Can You Be Grateful In ALL Things?

Rarely are things as they first appear, not what happens but how we respond… Thank God no matter what happens… The challenge = Can you be grateful “in” all circumstances?

Remember what I have been teaching all month: What you appreciate, appreciates… When you learn to appreciate more of what you already have, you will find yourself having more to appreciate.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV), “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (MSG), “Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.”

V23, “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!”

God has a “BIG LIFE” for you!! He has designed a blessed & successful life for you to enjoy, one that has: Peace & Purpose, Joy, Goodness & Wholeness, Wealth & Health.

3 John 2 (KJV), “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper (Greek means: “succeed in reaching, have a successful journey”) and be in health, (Greek means: “be well, to be safe, sound & whole”) even as thy soul prospereth.”

I want you to see it- A BIG GOD… BEING big IN YOU… & DOING big THROUGH YOU! A life of : Vitality, energy & stamina, Clarity, Love, value & significance, Provision & Supply, Purpose, meaning & fullness… AND SO MUCH MORE!

Jeremiah 32:27 (KJV), “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”

Something is going to shift in you that KNOWS – you cannot go to a higher ground if you are hanging on to a lower level. A Big God doesn’t live in little places, therefore, God does His part & I must do mine.

Look for What is Right and Appreciate It: The word “appreciate” has several meanings- To be thankful or show gratitude; To raise or increase in value.
Think of everything you criticize regularly and you will see where you have failed to appreciate or find value. The moment you participate in the “depreciation” process (you stop valuing) and that is the moment you block your ability to experience gratefulness and ultimately abundance.
Catch people doing something right! THEN tell everyone about it! The Law of Recognition: What you don’t recognize will eventually exit your life. What you celebrate, appreciates. Anything unrecognized remains uncelebrated- a gift, a miracle, a person. And what you respect, you attract!
As I have stated before- You can’t conquer what you don’t confront, and you can’t confront what you don’t identify! So LET’S LOOK AT SOME OF THE OBSTACLES TO BEING GRATEFUL:
Familiarity can be fatal, It’s where you begin to take things for granted. It’s when you go through life unaware of the multitudes of blessings and gifts that are here each and every moment .
Psalm 90:12 (NIV), “Teach each of us to number our days aright, that me may gain a heart of wisdom”
Romans 3:23-24, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”
You must extend yourself and others the same love and mercy that God extended to you!
Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved.” That means I must live the same patterns and practices of Jesus (to be non-judgmental) and practice forgiveness.
Gratitude comes with forgiving any offense, hurt, pain, anything... Letting it all go and extending grace & love! By walking in forgiveness you relieve yourself of the burden of carrying the hurt, anger pain, isolation, and all that occurred as the result of an “act” against you.
“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive he who is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us… –Martin Luther King Jr.
Once you make compassion a higher priority then judgment, it makes sense to forgive. So to be a person of non-judgment means to be a person of grace. This doesn’t mean you have compromise and no conviction, that you just “trust” everything and every one.”
Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” No – because we died to ‘sin” in Christ, therefore how can we live IN IT any longer?
“Fault-finding” is not a matter of what you observe in your world but when you choose a critical or angry point of view! Its what you do with what you see. It’s what you do with what you see.
Counteract Complacency: Consciously be grateful for the good in your life. The brain is wired to filter out the good and hold on to the ‘bad’. Whatever isn’t hurtful, fearful or physically moving the brain filters causing us to take for granted and forget all our blessings.
Make a list of what you are thankful for. Keep it before you daily! Keep a “gratitude journal.” Have gratitude ‘flings” – be grateful for little things, big things, EVERY THING!
Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude- Develop an awareness of yourself as a recipient, not a victim. Philippians 4:13 (KJV), “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Say, “Thank you” - Psalm 100:4 (KJV), “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Tell those around you how much you appreciate them! John 15:12 (KJV), “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
Cut off complaining and criticizing- Psalm 34:13 (NIV), “keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.”
Proverbs 10:31-32 (NIV), “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.”
Change your way of thinking to powerful and positive! Philippians 4:8 (KJV), “Finally, brethren, 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.”
Remember, it’s the nature of thought to increase. The more your thoughts center on what is missing, the more deficient you will feel. Attitudes create atmospheres, which create actions. The natural extension of being grateful is the development of a generous heart.
If it’s too much to give, it’s too much to receive!