Giving Thanks - For the Unwanted Gifts

8 Three times I begged the Lord to take it away; each time he said, "My grace is all you need." My power works best in weakness. 

10 That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:8,10 NLT

When I read this passage of Scripture today- Scripture I've read hundreds of times - it opened up in a whole new way. I've been praying and praying, as have my friends and family, to be out of pain, to be healed, to move on. It hasn’t happened.

I've also been praying for humility, and to be rid of the sin of pride in my life. It's been a generational curse in our family. Self-sufficiency. Doing things my own way. Being able to do things in and of myself. Not asking for help. The upside to that is I think I can get a lot of things done. The downside to that is thinking that I can even do any of it without God and the gifts that He's given me.

I've never looked at weakness as being a strength. I've never looked at health issues or financial challenges as being gifts from God. But if we believe the Word of God - that all things work together for our good - as it says in Romans 8:28, then we can trust God to use even the awful stuff to teach us and to train us. And that makes the bad stuff gifts in our lives... no matter how much they are unwanted. Hebrews 12:11 reads, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it”.

Paul said he’d rather boast in his infirmities. I am not there, but where I am is that I can truly give thanks in the trials and tribulations that are being used to teach and train me for a harvest of righteousness and peace.

Prayer:

Father,
          You are my ever-present peace, and although I can become consumed with control, worry, or whatever it is I wish were different, still I know You are there. And I am so grateful, Father! Help me to see and acknowledge Your presence in all things that touch my life. Help me see Your goodness and let me never forget to express my thanksgiving and gratitude to You. You are the giver of all good things, and You never stop pouring them out over my life, and I praise You for all of that. Let me learn in the same manner as You are training me - patiently and with confidence. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen

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Jumping back in to write the Promise today and praying that I may continue...

Giving Thanks - Day 4 - For Power Over the Enemy

Giving Thanks during November - Various devotionals 

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For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

Thank God for His Word that we can overcome fear. When our hearts are full of praise, our lives are full of power. One of the best ways to exercise power over the things of the enemy is to be in a spirit of praise throughout the day. Thank God that through Christ we have power over the enemy. Remember to speak the words He’d have you speak, and pray that you would be mindful of the enemy’s attacks. Pray He would help you remain in an attitude of praise and resist the enemy’s advances according to James 1:7, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

- from "30 Days of Gratitude Prayer Guide" at Crosswalk.
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Prayer:

Father,
           We pray Your Word that gives us victory over the enemy of our souls. We declare Ephesians 6, that we will put on all of God’s armor so that we will stand firm against all strategies of the devil.We know we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
       Therefore, we will put on every piece of God’s armor so we will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle we will still be standing firm. We will stand our ground, putting on the belt of Truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. We will put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that we will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, we will hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. We will wear Christ's salvation as our helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Keep us ever mindful to pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Help us to stay alert and be persistent in our prayers for all believers everywhere. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Giving Thanks - Day 3 - Thanking God for True Friends

Giving Thanks during November - Various devotionals 

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Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Romans 12:10 NLT

In our hurried world, we can sometimes forget to thank God for those special people He’s placed in our lives. Maybe it’s a friend who’s always there when you need a shoulder or one who seems to make you laugh, even on the darkest of days. Is there a neighbor who makes the time to help when there is a need? Thank God for allowing your life to be touched by these friends. Thank Him for the important role they each play in your life. Thank God for calling you His friend. Ask Him how you can uniquely express your gratitude to those who positively impact your life. 

If you’re in need of friendship, thank God in advance for sending someone special your way. Ask Him to remove the barrier that has prevented the gift of authentic, lifelong friendship in your life.

Write: Think about the 5 closest friends God has given you. Spend time today praying intentionally over these people. Send them a text or a little note in the mail to encourage them in their week.

-  from "30 Days of Gratitude Prayer Guide" at Crosswalk.

