us with more blessings: I learned a long time ago that God will multiply the things in my life that I am most grateful for. He will not trust me with whatever I am not thankful for because I don’t appreciate it. Sometimes we are even thankful for or appreciate bad things that come in our lives which can also multiply and destroy us. For example, we could appreciate the kindness and flattery of a strange woman, which could then lead to adultery if we are not grateful to God for our spouses. But if we show gratitude to our spouses it will greatly aid our marriages. (If we are continually, complaining about, and to, our spouses it will repel them and distance them from us.) David blessed the Lord with all that was within him, which led him to recounting continually all the blessings of the Lord that continued to multiply in his life (read Psalm 103).

We will suffer continual discouragement and even depression: If we are not continually and intentionally ordering our minds to think on the good things of God we will not enjoy the peace of God in these troubled times (Philippians 4:8-9). This can lead to discouragement and severe depression. The greatest tool in fighting depression is not medication but worshiping the Creator and being thankful to Him for every good thing He has given us from above (James 1:17).

We will miss our greatest purpose in life: to love and worship God: The Westminster Catechism begins by stating that our highest purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Revelation teaches us that in heaven the elders and angelic beings are continually worshiping our Creator. One of the things they say is, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Rev. 4:10-11).

Psalm 30 gives praise to God for His deliverance. David writes, “I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O Lord, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. . . . You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever” (Psalm 30:1-12).

We also have examples of being thankful in the midst of hard circumstances. Psalm 28, for example, depicts David’s distress. It is a cry to God for mercy, protection, and justice. After David cries out to God, he writes, “Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song” (Psalm 28:6-7). In the midst of hardship, David remembers who God is and, as a result of knowing and trusting God, gives thanks. Job had a similar attitude of praise, even in the face of death: “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised” (Job 1:21).

Paul was heavily persecuted, yet he wrote, “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him” (2 Corinthians 2:14). The writer of Hebrews says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Hebrews12:28). Peter gives a reason to be thankful for “grief and all kinds of trials,” saying that, through the hardships, our faith “may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

As people of God we should be thankful people, for we realize how much we have been given. One of the characteristics of the last days is a lack of thanksgiving; according to 2 Timothy 3:2 wicked people will be “ungrateful.”

We should be thankful because God is worthy of our thanksgiving. It is only right to credit Him for “every good and perfect gift” He gives (James 1:17). When we are thankful, our focus moves off selfish desires and off the pain of current circumstances. Expressing thankfulness helps us remember that God is in control. Thankfulness, then, is not only appropriate; it is actually healthy and beneficial to us. It reminds us of the bigger picture, that we belong to God, and that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). Truly, we have an abundant life (John 10:10), and gratefulness is fitting.

Thanksgiving in the is the most countercultural thing we can do to strip the devil of his power over us and our families, and will reveal the vast opportunities God has already given us so we can walk in His kingdom purposes.

Psalm 136:6 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.” We should be thankful for God’s constant goodness and His steadfast love. When we recognize the nature of our depravity and understand that, apart from God, there is only death (John 10:10;Romans 7:5), our natural response is to be grateful for the life He gives.

Defeat the enemy trying to devour you!! Lift up your voice and PRAISE GOD!!!!!!

Believe Again!!

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain hitting the window and a cool breeze on my feet. I rolled over in the bed and felt my husband resting. I got out the bed and walked into the next room and looked in on my daughter fast asleep. Then I heard a small noise that frightened me. I stepped into the living room to notice it was just the refrigerator. But the fear I felt was so real. I took a deep breath of fresh air but my mind kept thinking about it. What if someone was in the living room? Why do we have to live so close to the highway? What if someone took Mary? My mind was filled with fear.

This is exactly how the enemy works in our life. We can see that everything is okay, but we are always looking for something to go wrong. He drops suggestions in our mind, and we allow them to grow into what seems to be reality.

I want to encourage us to TRUST in the LORD with ALL our HEART! (Prov 3:5a)

Fear is mindset we can walk in. Fear can control the way we think and move. The definition of fear is to have an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. Fear can paralyze us. According to studies Fear is an emotion induced by a threat perceived by living entities, which causes a change in brain and organ function and ultimately a change in behavior, such as running away, hiding or freezing from traumatic events. Fear may occur in response to a specific stimulus happening in the present, or to a future situation, which is perceived as risk to health or life, status, power, or security. 

