To Be GREAT In God!
To be great in God, one must be a servant
(G)uard Your Heart
(R)est In Him
(E)ncourage Others
(A)cknowledge Him
(T)hankfulness
Lesson #5 Thankfulness
Did you know that when you focus on your problems that this will cut off the revelation, the faith and the victory? I read this quote the other day by Sarah Young, the author of Jesus Calling: "If you gaze too long at problems, you will sink under the weight of your burdens."
Instead of focusing on the problem, begin thanking God for the answer.
Possessing a grateful heart and expressing it daily will affect how you see things. You begin seeing and believing something before it actually is manifested. Your understanding is no longer darkened. Did you know that Romans 1:20-21 states that unthankfulness darkens the mind? So you see, something as simple as saying, "Thank You" can bring light to a situation that seemed hopeless. We need to cultivate a lifestyle of thanksgiving.
In the Bible, Luke states that light of the body is the eye. Whatever you are seeing WILL affect the outcome. What are you seeing? Giving thanks for something that has not been manifested yet is actually revealing what you are seeing spiritually. That's what faith is!
When you begin thanking God for answers, you will be amazed how quickly He works. When I stopped focusing on the problems and began thanking God for the answers, the frustration I always felt, left me and faith moved in.
Remember if you begin thanking God for something each day before it is manifested in your life, it opens you up to revelations and faith and victory. Your understanding is no longer darkened as before. Plans are revealed, ideas come, people are sent to you and exciting things just start happening.
A story in the Bible that comes to mind concerning faith is the one about the Centurion. You'll find the story in Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10. There was an officer of the Roman Army who had a hundred men under him. They called him a Centurion, a word meaning "having a hundred".
This Roman Centurion was a good man and loved the Jews because it was through them that he learned about God and how to worship Him. This Centurion cared about his servants. One of them became very sick and he wanted to help him. He heard about Jesus and how he could heal so he sent for Him, yet he did not even believe that Jesus had to enter his home but He believed that all Jesus had to do was speak the words and his servant would be healed.
Because of the great faith of this man, Jesus honored that faith and healed the servant boy in that same hour.
You see, even though God is limitless in His power, His resources, and His abilities, we do not receive according to any of these. We receive according to our faith...our heart...our condition of heart.
It is very important to have that vision of hope painted on the canvas of our heart. We must believe in something even before it is manifested. We must see it first. And one way to keep that vision alive is to continue speaking it and thanking God for it.
Do you know that if you spend just a few minutes talking with someone, you will soon know whether they are a person of great faith or not? -- Just by listening to what comes out of their mouth. So remember this when you are speaking to others and especially to friends and family. Begin to really listen to others and talk to them about their dreams and their purpose. We must then be able to share with them what we know and have and help give them hope and encouragement to believe that they can have it too. We must learn to always speak words of faith just as the Centurion did.
What a great example and witness the Centurion must have been to the other ninety-nine men that he was a leader over. Think about how your faith can effect those in your family and others who God brings into your life by just speaking words of faith and speaking positive things into their lives and teaching them to do the same.
For us to be a servant which makes us GREAT in God, we must cultivate a lifestyle of thanksgiving and our understanding in matters will no longer be darkened and revelations will be opened up to us.
"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" I Thessalonians 5:18
"Giving thanks always for all things unto God...in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" Ephesians 5:20
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name." Psalm 100:4
"Be careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally brethern, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:6-8
Being thankful,
Connie Schmoll
(Feel free to share with others but please make sure my name stays with the writing)
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