Thanks Living
Thanks Living
Topic: In All Things Give Thanks!
A woman received a phone call that her daughter was very sick with a fever. She left work and stopped by the pharmacy for some medication for her daughter.
When returning to her car to find she had locked her keys inside. She had to get home to her sick daughter, and didn't know what to do.
She called her home to the baby sitter, and was told her daughter was getting worse. She said, "You might find a coat hanger and use that to open the door."
The woman found an old rusty coat hanger on the ground, as if someone else had locked their keys in their car. Then she looked at the hanger and said, "I don't know how to use this." She bowed her head and asked God for help.
An old rusty car pulled up, driven by a dirty, greasy, bearded man with a biker skull rag on his head. The woman thought, "Great God. This is what you sent to help me????" But she was desperate, and thankful.
The man got out of his car and asked if he could help. She said "Yes, my daughter is very sick. I must get home to her. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car."
He said, "SURE." He walked over to the car and in seconds the car was opened. She hugged the man and through her tears she said, "THANK YOU SO MUCH.....You are a very nice man."
The man replied, "Lady, I ain't a nice man. I just got out of prison for car theft."
The woman hugged the man again and cried out loud.....
THANK YOU GOD FOR SENDING ME A PROFESSIONAL!"
C. S. Lewis
We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good, if bad, because it works in us patience, humility, and the contempt of this world along with the hope of our eternal country.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.
"in all things give thanks" is a biblical command found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which encourages believers to be grateful for everything, regardless of their circumstances.
It's not about being happy about difficult situations, but about trusting in God, who is sovereign over all events and uses them for good.
Practicing thankfulness in this way can lead to benefits like happiness, contentment, and strengthened relationships.
Meaning and significance
An attitude of trust:
Giving thanks in all things is a demonstration of faith and trust that God is good and has a purpose, even in difficult times.
A command for all circumstances:
The command applies to every situation—both good and bad—not just the favorable ones.
A key to a better life:
Cultivating a mindset of gratitude can lead to greater happiness, more positive emotions, and a stronger ability to handle adversity.
A way to grow closer to God
Thanksgiving Is the Result of the Spirit-Filled Life
When you have the Spirit of God controlling your life, you have a thankful spirit.
Ephesians 5:18–20 says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things.”
When the Spirit of God controls your life, you will be a grateful, thankful person.
Psa 100:4
Enter into His Courts with thanksgiving and praise Him for all His mighty acts.
Psa 97:12
Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
THANK GOD EVERY MORNING / Wake Up With Gratitude
We lose perspective. If we’re not careful, we begin to look at the world as if the whole world is a problem and our whole lives are filled with anxiety, pressure and problems.
But one of the great things God does for us is cause us to take a long look at what’s going on in our lives and realize, “God, there are so many good things happening in my life! There’s so much You are doing for me and my family, my church, my work. Yes, there are problems, but thank You, God for the good things You are doing.”
Thanks Living causes you to refocus your attention away from yourself and your problems and to direct it to God.
When you thank Him, you think about what He has done. And the very act of thinking about what He has done causes you to refocus your attention and get things back in perspective.
IT GETS YOU OFF THE NEGATIVE AGENDA OF THINGS THAT ARE YOURS BECAUSE OF YOUR FALLEN NATURE AND ON TO THE POSITIVE AGENDA
2 Samuel 22:3 KJV: The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my Savior; thou savest me from violence.
Every morning tell the Lord "Thank You"! Make it a daily habit to tell the Lord Thank You. It will change your day, life, attitude, and outlook on your journey called "Life with Christ".
God Thank You. Thank You. Thank You, Lord Jesus. God Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. Thank You for being my Savior, Lord, Redeemer, and Deliver.
Thank You for being my healer and great physician. Thank You for being my provider. You supply all my needs. Thank You for being my counselor, defender, protector, the shepherd of my soul, my rock, and fortress.
You are my light in the darkness. Thank You. You are my refuge and strength, my very present help in the time of trouble. Thank You. You are my place of safety. I am in Your hands. All is well. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.
You are my best friend. You always have my best interest at heart. You always want the best for me. Thank You. You are God's Blessing to me, that keeps on blessing me. Thank You.
Your Word is my source of hope. You are my source. Thank You. You will never leave me or forsake me. You are always with me. Thank You. You are the answer to all my prayers. In this I am confident. Thank You. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. He is the King of glory! Thank You. Thank You. Thank You, Lord Jesus!
The Danger of failing to Thank and honor God
Thanks living here on earth is not an option. It is very clear in the New Testament that ingratitude is sin.
In the first chapter of Romans, when Paul is cataloguing the destruction of a culture, he says one of the evidences of the decadence of human society is that people become unthankful.
In the story of the ten lepers, nine of the lepers that Jesus healed walked away without saying, “Thank you.” Only one gave Him thanks
The power of thanks giving
Thanking God for whatever he gives us is one sure way of resisting the devil
The Seeds of Satan
The story is told of a man who found the barn where Satan stores the seeds he sows in the human heart: envy, greed, anger, hatred, lust, and so on. The man soon noticed that Satan had more seeds of discouragement than of any other kind. He learned that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. When Satan was questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there was one place in which he could not get them to grow. "And where is that?" asked the man. Satan replied sadly, "In the heart of a thankful man."
Victorious living results in Thanks Living
God is never more properly thanked for his goodness than by our godliness.
The finest test of character is seen in the amount and the power of gratitude we have.
Thanking God leads to prayer and praise
Prayer without thanks-giving is like a bird without wings.
You can’t have a decent prayer life without thanksgiving.
Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
It says with thanksgiving. That means no matter what kind of praying we do, there is one thing that is to be involved in every prayer we pray. That one thing is thanksgiving and gratitude.
If you are not thankful, you are out of peace with God.
We live in a day of great distress, depression and despair. But God has the answer to that in His Word. He tells us in Phil 4:6-7 KJV that we are to
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God , which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
