Courting with 20/20 vision! Part 1 - The term Dating

12 years ago now I gave my life to Christ. I grew up in church and believed in Jesus BUT I had not surrendered my will to the Father. I lived my life prior to salvation trapped in immorality and it was my "drug"  of choice. By the time I figured out the enemy's plan for my life I had a 1 year old daughter and my heart was filled with anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, shame, guilt and hurt. BUT GOD!! 
 
It was not my own doing but it was the GRACE of God that rescued me from a life of sin and shame. When I got saved, the first thing I told God was I did not want to be the Christian going to church but my life did not reflect His calling on my life.

I prayed for God to take away my desire for sexual immorality. It was easy for me to stop clubbing and partying but I knew without the power of the Holy Spirit I would not be able to break my addiction to sex. I also knew that without the Holy Spirit, I would be more focused on a relationship with a man than the will of God.
 
God revealed himself to me in a powerful way. Honestly, when I first got saved I tried to have sex and the conviction was SOOO STRONG. I later came to realize it was the fear of the Lord in my life. As I pressed into the word of God, the desire for Him and His plans for my life out weighted my fleshly desires for a relationship and sex.
 
I began to go to the scriptures, talk with couples about both their successes and failures, and learn from other youth ministries about what they did. I was also greatly influenced by Joshua Harris books on relationships, by the book Purity: The New Moral Revolution by Kris Vallotton, & the book Intoxicated with Babylon: The Seduction of God’s People in the Last Days by Steve Gallagher. I entered into a relationship and ultimately married Joshua.
 
There are several Christians in the body of Christ who are currently single. The LORD has impressed on me very strongly that if we do not establish a culture of how to ‘court’ according to the principles of the Scriptures that it will tear many church communities apart. This is standing out to me because I have seen far too many examples of single people in my community who were growing in their faith but were ship-wrecked by sexual sin and broken hearts. I have seen young ladies on fire for the Lord loose her passion for Christ and virginity and now pregnant. Some because of shame and guilt have had abortions to cover up their sin. I have seen young men driven away from God because they fell in love with the wrong girl and she ended up being a harlot. I have seen marriages destroyed because they planed for a wedding but did not have a vision for marriage. I have also watched too many ministries become a “soap opera” of who is dating who, and the distraction and damage that it caused.
 
 As I see our society becoming more sexual and the church falling in the world’s pattern, I realize the need to articulate more clearly the heart, and step by step practicalities of what I believe can save singles in the body of Christ from falling into sexual sin.  
 
I would like to share with you some facts about dating from my booklet titled Courtship in the Fear of the Lord: A biblical approached to relationships. For the purpose of this blog I want to call this "Courting with 20/20 vision!!!!"
 
 
I use the term courtship because it breaks away from the norm of why the world dates. What you call your relationship does not matter. It's the why, the who, and the when that matters. It matters if the Word of God is guiding you.
 
