The Power of Two Simple Words

Over fifty years ago, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed the second Monday in October to be “a day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed…” Like most Canadians, our family begins the celebration the weekend before. That’s this coming weekend! I love the opportunity to gather with and enjoy my family and my church family.

Thanksgiving weekend approaching, I have been giving much thought to what it means to give thanks. I suppose I truly started thinking about this topic while at the SocialBoom conference.

The Thank You Economy

Gary Vaynerchuck, one of the featured speakers at a conference I recently attended, is author of The Thank You Economy. Gary is making a massive income from practising and promoting being consciously grateful. I thought, here is a worldly man prospering from applying a biblical principle while many Christians don’t appreciate all the ways they are blessed. We sometimes need to be reminded to be thankful and even to say: thank you! There is something special about those words. People respond when we express our thanks with the right attitude. When we lapse in our gratitude, we miss out on God’s best – for us and those around us.

God Is Serious About Our Thankfulness

Colossians 3:17 is a wonderful scripture; it tells us to give thanks to God in whatever we do in word or deed. Think about it. Whatsoever you say or do, do it in the name of Jesus and give thanks to God. Now, that’s an all-inclusive statement! God is obviously serious about our giving thanks. Have you ever wondered why?

First, a thankful heart is a humble heart. Thankfulness is anchored in the understanding that we are completely dependent on God. There is nothing we can do without His grace and mercy. Also, giving thanks to God releases His supernatural power into our lives. If you lack in any area – spiritual, physical, financial – start giving thanks for God’s provision, then stand back and watch God work.

“In Everything, Give Thanks”

I know. It is not always easy to give thanks. Just like you, I find it easiest to give thanks when everything goes well and according to my desires. But God calls us to give thanks in everything. There’s no wiggle room, is there? Everything is everything.

When challenges come, we can choose to be thankful for the opportunity to overcome or master something. Giving thanks strengthens our faith and releases the power of God in the situation. Suddenly, we are accomplishing or overcoming what we never thought possible. God causes us to be successful.

So, let’s decide that regardless of how our day is going, we will give thanks for everything that He is doing in and through us all day long, and even as we sleep! Each day is made by God for us to enjoy and to more fully enjoy our relationship with Him. That in itself is something for which we can give thanks. And by doing so we disrupt the plans of the devil.

Giving Thanks Disrupts The Devil’s Plan

When we express our gratitude to God, we remind ourselves and the devil we are submitted to God and God alone. So those problems and fiery darts that Satan sends our way are stopped by the wall of faith that has been built from the bricks of gratitude.

Satan is opposed to God and always wants us to do the opposite of what God says to do. He delights if we murmur, complain and blame God for our problems. When we instead choose to thank God, not for the attack, but for His power to help us overcome, it will change our attitude and strengthen our faith. You may be wondering if gratitude in the face of adversity is practical.

Practically Speaking

I once heard it said “revelation without manifestation is a missed opportunity.” I’m standing in faith that we have had a revelation about giving thanks. Let’s talk about how to manifest thankfulness so we don’t miss our opportunities. Perhaps you are facing a challenge as you read this. Let’s apply the principal of gratitude. Believe that your steps are ordered by the Lord and begin giving thanks today in the midst of your trials.

Instead of focusing on the challenge, see it as an opportunity to achieve something—to obtain the promises of God in that area. Turn that challenge into an opportunity for God to manifest and transform the situation. Teach this to others. Share your gratefulness for the ways God has worked in your life. There is nothing you can’t do with God on your side. Consider your problem as already solved and give Him thanks!

Even though it goes against our flesh, gratitude in the face of adversity is practical because its benefits far outweigh the momentary satisfaction of negativity. Thankfulness is always the right choice.

The Thank You Revolution

Gratitude or thankfulness is such a powerful principle. If an author coming from a worldly perspective has been blessed by proclaiming a life of gratitude, how much more should we as Christians obey God’s will in this matter? Start your own “Thank You Revolution” right now. Become more aware of giving thanks and then teach others to do the same. Start small. Be sincere. And just watch what God will do! There is something about a grateful heart that opens doors.

I encourage you to thank God, not just during the holidays, but every day. In everything you do and everything you say, give thanks. Recognize who is in charge and give Him honor by giving thanks!

5 Tips for You to Walk Away from Bitterness

It is amazing to me the stories I have heard lately of so many people that are going through situations that are just really heartbreaking to me. Of course we need time to get our life together after a situation that shakes us at the core of our being. But then again, we also need to know that we cannot get bitter; we need to get up and get moving forward again.

I know people who get bitter and become so buried in their grief that they never get beyond the experience. They hold on to it for years. Some turn their backs on God, the church and the people who love them because they are angry and bitter or afraid to love again. I know the time when both of my parents died within two years in my late teen years; I was in shock and I almost thought I wasn’t able to make it.

But then the moment came that I knew I had to take control of my emotions to prevent them from ruining my life. Many times, if we’re not careful we can prevent a breakthrough from occurring by having the wrong attitude. Granted, it’s hard and the situation may be unimaginable that you’re facing. We are emotional beings and it is very difficult for us to press though those emotions.

When things don’t go as planned and people hurt or disappoint us, it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This is the time we must dig into the Word and stay close to God. Hanging around positive people and listening to positive music and messages can be of great help regardless of what is going on in our lives. Keeping a positive outlook and not get bitter, but get better should be a way of life.

Here are 5 tips to help you avoid or overcome bitterness:

1. Replace your complaining friends with positive ones

Look at your circle of friends. Who’s there? If you have friend who is always talking bad about their husband or telling you what you should do, it’s time to make a change. If you’re hearing things like, “I’m sick of my husband/parents. He’s/they are no good” Or if you have dreams that you want to accomplish and the friends around you say, “Give it up. You’re too old for that now. You should have done that, years ago.” Time to move on, they should support your dreams.

2. Replace fault-finding and complaining with thankfulness

Be thankful to God. I’m not suggesting that you thank Him for a bad situation or difficult experience, but thank Him in the midst of it. God is your heavenly Father. There is no one like Him. He will work things out for you if you live a life of faith and trust Him.

The fact that God is in your life means that you have far more working for you than against you. Thank Him daily and expect good things to happen. Your breakthrough is right around the corner. The Bible says we should do all things without complaining so that we will be blameless Phil.2:14-15

3. Don’t feed off negative sources

We must learn to make a choice to fix our minds on good things. Surround yourself with people who are good for you and have your best interest at heart. If you have been bombarded with negative messages, make the change.

4. Commit to developing your spiritual walk

Attend church regularly. God wants us to surround ourselves with people who have similar thoughts and values to our own. He also encourages us to assemble with Christians regularly so that we may uplift each other. Prayer and meditating on the Word is also important. Get in a quiet place daily and talk to God. Listen as He speaks to your heart throughout the day.

5. Watch what you say

Words have power. So choose them carefully. If you want positive results, you’ve got to have positive communication. If you want negative results, complain and continue to talk about the things you don’t want in your life. Either way it’s a choice. I encourage you to choose that which is positive.

Avoid quarreling, fighting, and gossiping. This type of communication produces strife and hinders every blessing. Instead say good things. Learn to agree or to agree to disagree and don’t take part in negative talk about anyone. Choose the high road. You’ll be glad you did.

Staying positive in a negative world is not easy, but it can be done. In fact, it must be done if we want our faith to continually increase. To live a positive life, we must intentionally focus our attention on good things.

What makes it difficult for you to focus on the positive rather than on the negative? What are some specific things about God on which you choose to focus your attention?

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