Gratitude is about Attitude

I Thessalonians 5:18 (AMP)

18 Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful

and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the

Revealer and Mediator of that will]. 

Have an attitude of gratitude!  We have soooo much to be thankful for.  But

we have to CHOOSE to be grateful.  It is easy to grumble and to think of the things

we don’t have or can’t do!

James 1:2-4 says to “count it all joy”.  Philippians 4:4 says to “rejoice in the

Lord ALWAYS”.  Wow!  Does God see it as important?  I think so!

I just listened to a great teaching on letting praise break your chains.  And

then I fell twice.  (For you who do not know I am being attacked physically but the

doctors do not know why.  This has gone on for over 12 years.  Jesus is my healer!)

So, my choice is to sit down and cry or to praise Him!

We have many circumstances that are not good.  They may even seem

overwhelming at times.  The Bible doesn’t say to give thanks FOR these things, but

IN these times.

He is worthy of our praise at all times.  He is our answer and not our

problem.  He is our hope to get through the storms.  And as we praise Him we are

giving him something to work with.  He is doing miracles for us!  (And in us!)

I have a friend that is a great example of this.  She is soooo joyful because of

her attitude of gratitude.  And let me tell you, everything hasn’t been a bed of roses

for her either.  But she has made the choice to praise Him at all times!

What do you do when the storm is raging?  Praise Him!  And He can calm

the seas.

What do you do when you feel beaten and bound by the enemy?  Praise Him!

And the prison walls can shake and you can be loosed!

What do you do when there is death around you?  Praise Him!  And He can

bring new life!

This isn’t easy for any of us.  Like I said… it’s a choice.  But praise can cause

us to win!  And also it produces joy, and who doesn’t want more joy.

Here are some things I have to be thankful for:  the sun is shining, I am alive

to enjoy another day, I have a warm home, I have more than enough food, I have a

husband who loves me (he is not perfect, but who is?), I do not have pain in my

body, I have eyes to see the beautiful colors of the trees… the list could go on.  And so could yours!!!

Thank Him today!!  Thank Him tomorrow!!

Know the Truth

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

Many misquote this verse and say the truth shall set you free.  This is NOT what it says.  You need to know the truth! I’d have to say that I am concerned about the “Word” level of this generation.  The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy… and many don’t know what is God and what is the enemy.  

I am going to address an issue that is VERY controversial even among Christians and that is the gay life-style.  Do we love the homosexual?  Yes!  Do we accept them?  Yes!  Do we ignore sin?  No. 

The Bible says in Romans 1:25-28:

25For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the 

creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper. 

But we also have couples having sex before marriage or giving up on a marriage because they aren't 'feeling' the love. This is acceptable to our society, but the Bible is very clear on the subject… it is wrong. 

We have a “sin” problem in the U.S. We live immoral lives. We lie, steal, judge, have thoughts of anger towards one another BUT, Jesus came for the sin of the whole world. He became unrighteous, so that we could become righteous! None of us are holy enough to be righteous. 

We need our Savior!  And we need Him continually!! 

Some of us were never really involved in the muck and mire of a sinful life. But we still had to receive Jesus’ work on the cross to save us from sin.  It’s like the illustration that I heard… We were divided from God by a great chasm like the Grand Canyon.  Those who are somewhat “good” aren’t able to jump across any more than those who are heavy into sin.  But Jesus came to bridge the gap and to make a way that we could ALL enter into the presence of God.  

God loves you!  No matter what you’ve done or haven’t done.  His desire is 

for you to KNOW this truth and to be set free from all of the schemes of the enemy.  

He wants you to have and enjoy life! 

Accept this truth and be free!

-Pastor Jill Tracy

Live Abundantly

8/8/2015

John 10:10 (Message)

“A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”

         
          Jesus came to give you life! Or as one translation says “life, life, and more life”! This is not barely-getting-through each day, but really enjoying your life.          

          Many times we wish our life away. We want the kids to get out of diapers, then we want them to go to school, then we want them to drive, then we want them to graduate, then we want them to leave the nest… then we want those days back. If there is anything I have learned from getting older, it is to enjoy every day. And every moment of every day. And, not to sweat the small stuff. The housework will wait (I’m not giving you an excuse to be a slob!) but your husbands and children need you! They want to spend time with you more than they want the house to be clean or the dishes done.         

          There is an enemy, Satan, who wants to steal your family, kill you all, and destroy the godly influence in your home. He wants you to be depressed and not to enjoy life or bring joy to your household.         
         
         To the working mom, there is condemnation that you don’t spend enough time with your family. To the stay-at-home mom, there is condemnation that you are worthless. Satan is a liar and wants to convince you to believe his lies.

          We have a choice to make! And that is to receive all that Jesus died to provide us with. Abundance in every way! He has more than enough resources for you. After all, He is the Creator! Can He not provide for you? Can He not answer your prayers?

          Are you living “abundantly”? Are you enjoying each day? Many times we do not have any control over our circumstances. And sometimes our circumstances just down right stink! BUT we can control our attitudes. We can thank God for the many blessings we have. And we can praise Him in the midst of the storm.

          That makes the devil really mad. The Bible says to submit to God; resist the devil and he will flee. Your joy will make him flee!

          I’m praying for you. You can do it. Enjoy today!