If we allow fear to take root in our emotions, it will change our behavior. This is why fear is one of the enemy’s greatest weapons. The enemy uses circumstances in life to plant seeds of fear. He uses hurts and disappointments to cause us to fear relationships. Many of us live from the place of fear and we do not realize it. When was the last time you said the words “What if”? The words “what if” are evidence of fear controlling our behavior and decisions.

I want to challenge us to walk by faith and not by fear. Fear can cause many things but I want to focus on two. When we lack faith and allow fear to lead us, we can become discouraged and dismayed.

1-      Fear leads to discouragement:

Discouragement is a loss of confidence or enthusiasm. Gal 3:1-5 reads “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?”

What has caused you to lose confidence is Christ Jesus? What has caused you to doubt His power in your life? What has caused you to back away from your purpose? What has caused you to stop going to church? What has caused you to desire the pleasures of the world greater than the pleasures of God? Have you forgotten what The Lord has already done in your life? The enemy uses people and circumstances to make us feel discouraged. STOP right now and list five times you have seen God working in your life. NOBODY can take away the hand of God moving in your life!!! Ps 139:7-8 is very clear, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” If the enemy is telling you "you are too far gone for the Father to forgive you", shake off discouragement!!! The Spirit of the living God is with you and waiting for you to surrender your will and desires to Him.

2-      Fear can cause you to become dismayed:

To be dismayed is to feel distress. It is the feeling of extreme anxiety, sorrow or pain. Death of a love one is one of the weapons the enemy uses to cause many people to stop believing. “If God was real…..” people say. If God was real I would not have been molested. If God was real my Father would not have beat my mother. If God was real I would not be feeling this oppression. God is REAL and so is the enemy. It is the enemy’s job to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10) The enemy is a thief. He comes to steal our joy, peace, and faith in Christ Jesus. 

2 Cor 4:7-12 is one of my favorite scriptures. It reads, “but we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you.” Then it goes on to read in verses 16- 18, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Activate FAITH!! The meaning of faith is to have complete trust or confidence in someone or something. Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Activate the word of God. The more you hear the word of God, the more your faith will grow. Rick Warren said “It’s the difference between the Bible and self-help books. Self-help books often give you helpful insight. They can tell you the right thing to do, but they just don’t give you the power to do it. Self-help books tell you that you should stop worrying or you should give up all your bad habits. Helpful, yes, but you don’t have the power to keep the advice. Those books aren't alive. But God’s Word not only tells you what to do; it gives you the power to do it. And it increases your faith as you do it.”

It’s time for us to get back to the bible. I love reading books but the word of God must be the final authority in our lives. It is through the word faith will be activated again. Fear is just false evidence appearing real. It’s just vain imaginations. Cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge (the word) of God, and bring the doubt, the fear, the anger, the hurt, the disappointment, the offense into captivity & every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor 10:5)

I want to encourage you today to know the feeling of fear has come to stop you, BUT GOD IS GREATER! Activate the word of God in your live. Start with the book of John and then the rest of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, & Luke). John had a great revelation that He was the one that Jesus loved. WE all need that revelation. HE LOVES YOU! Everything Jesus did was because of Love. Believe again!

Romans 15:13, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope

New Season: Refreshing & Restoration

This morning I woke up at 5:00 am. Well, should I say, the Lord woke me up. For the past week I have been saying, "Lord I feel so out of purpose". I have been feeling empty inside like something is missing. I have been thinking about my purpose and what God has called me to do. I have had a lot of questions go through my mind. Have I equipped Mary to stand against the pressures of the world? Are young girls dying and I have the words of life to speak? When I die what will God say? Am I wasting time everyday doing things that do not matter? 

This year has been a time of overcoming for me. I have not blogged in almost two years. I would like to share my new blog. I hope to pour out on paper what the Lord is doing in my life daily. I hope it will bless others who read these words. Most importantly, I pray as I walk in my purpose healing will come to my mind and heart.  

A special thanks to my husband for his patience this past year & thanks for his brother Emmanuel for "I Write". Today "I write" what the Lord has done & will continue in my life. 

Psalms 139 "Oh Lord, You have searched me and known me.You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it. Where can I go from Your Spirit Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall[a] on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting."