When we look upon the life that we have been given, we find ourselves caught between what we want to be, where we are and where God wants us to be.

These three locations can place us in turmoil if our destination doesn't match God's intended purpose and plan. We have tendencies to move things around so that we're better prepared to get to where we want to be. The key is that we have to make those moves only after conferring with God so that we are going in his direction. When we don't, we can find ourselves feeling inadequate, guilty, alone and desperate. That comes from walking away from the true fellowship with the savior, Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit, which is given to each believer, as a comforter is the person which allows us to feel adequate, accepted, forgiven, hopeful and never alone. That is where God's spirit can reside within us and imbue us with his holy power. From that gift of the Holy Spirit, we get our thankfulness for he knows what we need, when we need it, how much we need, and how to get the message through to God. The spirit gives us comfort in times of pain and trials.

If we don't recognize it, we are always going to be frustrated and disappointed, even to the point of being frustrated with God. Without thankfulness, we can't hear God speaking because we are too busy crying and fussing about our current situations. It has taken me decades to get to the point where I can actually believe that I'm truly thankful for my situation in life. No matter what that situation is, I am finding more and more peace through the belief that God is listening. I still get frustrated, scared, intimidated and fearful but knowing that the Son of God walked in my shoes at some point and lived victoriously, is comforting in itself. My advice to myself is to immediately look for what I can be thankful and start listing those things as soon as I can.

I may be facing times of poverty or times of plenty, but I can have faith that God is the orchestrator of this plan. Yes, I have the free will to make alternate choices but even when I do, the LORD is there to adjust my aim and send me on the right path. All I need to do is stop complaining and listen to him through his word, the bible, and give thanks for all things. Today, I give thanks to the one who gave it all for me… Thank you Jesus!

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twh

The Benefit of Giving Thanks

What is the benefit of giving thanks?  1 Thessalonians 5:18 says that giving thanks "is the will of God concerning you." When you give thanks, you are in the will of God. When you are grumbling, you are outside of God's will. To give thanks is to position yourself smack-dab in the middle of God's will. This is critical because "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

We know beyond any doubt that God is working out His will in the lives of believers, and He is using the tough times for a purpose. Yet as finite beings, we sometimes find it hard to see the big picture - we tend to only focus on a piece here or a piece there. But our Father sees the whole picture and how everything interconnects. He is weaving all of the pieces together so that everything will work together in the process of accomplishing His larger, kingdom agenda.

Each of the circumstances of your life is an important part in God's kingdom portrait of your life. He mixes all things together to meet His divine purpose. Giving Him thanks is acknowledging His sovereignty and demonstrating a heart of faith in the truth that He is the master Planner and Architect ... working all things together for good to those who love Him and to those who are called according to His purposes.

Excerpt from "For His Kingdom" by Tony Evans