The History of Dating
§  Prior to the 1900s, “dating” was a slang term that referred to prostitution. A man who was going to pay a woman for sex told his buddies that he was “going on a date.”
§  In the early 1900s “calling” was the primary means of marrying. A young man would call on a young woman by going to the parlor in her parents’ home. Her parents carefully oversaw these meetings, and expectations for everything from dress and food to the length of time of the call was regulated and spelled out. It also limited the opportunity for a woman and a man to be alone and sin sexually.
§  By the 1930s, however, the social landscape changed dramatically with the rise of the automobile. Cars gave young people freedoms and mobility they never had previously, resulting in increased opportunities for men and women to go out alone and increased temptations for drunkenness and sexual sin.
§  By the 1940s, dating took on aspects of prostitution—men treated women to nice dates, and in return they expected sexual favors.
§  In the 1960s dating was strongly affected by the sexual revolution. This resulted in the greatest change in the social dynamics of singleness in the Western world, with orgies, casual sex, homosexuality, lesbianism, and bisexuality becoming increasingly socially acceptable. Additionally, that decade saw the first widely available pornography magazine, Playboy, resulting in a shift in the way our society viewed the body and sex.
§  By the 1970s the concept of dating and casual sex is normal. During this time you could have casual sex and no longer have to deal with any physical consequences through the legalization of abortion in 1973 and making no-fault divorce legal in 1974.
§  By the 1980s 10.9 million women are taking birth control pills and other contraceptive measures, and most of the cultural and practical reasons to restrict sexual activity outside of marriage were obliterated.
§  The end result of all this is that today we live in a society that is overly sexualized, sees nothing wrong with experimenting, and views regular, unmarried sex as not only normal but also healthy.
§  Today more children are born into a world as result of sex outside of marriage. Today, even young teens are involved in “sexting,” junior high girls are expected to send naked photos of themselves to their boyfriends, and the number one consumer of online pornography is twelve- to sixteen-year-old boys, which means they will expect girls not old enough to drive to punish their bodies and do the kind of extreme things that porn stars do.
It is important that we as believer know the "WHY" behind what we do. As a parent I must ask myself "WHY" am I allowing my child to date. As a leader I must ask myself "WHY" do I tolerate "recreational" dating among the singles and youth in my ministry. I must ask "WHAT" is God's original plan and design for courtship and relationships and marriage. If marriage is not the goal, I must ask WHY am in this relationship. 
 
As I share over the next couple days, It is my prayer we see what the bible says about living a life above the norms of society. I know you will never find the word dating in the bible. You will never find the word drugs in the bible either but we know the word tells us our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
 
The Bible is a guide of how to live. It is our job as believers to apply it to EVERY area of life. I am not against courting or dating. I am against the ideas of the world coming into the church and we as believers raising our children and living our lives just like the world. If you allow your children to date or if you are dating you are NOT SINNING.
 
The SIN is not dating the SIN is allowing lust to drive your decisions. You must have a plan not to be like the world. We perish for lack of vision. Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction (Prov 29:18). Again it does not matter what you call your relationship but the revelation of who, why, when, & how is very important.
 
 I challenge you to follow this blog over the next few days. This is not the "law" but just a tool to help you have healthy relationships that honor God.
 
Some Scriptures to pray into:
2 Tim 2:22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
 
Ps 119: 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
 
1 Cor 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body
 

1 Thes 4:3-5 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
 
Ps 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
 
Rom 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.  
Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, Training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
 
Luke 14:28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
 
Prov 16:3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
 
Prov 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
 
Prov 24:3-4 By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
 
 This is all about the heart of God! Let His Word guide you in ALL things!!!

  

Rejoice I say Rejoice!

Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord, Always, again I will say rejoice!

Today I am reminded of the POWER is my PRAISE. I want to encourage you no matter where you find yourself right now.. REJOICE!!!

 

James 1:2 Count it all JOY, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.

Rom 12:12 Rejoice in HOPE, be PATIENT in tribulation, be CONSISTANT in prayer.

Your strength comes when your mind is steadfast on the Lord. Thanksgiving is a powerful tool against the enemy. The enemy is always reminding us about what is not happening, what went wrong, who hurt us, the friendships we lost, and of our failures and shortcomings.

I challenge you to see God is in control and his plans for your life are perfect.

I challenge you to see what went wrong as a lesson learned and how to overcome next time.

I challenge you to allow the hurt to remind you about Jesus and what He went through. Remember how he still walked in forgiveness, he still watched feet, he still healed, he never stopped doing what His Father called Him to do and HE STILL LOVED!!!!!

I challenge you to hold on the times you had with that friend or friends. NOW look for the new relationships and new connections God is bringing into your life for this new season.

I challenge you take your failures and shortcomings and see how much you REALLY can do nothing without Christ.

I challenge you to PRAISE GOD because in the mist of it all He is still worthy of the praise.

Rom 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"

Jesus Christ is our hope!!!

Shalom!

A Prayer for our Nation

In light of the recent Supreme Court decision to allow same sex marriage to be a constitutional right in our nation, I share this prayer.

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says: "Woe to those who call evil good", but that is exactly what we have done.                                  

*  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.                          

