IF You Are Thankful

God is the One in my life and yours whom we can be thankful for because without Him, there wouldn’t even be a you and me.  There wouldn’t be His love or compassion, we wouldn’t obviously even know Him, there wouldn’t be our planet, or anything else— if He decided He didn’t want to create all He did.

God obviously wanted a family to love and a family to love Him.  He said we are the most important to Him of all He created, we are His first fruits (James 1:18).  Of course He created us in His likeness (Genesis 1:27) so that we could be a part of Him and He us, so that we could enjoy life with Him.

Did you know that God thinks about you and me all the time?  He does.  Since I have been working for Him, I hear Him constantly talk to me about how He wants His children to know.  To know Him, about Him, and how much He is in love with us.  He is in love with us and He works to get that message of love to us.  One important way is through those of us who will go for Him, those who will trust Him and show Him in their lives. 

God is constantly looking for those He can show Himself strong to.  He is constantly looking for someone who will say,” Yes Lord, you can bless me, yes Lord I will go for You and show You.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him. AMPC      

God wants to show Himself strong to us but He can’t if we don’t allow Him to.  How do we allow Him to show Himself strong to us?  We are thankful for Him and we believe Him.

God can only do in our lives when we trust Him, when we believe what He said.  He said that to me one day.  He said, “You don’t believe Me.”  I could feel that God was hurt by my unbelief.  He then said I didn’t give Him a chance to fulfill a promise to me I was asking for before I started to take care of it myself.  

We truly are not thankful to God when we don’t believe Him.  When we step out and take care of things on our own before we give Him a chance we are not only ungrateful but we lock Him out.  We keep Him from doing His will in our lives when we do our own will.  We not only don’t permit God to do in our lives, but we don’t show His goodness to those who don’t know Him, as we are rejecting Him ourselves by our lack of faith.  

We are to bring our definite request to God and be thankful.

Philippians 4:6 Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. AMPC

God makes it clear after we ask Him, we can count on Him.  He even goes so far as to say to thank Him for it even before it happens.  That is definitely faith, and the just, you and I— are called to live by faith!

Hebrews 10:38 But the just shall live by faith [My righteous servant shall live by his conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, and holy fervor born of faith and conjoined with it]; and if he draws back and shrinks in fear, My soul has no delight or pleasure in him. AMPC

Instead what is happening is, most do for themselves as I was doing that day.  What we ask God to do, if we’re not conscious of being thankful to Him, we will get anxious and do ourselves.  

We grieve God then because when we do it, we are not living separated from the unbeliever and we’re not showing the Father.  When we do it we live in debt, when we shouldn’t owe any man anything but to love him.  When we do it, it is always temporary, never fixed.

I don’t usually, but I was so tired on this occasion and in pain, low on faith, that  I asked God if I should take some Tylenol.  I loved His answer, He said,  “You can but you will still have the same issue when the Tylenol wears off.”  Love Him, He is so much more than I can ask or think.  Needless to say I believed I was healed and the pain left!  

I did it God’s way and because I did, I can share this testimony with you.  I can show you the Father’s heart.  If I live like an unbeliever, by the worlds system I can’t show you the Father has a better way. Jesus said, “If you have seen Me you have seen the Father.  As Christians we too should be saying, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father working in my life, this is His will.”

Through our trusting God, we receive from Him and when we receive from Him, we are showing Him and how much He cares for us.

God wants to do for us so much more than we allow Him to do.  More than we can even imagine because He is in love with us, but He can‘t unless we recognize Him, and that He wants to. 

Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]— AMPC

More than you can ask or think is available for us when we recognize God as God, when we are thankful to Him — for Him.

Jesus said as His, rather than chase things we need to chase God and when we do, what we need will be added to us.  Then we can live the importance of life rather than running in circles trying to provide for ourselves what God already had made provision for.  

I learned this when God asked me to change Kingdoms and live His way.  He asked me to quit my job and work for Him.  I hadn’t an income anymore, but I was seeking His way of doing.  I needed a car, and as faithful as He said He is, He added a car to me.  I didn’t have to chase it, or pay for it, I only had to ask Him, then thank Him and  think on those things which were in  agreement with His thoughts. I did His Kingdom principles and He kept His Word and added a car unto me ( Matthew 6:25-33).

I didn’t worry He wouldn’t do it and then borrow, but I waited on God to keep His promise to me.  How did I wait?  Just as He teaches us to wait.  I got my peace by bringing my request to Him, thanking and trusting Him that He was true to His Word.  I listened to the Word which helped me to keep my thinking right (Romans 10:17).  I made sure my thoughts lined up with the Word, which are His thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5, John 1:1)!

Philippians 4:7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 8 For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. AMPC

Talking to God about it, getting His direction and Him telling me how it was going to happen gave me the peace I needed to wait on Him.  

Then comes the part that is the more than I can ask or think part, that He would do for me such a wonderful thing.  And that He did more than I expected, superabundantly more than I could have asked or thought!  

Feeling His presence of love —nothing compares.

Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]— AMPC

Be thankful, let God be who He wants to be in your life.  Be thankful so you can receive from Him all He has for you.