Thanksgiving

1 Thessalonians 5:18,"in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (NKJV)

 

Note: My ten year old granddaughter is serving as my editor for this post. She is also "freely" offering her advice and opinion as she looks over my shoulder during this process. I may need to ask her to return to the kitchen and assist her Nonnie in preparing dinner for our family. LOL

 

Today is "Thanksgiving Day", which is somewhat a paradox for a Christian. Shouldn't every day be a day of Thanksgiving for those of us who recognize Christ as our Savior? In reality each day should be a day of Thanksgiving for every human being that walks the face of this earth. The Psalmist David reminded us that every one that has breath should offer our praise to God (Psalm 150).

 

Each of us have been blessed in so many ways but there are times that those blessings are forgotten as we move through the daily challenges of "living." I reminded the New River congregation a few weeks ago that many believers seem to be waiting on something "big" to take place in our lives and then we will offer our thanks to God. But is that the right approach or right decision to make? Only you can answer that question for yourself but my answer is no. I believe that is the wrong approach to take in my attitude of gratitude toward God.

 

I have made my decision based on this following information. As I am waiting for the "big" blessing to arrive I am missing the "load of daily benefits" that God is providing. It is during this time of waiting that I fail to thank God for my family; my friends; my place of employment; the breath that I breathe moment by moment; the food on my table; the home (notice that I did not say house) in which I live; the ability to walk, talk, think, and interact with others; etc. And I have not even attempted to start my "spiritual list" of blessings. Don't be guilty of waiting on the "big" blessing; stop and take a moment to remind yourself of all of the daily benefits that God sends to you each day of your life.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY!!!

Am I Thankful?

I Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Always be joyful. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (NLT)

 

This passage is not only exciting to read but it is also challenging to read. I had to ask myself this question, "Am I thankful?" when I read this passage a few minutes ago. I realized that the circumstances of life can bring a very real challenge to each of us. Will you take time with me to notice that "Never stop praying" is nestled between "Always be joyful" and "Be thankful in all circumstances..."? Isn't that very interesting? Is God teaching us that prayer is the key to our being joyful and thankful regardless of the circumstances that may be taking place in our lives?

 

Prayer leads us to focus on His presence and not just focus on our circumstances! Now I realize that type of action is not always easy to put into practice for anyone of us but it is always the right action to take. Prayer leads us to remember those times in the Bible as well as those times in our lives in which God has intervened and taken control of the situation. I heard several testimonies on this past Sunday night from different individuals who confirmed my previous statement. I heard of "divine interventions" in which God stepped into the moment and made a complete change in the environment of the situation.

 

I am convinced this morning that "praying without ceasing" is the link to living a life that is full of joy and thanksgiving. We must pray and never stop praying regardless of the attacks and strategies of the enemy. This morning God is teaching me (us) that prayer will be the key to our moving forward down the road of life. Life will have its share of bumps, bruises, injuries, heartaches, disappointments, frustrations, etc. but these moments also afford God an opportunity to minister to us and to those who are walking with us on the road of life.

 

Let this Thanksgiving Day serve as a reminder to pray and continue to pray.

Thankful, Part 4

Colossians 2:6-8, "And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.  ⁷ Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. ⁸ Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. (NLT)

Is it possible that God will overwhelm us with His blessings and we will underwhelm Him with our praise and thanksgiving? That question came into my heart as I was reading this passage in Colossians. The Apostle Paul was sharing principles of our growth process as a Christian and He revealed that this process of growth would contribute to our attitude of thanksgiving. The NLT says that our thankfulness would "overflow." Overflowing thankfulness is an interesting spiritual concept to say the least. We certainly would accept the blessings of God overflowing into our lives but does our thankfulness overflow through our expressions of praise and thanksgiving? This post is not meant to sound critical, harsh or even judgmental but this passage in Colossians does demand serious introspection on our (my) part as a believer. 

What would happen if I took as serious approach to praise and thanksgiving as I do to intercession and bringing my requests to God? What if I learned to express thanksgiving as easily as I have learned to ask God for my "needs" to be supplied? I consider myself an intercessor for others as well as for the needs that I face. But does God consider me a true worshipper who brings to Him a heart that is full and overflowing with thankfulness? Am I a person who is "heavily involved in asking" God for my needs to be met and "lightly involved in praising" God for all that He has done in my life and in the lives of my family? 

I pray that this passage from the writings of Paul will challenge all of us to examine our attitude of thankfulness and commit to becoming a person with a heart of genuine and sincere thankfulness. 

Thankful, Part 3

Psalm 103:1-5, "Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.

^2 3 4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things.   My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! (NLT)

I read an article several years ago and I believe that the author was John Maxwell. The article challenged the readers to live with an "attitude of gratitude." I must confess that there have been days in which I have fallen short of that goal/challenge. Life does have a way to replace our praise with concern about the issues/challenges that we are facing. I have found myself distracted by the events of life in such a way that I began to forget the history that I had developed with God. I took on a disease that I could call "spiritual amnesia." In my distress I was guilty of forgetting rather than remembering. We can remember events that took place in our lives many years ago whether these events were good or bad. But it is amazing how quickly our praise and thanksgiving can disappear when troubles or trials make an appearance in our lives. NOTE: I wrote that sentence from experience as well as the observation of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today's passage from the book of Psalms remind us of the need to never forget. But "not forgetting" should not be the end of our story but the beginning of our story. We not only resist the temptation to forget but we take the pro-active response of praising and thanking God for His daily provisions in our lives. I am sure that each of us can begin to remember an abundance of "things" that God has done in our lives when we take the time to have an accurate reflection on our journey down the road of life. The enemy of our soul wants us to have a distorted view of life which would only include those difficult and trying moments. But an accurate review allows us to remember those times in which God brought victory and deliverance into the midst of our situations. I believe that I just heard someone say, "Thank you Jesus for all that You have done for me!!!"

Take a moment and meditate on these words that Pastor Sy Smith felt led to share today. "Our day is not complete until we have worshipped Jesus Christ as God and Savior. Hess wrote, "From your heart give God your praise For his blessings all your days; Lift your voice to God above -- God of mercy, God of love." 

Let the people of God shout AMEN!

Thankful, Part 2

Philippians 4:4-7, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! ⁵ Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. ⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)

 

It is very easy to become so captured and captivated by all of the events of daily living that we fail to recognize and remember all of the blessings that God has provided for us. I can speak these words from experience as well as observation. Life has a way of grabbing our attention and reminding us of our frailties and weaknesses. But that understanding also opens the door for us to sense the presence of the strength of God which is always greater than our weaknesses. Several times over the past few days I have been reminded that "nothing ever takes God by surprise or catches Him off guard." God is intimately aware of all that is taking place in us as well as against us. Each of us must remember to not allow those "life moments" to move us away from God but allow those moments to move us closer to God.

 

We must remember to be willing to offer thanks to God for all of His blessings and not just those blessings that we mark as "big and important." Each of us will have some of those "big and important" moments but we will also have those daily moments in which we see the revelation of the presence and provision of God. It is during those moments that we do not need to fail to offer our praise and thanksgiving to God. Paul reminds us that thanksgiving opens the door for us to experience the depths of the peace of God which will exceed our ability to understand what is taking place in our heart. These are the moments in which God brings calmness in the midst of our storms. Does anyone else sense the strength and power of this revealed and declared promise of God found in Philippians 4? Let us walk with a heart of thanksgiving and gratitude to God!!!

 

This morning I read some words of a testimony from a sister in the Lord whose name is Sharon Traficanto. She is sharing what God placed in her heart during a recent worship service in their local church. I would like to share a few of her thoughts with you. "During this time I started  thinking about Thanksgiving and I found myself making a mental list and here is part of it. Lord, I know there has been a lot of sickness in my family this year, thank you for being my divine healer. Lord, I know there have been times of sadness and heartache in our family this year, thank you for reminding me that I have the joy of the Lord and no one can take that away. Lord, I know there have been difficult decisions to make this year, thank you for the direction you always give because I know it is the only way that leads to what you want for my life."

 

We can always choose to remember the blessings of God regardless of what circumstances we may have faced or maybe facing at this moment in our life. Take some time today and reflect on the blessings of God and offer Him a word of thanksgiving!

Thankful

I wanted to share a very familiar scripture passage with you today. I believe that God inspired my heart to reflect on these words even though I may think that I know what is contained in this beautiful Psalm of Praise that David shared with us. Meditation and reflection have become a lost art in this day of quick moving tidbits of information. Is it possible that we have become "spiritual skimmers" of the Bible? We glance briefly at its content and quickly move on to our next point of interest failing to fully reflect on the truth that is contained in that particular passage. I ask that you park your heart for a few moments in this passage in Psalm 150 and then reflect on the questions that I present at the conclusion of the passage.

 

Psalm 150:1-6, "Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

² Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

³ Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
⁴ Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
⁵ Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!"

                                (NKJV)

 

Do I find it easier to praise or offer complaints and rumblings of grumbling?

 

How long has it been since I offered sincere praise to God for the eternal life that He has provided for each of us through Jesus Christ?

 

Do I think of the blessings that He has provided or do I choose to live in the land of "What ifs or what could have been?"

 

Do I still recognize the fact that God loves me with His unconditional love? And do I thank Him for that love or do I just take it for granted?

 

How long has it been since I shouted Hallelujah or Praise the Lord for your "mercy endures forever?" 

The Word of God, Part 2

Ephesians 6:10-18, "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." (NLT)

 

I must confess that I have been involved in sermon preparation earlier this morning and I am strengthened and encouraged as I read the promises that are revealed in the Word of God. I sense the same urgency as I did as a father when our sons drove away from the house as a solo driver for the first time. I can remember give them my "checklist" of things to notice but most of all I told them to pay attention to other drivers and what was taking place around them. Their successful journey would depend on them being able to react correctly if something went wrong! The Church must open our eyes and react in the correct manner to things that are presently going wrong around us. The moral compass of our nation is very distorted and in many cases the compass is pointing away from the Bible to a path that is driven by humanistic ideologies. What can we do in this day and time? We will do what our previous generations have done; we will look to the Word of God for guidance and direction. Will you join with me in the pursuit of truth and righteousness in our individual lives as well as corporate lives? I still believe that the Word of God is the ANSWER for the ills of our society!

 

My heart was stirred as I read this prayer of Chuck Swindoll. I want to share another portion of it with you.

 

"Father, we pray that You will cause us to glean from Your Word truth to live by, knowing that it represents truth to die for. Ours is a troubled era. The battle for men's and women's souls and for our youth's minds is raging. And rather than simply throwing a fit and screaming at the top of our voices, we bring our requests to You. We ask that Your truth may equip us with sufficient ammunition to do battle in a world that's lost its way and is guided by an enemy who is deceptive and effective, who knows exactly where he's going. We pray that we will grasp the value of doctrine as it establishes us for whatever comes our way—those surprises, those unexpected events, those things we will call tragedies, and those joys and delights that are before us.

Anchor us, our Father, to the bedrock of truth and remind us that Your Son, Jesus Christ, is the same yesterday and today and forever. It's all His story. Our Father, our eyes are upon Jesus. It is in His merciful, matchless name we pray. Amen."



The Word of God

Psalm 119:159-160, "Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness. ¹⁶⁰ The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever." (NKJV)

 

Over the past few weeks I have felt led, encouraged, convicted, directed and challenged to preach about the power and authority of the Word of God. I truly believe that satan desires for this generation  of believers to be spiritually illiterate when it comes to the knowledge and understanding of the promises of God. We can not afford to base our faith on our emotions or feelings. Feelings and emotions are fickle and they can change very easily and quickly as the winds of daily living blow across our lives. BUT the Word of God endures from generation to generation and it's truth is revealed from generation to generation. In what are you placing your hope and confidence today? We are very acquainted with the latest technological pieces of equipment that comes on the market for sale. We understand how to operate our phones, computers, tablets, ipods, game systems, etc. BUT struggle locating certain books of the Bible when a scripture passage is mentioned! Does anyone notice any thing wrong with this picture that I just described? We must be reminded of our need to hide the Word in our heart so that we might not sin against God. The Word of God will provide the strength to believe when everything else is telling us to doubt God.