*  We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism.        

*  We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

*  We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle.

*  We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

*  We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

*  We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

*  We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

*  We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

*  We have abused power and called it politics.

*  We have embezzled public funds and called it essential expenses.

*  We have institutionalized bribery and called it sweets of office.

*  We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

*  We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh GOD, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"

As we move forward as Believers, let us share the Gospel of  Jesus Christ. He is still on the throne! Our trust is not in the Constitution of America. Our Trust is in the word of the Lord. We must search the scripture for the way we live.

T.D Jakes put it this way "The Supreme Court makes its decisions based on the Constitution, debating the constitutionality of any particular issue. But I must warn you, God does not judge you by the Constitution. He judges you by the Word of God. So while the Supreme Court is looking at the Constitution, you better search the Scriptures …,"

It's so Hard to say Bye! Growing in Community and seeing people leave

We are studying the book of Acts in our ministry and we have been talking a lot about community. I grew up in church and my father was a pastor. (side bar: this is one of the MANY reasons I keep asking the Lord WHY!!!!!! did He call me to be married to a pastor) 

My father was not a perfect man but he loved the Lord. Even now in my life when times get hard I find comfort in remembering how he overcame hurt and failures. He is still standing!!!  

I continue to try to understand community and the true meaning of LOVE. I read this article today. As a member of the body of Christ, I have not heard this topic a lot. I even shy way from it because I only really think about it when someone leaves the church I attend or I hear someone complaining about the church they left. 

Today choosing a church is like shopping for new shoes. We have sooooo many options. I know right across the street from where I live there are three churches. On the entire street it's five.  I thought I would share two articles with you. 

Disclaimer #1: This is not about you!!! It's not about me!!! 

Disclaimer #2: This is about leaving a church, not leaving the Church. The building where you go on Sunday mornings is your church, with a little “c.” But that church is a part of the Church, big “C.” The Church is made up of all of those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. It exists in small town America and the biggest cities in China. It looks like buildings with steeples and small gatherings of people in living rooms.While you have some freedom do determine where you will attend little "c"church, checking out of the big "C" Church isn’t an option. Paul made it clear that you are an irreplaceable part of the Church (1 Corinthians 12). Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to give up meeting together.

From Relevant Magazine by Aaron Loy  

Let’s be honest, while there are some good reasons for leaving a church, there are a lot more bad ones. As a pastor, I hear some of them every now and then as people walk out the door. As a church planter, I hear them constantly as people walk in the door.

If you’re thinking about looking for a new church home, please don’t use one of these five reasons to make the jump:

1. “I’m not being fed”

Do pastors have a responsibility to steward the scriptures and care for their church spiritually? You bet they do. And it can be all too easy to overlook this while trying to manage staff, build systems, meet needs, put out fires and develop leaders, all while overseeing the overall vision and direction of the church. But let’s be honest, if you own a smartphone, a personal computer or a library card, you have access to some of the best preaching and teaching in the world. You can even find teaching archives of some of the greatest preachers of all time. Christian, you have access to more “meat” than any other generation before you!

Your primary call in the church is to contribute, not just to consume.

To leave a church because you’re not getting "enough" is a cop out. Your primary call in the church is to contribute, not just to consume. As a Christian, you shouldn’t require spoon-feeding for the rest of your life. Eventually you need to learn how to feed yourself so that, in time, you can actually feed others. Remember, your call is not just to be a disciple but to make disciples.

2. “It’s getting too big”

I can appreciate the sense of loss that accompanies growth. When we first began, our church was little more than a small band of brothers and sisters meeting together in a living room. It feels very different now that we are a church of a few hundred people spread across multiple services. There are moments when I miss the intimacy and simplicity of those early days. But remaining small is a sad and unbiblical goal.

When churches are faithful to the Great Commission, lives will be changed and people will be added to their number. It may not happen rapidly, but growth is sometimes inevitable for faithful churches, given a long enough timeline. If you have a problem with big churches, you really wouldn’t have liked the first church, and you definitely won’t like heaven.

