A Benefit of Thanksgiving
Philippians 4.4-9
Forget not all His benefits Psalm 103
Prayer is so helpful with anxiety. So often we have said after a time of prayer, “I feel like a load has been lifted.”
Thanksgiving is another way, part of prayer yes, but a further way to replace anxiety with peace.
God is giving us secrets to life here in His Word.
1. Counting Your Blessings
Thank God for them. Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow.
Forget in Psalm 103 “wither” Don’t let your memory or your awareness wither.
Counting Our blessings:
*Refreshes our memory of where He has helped us in insurmountable need and overwhelming situations. Reflecting on the faithfulness of God in the past gives us hope for the future and help with present situations.
*It helps us with “hopeless” situations.
Jesus has never failed us. He has always come through for us. Think About His Love!
* It takes our attention off of our problems and puts them on the Giver of all blessings. We need this. If you are having trouble with anxiety, ask yourself, “How thankful am I?” Thanksgiving helps cure anxiety.
2. Praying over Problems Without Thanksgiving can make us focus on them.
Thanksgiving focuses on the LORD Who has blessed us and is blessing us. It is present and past in its nature. I know I have heard people start praising God before an answer is given but that is not my nature. I have also seen people praising God for healing and a loved one goes to be with the LORD.
Petition is about our present problems, thanksgiving is about what God has done and is doing. Petition is about our struggles and needs. Thanksgiving gives us hope because of what God has done and is doing. It helps from becoming overwhelmed with such great needs we have.
The Feasts in Israel were designed by the LORD to get the nation to remember its past, present and future with God.
The secular radio now for the 2nd time this month has told how being thankful or an attitude of gratitude is therapeutic for depression. One host this week told her listeners to write out on a piece of paper what they are thankful for and it will chase the blues away. Whenever the world tries to take on the truth it comes up short. Write down your blessings in the depth of despair!
We are to give thanks as we present our requests to the LORD.
3. Thanksgiving as we present our requests to the LORD is used by Him to bring our minds to a place where we have peace we cannot explain.
We want answers. God gives His peace.
We want solutions God gives His grace.
We want to escape. He has in the battle.
The end result of this activity is a guarding of our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Not just nice sounding words./An experience beyond words.
Count Your Blessings:
List them.
*Jesus Christ
*God’s Word
*Family
13 ½ hours, 6,882 miles Lucy approaching Alaska as we are here.
*Church Family
*Christian Friends
Not part of this fellowship but in our lives and hearts
*Past Blessings of Heroes of the Faith
Example: My Nana, Brother Hazard, Oliver Wirth
*Special Way this year God came to you
Meeting the Paramedic who saved the little boy’s life last Sunday on South Spur
Bring them Tuesday Night! Bring an Offering for World Evangelism.
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