God’s blessings are here

The other morning before I started praying I was thinking that there were blessings coming into my life. It was a reassuring thought to say the least. Then I got into prayer and I kept hearing that the blessings of the Lord were here. I heard it over and over again. God has a different perspective and a different reality. It is His reality that has to become ours. That time in prayer helped me change my perspective.

In my mind I was going to be blessed soon and some of my problems were going to go  away. In God’s mind I was blessed and my problems had been taken care of on the cross. There was no reason to fear and no reason to panic. There was no reason to think that good things were on their way because good things were already here. They might not all manifest at once but the blessings of the Lord are here. 

The Word of God tells us that we are blessed. If Jesus is our Savior and we stay in faith, we are blessed. In the Old Testament we are told, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.”* This verse is in the present tense. The believer is blessed. The believer who puts his/her trust in the Lord is blessed. What does being blessed mean?

One of the common definitions of being blessed by God is receiving good things from God. His blessings are bestowed upon us. Now, His blessings are not just material things. His blessings come in the form of peace, joy, hope, faith and other spiritual elements. We get heavenly blessings from the Lord. His salvation is a tremendous blessing. We ought to think in terms of eternal life when we think of blessings and not just in terms of earthly blessings. Those earthly blessings are good gifts from God of course and they matter but let’s also focus on the spiritual and on how our souls are blessed.

When I was praying, the Lord gave me a list of the blessings that were already here. He started with the basics. Those basic blessings are easy to forget. Blessings such as food on the table, a place to live, transportation, family and friends. We ought to cherish them all and thank the Lord for them. I can’t say that I am not blessed and I will be blessed in the future. No. The Lord said that I was blessed and I praise Him for His blessings. Friend, you are surrounded by beautiful blessings. Your heart is filled with blessings because Jesus is in you through His Spirit. Focus on the spiritual blessings. Focus on what’s here. More will come.

“Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.”** There are many blessings that come from listening to the Word of God and being a doer of the Word. God intends for us to heed His Word and to follow His lead. When we do, blessings follow us wherever we go. There is a trail of blessings behind us that also blesses people around us. We are blessed so we can bless others. Think of the blessings in your life today and see how they are impacting other people’s lives positively.

2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” God is able to bless you abundantly, friend. He is doing it today. Your faith allows Him to bless you each and every day. Stay in faith. Keep praising the Lord. Keep praising Him. Keep thanking Him. The blessings of the Lord are with you! May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: *Jeremiah 17:7-8; **Proverbs 16:20;  Matthew 5:6

10 nuggets of wisdom for your Saturday (Part 230)

Follow God’s lead. Follow His Word. Follow His truth. God will never steer you in the wrong direction. Trust Him!

God is listening. He is hearing your prayers. He is hearing your heart. He is hearing your pain. Keep talking to Him but be sure to listen. He has answers for you!

The God of endless solutions has a solution for you today. It might not look like anything you have heard about before but it will bless you, help you and strengthen you.

Through the good and the bad, rejoice and thank the Lord because His goodness never ends. You are going to make it. Jesus is always with you through the good and the bad.

Bad situations don’t mean that God has lost the battle. Jesus won. Jesus paid the price. Your win will come through. Stay in faith. Your bad situations won’t last forever but God’s love will!

The Lord has something up His sleeve that the enemy can’t see. Jesus is going to surprise you with a blessing out of nowhere and you will be blessed everywhere! Stay encouraged!

When things overwhelm me, prayer helps me. When things stress me out, praise helps me. When life hurts me, Jesus’ love heals me. When life is unfair, Jesus is always fair!

Depression and despair are not too strong for God. Help is on the way. Keep praying and trusting. You are going to come out of this. God is your ally and He will get over whatever is bothering you now! Stay encouraged!

God is not going to fail you. He is going to bleach you, carry you and help you. He is interested in giving you peace, joy and victory in every area of your life. Rely on Him all the time!

Don’t be afraid of the randomness of life. It can be unpredictable but the Lord knows everything and nothing ever surprises Him. He’s got your back through everything that will ever happen to you!

Suggested reading: Proverbs 8:17; Hebrews 13:5; 1 John 1:9

Too busy for God?