3. “I don’t agree with everything that is being preached” (Tiffany note: This one convicted me!!!) 

You know what? Neither do I and I’m the pastor. As such I fully reserve the right to disagree with myself. And every now and then I do exactly that. Why? Because I’m learning. I’m growing. I’m asking questions. And my hope is that those I pastor are doing likewise.

If you insist that your pastor agree with you on every little thing under the sun, you are going to either hop from church to church for the rest of your life in perpetual disappointment or you will eventually give up and drop out altogether. Chances are you are not going to agree with everything that is preached anywhere. As long as your pastor isn’t preaching outright heresy, you can afford to disagree on secondary issues.The truth is when you choose to stay despite disagreeing on some things, you, your pastor and your church are better for it.

4. “My Needs Aren’t Being Met”

When someone lists this as a reason for leaving it is a dead giveaway that somewhere along the way they came to believe that the Church actually exists to serve their needs. They’ve bought into the lie that, when it comes to church, it’s really about “me.” Here’s the problem: the Church actually isn’t about you. It’s about Jesus. It’s his Church. He came for it. He died for it. He redeemed it. He continues to build it. And one day, he’ll come back for it. It’s his.

The Church doesn’t exist to meet your needs. You are a part of the Church that exists to meet the needs of the world.

This is the same Jesus who came to seek and to save the lost and then commissioned his Church to go and do the same. The Church doesn’t exist to meet your needs. You are a part of the Church that exists to meet the needs of the world. Put away the shopping cart and pick up a shovel.

5. Unresolved Conflict (Tiffany note: a.k.a. Offense) 

Wherever you find the community of sinning saints you will find conflict. Lots of it. The Church is one big family full of characters and misfits. Sometimes sisters argue. Sometimes brothers fight. Sometimes you want to bury your weird uncle in the backyard. But despite it all, family is supposed to be the place where you stick together. Even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.

Paul addressed a lot of church conflict in his letters. No where do I hear him encouraging believers to bail on one another or move on down the road to a different church where it will be easier. Instead, much of his letters are his encouraging and coaching these ragamuffin communities in how to do this very hard and messy thing together.

The opposite side:

This is from article Lies Young Women believe: Reasons to leave church (Disclaimer #2 is from this article) 

Reason #1: Your Church Is Not Teaching the Bible

Second Timothy 3:16 says,
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness.”
This verse makes two important points.

1. All Scripture is God-breathed. It all comes from God.

1. All Scripture is useful.

If your church doesn’t teach the Bible or lumps the Bible in with other important books, a red flag should shoot up. How the Bible is taught may vary, but make sure that the Bible is being taught in your church.

Reason #2: The Gospel Is Distorted

In Galatians 1:9, Paul uses some strong words to tackle this one:
“As we have said before, so I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
Distorting the gospel was a problem even in the earliest churches. Preachers would add to the message that Jesus’ sacrifice was our only means of salvation. Maybe we need Jesus and good deeds to be saved. Maybe we need Jesus and to follow all the rules to be saved. But Paul blows the whistle and says, “No way! Don’t stand for any other gospel than the one Jesus preached!”

Reason #3: Repentance Is a Dirty Word

We all love feel-good sermons, the kind that send us off to Sunday lunch with warm fuzzies in our tummies. These might be sermons on God’s love or friendship or the resurrection. There’s nothing wrong with these sermons, but be wary if every message you hear at church doesn’t include a regular call to repentance.
Jesus sure didn’t shy away from repentance in any of his sermons. Matthew 4:17 tells us, “From that time Jesus began to preach, saying ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'”
James 5:16 commands us to confess our sins.
If the leadership of your church never teaches on sin, hell, and our need to repent, plan an exit strategy.

Reason #4: The Mission Is Missing

Jesus commissioned the very first church leaders this way, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20).

Your church should be actively seeking to make disciples. That means reaching out to those who do not yet know Jesus. Your church should also be actively seeking to train disciples. That means teaching the Bible to Christians.