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Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for the gift of friends who walk with us - companions in joy, in struggle, and in the daily journey of faith. Thank You for their love that reflects Your kindness, for their encouragement when we are weary, and for their presence in both our brightest moments and our darkest days.
          Lord, strengthen this bond with honesty, loyalty, and tenderness. Let our conversations be filled with Your truth, let our acts of service reflect Your love, and let our shared walks be marked by hope and grace. We pray that You guide our steps, protect our hearts, and keep our friendship rooted in Your presence. Thank You, Father, for the example they set in following You, and for their willingness to walk together in all that matters. May we be a source of comfort to each other, a reflection of Christ’s love, and a reminder that we are never alone on this journey.  In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen

Giving Thanks - Day 2 - Thank God for Today

Giving Thanks during November - Various devotionals 

(includes notes from the Expositor's Bible Commentary)
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16 Always be joyful. 

17 Never stop praying. 

18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT

Always. Never... in ALL circumstances

A final member of this triplet for personal development is "Be thankful in all circumstances..." Let's think about this from a different perspective. No combination of happenings can be termed "bad" for a Christian because of God's constant superintendence (see Romans 8:28). We need to recognize that seeming aggravations are but a temporary part of a larger plan for our spiritual well-being. Out of this perspective, we can always find a reason to give thanks. In fact, failure to do this is a symptom of unbelief (see Romans 1:21). Every day, good or bad or both, brings us one day closer to The Day.

So much of our day is busyness. So much busyness that, by the time the day is over and our heads hit the pillow, the day just seems to be a big blur. Does this ever happen to you? Thank God for the precious gift of today, for TODAY is the day He has made, so let us rejoice and be glad. 

Give thanks to Him for each minute He allows breath to fill your lungs. 

Ask Him to reveal to you the things in life that you can let go of to allow yourself time for what really matters in life.

- Crosswalk devotional (includes notes from the Expositor's Bible Commentary)

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Prayer:

Father,

          This day, we lay down each burden, worry, and distraction that weighs us down. Forgive us for trying to control outcomes and for clinging to what is not of Your making. Teach us to trust Your wisdom and to set our minds on heavenly priorities, not on fleeting or earthly concerns. Help us to take every wandering thought captive and bring it under the obedience of Christ, so that our focus is fixed on today and what is righteous and eternal.
        Fill us with Your peace, love, and joy, and give us clarity to see what truly matters. Let our attention be drawn to Your Word, to the work You have called us to do, and to the people You have placed in our lives. Remove everything that distracts us from Your kingdom and keep our minds steady and steadfast in You. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen

Giving Thanks - Day 1 - A Prerequisite for Giving Thanks

Giving Thanks during November - Various devotionals

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For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! (2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT)

To give thanks, we must realize as Christians that God is in control of all circumstances that surround our lives, both good and bad.

Continuing in verse 18, "So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever” (NLT).

The apostle Paul also wrote, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love” (Romans 8:38 NLT). God loves you, and He is always looking out for your eternal benefit. God is wiser than we are. And if He tells us to not do something, He does so for good reason.

Now, the devil doesn’t want you to believe that. [satan wants you to believe that God doesn't hear you.] He would whisper in your ear, “God hates you. God wants to ruin your life. All those rules in the Bible are just there to make life miserable. You Christians serve an oppressive God who doesn’t want you to have any fun.”

What a bunch of nonsense. I’ve lived apart from Christ. I’ve had the so-called fun this world has to offer, and it wasn’t fun at all. I’ve also found that a life with Christ is a life of fulfillment and purpose.

We must realize that God loves us and is always looking out for our eternal benefit, even if what we are presently going through is difficult.

- Pastor Greg Laurie

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Prayer:

Father,

          When life feels heavy and trials surround us, we choose to lift our hearts in gratitude. Thank You for never leaving us alone, for strengthening us when we are weak, and for holding us close in Your love. Even in the deepest valleys, You have promised Your faithfulness. Thank You for the hope You give, the peace You guard, and the blessings we cannot fully see. Holy Spirit, please remind us to thank You in all circumstances, not because life is easy, but because You are good and ever-present. Let our words and hearts declare, “The Lord is my strength and my refuge.”  In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Chat and Chew

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer... They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.

Acts 2:42, 46 (NIV)

You develop relationships through fellowship - spending time together in faith, purpose, and unity in Jesus Christ. And there’s only one way you’re going to build that kind of fellowship - and it’s through frequency.