Are you too busy for God? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Do you think about what you could do to spend more time with God? I know that we hear about being with God a lot. We hear about how important it is and we don’t always realize that time spent with God is more precious than any time spent with anyone. It is more crucial to spend time with God than we spend time with family and friends. Does it mean we have to stop spending time with our family and friends? Absolutely not. We do need to have one and one time with God as much as possible. We also need to gain an awareness of God being present all the time and enjoying every moment with Him. That is a great way to spend more time with God. A lot of us have busy lives and we bury our time with God under a pile of meetings, appointments, tasks, activities and people. We are very good at occupying every minute of every day with events that keep us away from God unless we work on being conscious of His presence.

For a while when I was praying, I would often hear the Lord tell me to spend more time with Him. I would listen to Him and then I would think about all the things I had to accomplish and I would put the Lord on the back burner. It was not the right place for Him. God doesn’t deserve our second best or our leftovers. He should always be the main dish, so to speak. He should be on the front burner where our priorities are. We should reverence Him and have a burning passion and desire to be with Him as much as possible. After a long period of time, I decided to make more time for God. I asked Him for His assistance so I could see and understand how to best do this. God is so caring and so giving and He cared for me and gave me the best techniques to spend more time with Him. Like I mentioned earlier, being God-minded and God-conscious allows us to spend more time with Him. It allows us to value the present time and enjoy it with the Lord. I take “Praise breaks” during the day when I praise the Lord for being with me. I smile at Him and He smiles back. I am convinced that the Lord is always smiling at us.

I can’t be too busy for Someone who is always smiling at me. Not only is He smiling but He is also comforting and His love is glowing. Jesus has so much love for us. We can’t comprehend it all and can’t fathom it but it is deeper than the oceans and wider than the earth. Why wouldn’t we want to spend more time with the One whose love can move mountains and give us freedom? Freedom is what I experience even more when I spend time with God. There are so many burdens that try to attach themselves to us during the day. The burden of work, the burden of money, the burden of relationships, the burden of failure. You name it. All these burdens aim at bringing us down but I have found that spending time with the Lord lifts those burdens. I could be in the middle of a work project and when I talk to Jesus in my heart, He gives me peace and He carries my burdens. Let’s get in the habit of talking to the Lord and of listening to Him all day long.

Ask the Lord to show you how you can make more time for Him. Ask Him to open your eyes to what you are not seeing. You might be missing a few things that will lead you to a closer relationship with the Lord. “Busy” doesn’t cut it. Things can appear to be daunting but I assure you that the Lord can give you ways to carve time for Him into your day. You will start your day early or you will take a break in the afternoon. You will praise in your car. You will take walks. You will develop your inner prayer voice and your inner praise voice. Where there is God there is a way. You are going to find a way to spend time with God. That precious time will make your days way better. You can make your schedule work around God and not the other way around. Enjoy Jesus all day. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Matthew 14:23; Luke 11:1; James 4:8

The God of more than enough

If you are lacking anything today, I am here to remind you that God is a God of provision and increase. Not only can He give you what you need but He can give you more than you can imagine. He has provisions for everyone and He never comes short. God is not broke and God doesn’t lack anything. I want to encourage you to develop your faith in the God of increase, the God that is more than enough, the God that can give you much more than you can dream. God will supply your needs according to His riches in glory. Those riches are not earthly. He is not relying on the world’s resources to bless you. Think about that. God is not limited by natural resources and by the world in general. The state of the world today doesn’t dictate what God can do for you. God dictates the state of the world and puts an end to what gets in the way. The prices of gas are going up everywhere but that won’t stop the Lord from supplying the gas you need. He will make a way and He will give you what you don’t have. The food chain is going through a crisis right now. It can sound worrisome but that crisis is not going to interfere with the Lord’s plan of provision for your life. He has more than enough and He is not subject to the rules, the conditions and the circumstances of this world. Meditate on that and let your faith grow in the amazing abilities of the Lord.

I am learning that all my needs will be met and I have to keep the faith. I am not supposed to lose hope. I am not supposed to focus on what I don’t have. I am not supposed to feel sorry for myself and have a pity party because the Lord will certainly not join me in that party. I am learning that God is faithful and He stays true to His Word. However, the timing of His provision is often not the same as mine. I have my agenda and my planner and the Lord has His own agenda that is always better than my plans. Sometimes I don’t understand why God is late. The truth is that He is never late. I am often in a rush. I show up too early for my blessings when there are things that need to be worked out. I wait at the wrong door. I expect the wrong outcome. God is the God of more than enough and His intervention in my life is at the right time. Friend, God has more than enough for you and one thing He is asking you is to trust Him and to be patient. I know it’s not easy but it is always worth it. The right doors are going to open for you. The right people are going to walk into your life. The right amount of money is going to come to you and God will give you more. Don’t limit Him with your thinking. Increase Him in your mind and He will give you an increase in your life.

