THE SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING - PART 3

Replace The Spirit of Grumbling With the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Have you ever stepped outside your door on a beautiful clear sunny day, taken a deep breath of fresh air, and thanked God for His wonderful creation? But what if the next morning is grey and rainy? Does it automatically make you feel a little depressed as you look out of the window? Maybe you don't say it loud, but how do you feel? Are you in the habit of thanking God only for what you want? or are you in the habit of grumbling just a little when things does not go the way you like? 

So what is wrong with a little complaining? What difference does it make? It does make all the difference in the world. Everything depends on how we respond to the little things in life. A marriage counsellor will tell you that a marriage usually breaks up over little things. A small misunderstanding can start a war. Little things mean a lot, because this is the level where we live, down at the nitty-gritty of our attitude at breakfast table, or in the long checkout line at the supermarket.

GRUMBLING IS THE VERY OPPOSITE OF THANKSGIVING. 

A complaint is the opposite of trust; a murmur against your wife when she burns your toast is the opposite of a loving acceptance. The dictionary defines a complaint as an accusation. By complaining and grumbling you are actually accusing God of mismanaging the details of your life. The attitude of thanksgiving and praise releases the power of God into our lives, but the attitude of murmuring and complaining blocks that power. 

For forty years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness and every time something went wrong, they complained bitterly and wanted to go back to the land of Egypt. Why did it take them forty years to cover less than two hundred miles? Even with women and children and cattle, they could have covered the distance in a few weeks. They were delayed because they murmured and refuse to trust that God would keep His promise to take care of their every need. In 1 Corinthians 10:10-11, the apostle Paul was speaking about the behaviour of the Israelite in their wanderings from Egypt to the Promised Land ... "And do not grumble, some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us ..." (Extract from Power In Praise by Merlin R. Carothers) 

To be a worshipper, we need to begin DISCIPLINING our lives daily with the spirit of thanksgiving. This is easier said than done because most of us would agree that we are habitual grumblers. We grumble when we miss the bus to work and when we have to work late. We complain when the car would not start or when we hit a red light or are caught in a traffic jam. Even at meal time, we unconsciously complain about the food and the poor service provided by the restaurant. The list is endless ... but let us take heed that unless we overcome this deadly habit of grumbling, complaining and murmuring, it will rob us of the blessings and joy of the Lord. 

"IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD" 1Thessalonians 5:18. The simple application of this biblical truth covers EVERY situation or circumstance in our lives.
The benefits of a thankful heart are many ... by giving thanks:
1) We are in His divine will and itself will lead us out of the wilderness experience and into a victorious walk with the Lord
2) We have immediate access to enter into His gates (His presence) and in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 100:4, 16:11)
3) The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

No wonder the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:4 commanded us to "Rejoice in the Lord always!" and in Colossians 3:17 that "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks ..."

GRUMBLING VS THANKSGIVING
Unbelief - Faith / Trust
Defeat - Victory
Anger - Joy
In The Wilderness - In His Will 
Degradation - Transformation

Make a point today to "DISCIPLINE" your life to give thanks and count it all joy even in diverse circumstances (James 1:2) ... for ALL THINGS work together for good (Romans 8:28)

ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING - PART 2

Beware Of Anxiety. Next To Sin,

There Is Nothing That So Troubles

Our Mind, Strains The Heart,

Distresses The Soul,

And Confuse The Judgement

- William Ullathorne

As worshipers, what will cripple us from doing God’s will and enjoying His presence? What will rob us of the joy of the Lord? ANXIETY! ANXIETY! ANXIETY!

Why is Paul so concerned with our level of anxiety? Because :

1) Proverbs 12:25 tells us that “An anxious heart weighs a man down.”

2) Isaiah 61:3 equate this as "the spirit of heaviness"

3) Psalm 139:23 - "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." It's a little disturbing to us that king David equates anxious thoughts with an "offensive way" (verse 24) in this Psalm.

In what way can our anxiety be awfully offensive?

- When we harbour anxious thoughts, we are saying that the One who has promised to take care of our future (Jeremiah 29:11) might not do a good job of it.

- It says that the One who has promised to walk us through the waters and not allow the fire to burn us (Isaiah 43:2) might abandon us to the waters and the fire.

- And it says that His presence in the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4) might not be enough to calm us

(an extract from Worship The King & Walk With God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen)

What is the solution to our anxiety? We learned from last week's post that the answers are found in Philippians 4:6-7. That we “Do not be anxious about anything, but in EVERYTHING by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of God, which transcends ALL understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.” When our prayers and petitions are mingled with THANKSGIVING, we are opening our hearts (guarding your hearts - Proverbs 4:23) to His presence. Psalm 100:4 says “Enter His gates (opening your heart) with THANKSGIVING and His courts with PRAISE; give THANKS to Him and PRAISE His name.” Instead of occupying our thoughts with the spirit of anxiety, we “PUT ON THE GARMENT OF PRAISE for the spirit of heaviness (heavy, burdened, failing spirit)” - Isaiah 61:3. 

