1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 NLT “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Bad things happen in life sometimes. There are times we do not understand what is happening or why. But we can always be thankful for many things: God loves us. Jesus died for us. Our sins are forgiven. Jesus has promised to never leave us. God is our Father and He is faithful. We have an eternal home in Heaven. In Christ, we are more than conquerors. We are redeemed from the dominion of darkness. We have access to divine healing and prosperity. We are joint-heirs with Christ. What we choose to focus on determines our attitude. While we may face problems, we do not have to let those problems become our focus. We can choose to give thanks and praise God for His goodness and faithfulness. Imagine how wearisome that will make Satan and his cohorts feel! Also, think of the pleasure it brings our Father God when we stay in faith and focus on Him, instead of being distracted by the stuff the devil does trying to steal our faith and joy. If you are always thankful, the bad things that do happen to you will lose their ability to really harm you and to determine the trajectory of your life. Giving thanks also reminds us of how much we do have. Human beings are prone to covetousness. We tend to focus on what we do not have. By giving thanks continually we are reminded of how much we do have. When we focus on blessings rather than wants, we are happier. When we start thanking God for the things, we usually take for granted, our perspective changes. We realize that we could not even exist without the merciful blessings of God. So, be thankful always!

2 Peter 1:4 NKJ “by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

The Bible says we are partakers of divine nature and have escaped the corruption in the world through lust. There are promises in the Bible for us to partake of, but how do we see ourselves?  Many of the Israelites could not enter into the Promised Land, because they saw themselves as grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33). The Bible says they “limited the Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 78:41). If you are truly going to experience God’s will for your life, you need to see yourself the way He sees you. You have to see yourself through the realty of the redemptive work of Christ. You have to have a full knowledge of who you have become in Christ Jesus through His sacrifice if you are to partake fully of the promises and benefits of redemption.  You have to see yourself the way God sees you through the finished work of Christ. God saw Gideon as a mighty man of valor, but he saw himself differently (Judges 6:12-15).  Many Christians are in this same situation today, forgetting that our sufficiency is in Christ. In Christ we have been delivered from power of sin and authority of darkness (Romans 6:14, Ephesians 1:17, Colossians 1:13-14, Galatians 3:13, Hebrews 2:14-15).  We are saints (1 Corinthians 1:30, 2 Corinthians 5:21). We are blessed in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). We are seated with Christ in highest place of power (Ephesians 1:19-23, Ephesians 2:6). The greater one lives in us (1 John 4:4). We have access to abundant life (John 10:10).  We are joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). See yourself as God’s sees you!

Mark 11:24 NLT “You can pray for anything, and if you believe…it will be yours.”

The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). God’s greatest desire is to be believed. You can pray regularly and ritually, and even feel closer to God as a result, yet not expect Him to answer your prayers or for your situation to change. Peter had been put in prison and sentenced to death, and his execution was scheduled for a specified day. So, the church gathered to pray earnestly and fervently for his release (Acts 12:5 NIV). And God answered their prayers miraculously. God put the guards to sleep, opened Peter’s prison door, and set him free (Acts 12:7-10). Yet when he appeared on the doorstep of the house where the believers were praying, they could not believe it: “A servant girl…told everyone, ‘Peter is standing at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind!’ they said. When she insisted, they decided, ‘It must be his angel’” (Acts 12:13-15). Even the early disciples struggled to believe God would hear them when they prayed and bring their expectation to pass. Even when the answer knocked on their door, they still hesitated. And we do too, don’t we? We struggle with prayer. We forget to pray, and when we remember, we rush through prayers with insincere words. Why does this happen? You can pray anywhere, at any time, using your own words, and God promises to answer. So, what’s the problem? We need to realize the incredible power and potential of one praying believer (James 5:16-17): “Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy’s strong places” (2Corinthians 10:4 NCV). So don’t just pray; believe God for the answer and expect it. Then talk and act like you believe and expectant!