The God of more than enough is always willing to give and He is looking for people who are ready to walk the walk and talk the talk. Our words of faith need to be expressed all the time. We can’t speak faith one day and fear the next day. Fear will come but we should fight it and give it the boot. We can’t let fear sit around and get comfortable in our lives. Fear should have no place to stay. Fear should find all the seats in our house occupied by faith, faith in the God that is more than enough. There is so much you can hope for and believe and it is all centered around Jesus. Believe He can do more than enough. Believe He can bless you in the middle of this economic crisis. Remember that the world doesn’t influence God. God influences the world. When you walk in faith, whatever God says goes. He is saying today that He has your back and He can give you mountains of blessings where there will be no shadow of lack. Thank God for the mountains. Thank God for His provision. The God that is more than enough is your God. No one is bigger or stronger than He is. Enjoy Him and expect the best. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Psalm 23:1; Luke 12:7;  Philippians 4:6

Anything can still happen

A few years ago I wrote a message called  ‘Anything (good) can happen.” It was about how the Lord can do anything at any time. I talked about the hope we should have in the possibility of a change and a blessing from the Lord. It has been three years or so but today the Lord reminded me that He can still do anything. I make that declaration often but today I was brought back to that old message and I could see its validity and how it is still relevant today. Anything can still happen. How many times do you need to hear that? How many times have we drifted in our faith and started thinking that maybe good things can’t happen anymore? We think that we have reached our quota and God is done with it for now or for good. God has an unlimited supply of goodness and He can give us more than we expect. 

If you are waiting for a miracle or a breakthrough, know that anything can happen. That old message will never change. It actually is new every day. Every morning new mercies are available. New blessings and new miracles can happen. New breakthroughs and new good breaks can come your way. You have Jesus as your Savior so you are a magnet for miracles waiting to happen. Not because of who you are but because of the One in you. Because of Him great things can happen to you. Let faith open you up to the great opportunities and the great things that the Lord has for you. Just because you are going through a tornado of bad breaks doesn’t mean that the Lord can’t put the brakes on what is going on. He can make anything bad stop and replace it with something that will make you forget that you went through a bad patch.

God is going to do the impossible. Think about that. Add that truth to your “thinking bank” and bank on it. You can count on Him to do things that are beyond what the world can do. You can count on Him to change situations completely and restore what was taken. You can count on Him to open doors that seemed to be reserved for others. You can count on Him to give you more than what the devil had stolen from you. You can count on Him to do things that only God can do. You will find amazing accounts of what He does in His Word and He promised that if you trust Him, He would do even greater things and you could do even greater things in the name of Jesus.

Anything can still happen to you, friend. Any blessing can still knock at your door. Any miracle can still be in the pipeline of your life. You are going to receive from God. Whatever you need can and will come so stay in faith. Keep your hopes up and look to the Son of God. Nothing is impossible to the one who believes. Be that one who believes and you will experience miracle after miracle. Jesus is your Savior and He adores you. I am excited to see what He is going to do in your life. My prayer is that you stand the course and keep believing. He is going to part the seas of your life. He is going to turn your water into wine. He is going to give you the peace that you need and add joy to it. God has no limitations so don’t limit Him in your head. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He always loves you!

Suggested reading: Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Romans 10:9

Returning to the land

When I was praying the other day, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “Go back to the land where Love is a giant. Go back to the land where Peace is a giant. Go back to the land where Hope is a giant. Go back to the land where Joy is a giant. Go back to the land where Faith is a giant. Go back to the land where Jesus is the King of kings and everything that rises against Him is defeated.” I took a few minutes to ponder over that encouragement. I meditated on it and prayed about it. I had been distracted for a few days and I had let my spiritual guard down. I wasn’t in a bad place but I had put some things in the forefront of my mind and I was looking at Jesus from a distance. My problems had started to look bigger than they should have and Jesus was a bit far in the back.