Jesus taught us, " ... do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own." - verse 34 (Matthew 6: 25-34 in context)

Imagine a son lying awake at night wondering if his parents are going to feed him tomorrow. Or a daughter wondering if she will have something to clothe herself in. That might happen in some homes, but what does it say of the parents? Nothing complimentary.

As worshipers of God we cannot praise Him with such insecurities. Our anxieties are forms ofanti-worship - a clear declaration that our God might not have promised us enough or might not be able to follow through on what He has promised. Yes, He may let us go through hard things, but never ourside of His timing or beyond His protection. So worship Him. And don't worry about tomorrow!

Mega-Blessings \0/\0/\0/
TPWC

OFFERING SACRIFICE OF PRAISE CONTINUALLY - PART 2

Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name

Psalm 29:2

Let us praise God CONTINUALLY because it is His due. Should J-H-V-H be left unpraised? Praise is the rent that He asks of us for the enjoyment of all things. Will we be slow to pay? Will a man rob God? When it is such a happy work to give Him His due, will we deny it? It blesses us to bless the Lord. Will we stint God in the measure of His glory when He does not stint us His goodness? Come, if you have become sorrowful lately, shake off your gloom, and awake all your instruments of music to praise the Lord! Do not let murmuring and complaining be so as mentioned among His saints. Will not the Lord be CONTINUALLY praised? Surely the very stones and rocks must break their everlasting silence in indignation if the children of God do not praise His name.

Praise Him CONTINUALLY, for it will help you in everything. A man full of praise is ready for all other holy exercises. Even in times of pain and weakness he could still exalt the Lord (Psalm 34:1). Whenever you go to do any kind of service, even though it is nothing better than opening the shop or waiting behind the counter, you will do it all the better when you are in the spirit of praise and gratitude. If you are a domestic servant and can praise God CONTINUALLY, you will be a comfort in the house. If you are a master and are surrounded with the troubles of life, if your heart is always blessing the Lord, you will keep up your spirits and will not be sharp and ill-tempered with those around you

Praise will preserve us from many evils. When the heart is full of the praise of God, it does not have time to find fault and grow proudly angry with people around us. Somebody has said a very nasty thing about us. Well, we will answer him when we have finished the work we have in hand, namely, praising God CONTINUALLY. At present we have a great work to do and cannot come down to wrangle. Self love and its natural irritations die in the blaze of praise. If you praise God CONTINUALLY, the vexations and troubles of life will be cheerfully borne. Praise makes the happy man a strong man. “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). Praising God makes us drink of the brook by the way and lift up our heads. We cannot fear while we can praise. Neither can we be bribed by the world’s favour, nor cowed by its frown. Praise makes angels of us. Let us abound to it.

Praise God because this is what God loves. Notice from Hebrews 13:15 how the next verse puts it: “With such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrew 13:16). Would we not do anything and everything to please God? It seems too good to be true that we can impart any pleasure to the ever-blessed One. Yet it is so, for He has declared that He is well-pleased with the praises and gifts of His children. Therefore let us withhold nothing from our dear Father, our blessed God. It will always be an honour to praise Him.

The final point -The verse Hebrews 13:15 reads, “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise CONTINUALLY.” The apostle Paul did not say, “Eventually get to work, when you are able to give up business and have retired to the country, or perhaps when you are near death.” Rather, he said, “NOW ‘let us offer the sacrifice of praise.’” When Paul wrote this, he was probably in a low place, in shackles and chains, shut up in a dungeon in Rome. Sure we who are not in prison and none of us are galled with shackles on our wrists can certain join Paul in praising God CONITNUALLY.

As His church and people, we have received great favors from the Lord's hand. Come, let us join together with heart and hand of the Lord and worship joyfully before Him. With words and gifts, let us offer the sacrifice of praise CONTINUALLY.
(an extract from : Spurgeon on Praise – The joy and rewards of praising God!)

PURE JOY - PART 1

Consider It Pure Joy, My Brother,
Whenever You Face Trials Of Many Kinds
James 1:2

We have been talking about being "Anxious For Nothing" in our last three posts. We also challenged you that we can indeed overcome the spirit of anxieties, worries and stresses by choosing to release the spirit of joy, rejoicing and thanksgiving. But what if we are in the midst of trials and testings? For most of us to consider these situations a matter of joy is another issue altogether.

As worshipers, how can we consider the trials of life pure joy? Only those who see the surprising benefit in them. Through the lens of Scripture, we can see that benefit. We are told that our trials develop our character in ways that would produce eternal profit for us; and we are told that the God who allows them always has our welfare in mind. These are things that unbelieving world cannot see, but they have been revealed to those who will believe.

There many examples in the Bible of believers practicing this "irrational act of joy" in the midst of trials:

1) Acts 5:41 - the apostles who were arrested for preaching Jesus left the court of the Sanhedrin "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name".

