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!
Absolutely, in the small and the large, in the good and the difficult!
Amen, Kim! 🙂
Alisha,
I love this quote and the truth it bears… …”I am not moved by what I see. I am moved only by what I believe.” Thanks for the encouragement. I agree that thanksgiving is most powerful when we practice thanks-living. Blessings as you count those gifts and inspire others to do the same.
I love it too, Alicia! We walk by faith, not by sight, right? Thank you for visiting! Have a blessed week!
Amen, amen.
I loved the post and the quote. We need to remind each other daily of the goodness and faithfluness of our mighty God. When we walk alone, we are more likely to fall. When we walk with oher believers we are more apt to stand. Thank you for your encouragement! God bless you as you bless others.
Thank you, Ronda! Yes, we all need to encourage one another on our walk of faith. Blessings to you, Alisha
I love 1 Thes 5:18. I find comfort and peace in this verse. Learning to accept God’s will can be difficult at times, but I am thankful for His love. Beautiful post filled with encouragement.
Thank you, Robin! I’m thankful for His love too! Blessings to you, Alisha
Love this post Alisha! It is very true… thanking God in all circumstances does bring spiritual breakthrough in ways we cannot imagine. I have personally evidenced this happen recently.
Hope you don’t mind if I add this to my Inspiration page, here:
http://encourage-1-another.blogspot.co.uk/p/inspiration.html
Thank you, so much, dear Wendy! I am honored. You are such a blessing! 🙂
Yes! What we have in Christ is SO much bigger than any circumstance we are facing today.
Amen, Jenni!
Ummm… thanks for this 🙂 Love the quote at the end!
I love it too, Andrea! 😀
YES!! This was perfect 🙂 I never really participated in the daily notes of thanks during the month of November (in places like Facebook) because I try to be thankful every day of the year! Every moment, every precious second! It’s not always easy, some days are crazy, but I try to remember to thank the Lord for them!! Stopping by from the Finding Joy link-up, have a blessed day!!
Amen, Amanda. I completely agree! Thank you for visiting. Blessings, Alisha