I needed to change my perspective. We should never let our trials and tribulations look bigger than our God. We should never let our fears and doubts be bigger than our faith. We should never let our sorrows and sadness be bigger than our joy. We should never let our internal chaos be bigger than our peace. We should never let our judgment and our preconceived notions be bigger than our love. We should never let our worries be bigger than our hope. We should never let the enemy be bigger than Jesus. I had done that a little bit and the Spirit of the Lord was bringing me back to a place where Jesus was dominating and fear was non-existent. I had stopped away from the truth. I was standing a few steps away from it but it was a few steps too many. Sometimes our distance from God seems to be harmless but it is a great divide that causes chaos. 

The land where Jesus is sovereign and bigger than anything else is the best place for us to be mentally, spiritually, emotionally and even physically. You may wonder what that land is all about. It is the head space that rejects doubt. It is the spiritual realm where praise and worship abound. It is the spot in our hearts where faith is plentiful. It is the space that we see when we close our eyes during prayer. It is the place where our thoughts are alive and they magnify the Lord. It is where we are today physically. We are in this world. We walk in the world. We move around in this world but the eyes of faith show us that we are not of this world. 

The eyes of faith see our environment but they also see the blessings and the great things in our lives right now. The eyes of faith see the land of the Lord where we are right now in addition to where we are physically. The eyes of faith focus on the goodness of God around us. That land of blessings is what faith superposes over the world we live in. Let’s go back to the land of Hope, the land of Love, the land of Faith, the land of Joy, the land of Peace. Let’s pray and ask the Spirit to assist us on that journey back to the truth. He will take us back to the land of Jesus where everything is possible, love is everywhere and blessings are abundant. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Jeremiah 17:7-8; Numbers 6:24-26; Philemon 1:25

You have all you need

“You have all you need” is something I hear a lot when I am praying. I hear it especially when I have a lot on my mind. When I start to think about what I don’t have and what I need, the Holy Spirit gently whispers to me that I have all that I need. He comforts me and reassures me and then it is up to me to trust Him and to walk in faith knowing that I don’t have to worry about anything. Why? Because it is true. With the Lord as my Savior, I have all I need. Jesus died on the cross for me so I could have all I need. The Holy Spirit dwells in me so I have all I need. Love covers me and protects me so I have all I need. God is with me 24/7 so I have all I need. Jesus supplies my needs according to His riches in glory so I have all I need. The peace that surpasses all understanding is in me so I have all I need. I walk by faith and not by sight and my faith tells me and shows me that I have all I need. I could easily find something to worry about every day but the Lord won’t let me. He is there to open my eyes to the reality of His Gospel. He takes care of me and that is the end of the story. I don’t have to add negative endings. I don’t have to rewrite His beautiful story by overthinking and creating wrong scenarios in my head.

God is our provider, friend, so we have all we need. Now, take some time to meditate on that truth. Hold on to it all day long. Apply it to every circumstance and to every situation you find yourself in. Think about what it means for you all the time. Think about the power of that truth in your life. You have all you need from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed and during the night. It is not the way you might be thinking so you might need to renew your mind regarding this great declaration. Do the work. Work on your thinking and let your mind see the light. Jesus made it clear that you have nothing to worry about. Your mind likes to worry and it makes everything dark. Walk into the light of Jesus’ words. Trust His words more than you trust the dark picture of your life. That picture is not a real picture. It is a sad distortion of God’s amazing picture of your life. In His picture you are all set. In His picture you lack nothing. In His picture you have the best of the best all day long.

“You have all you need” says the Lord and that includes provision in all matters. Let’s say you have an interview and you are getting ready for it. Remember that in Jesus’ name you have all you need which implies that you have what it takes to pass the interview. The Lord will be with you in that room while you are being asked about your skills and what you can bring to the table. You have all it takes to do well and to be a blessing in that job. That is what you bring to the table. You have the Holy Spirit in you and you believe in Jesus. That is what you bring to the table. You don’t have to talk about the Lord. Your actions and your words will speak for you and demonstrate that you are a child of the Lord and as a child of the Most High, you have all you need. You are a success. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You are blessed. You are favored. You are a blessing who doesn’t favor some people more than others. You are a  light in this world and you have the light of the Lord in your heart. You have all you need.

