Gratitude changes things! We are reminded in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” It is part of God’s will for our lives that we make thanksgiving a regular part of our lives. In other words, gratitude is a part of living in the Kingdom of God.
Grumpy Or Gratitude with Allen Jackson
Allen Jackson is one of our GOD TV ministry partners and has a weekly program called Allen Jackson. According to his website, “Pastor Allen’s mission is to help people become more fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, and technology has increased his impact, allowing his biblical messages to reach and encourage 3,000,000+ people per week through Allen Jackson Ministries. ”
In a recent episode he unpacks the truth that it is impossible to be grumpy and grateful at the same time!
He said, “Gratitude completely changes your ability to receive from God. On the other hand, a lack of gratitude, being unthankful, unappreciative, being filled with that kind of ingratitude hardens your heart.”
Gratitude is a game changer and it prevents our hearts from hardening. There is power in giving thanks for the things that God has done in our lives and it results in keeping our hearts tender. Tender hearts are able to receive, whereas it’s difficult for things like love, joy, peace, and hope to enter into a hardened heart.
Watch the full clip below.
Gratitude Destroys Strongholds
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” – 2 Corinthians 10:3-4
Aren’t you glad that we get to fight with weapons that are not of this world?! Gratitude is one of those weapons. When we begin to give thanks to God in the middle of the storms of life it wages war on the enemy. He hates it. His mission on the earth is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10) and that’s really hard to do when we have, even difficult situations, gratitude in our hearts.
In other words, even if absolutely nothing is going right in our lives we can thank God for salvation through Jesus Christ. That means that we can always have gratitude! That is powerful. Actually, the verse above refers to it as “divine power” that “demolishes strongholds.” Thus, it’s time to begin believing the power that God attaches to our thankfulness.
Application
Get your journal or device and take some time to reflect on the questions below and record your answers. Remember to invite the Holy Spirit into the conversation.
- List the areas of your life where you generally operate in gratitude.
- List the ares of your life that you predominately complain about.
- What are some of the hurdles that keep you from walking in gratitude?
- What are you most thankful to God for in your life? Why?
Prayer
Receive this prayer for gratitude today:
Holy Spirit, help me to see all the things I can be grateful for today. I recognize that gratitude is a weapon of mass destruction in Your Kingdom. Teach me to pick up this weapon every day and use it to destroy the works of the devil, in order that I might bring You glory. Help me to focus on the things that You are doing in my life and not complaining about what’s not happening. Forgive me for when I have chosen to complain instead of give thanks. I praise You because Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30), Amen.
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