Breathing Thankfulness

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

In this time of year, with Thanksgiving just around the proverbial bend, leaves falling from the trees, days shortening, and much cooler nights, we tend to be torn. Our desire is to be thankful, yet we complain about the cold, darkness, and falling leaves. What if we change our ways? What if we take Paul's advice and make the choice to always be joyful, always pray, always give thanks? What would happen?

From personal experience I can tell you that a person can choose joy. There will be moments of sorrow, but those moments don't have to last forever, nor do they get the choice to drag you down. We can choose. Hold on a moment - for those of you who are thinking "Yeah, what does she know?!" I've been there. I've suffered seasons of depression so bad that suicide looked the only way out. I've been in seasons of abandonment, depression, loss, grief... However, these things DO NOT define me. Nor do the negative things in your life define you.

In this verse is a key that unlocks the door to joy - thankfulness. When we are thankful to the Lord for the things in our life: good, bad, and ugly, He begins to do a work within us that words cannot describe. Remember, there is nothing that you will go through that God does not know about and there is nothing you will walk through that Jesus doesn't understand. If you have surrendered your whole self to Jesus and accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour, you have the Holy Spirit within you and He will guide you. Do not believe the thoughts or voices that tell you 'you are alone' or 'nobody cares' or any other negative lie.

Jesus came to this earth - leaving the perfection of heaven behind - to be our example. He grew up, suffered and died at the hands of other people. In this world things can be tough, but when Jesus is on our side, we are victorious even if it doesn't feel that way. You are not alone and you are loved more than you will ever know. Remember, Jesus' story doesn't end at the grave. He rose from the grave defeating death and hell. He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and is interceding for each and every person who calls on His name. You are not alone. You are not forsaken. Choose Jesus and choose joy.

I want to encourage you this Thanksgiving and each and every day forward to choose joy by choosing thankfulness. When you're happy, thank Jesus for something. When you're angry, thank Jesus for something.When you get down, thank Jesus for something. Look around, it isn't hard to find things to be thankful for. Make thankfulness a habit. What are you thankful for today?

Worship Notes-Part 2

Have you considered your time all alone, praying and seeking God as a time of worship? It can be. When we go into our "prayer closet" (which can be anywhere you are alone with God) and spend time in His presence, we are in fact worshiping Him. A personal relationship is what He desires with each person who calls Him Father. In saying this, we too have a part to play. Going before the Lord with a list of demands is really not the way to approach Him. Think of it this way. He loves you and you love Him. He knows the things you have need of before you ever ask Him (Matthew 6:8).

Take time to go before the Lord and ask Him to reveal the truth in your heart. David, the man after God's own heart, wrote many Psalms. In Psalm 139 he exposed his heart to God. We can learn much if we will seek God's will for our lives and ask Him to reveal the truth to us about ourselves. Just listen to the last two verses from Psalm 139:

"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." (23-24 NKJV)

What if we prayed this prayer and remained in God's presence until He revealed the truth to us? What if we then repented and prayed for forgiveness and cleansing from those things He revealed? Would we be different? Would this look like worship? YES!! Definitely, it would. We serve a mighty and great God who loves us just the way we are, but refuses to let us stay that way. Yet, He is a gentleman, and will not force Himself anywhere we won't invite Him in.

I have struggled with many things. I also tried very hard to keep certain places in my heart veiled from the Lord (what a joke), but when I went before Him and prayed this prayer, many things and motives were revealed to me. Things I didn't even know were there! But as I work through them (He's still working on me), I realize more and more how much He loves me and how patient He truly is.

Don't be afraid to let Him in to every part of your life. Allow Him to wash you "white as snow", cleansing you from everything that stands between you and Him. He loves you with a love that is incomparable.  Take time to worship Him today and everyday.

Worship Notes - Part 1

What a beautiful day! God is so good! Thank you Lord for health, food on the table, a warm place to sleep, my beautiful family...

What is worship? Would you call my opening lines in this post worship? Why or why not? Is singing and dancing worship?

