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.
When God 'wills' something for us, it is because it will manifest His 'goodness' in our lives. He always wants only His best for us! Click To TweetAnd 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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The phrase ” in the heavenly realm ” stood out to me. It is why we should pray for it to be on earth as it is in heaven.
Yes I sure do! Thank you Rebecca! ❤
I love that scripture is now proven by spycology. There are so many studies that show how healthy thankfulness is. God knew that being grateful would make our lives better.
Yes me too Anne! Thank you for joining us here … ❤
Such a great reminder to continuously be grateful for all God has done for us. Great article!
Thank you LeeAnn! ❤
This is a great reminder to look for the blessings.
Thank you Melanie! 😘😘😘
Lovely. Two ideas jump out to me … one that it is for our own good. Secular teachers teach that, but it is nice to see it backed in the Word. Also, that it centers us. Right now, I can use that! So as I go about my Saturday chores, I will focus on being grateful. Thank you!
I hear you! I need more that’s good for me and will center me, too! Thank you Sheri … ❤
I just finished reading a book called When Snowflakes Never Cease (it’s an amazing multi-book collection of Christmas stories). Reading your post a few minutes later, really brought the message home.
There’s a lot of hard stuff in the stories, but each character eventually remembered that the Lord is good, no matter what. They were giving thanks to God for being in the midst of their mess, and working on their hearts and attitudes in the middle of it all.
I will look into that book! And the collection! Thank you Aryn, for all your amazing book reviews and suggestions. I love when I can discover a great new book to read! ❤
Happy to share when I find something good!
Thank you Erin … ❤
“ Our circumstances and the enemy can never change what we have in Jesus. ”
Yesss and amen!!
Thank God that all we have in Him is steadfast and unchanging … that gives me a sense of peace and stability in Him in this ever changing world … Thank you Erin. ❤
“Giving thanks to God is sowing a seed that will reap a harvest.”
I LOVE this! I want to put it up somewhere in my house. Beautiful post <3
Thank you Jordan. ❤
You said it all so well Donna! God is good, no matter our circumstances. God never changes; his love and care is constant. Thank you so much for including my post – I’m truly honored.
Thank you AnnMarie. Thank you for all your support, too … ❤❤❤
Very thought provoking post for us all Donna! The key is giving God thanks in ALL circumstance…whether good or bad. God’s word does NOT promise us an easy life but he does promise to be with us through it all.There is so much power in gratitude and giving thanks to God, much of which we take for granted. Great job. Full of inspiration and encouragement. Thank You!!
I’m learning to trust that He is not surprised about where I find myself at any given time. It’s helping to bring more peace that He is in control. Thank you Angie … ❤
You are spot on! There is so much power in gratitude and giving thanks to God takes that up another notch! Thanks for inspiring me!
Thank you Tiffany … ❤
Thank you for this post! You are so right. God is always good regardless of the circumstance. We have to posture our hearts to see that and thank Him even when life feels hard.
You’re welcome Ayanna. And thank you. Amen, He is always good no matter my circumstance! ❤
The power of living with an attitude of gratitude increases our faith. Giving glory to God is the best! x0x
You’re so right. When I practice gratitude, it does increase my faith. It helps to align me with an eternal mindset instead of what’s worldly. Thank you for this Norma! ❤
Gratitude is so important to setting aside myself. Praise God for not losing patience with me.
Amen to that, Danell! I will never truly understand how He hung in there so long with me. Thanking Him for His patience with me. ❤
Donna, so many powerful truths have flowed through you from our Heavenly Father! Amen to all of it and you are so right that being grateful is such an awesome weapon of defense against our enemy as you said “Gratitude brings us victory and sends the enemy packing.” Love that, as we need to be always sending him packing!!
April, I am so blessed that you felt God in this post. ❤ That is my heart for this blog. And so true, it’s the ultimate victory against satan when we can thank God in the middle of a crisis. He can’t stand that.
[…] via Giving Thanks to God, Part One | The Power of Gratitude — Fresh Grace for Today […]
Thank you for sharing my post Eileen! Blessings to you … 😘❤
Great reminder to take my eyes off of my circumstances and put them on the Giver of all good things. No matter how stressful life gets, I can always find blessings to be thankful for.
Thank you. I know it’s incredibly hard when we are going through alot. You are so right, no matter how stressful life gets we can always find blessings to be thankful for … ❤
I’m going through a difficult time and I have been working on my attitude. I praise God for all things. I know He is working for my good.
Thank you sweet Julie! I am praying for you right now, for God’s mercy, grace and help in your time of need … ❤
Such a great message for this Thanksgiving season, Donna. It convicted me to offer more gratitude to God and pay special attention to the blessings I’m given. <3
You have the sweetest spirit Sarah. I can relate to managing constant physical pain and your writings always encourage me to keep looking up … praying extra of God’s grace for you today! 😘❤
The benefits of showing gratitude far outweighs focusing on the negative. Good post.
Thank you Brandi! You are always so encouraging! 😘😘😘
Giving thanks to God! I love how we are all flooding social media with giving thanks and practicing gratitude! I also appreciated your correlation between giving thanks and planting seeds. So true!
Thank you Fleda! I love it too!! The past few weeks have been awesome reading all your posts of thankfulness and gratitude!! Preparing me to focus on Jesus for Christmas in a special way … ❤
Loved all of this but that list at the end is so very powerful! Each of those things is really helpful when we’re working taking our thoughts captive. I am thankful God has given us so many reasons for gratitude over fear, worry, doubt, etc. Beautiful post! Thanks for the encouragement!
It really is taking our thoughts captive when we attempt to cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Thank you for that, Rachel! God has given us so many spiritual blessings, I hope He will help me to never take them for granted… ❤
Gratitude deepens our relationship with the Father…Lord,.may i not be ungrateful for thus far you have brought me…Amen
Thank you so much for stopping by Okpalaku! I hope to not be ungrateful too for how far God has brought me. He is so good to us! ❤
[…] *Here’s another post from Fresh Grace for today on The Power of Gratitude. […]
Thank you so much for sharing this post, Cherith! You are always such a blessing to us here … ❤
One thing that stays constant throughout deep suffering is the character of God. We can always praise Him for who He is!
Susan, yes!! He is my ONE constant in this crazy world. Ever faithful, completely unwavering, and constantly there for me. ❤
God is our Rock and He is immovable. He is always with us in every situation. Very deep insights into being grateful. I need to dig into this further. Thank you so much.
Thank you Yaa! I am so thankful that He is our Rock and completely unmoved by this world! ❤
Our thoughts and words are dropping seeds down into our hearts that will take root.
So true!! Loved this.
Thank you Stephanie! ❤