My prayer today is that you always remember that Jesus has done it all. He did it on the cross for once and for all and you are reaping the benefits of His precious sacrifice. All day long you have all you need. You lack nothing. Start thinking that way. Start speaking that way. Start believing that way. It is the truth and nothing can change the truth. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Philippians 4:19; 2 Corinthians 9:8; 2 Peter 3:13

Your firm foundation

What is the foundation of your faith? Who do you believe in the most? Do you have faith in Jesus or do you believe in someone else more than Him? It sounds like a silly question but if you think about who you rely on in times of trouble, you might be surprised to see that Jesus is not your first resort. Let’s say you get some bad news. Do you reach for the phone and call a friend or a relative? Do you panic and try to hide under your desk? Do you thank Jesus right away for being your help in times of trouble? Do you say confidently that Jesus is your foundation and you have nothing to worry about? When I was praying yesterday morning I had a great vision about Jesus being our foundation. The Holy Spirit took me on a tour of a place that looked firm and solid. I saw a ground that looked very nice and very strong. There was something very special about it. I quickly understood that the ground I saw was Jesus, our firm foundation.

When Jesus is our foundation, we can stand on Him and keep standing no matter what happens in our lives. There might be earthquakes brought about by sad news and bad events but with Jesus as our foundation, we can’t sink. We can’t drown when troubled waters invade our circumstances. We can see mud and soft grounds around us but our firm foundation keeps us standing. Friend, if you are a believer, you stand on solid ground. It is time that you and I took a strong stand on our firm foundation. It is time we decided to not be shaken by anything that takes place in our lives. It is time we kept on standing tall. It is time we praised the Lord even when we are facing adversity. We have the strongest foundation there is. Let’s live our lives like we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are on solid ground all the time.

Jesus is not sinking sand or a soft soil. He doesn’t bend under pressure and He doesn’t give up when the going gets tough. We are the ones who give up. He remains strong and firm. We ought to always rely on Him. The real Jesus who can’t be defeated and who can’t lose any battles. How do you get to know Him? Through His Word and through isolated and devoted time with Him. He is a Rock. He is a fortress. He is the winner of all winners. He is the firm foundation that will never let you down. He is the firm foundation that you can count on all the time. Meditate on that. You can always count on Jesus. You can count on Him even when it appears that you can’t get out of trouble. Stand on Him. Walk thanks to Him. Run with Him. Don’t let Him out of your spiritual sight. Follow His lead. Your firm foundation never disappoints.

Jesus is the firm foundation that can withstand anything. He is unbreakable. The enemy might be trying to weigh you down so you collapse and fall off your foundation but Jesus will hold you up. He won’t let the enemy get the best of you. Jesus is so solid that all the devils in hell can’t make Him break. There is nothing and no one that can destroy your foundation. Your foundation is all set. Now, it’s up to you to stand on Him and to let Him be part of you. Let Jesus be the biggest part of your life. He said that if His words remained in you, you could ask what you want and you will get it as long as it is in line with His will. When Jesus’ words are the backbone of your life, you can’t fail. You have the best foundation ever. Let His words abide in you and you will walk on solid ground all the time. Trust Him. Believe in Him. He won’t let you down. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will never leave you!

Suggested reading: Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 7:24; John 15:7

The nature of God

What is the nature of God? What characteristics does He have? Do you ever ask yourself those questions? What are God’s most important traits? I think those questions are important because the way we see God will underline what we expect from God. We can have faith in what God is and sometimes our faith is based on a wrong approach and wrong perspective. We can also focus on aspects of God while missing the most crucial traits and characteristics of the Lord. I used to see God as a God of provision more than anything else. He does provide for us and He cares about His children but is that the most significant aspect of who He is? God is love. Before anything else God is love. He has love and He is love. If we want to get to know Him better, we have to remember that He is love and that His love is eternal, indestructible and always powerful. The nature of God is found in love. Think about what that implies and let that truth correct and mold your vision of God.

God has always existed. God has always been around. God is everywhere. God is always everywhere at the same time. God is powerful. God has the power to do anything and to change anything. God is love. God is love all the time and He has love for everyone. Love is where it all starts but love has always existed. It might have come into your life at a certain point but it has always been there. I believe it is necessary to see the power and the magnitude of love. It is helpful to understand that love has always been around and that it has stood the test of time. The most powerful force in the universe is with you and in you. God is with you. His nature is with you. His love is with you. The nature of God is living in your life and you should get to learn more about it and to embrace it. We have so many representations of God in the world. There are filtered presentations of God that are not accurate. Get to know God through God. Know love, know God. Know God and you will always know love.