If you’re already in a small group that meets regularly, that’s great! But if your group meets very infrequently, then you may not be allowing yourself the opportunity for meaningful fellowship. It works best when you commit to seeing each other at least once a week, when you schedule time to study the Bible together and encourage one another.

You need frequency in your fellowship.

Acts 2 describes the first church in Jerusalem this way: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer... They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42, 46-47 NIV). One of my favorite tools of fellowship is food. I’m so glad the early church’s example included eating together!

Jesus didn’t do his ministry on earth alone. He shared life with his disciples. And almost every time Jesus taught and fellowshipped with the disciples, they were either walking or eating. Why? Because when people are walking or eating, they’re relaxed. Your walls are down, you’re not defensive, and you’re open to feedback and new ideas. That’s when the best communication and fellowship happen.

Jesus spent regular, intentional, focused time with his small group of disciples and enjoyed meals with them. The early church was “devoted” to being together and learning together and praying together. They found joy in spending time together around meals.

You’ll find that following their example of fellowship around food won’t just lead to amazing personal spiritual growth. It will show the world the joy we have in being part of God’s family—and they’ll want to join in too.

Talk It Over

What are some ways you can take the stress out of sharing a meal with your small group?

How can you use food to fellowship with people outside of the church and show them biblical hospitality?

Do you treat time with people in your church and God’s family like you would any other event that you schedule and commit to? Why or why not?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer: by Natisha Anderson

Father,

          We come before You with hearts overflowing with gratitude for the gift of knowing and being known deeply by others. In those moments when we ask, "How did you know that?" and hear the response, "Because I know you," we glimpse the beauty of genuine connection and intimacy.
Thank You for creating us with the capacity to understand and appreciate each other on a profound level. Help us to cherish these moments of recognition and understanding, for they reflect the love and care You have instilled within us for one another.
           Guide us, Lord, to nurture and cultivate such meaningful relationships in our lives. Grant us the wisdom to listen attentively, to observe with compassion, and to respond with kindness. May we continue to grow in our understanding of each other, deepening our bonds through mutual respect and empathy. Bless these moments of knowing and being known, Father, as they strengthen our connections and bring us closer to You. May we always seek to honor and uplift [You and] one another, just as You have loved and cherished us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Management

Each of you as a good manager must use the gift that God has given you.

1 Peter 4:10 (GW)

I don’t really own anything. And neither do you. It all belongs to God.

It was God’s from the beginning. It will be God’s at the end. You didn’t bring anything into this world—and you’re not going to take anything out of this world. God just loans it to you for the time that you’re here.

So that means you’re a manager of the things God has given you. God gave you your health—so you need to manage your health wisely. He gave you your time—so you need to manage your time wisely. He gave you your talents—so you need to manage your talents wisely. And he gave you your money—so you need to manage your money wisely. As Peter said, “Each of you as a good manager must use the gift that God has given you” (GW).

That may not seem like a big deal at first, but when you realize your money isn’t really yours, it changes the way you think about it and use it.

And because you’re a manager of God’s money, one day you’ll give an account to him of how you used it. Ecclesiastes teaches, “Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do” (Ecclesiastes 11:9 NLT). And Romans 14:12 says it like this: “Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God” (NLT).

When your time on earth is over, you’ll stand before God and give him an account of how you used all he gave you—your time, your talents, your money, and more. He’ll ask you something like, “What did you do with what I gave you?”

How will you answer?

Talk It Over

Do you think of yourself as the owner or the manager of your money?

Think of times in your life when you’ve recognized that everything you have is a gift from God. How did that change the decisions you made?

If God asked you today, “What have you done with what I’ve given you?” how would you answer him?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          We acknowledge that “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). Everything we possess — our breath, our days, our abilities, our finances, our influence — is a trust from You, not our own to keep or hoard. Grant us the wisdom to use these gifts with integrity, care, and faithfulness, as Christ’s faithful servants. Teach us to value the small as well as the great, to share generously, and to protect the future. Let our actions reflect Your love and purpose, and may we never neglect the responsibilities You have entrusted to us. Help us to be good stewards of our time, talents, and treasures, and to use them in ways that honor You and bless others. Let our decisions be guided by Your Word, and our hearts by Your Spirit. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen