Thankful for Today

November 15, 2012 by Caroline 6 Comments

Each day is a gift.

We know this, right? But how often do we have to remind ourselves when we’re exhausted, weary, feeling beaten, or stressed?

Some days are tougher than others, and some days reach the “toughest” category. Can we be thankful even in the middle of those days?

Switching to Gratitude

Thankful for Today - baby foot, musical instrument, books, pajamas - all part of a normal day — Parts of our normal day – music, books, laundry, sweet feet, and aiming for gratitude.

I’ve often experienced the effects of switching my mindset to one of gratitude for that day, that moment.

I might feel frustrated with my lack of sleep or overloaded with “to-dos” and “want-to-dos.” My shoulders hunch with the burden of frustration with myself, my stomach churns nervously, and my heart quickens at the mere thought of failing my children or my husband or, worse, my God.

In these moments, when I shift to a focus on gratitude, the response is drastic.

My shoulders soften, my stomach eases, and my heart calms.

Gratitude changes my psychological and physiological responses. The effect is measurable. (As Ann Voskamp has said on her blog, research and science only support scriptural truth.) Being thankful for today in turn keeps me in the current moment and better able to see the joy He has placed right in front of me.

Even in the middle of my son’s hospital stays, I can find something to be thankful for each day.

What’s In A Day

What if you’re experiencing terrifying circumstances or depressed thoughts or general weariness? How can you see gratitude in those moments?

No matter what today brings, I try to remember:

God is here (Psalm 118:7) and active (Psalm 118:15-16).
God created today (Genesis 1:3-5).
God protects and is trustworthy (Psalm 118:8).
God saves (Psalm 118:21).
God loves—forever! Look back at how Psalm 118 begins:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.”

His love endures forever.

Stop and Praise

When I’m feeling foul, sometimes I need to go through the physical act of thankfulness to pull me out of a deepening pit. As soon as I realize I’m about to bark about a disturbance, if I pause and speak two or three things I thank God for out loud, I begin to feel those relieving effects.

Gratitude inspires praise. Praise focuses beyond me.

“The Lord has done it this very day;
let us rejoice today and be glad.” (Psalm 118:24)

And what else were we made for than to see Him, receive Him, praise Him, and share His love?

How are you thankful for today? Let’s encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13) in the comments!

Thankful for Fellow Believers

November 13, 2012 by Kathy Howard Leave a Comment

In our 29 years of marriage, we’ve moved seven times with my husband’s job. Probably the hardest thing about each move has been leaving our local church family. However, the greatest thing about each new place is knowing that God already has a church family waiting for us there.

Thankful for God’s Church

This month we are focusing on thanking God for His tremendous blessings in our lives. His church should be near the top of our long list. The apostle Paul constantly thanked God for his fellow believers and left us a good example to follow:

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Philippians 1:3, NLT
Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. Ephesians 1:15-16, NLT
We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:3, NLT

Specific Things to Thank God For

God works through local believers to love us in concrete ways. They are His hands ministering to us. Here’s a sampling:

To teach us God’s Word (Romans 15:14)
To comfort us (2 Corinthians 13:11)
To serve us (Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 4:10)
To restore us (Galatians 6:1)
To bear our burdens (Galatians 6:2)
To build us up (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
To do us good (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
To exhort us (Hebrews 3:13)
To encourage us to do good deeds (1 Thessalonians 4:18, Hebrews 10:24)
To meet our physical needs (James 2:15-17, 1 John 3:17)
To pray for our healing (James 5:16)

I encourage you to use this list as a prayer guide today. As you read through this non-exhaustive list of the way God loves us through His local church, thank God for a specific people and particular ways He has loved you through His church.

I’d love for us to share some specific ways God has blessed you through His people. We can write them as a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

Meeting Needs – Unshakeable Faith Week 8

November 9, 2012 by Caroline 6 Comments

The apostle Peter boldly tells us the power and importance of fellowship among believers and then extending love into the community beyond.

Unshakeable Faith trait eight: Connected to a local church body with love and service

How can we serve our communities?

What do we do if we don’t know what needs exist?

Meeting Needs – Unshakeable Faith Week 8 at Do Not Depart

(If you are unable to see this video, click here.)

Especially considering the last quote read in the video, how can you look to Christ today and, in doing so, deepen unity in fellowship? Let us know in the comments!