If anyone portrays the nature of God with a lack of love, don’t take it at face value. Question anything and anyone who removes love from who God is. Love is what saved you. Love is what saves you. Love is what helps you. Love is what keeps you going. Love is behind the blessings and the miracles in your life. Love gives meaning to your relationship with God. Love is the link that connects you to God. Love is the reason you are here today. Love is spiritual and remember that God is spirit. His nature is to be Spirit. We ought to worship Him in spirit and in truth with love as our backdrop. You can worship the Lord with music and you can worship Him with prayers and with actions motivated by love. When we have a relationship with God, we can’t help but imitate Him. We take after Him and the number one thing we should show the world is the love that is in God. We have His love and we need to give that love to the world. We can’t be a church that thrives on judgment and on criticism. We can’t be a church that puts love on the back burner because when we do, we redefine God and we don’t do Him justice.

The nature of God is in you and me, friend. We are the ones that can give the world a better idea of who God is and what He is all about. God is light and in Him there is no darkness. We carry His light and we carry His love. Let’s take the nature of God in consideration every day and let’s give His incredible nature a chance to shine through us. There is so much pain and so much sadness in this world. People need the nature of God. People need to be touched by love. People need to be introduced to the Lord who saves, loves, helps, protects, cares, provides because He is love. My prayer is that we will all be servants of love that share God’s love and that silence the wrong representations of God. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: John 4:24; 1 John 1:5; 1 John 4:8

The power of gratitude

“Thank You, Lord” is something I say more and more. I used to reserve my gratitude for my morning prayer session. I always start my day with praise and thanksgiving. It has been a practice of mine for almost ten years. I actually used to do it almost twenty years ago and then I went through a wilderness period before I got back on the praise horse. Gratitude is such a powerful habit and it is even better when it is a lifestyle. We can be grateful with our words, our actions and our thoughts. When I decided to thank the Lord throughout the day, my life changed for the better. My prayer life was enhanced and my connection with the Lord got stronger. The Lord inhabits the praises of His people and He loves their thanksgiving and gratitude. Today I want to encourage you to amplify your gratitude and to have a gratitude lifestyle.

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful and the readiness to show appreciation and to return kindness. Gratitude is not always a reflex or a habit but it is something we should pursue and become accustomed to. God loves it when we have a gratitude attitude. When we thank Him for everything and we stay positive it touches His heart. Yes, gratitude keeps us in a positive mindset and it gives us the power to rise above any negative events and thoughts that come our way. Gratitude is focusing on the Lord and  on His goodness. It is a way for us to get a dose of powerful thinking and powerful speaking. When we speak gratitude we make the decision to overcome the bad things that could be happening to us. We refuse to yield to the enemy’s taunting and we let the Lord be our priority. Gratitude is a super power because it destroys the attacks of the enemy. No weapon formed against us shall prosper when we trust the Lord and we keep an attitude of gratitude.

We ought to use the power of gratitude as much as possible. I sometimes catch myself sliding into a negative mindset and gratitude takes me out of that ditch. I lift up my hands and I give my heart a voice of thanksgiving and the Lord gets all the glory. Gratitude puts us on a different level. Think about all the people you know and how much complaining goes on when you spend time with some of them. Whining is very easy. Gratitude is harder to come by. When you are a person of gratitude and you keep thanking the Lord, you are on a higher spiritual level. You partake in the joy and the peace of the Lord. Gratitude will always bring joy to the table and it will always reveal the table that the Lord has for you. Gratitude gives you a seat at the table of the Lord where blessings abound and miracles happen. Stay at the table of the Lord. Stay in gratitude mode.

My prayer is that you adopt this great lifestyle of gratitude and you constantly thank Jesus for everything. You don’t need a reason to thank Him. Just thank Him for who He is and what He does. Be ready to show appreciation for the Lord at any time of the day. Keep saying thanks even when the day is not nice to you. Thank Jesus for getting you out of the mess of the day. Thank Jesus for His love that is all around you and in you. Thank Jesus for the people in your life. Thank Jesus for loving every single person you will ever meet. Show appreciation and return kindness. Be kind to the Lord by following His guidance, by walking in love with everyone and by rejoicing over Him all the time. The power of gratitude is in you. Let it out and enjoy every day with the Lord. May God bless you and protect you and remember that He will always love you!

Suggested reading: Philippians 4:6-7; James 1:17; 2 Corinthians 4:15