When asked the question what is worship we may say: singing hymns, praying, meditating on Scripture, or that sort of thing. Do you realize you can worship the Lord in all the things you do? What about carrying out the trash, getting the groceries, paying the bills, going to work, doing your schoolwork?

Yes, all the above can be a worship experience if our hearts are focused on the Lord, our almighty God. When we obey Him, we are worshiping Him. Doing any chores that seem menial can be done with a heart and attitude of worship as though you are doing it for Him and not for yourself or any other person. God has given us life, abundant life (John 10:10). Even in the things that annoy us, we can learn to do with a thankful heart, overflowing with love for our Savior, Jesus Christ. We have the awesome privilege of being in personal relationship with Him and we can show our appreciation for Him through our actions and attitudes.

The Lord sees our hearts (1 Samuel 16:7) and the intentions in it. Are you being intentional in your worship to Him? Is your focus on Him or on others or yourself? Over the next couple of weeks, we will explore the meaning of worship and how we can worship more effectively. To leave you this week, I want to challenge you. Think about the one thing you dislike doing more than anything. Rather than dread it, take the time to praise the Lord when you are right in the middle of it. Thank Him for giving you the physical and/or emotional capabilities to do it. Praise Him for all that He means to you and for all He's done for you. Do that job for Him-whoever it is for-keep Him in the forefront of your thinking. It will make a difference!

Powerful Praise

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." James 1:2 NASB

What trials are you facing today? Have you thanked the Lord for them? James admonishes us to consider it all joy when trials and hardships come along. Something from this passage of Scripture that leaped squarely off the page into my focus, and rested on my heart was the word when. James doesn't say if-he says when. Dear friend, trials will come. If you haven't encountered them yet then God bless you, however they will undoubtedly come to us all in one form or another. Likewise, for those of us who have and are encountering them now, how are we handling them?

Acknowledging His sovereignty over our lives and laying it all down before Him, that is the greatest gift we can give Him. Tough times are around us everywhere. I don't think I know of anyone who is not encountering some kind of trial at this time. Each one is very different. Each person deals with their "stuff" differently. However, don't judge a book by its cover. Realize that some are more private than others and do not want to share it. Yet, for the most part, we all struggle or have challenges of some kind.

Can you praise Him anyway? Can you lift your hands, right now wherever you are and thank God for all the things in your life, good and bad? Will you trust Him to "never leave you or forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5) and to be with you wherever you go? Relying on Him and going through trials will test our faith and produce endurance.

Here we have another promise. When our faith is tested it produces endurance. In order to run a marathon, we must have endurance. Like a marathon, this life on earth we have been given to live takes endurance. It is riddled with times of testing. How we go through it is what matters. Are we going to allow it to make us bitter or better? The choice is one each of us make, each and every time we come up against some kind of trial.

Let's commit to raising our hands and falling on our knees praising God through the storm, until we see the sun break through. He loves you so much. He knows every part of you, even to the hairs on your head. Trust Him. Have faith in Him. Give Him all of you.

Dear heavenly and gracious Father,
Lord, thank You for Your promises. Thank You for always being with me and guiding me through every day. Help me to trust in You more and more each day. I pray for Your guidance, wisdom and discernment as I face trials. Help me Lord, to look to You, lean on Your Word, and praise You in the midst of all that happens.
In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5 NKJV Tomorrow we celebrate Thanksgiving. Have you thought about the things you are truly thankful for? In each one of our lives, there is something to give thanks for. It may be something small or something huge, but we can all find at least one thing to be thankful for. Take some time this weekend and record some of the things you are thankful for. The promise of an eternal life in heaven with Jesus is something I am thankful for. Knowing that everyone is on level footing and all are welcome is something to be truly thankful for. Forgiveness, grace, mercy, peace, hope, and wisdom; these are all promises to His children. Isn’t that cause for thankfulness? When we enter into His presence, we can do so with boldness knowing that our prayers will be heard. We can enter with thanksgiving because He is and always will be. We can make the conscious choice to praise Him even if we don’t “feel” like it. If you are going through a bad time, take a moment and praise God for something. Find one thing He has done and praise Him for it. Remember, His truth does endure. Pray that He will give you understanding and a discerning heart to hear from Him.