Thanking God for You

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you; always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy. - Philippians 1:3-4 KJV.

Giving of thanks means a lot to God. It brings joy to the heart of God the Father when His children give thanks with a grateful heart. It’s not enough to just say thank you, but it should be done with a sincere, meaningful heart. We have read in scripture where, giving of thanks to God was done over and over. Thanks were given when great battles were won, when the Israelites were delivered from Egypt and many other times.

One such example in the bible of someone returning to give thanks to God, is the story of the 10 lepers in Luke chapter 17. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan vs. 15-16.

The focus for many people is to give thanks for things. However, more importantly is to give thanks for each other. There are many persons who have been very instrumental in our lives. How often do we stop and give thanks to God for them or even let them know how thankful we are to have them in our lives. In Philippians 1:3-4, Paul expresses his heart to the body of Christ in Philippi that he thanks God every time he remembers them. Not only when he remembers them, but always, every time he prays, he remembers them and makes request for them with joy.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving today, let’s stop for a moment and remember those who have been a source of blessing in our lives. Let’s offer up prayers of thanksgiving to God our Father for them. Let’s not stop there and offer prayers, but reach out to them, give them a call and express thanks to them with a grateful heart as Paul and the leper did. Most importantly, let’s offer thanksgiving to God for what He has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Trust God and Take Action

"He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” – Eccl. 11:4 NKJV

There is a time to be cautious and a time to throw caution to the wind.  And it takes discernment to know the difference. If you're waiting for perfect conditions before seizing an opportunity, you will be hesitating until you die. The Bible says, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”

More often than not, the only thing between you and the fulfillment of your dream is an excuse: “I'm too busy.” “I don't have enough money.” “I'm unqualified.” “I'm not ready yet.” “I have lots of problems.”  Newsflash: No one is ever ready! Immediately before Jesus’ first miracle, He shows a hint of hesitation; “My time has not come yet” (John 2:4). But Jesus had a mother who loved Him enough to persuade Him.

In his book “Jump In” Mark Burnett writes “Nothing will ever be…perfect, and nothing can be totally planned. The best you can hope for is to be about half certain of your plan and know that you and the team you've assembled are willing to work hard enough to overcome the inevitable problems as they arrive.”

Note the words “the best you can hope for is to be about half certain.” That's a pretty good paraphrase of Ecclesiastes Chapter 11. So don't “observe the wind,” and don't “regard the clouds.” After you have prayed and prepared, it's time to trust God and take action.

God Has An Assignment for YOU

“He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us.” – Eph. 2:10 NLT

Your God-given assignment in life comes with three things.

A Plan – “He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” As you spend time with the Lord in prayer, He will reveal His plan to you. And He will do it one step at a time. You say, “But what if I make a mistake? What if I stumble?” The Bible says, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Psa. 37:23-24 NLT).

A Time Frame – The plan of God was prepared for us long ago; way before we were born or accepted Christ as our personal Savior. Not only does God have a personal plan for you, He schedules certain things to take place in your life at certain times. “For the time to favor her, yes, the set time has come” (Psa. 102:13 NKJV). That’s why you must stay in step with God and in sync with the beat of the Holy Spirit who lives within you.

Victory In Spite of the Odds and the Opposition- “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith” (1John 5:4 NLT). Keep your faith strong. Keep trusting God. You say, “But the circumstances don’t look good.” God is in control of your circumstances. He made the sun stand still to give Joshua extra time to win the battle over his enemies, and He can alter the circumstances for your good and His Glory as well.