Be thankful in ALL circumstances, for this is
God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (Verse on Bible Hub)

GIVING THANKS TO GOD | THE POWER OF GRATITUDE

God has blessed us in the heavenly realm with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3) We have so much to be thankful for in the life. All of His promises are yes and amen in Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:20) They have already been made richly available to us.

But what we see as ‘reality’ in our lives can sometimes appear to oppose that truth. Our days don’t always go as we hoped or planned. On any given day, we can find ourselves facing unexpected setbacks, struggles and challenges that leave us feeling more defeated than blessed.

So why would a loving God ‘will’ for us to be thankful in all circumstances?

If we look at this Scripture through natural eyes, it can seem unattainable.

Some of us are experiencing the pain of a tragic loss right now. If this is you, please let us pray with you. But for others, we may just be going through the daily motions, struggling to keep many plates spinning in hopes that none of them will crash to the floor.

In the midst of stress, worry and doubt … do we now have the pressure to perform as one who is thankful in ALL circumstances? No, that is not God’s heart for us. And that mindset will lead us to feel completely deflated.

THE ENEMY CANNOT STOP YOU FROM GIVING THANKS TO GOD

God is not asking us to thank Him for a bad situation. He is leading us to remember (in the midst of all circumstances, good and bad) to thank Him for the one thing that is rock solid and immoveable in our lives … God Himself. When we hang the entire weight of our trust on Him, it will help keep us from being swept up by the circumstances swirling all around us. 

His unconditional love, His constant presence, His empowering grace, His unchanging truth, His uncompromising faithfulness, His incredible strength, His never ending guidance, His absolute wisdom, etc. God never changes and will always be our safe place. Our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

Our circumstances and the enemy can never change what we have in Jesus. 

Related Post ::: “50 + Gratitude Tips to Help You Be More Thankful Today” by Tiffany Montgomery

Guiding us to cultivate gratitude is an act of mercy and compassion on God’s part, because it helps us to refocus our minds back onto Him (Who is unshakeable) to steady us and help take our focus off of the things in this world. This helps us to reaffirm our firm footing in Christ, especially when we feel like we are drowning in quick sand.

GIVING THANKS TO GOD IS GOD’S WILL FOR US, FOR OUR OWN GOOD

When He ‘wills’ something for us, it is only because it is for our good and will manifest His ‘goodness’ in our lives. How many of us hunger for His peace and joy but find it elusive? Well, it’s not because God is holding back on us. It’s because we haven’t tapped into what has already been made available to us. Gratitude is one of the keys that unlocks Heaven’s blessings in our hearts and souls, despite what is happening in our lives.

Related Post ::: “5 Ways to Show Gratitude for Unplanned Plans” by Melody Laney

But it is not a formula we can try to manipulate to achieve more peace and joy in our own strength. God doesn’t work like that. He is all about relationship and practicing gratitude intensifies and deepens our relationship with the Father.

After a while, like any habit, gratitude becomes a part of us.

When we determine to really look for God and find Him in each moment and follow through with gratitude on our minds and lips, it won’t always be a feeling that stirs in our hearts at first. But our feelings will catch up!

Our thoughts and words are dropping seeds down into our hearts that will take root. Then one day we will notice that God cannot be outdone. When He’s honored and appreciated, He loves to show up and show out for our joy and His glory.

And I want to take this moment to encourage you with the following Scripture Passage if you are going through something devastating right now:

Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.
Psalm 126:4-6 (Verse on Bible Hub)

GIVING THANKS TO GOD IS SOWING A SEED THAT WILL REAP A HARVEST

Keep sowing them seeds of gratitude to bless God and refresh others, sweet Sister. God promises in Proverbs 11:25 that those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Even if we are not feeling it right now, we can always thank God that He is still on the throne, He will never leave us and He will walk with us all the way through this valley to the other side. I promise you, these seeds will take root in your heart! His promises are for us in every season of life.

Related Post ::: “Gratitude in Grief” by Annmarie Anderson

Gratitude helps our prayer life to deepen, also. Our prayers become less formal and more like a constant, intimate conversation with our very real (and ever present) friend, Jesus. 

Gratitude is powerful and helps to make God’s rock solid presence a reality in our lives, which helps to dim the floodlight that we once shined on our circumstances.

We have a choice, everyday, to give Him thanks and let gratitude make a lasting difference in our lives. We won’t always get it right, but with a heart of thanksgiving, we realize that no matter what we face, God isn’t just busy working everything for our good, but He is in fact changing our hearts for the better.

Gratitude releases the power (grip) that our circumstances once had over us.

We begin to feel the peace and deep seated joy that Jesus says we have in Him, which can never be compared with any circumstantial (and fleeting) happiness we may happen to bump into in this world.

Giving Thanks to God | The Power of Gratitude :::

1. Gratitude takes our eyes off of our selves and our situation. It helps us to refocus on God and His strength and goodness.

2. Gratitude helps to ‘center’ us so we can find stability in Him. Instead of desperately grasping to cling to God, we begin to realize we are already in the ‘grip’ of the One Who is not moved by our circumstances. This releases the ‘grip’ our circumstances once had on us.

3. Gratitude humbles us and reminds us we do not have to be in control because we know our great big God already is.

4. Gratitude helps us to step into our inheritance as sons and daughters and leaves the orphan spirit behind. We begin to feel full and overflowing, not empty or lacking.

5. Gratitude leaves no room for complaining. It’s virtually impossible to be truly thankful and ungrateful at the same time. One will always crowd the other out.

6. Gratitude brings us victory and sends the enemy packing. In the midst of what appears to be a bad situation, the enemy cringes to hear us praise our God that He is still on the throne.

7. Gratitude opens up the ‘flow’ or pathway between us and our Heavenly Father. We can hear His still sweet voice clearer and become more sensitive to the movings of His Spirit. We begin to see the world through His eyes, with more of an eternal perspective.

Gratitude invites God’s presence and opens up the door for His peace and continued blessings. In His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11) and we are refreshed and renewed. God loves to bless His children and He delights in our thankfulness. I pray that you will surrender to His goodness today.

Related Post ::: “5 Simple Ways to Show Gratitude to God” by Stacey Mason

Much love xo

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the
Rock of our Salvation! Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving;
and let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise! For the
Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”
Psalm 95:1-3 (Passage on Bible Gateway)

Giving Thanks to God, the Power of Gratitude Part One @ freshgracefortoday.com

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