Friday, May 10, 2013

lifewords "Secret Place" , 7 of 30, thanksgiving

Giving Thanks in the Secret Place.

 

Good morning! This is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. For the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever! Today I would like to share about a daily practice that has transformed my prayer life and my journey.....
 
Thanksgiving! As prayer time in the "secret place" is the priority, let's understand both the necessity and power of thanksgiving.....having a thankful heart and expressing our thanks to the Lord, especially as we come to our prayer time with Him. In Psalm 100:4, the Holy Spirit through David instructs us in how to approach the Lord in prayer. We are to "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and come into His courts with praise." This was the instruction to the Israelites as they came into the Tabernacle area and this is our instruction today as we come into our "secret place".

 
I love to thank the Lord for His overwhelming faithfulness, goodness and love. Just think about it.....His amazing creation , His plan for our redemption, His great love for mankind and for us personally, the power of His blood, the power of His resurrection. Lord thank you for Your forgiveness! Thank you we are Your children! You will never leave us or forsake us. I'm so thankful for God's Word and I tell Him often. I'm so thankful for the precious Holy Spirit who lives in us moment by moment and guides us into all truth. I'm thankful for His great love and mercy and grace. I'm thankful for another breathe to breath today and for His amazing provision. I'm thankful for my precious family and the blessing of being in the family of God. I'm thankful to live in a free land and for my freedom in Christ. I'm thankful the sun came up again today and He is Lord over all. As we come into the secret place of prayer we should come like David expressed in Psalm 95:2.  "Oh come let us sing for joy to the Lord; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with THANKSGIVING."
 
Remember the Holy Spirit's instructions through Paul in Philippians 4:6?

"DON'T BE ANXIOUS about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, WITH THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God." Thanksgiving is such a key to answered prayer and to living in God's presence and favor. Thankful people are joyful people, the presence of God surrounds their life and they cause others to been encouraged and look to the Lord!

 
Having a continual expression of thanksgiving is a very good thing! Psalm 42:1  "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your Name Oh Most High, to declare your loving kindness in the morning and your faithfulness by night." Thanksgiving should saturate our prayer time and our lives moment by moment. Thanksgiving squelches selfishness and apathy. It is a remedy for depression and fear. It pleases God and get's our eyes on His greatness. Regarding prayer, thank Him for answers before you see the manifestation .Let's come into our prayer closet thanking Him, then continue to saturate our praying with thanksgiving and leave our prayer closet thanking Him, determined to continue in expressing our thanks to God.. Remember, moment by moment, His great love for you and be thankful! Express your heart of thanks out loud, that is what thanksgiving is! Thanksgiving will keep your faith airborne, cause heaviness to flee, and will change the way you live your days!
 
Thank you Lord!

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