by Alisha | Nov 18, 2012 | Uncategorized
Today, you may be dealing with a circumstance or situation that seems overwhelming. You may be wondering when, if ever, you will receive the breakthrough you’ve been believing God for. You may feel discouraged, depressed, and ready to give up – but don’t do that. Instead, give thanks to the Lord!
First Thessalonians 5:18 (Amplified) says, “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].”
Sometimes, giving thanks “no matter what our circumstances may be” is one of the hardest things to do. But it is the very thing that will bring you out of those situations — and it’s the will of God!
No matter what it looks like or how you feel, God loves you with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:1), He is mindful of you (Ps. 115:12), He cares for you affectionately (1 Pet. 5:7 AMP), and He has already given you the victory in every situation (1 Cor. 15:57)! If you will stop focusing on your problem and begin to thank the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness in your life, then you will rise out of that circumstance and you will experience the breakthrough you’ve been believing for.
But you can’t just give thanks once or twice and expect to see a change. And you shouldn’t limit your “thanksgiving” to a certain time of the year. You must cultivate a lifestyle of thankfulness. Continually put yourself in remembrance of all the wonderful things the Lord has done for you. Refuse to consider your circumstances and choose to be thankful for His many blessings.
The enemy wants to discourage you. He wants you to take your eyes off of the Lord and focus on the negative. He wants to use your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and circumstances to get you out of faith. If he can get you out of faith, if he can get you to fling away your confidence in the Lord, then he’s won.
But if you’ll give thanks to God in the midst of your situation, if you will keep your eyes on Him and remain in faith, you will rise up out of it. Remember, God always causes you to triumph in Christ Jesus!
Smith Wigglesworth (a British minister of the late 19th and early 20th centuries) said, “God can work mightily when you persist in believing Him in spite of discouragements from the human standpoint…I am not moved by what I see. I am moved only by what I believe. No man considers how he feels if he believes. The man who believes God has it!”
Cultivate a daily lifestyle of thanksgiving and praise. Choose to look beyond the problem and worship the One who has your solution. Refuse discouragement and remain in faith! Thank God in everything and your life will be changed for the better!
by Alisha | Aug 6, 2012 | Uncategorized
Psalm 84:1-2 NLT How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.
You were created for the presence of God.
There is a desire – a yearning – in each of us to be with Him, to experience His holy pres-ence, His love, His peace, His joy, and to gaze upon His beauty. There is no place else that can satisfy this longing. Nothing else will do.
His presence has everything you need. If you need answers or direction for your life, or if you’re in need of more joy, then you must make time to be with Him: Psalm 16:11 (NKJ) You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Do you need to be refreshed, revived or rejuvenated? Then enter into His presence: Acts 3:19 (KJV) …times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
Are you weary, tired and in need of rest? Exodus 33:14 (AMP) And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.
Are you feeling weak? In His presence is strength: 1 Chronicles 16:27 (KJV) Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.
Do you need a place to run and hide, or to just get away from the cares of this life and its strife? Psalm 31:20 (NKJ) You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
The presence of the Lord is our refuge. It’s our secret place. It is where we partake of intimate union and communion with Him. In His presence we receive His mercy and unfailing love. We experience the warmth of His embrace.
It’s no wonder our hearts “faint with longing” for Him.
The Amplified version of Psalm 84:2 says, My soul yearns, yes, even pines and is homesick for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out and sing for joy to the living God.
Once you’ve experienced the beauty of His presence, you will yearn for more of Him!
But how does one enter into the presence of God?
Psalm 100:2,4 (KJV) says, Come before His presence with singing…Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
And Psalm 95:2 (AMP) says, Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!
In Psalm 22:3, we see that God inhabits the praises of His people.
The door to His presence is thanksgiving, praise and worship. If you will cultivate a lifestyle of praising and worshiping the Lord, then you will begin to sense His tangible presence more and more. He will inhabit your praises!
The Lord loves you! He desires you! He created you to be with Him — to live in His presence. So enter into His holy presence with thanksgiving. Sing songs of praise and worship to Him throughout the day.
Develop a lifestyle of love and adoration toward Him. Then you will find yourself dwelling in that secret place. You will experience the beauty of His presence like never before, and you will truly satisfy that deep longing and yearning in your heart for the living God!
(Photo: Thinkstock/The Knot)
