Thank You

Hebrews 13:15

Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.

There is power in praise. Do you praise God? Besides attending church, I mean. Set aside a moment today to write down all you have to thank God for. Then, open your mouth in prayer and praise! Spend precious time thanking the Lord for who He is, what He has done and what He has given. This is a powerful practice that will pull you out of a pit of ungratefulness and depression!

Here’s an example of what your list may look like:

·        Thank you God for being –loving toward me, patient with me, abundant in forgiveness, gentle and kind in your dealings with me

·        Thank you God for –making a way for a sinful being like me to have a relationship with a holy and pure God like You, saving my soul and choosing me, restoring my mind and thinking process, always providing for me

·        Thank you God for giving me –a beautiful family, shelter, food, clothing, friends and fellowship, safety

You Have the Right

Galatians 4:6-7 "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God."

Are you still in bondage? Are there areas the enemy still has a strong grip on in your life? Remember your daily battle ground is your mind. Are you taking those thoughts captive? Your life shows what you believe. What are you believing? Do you believe you have been set free? Do you believe you are an adopted child of God and now you have rights? Before Christ you were a slave of unrighteousness. The blood of Christ, which has justified you, purchased all the rights of your inheritance. You know what you inherited? Freedom. When the enemy torments you with ways of bondage and preys on your fears to cripple you, choose to believe the truth of your right to freedom. No, you don't deserve it and you did not earn it. But it is yours!!! Christ purchased it for you. Show gratitude and thankfulness to God today for the freedom that He bought for you. I don't know about you but this sounds like the greatest Christmas gift of all. And the most expensive one by far.

Party On

I'm not quite sure how to put into words all that God is showing me but I'll give it a shot.

When it comes to spending time with God, we don't need a "prescription" in order to get into God's presence. We have the freedom to come to Him as we are and Christ paid the price for our sin that separated us from God so that we could be near. However, I think that God does show us all throughout scripture how to approach Him. Not because we "have to" in order to be intimate with Him or anything but...well, God knows us! He knows how we work and how we function. He designed and created us and He knows how we are rigged. So, He gives us instruction when it comes to approaching Him so we can "get the most" out of our time seeking Him. I'll just highlight a few verses based on what I'm talking about and comment on them.

Psalm 95:2 says, "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving."
Thanksgiving? Haha...I just realized that's right around the corner. And no that has nothing to do with what I'm talking about. This is not holiday related! God just did it that way :o)
Anyway, the word for thanksgiving in the original Hebrew can also mean "a song of thanksgiving." Pretty cool. God is so into music. Music is VERY spiritual. If you listen to the top secular songs today you would be floored at the bold and blunt messages of Satan, whom the Bible describes is the god of this age. So, when it comes to entering into God's presence...be thankful. Sing a song of thanks. It's a secret. A secret that God has let us in on. When we approach God with a thankful heart, it's like bringing a huge torch into a dark cave. It is the start of a very special journey into God's presence. Let's just say, you will see Him better, you will have insight faster and you will just plain be happy!

Psalm 95:6 says, "Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker."
Have you done that? You've got to try it. It's awesome! Go on, get down on your knees in your bedroom. Bow down. Press your face into the carpet. Worship God. It's a thrill. You are missing out otherwise. Trust me, God knows how we're wired. We deeply want to bow down to someone.

Psalm 100:2 "Serve the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing."
We are such a mopey people. We are so gloomy. I bet you many more people would be saved if we were actually happy. Put on that worship music that makes you smile. Actually, turn it up really loud. Who cares if it's corny or whatever. You don't have to worry about that stuff. And God doesn't care if you can't sing in tune. Whatever. Just sing...LOUD. Have fun...smile a little with God. It's okay. God's into partying. There's actually a big party to come but we can get our party on now.