_______

I have been saved for 11 years!! As a member ,I have been angry to the point I thought if I do not leave this church I am going to loose my mind. As a leader, I have asked my husband can we just go!!! Why do we have to lead people. As a sister, I  have seen people I spent everyday with walk not only away from "church" but away from the "Church". As a friend, I have seen people leave the church and flourish in the new place the Lord called them to.

 At the end of the day the Lord gave us all free will. It is so hard to say good bye but sometimes the Lord does call us to different places. I challenge all of us to be honest when we do have to leave a church body. I challenge us to bear with one another, forgive quickly, and walk in love. Most people leave church offended and just carry that bondage to the next place. Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity 

I have failed at being  a leader, a friend, a sister, a mentor, a wife, a mother, a believer. I have hurt people. BUT I have been forgiven so therefore I choose to forgive. 

I have felt controlled by leaders and even so angry that I hated walking in the door of the church. Then the Lord showed me the person's heart and a mirror:) 

I have found it's always easy to find someone to agree with me in my anger and never be concerned about my heart. 

I have found a savior that served Judas! That's love!!!! 

Check out some other articles: 

• “When Should People Leave Their Church?” by John MacArthur
• “When Should I Leave My Church?” By Tim Challies
• “When Should I Leave My Church” by John Piper

Embrace Your Season by Abiding

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! Welcome to 2015. WE MADE IT!!! If you are reading these words right now say to yourself, “I MADE IT”.

I spent two weeks honestly in my own fleshly bubble. I was trying to fight through my emotions of anger, fear and trust. Physically I was not feeling good and things seem not to be going my way.  I had just blogged about being thankful and it seemed like everything started happening and complaints instead of praise began to roll off my tongue & out my lips.  I was complaining about my job. I was complaining about my home. I was complaining about the way other people are acting. Then I was driving to work in silence talking to God. I pulled up my own blog and begin to read about being thankful. I have to be intentional about praising God because it’s so easy to get distracted with everyday issues. Issues I create because no one can control my emotions but myself.

I am learning to embrace this season in my life. Eccles. 3:1-8 NIV reads, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,  a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

I worked in full time ministry for 10 years. I have had some good days and some bad. I have cried many tears but I have had lots of laughs. I have seen fruit from my labor and I have seen my “trash” too. :) 

I am in a new season physically but my season of abiding must remain the same! John 1:1-10 ES V reads, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.”

No matter if you work for a company, the pope, the president, in the church, or a full time mom, the position may change physically but spiritually we are called to abide in Christ. We are called to bear fruit wherever we find ourselves.

The question we must ask ourselves as we enter 2015 is “what fruit are we bearing?” Stop looking at if you are working a 9am-5pm. Stop looking at if you have chosen to be a full time pastor or church secretary. Stop looking at if you travel the world. Stop looking at if you are a full time wife and mom. Look at the fruit in your life. Whatever season you are in right now there is fruit to bear.

1 Cor 13: 1-3 NIV reads, “If I speak in the tongues^[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

On last night my brother Daniel danced to Trip Lee, Sweet Victory. These words keep ringing in my heart: “They like I hear you talkin’ wins but I see your losses. You celebratin’ crown but I see your crosses….The victor ain’t the one that’s winnin seventh inning. Trophies don’t go to one that got a good beginning. When I say I win I don’t mean the state I’m in, I mean the day when the grace got fade out then I’m winning cause I ran with Him.”

I want to be found in the will of the Lord. I want to be found running for Christ and abiding in Him. I want to be found walking in Love for God and Love for others. I want to be found winning souls no matter where I am. Embrace your season in him. Embrace your physical position by positioning yourself spiritually in the will of the Father.

As we make plans for 2015, remember your season may not look like the last. Your season may not seem as productive as the last. Your season may not get applauds of man. Your season may not even “look” like the will of the Lord in your eyes and the eyes of others. In whatever season you are in ABIDE, TRUST, AND RUN!!!

Phil 3:12 NIV: Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Prov 19:21 NIV: Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

Be blessed! Enjoy this song my sister Mauricia song last night at the New Year’s Eve Celebration!

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!!!!!!