5 powerful ways thankfulness can change your life - Day 9:Thirty Day Meditations to Abundant Life!

One of the most powerful words in existence is simply thank you. It truly is. A thankless heart does not know joy nor happiness. A thankless heart is even a faithless heart.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thess 5:16-18

You can not expect an abundant life when you are not thankful to the source of Life Himself. It is not because He withholds His blessings that this is the case, as if to punish you 'Thank me boy, or else!'. Far from it. The matter is actually entirely in your hands, or perhaps more appropriately, your heart. Here are a few ways that giving thanks, be it to your Father or those who deserve it around you, can let you have more life:

Courtesy of James Wheeler (modified by D.R.)

1) The thankful are joyful

And the joyful are thankful. Gratitude and rejoicing are inseparable. If you're going through a dry or depressed spell, take a moment and think of 10 things you can thank God for and then go ahead and thank Him! Suddenly joy enters your heart. Why? Because being thankful lets you remember truths that are so important. God is with you. He's blessing you. He's there for you. He hasn't forsaken you. He's given you so much. And that is what gives joy. To know that your Father is mightily working in your favor to increase your life.

2) Thankfulness puts you in a positive mindset

Complainers, naggers and whiners have believed the lie that they are powerless and weak and can not do anything to change the quality of their lives. We all fall into such practices sometimes, but whether it's a habit or not, you should know that those who can only see the bad side of things really feel powerless. They see the problem but they can not see the solution nor realize that they are partly, if not wholly responsible and capable, of solving it. So when you start being thankful, you shift your mind from the problems to see the blessings and achievements given you. Seeing all these things then lets you decide that you are really able to do all things in Christ and that means the problems you're facing now, you shall doubly overcome. 

3) Being thankful increases your faith

To have hope means you are really expecting good things to come. It requires faith because you are trusting in what is not yet seen. Hope requires faith for future things to come. But thanksgiving strengthens your faith for the things past. They let you see that God came through, that He accomplished His words, stayed true to His promises and was the source of your blessings. In a sense, it's easier to look back and have this conviction but it is also easier to forget. And so when you let your gratefulness strengthen your faith about the things past, it will allow you to trust God more for the things to come. It will strengthen your faith for all things.

4) Gratitude secures you in God's will

Many people search high and low to know what God wants for their lives. But God's will is for you to be in constant joy and communion with Him (1 Thes 5:16-18). Being thankful allows you to tap into His will for you since by always thanking God, joy swells in your heart and you keep the lines of communication open between you and your Father. God never stops hearing or being with you, but we easily forget or get distracted from these truths that can always be kept blazing strong in our hearts even at the subconscious level. 

5) Thanking God is a strong cure to worry and fear

Every time you are afraid or worried about anything whether it's something that has happened, is happening or may happen, thank God for the outcome. Jesus said "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." (Mat 21:22). Let's say you prayed about a situation or challenge you are facing. The next hour or day the issue comes back to your mind and  you start to worry about it. You might even want to cry out - again - to God. Don't be double minded. If you know your inheritance in Christ and you know that what you asked for His is your portion in Him then stand fast. Instead of repeating yourself to your Father, let faith rise in heart your heart thanking Him that He has already heard you and delivered you from whatever it is you were praying. (If you asked for a fish God will never give you a scorpion, and sure, sometimes He might not give you the 'fish' you asked for... but that's because He has something better in mind! see Luke 11:11-13) So here's the other side of gratitude's amazing power to increase faith; you can use it for things that already happened and also for the things you are waiting for!

See the previous day's devotional: Life's enemy looks like a friend; behold, it is Law - Day 8: Thirty Day Meditations to Abundant Life!

David Roiel

The Green Leaf Blog-Discover your inheritance!

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