2) Acts 16:25 - Paul and Silas sang praises to God from the depths of a filthy Philippian prison

3) 2 Corinthians 8:2 - Paul praised the Macedonian churches for their generosity in giving while in the midst of "severe trials, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty ..."

4) 2 Corinthians 12:10 - Paul delights in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

5) James 1:2 - James points to the benefit our trials have for our own character.

6) Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:11 that we are blessed "when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me". In fact Jesus also tells us to "rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven ..." (Matthew 5:12)

Are you going through difficult times? Don't despair. Discouragement and depression are not the Biblical responses, only the natural ones. But we live above the natural. We know the end result of our pain. Perseverence results in maturity, and problems give Jesus a stage to show His resurrection power (Philippians 3:10). There is no greater blessing than that. Make a choice: Consider It Pure Joy!
(an extract from: Walk With God Devotional by Chris Tiegreen)
May this old song from the musical - The Apostle (1975) be an encouragement to you:

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength!
TPWC

PRAISING UNCONDITIONALLY

Why do we praise God? Do we desire to honour Him and make Him glad? Or do we feel that praise puts God under obligation to grant the earthly longings we bring to Him in prayer? Will God do whatever we ask simply because we praise Him?

God is not a heavenly machine into which we insert the coin of praise, press the right button, and get whatever we want. Nor praise is a magical incantation that forces God to fulfill our wishes. Many of us would not consciously try to manipulate God. But when we praise Him in the midst of a trial, we can be tempted to secretly bargain with Him, feeling in some recess of our heart, "I'm praising You, Lord. Now You owe it to me to work out this situation the way I want."

1) TRUSTING REGARDLESS OF WHAT HAPPENS
True praise imposes no conditions on God. It chooses to believe Him regardless of the situation and its outcome. It accepts the circumstances He has permitted, without insisting that He change them. Such praise begins with the attitude that says, "Father I'm going to keep trusting You even though everything is dark and confusing." As we continue to praise, we reach the place where we can say, "Father, thank You that You are working in me to beautify my character. Change me in anyway You see fit."
One majot purpose of trials is to strengthen our faith and transform our attitudes. Therefore choosing an attitude of trust and praise sometimes ends a trial with surprising speed. But even if it does not, we find ourselves enriched and strengthened to endure.

2) DEMOSTRATE OUR TRUST

Through praise each of us can demostrate trust in God to work in the present as He has in past centuries. In the final chapters of Genesis we see how God brought far-reaching benefits through all the events that had happened to Joseph - the cruel betrayal by his brothers, the agonies of his soul, the slavery, the false accusations, the long years of imprisonment, and the forgetfulness of the butler he had befriended, with the extra years of confinement that resulted.

We read in Psalm 105:17 that God Himself had sent Joseph to Egypt, intending to bring good out of his trials. He used them to prepare this youth to be prime minister of the greatest nation on earth. Through Joseph's trials, God arranged to have him in the right place at the right time to save the lives of hundreds of thousands during severe famine. Joseph's long years of suffering resulted in his own life being saved, as well as his entire family, and through it, the ancestors of Jesus.

Joseph showed his confidence in God's loving sovereignty in Genesis 50:20-21. When his brothers feared retribution, Joseph told them, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preseve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid." As we offer praise, we show that we believe that Joseph's God is alive and at work today, even in the bleakest of circumstances.

3) A MAJOR STRESS REDUCER

Praise and thanksgiving do not insulate us from problems and pressures. But as we couple them with honest prayer, they do serve as a major stress reducer. They help us from the self-imposed stresses of our negative attitudes, opening our hearts to the soothing power of God's peace, which surpasses all understanding. And they do more than soothe. They also infuse us with vitality. God's Word says, "Strength and joy are in His dwelling place ... The joy of the LORD is your strength." (1 Chronicles 16:27, Nehemiah 8:10)

Praise and thanksgiving usher us into God's presence, where we can partake of His joy and quietly absorb strength, strength for every need - spiritual, emotional, or physical. By helping us view our situation through God-coloured glasses, praise gives our threatening or depressing circumstances a new look. It helps us relax our bungling efforts to change other people so that life will be easier for us. It tunes us in to God's wisdom so that we know when to take wise, loving action and when to simply trust Him to act. We begin to exert a creative, uplifting influence on others, because as we change, people tend to react to us in new ways. Although God does not promise fewer trials if we praise, praise often brings a multitude of external benefits as well as relaxed-yet-invigorated spirit.

Our unconditional praise deepens our trust and joy in God. It increases our spiritual impact on people. These and other benefits come not as our due for praising the Lord but simply as added reasons to praise Him for His undeserved favour. They come not because we manipulate God to do what we want, but because we center our thoughts and expectations in Him.

Our motive in genuine praise is to bring joy and glory to God. we are here to do His will, not to obligate Him to do ours.

(An extract from PRAISE - A Door To God's Presence by Warren & Ruth Myers)

Praise The Lord!

TPWC