 

I want to share a portion of a prayer that Chuck Swindoll felt led to share with his readers. Could we take a moment and let the truth of these words penetrate our hearts and draw us closer to God?

 

"Thank You, Father, for breathing out Your Word through men so many centuries ago. Thank You for preserving the message that You revealed through the miracle of inspiration, Father. Thank You for Your Word—the inerrant, authoritative, infallible Word of God. We live in a day in which others' words have replaced your eternal Word, at least in the public's mind. In this difficult era, it is hard to hear again Your Word. We pray that the scales will be lifted from our eyes and that which has blocked our hearing will be removed so we might see and hear and be comforted and encouraged by Your revealed Word. May the truth that appears in Your Word make its journey through our minds and probe deep within our hearts, so that our minds are transformed and as a result, our actions."

 

Why Should I Praise God?

November is a month in which we celebrate a Holiday that we call Thanksgiving. Surely it is not necessary for people to designate a "holiday" to participate in that activity. But it does appear that all of us need a nudge, push, reminder and encouragement to remember that we should be thankful every day for all of the benefits that God has provided for us. Those benefits may vary from day to day yet they are real and tangible on a daily basis. The challenges of life will try and "squeeze" the praise out of our hearts and remove the words from our lips. But praise and adoration begins to rise up in our hearts as we reflect on the greatness of God and before you know it we are once again singing the praises of God. During prayer this morning I was reminded that "God is truly the Provider of all that I need to make it through this world successfully." I just need to recognize His Power and His Presence.

 

I desire for the first few verses of Psalm 103 to remind us of some reasons why we should praise God.

 

Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
² Let all that I am praise the Lord;
    may I never forget the good things he does for me.
³ He forgives all my sins
    and heals all my diseases.
⁴ He redeems me from death
    and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
⁵ He fills my life with good things.
    My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! (NLT)

 

Be encouraged as you offer your personal praise and thanksgiving to God!!!

Never Alone

Hebrews 13:5, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you." (NKJV)

During various posts over the past few weeks I have shared some encouraging words that the Spirit placed in my wife's heart during a time of prayer and meditation. It is a blessing to realize that God is always aware of our conditions, situations, circumstances and events that are taking place in our lives at any given moment. The Bible teaches that He is even aware of our thoughts (both good and bad) and the intents of our heart. I don't know about you but I am still amazed at the awesome presence and power of God. I am also amazed that He is truly interested in me and my journey through life. Those thoughts alone should cause us to lift our voices in praise and adoration to our Great & Mighty King! Is anyone prepared to shout Hallelujah to the Lamb of God who came to this earth on a mission of rescue and redemption?

All of us battle loneliness from time to time. You can even feel lonely in the midst of a crowd (I have been there, done that and even have a T-shirt to prove it). All of us have faced those moments in which we feel forsaken, left out, overlooked, and even ignored by our family, peers and even close friends. But we can rest assured that we are never alone and that God never looses sight of our location. The Spirit placed the following words in Ann's heart and I want to share them with you today. "There will be times in which you will feel alone. You feel this way because that I am invisible to you. You can not see me at those moments of loneliness and despair but realize that my promises are still true. I encourage you to ask me to open your eyes that you might see Me at work in your situation." The Spirit reminded Ann of the encounter that Elisha had with an army that was bent on his destruction. The servant of Elisha was gripped with fear when he saw the city surrounded with horses and chariots. But Elisha calmed the servant and offered this prayer to God. 2 Kings 6:16-17, "¹⁶ And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. ¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." (KJV) 

Do you need your "eyes" opened today? Open your heart to God and remember that His promises are TRUE to all generations.