Can You Hear Me Now, God? – Thankful that He Listens

November 8, 2012 by Lisa Burgess 20 Comments

Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer.
Psalm 61:1

I failed this week. My husband Jeff needed to talk about his frustrations at work. And he needed me to listen. But instead I twisted something he said about himself into something about me. I grew insecure, the conversation got derailed, and he felt unheard.

Who listens to you?

When you have something you need to pour out, who do you talk to? We all have go-to friends or family we know will hear us out.

But what about God? Do you go to Him?

Because you can’t watch His eyes to see if He’s paying attention, do you wonder if you have coverage? Do you think He’ll tune you out if you don’t pray with the right words? Do you think you have to be perfect to deserve an audience?

If so, it’s time to believe differently. God does listen. Here’s how you can know.

God hears because:

1. God is alive

When Elijah, God’s prophet, contested with Baal’s prophets, it was only the real God who heard and acted (1 Kings 18:36-38). Idols of wood and stone can’t hear (Deuteronomy 4:28). You have a Savior who is very much alive, inviting you near to His throne of grace to talk with Him (Hebrews 4:14-16).

2. God is with you

As a believer, wherever you go, there goes God. You are the temple for His Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). He’s always close and is never out of range.

3. God delights in delivering

When Hagar and Ishmael cried out, God heard and delivered (Genesis 21:16-17). When the Hebrews groaned in slavery in Egypt, God heard and delivered (Exodus 2:24). When you cry for help, He hears and will deliver you, too (Psalm 34:17).

4. God is your Father

Would you turn a deaf ear if your child said, “Mom, I have something I need to talk about”? If you in your imperfect parenting can listen, how much more will God, the perfect Parent, listen when you have something to say to Him (Matthew 7:11)?

5. God loves you

God listens because He cares (Psalm 145:17-18). When Nehemiah cried for God’s ears to be attentive, God gave him favor with King Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 1:5-6). He longs to give you what you need, too, if you will ask Him for it (Matthew 7:7).

God hears you because of who He is (Psalm 143:1). And whose you are. Not because you’ve mastered a prayer formula. Not because you’ve been good enough to earn His attention. But because you are His.

He will never fail to listen to His own.

Jesus thanked God that He heard Him (John 11:41).
Will you thank Him for that, too?
He’d love to hear you right now.

But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psalm 66:19

Let’s start a thank-you list to God. Can you add a thankful comment about a blessing you’ve received this week, large or small? He’s listening!

Hiding His Word in My Heart {November Link-Up}

November 7, 2012 by Lisa Burgess 7 Comments

Do you memorize scripture?
Where do you keep the verses as you’re learning them?
Do you have a system for review?

We want to hear what you have to share!

Please link your posts on scripture memory below. Or share in the comments.

Visit often during November to add more links and read and comment on what others are sharing.

Thanksgiving in the Word: In Everything Give Thanks

November 6, 2012 by Guest Post 6 Comments

We’re delighted to welcome Brooke Espinoza from Rivers of Water today…

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18

I used to wonder about 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “How am I to be thankful for the headaches and heartaches of life?” Then I realized this verse doesn’t say “For everything give thanks…” but it says “in everything give thanks…” I love that! I am to thank God in everything, not for everything. Like Pollyanna’s Glad Game, the easiest way I’ve found to give thanks in everything is by looking for something I can be thankful for regardless of how my day is going.

A Reason to be Glad

No matter my circumstances, God always gives me a reason to be glad. Recently I was suffering big-time from a migraine. Even in the midst of my nauseating pain, I was glad that I don’t get migraines like that very often, and every migraine I’ve ever had always has an end point, so I knew it was only a matter of time when my debilitating headache would go away. Right there I had two great reasons to give thanks in the midst of my migraine. As I thanked the Lord, though in a lot of pain, my heart was glad that these times of suffering were only occasional, and temporary.

Thankfulness is a Choice

David proclaimed in Psalm 34:1 “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Thankfulness is a choice. Warren Wiersbe observed,

“We can’t control the circumstances of life, but we can control how we respond to them. That’s what faith is all about, daring to believe that God is working everything for our good even when we don’t feel like it or see it happening.”

When Paul and Silas were severely beaten and thrown in prison, instead of getting swept up in their terrible circumstances, they chose to give thanks in their circumstances by praying and singing hymns to God. (Acts 16:25) What an incredible testimony of faith they modeled to the other inmates, and now to us. Likewise, when we choose to give thanks in our discouraging circumstances rather than complain about our circumstances, we are a shining testimony of faith to others.

The Disciple’s Study Bible notes that “God’s will is that we gratefully acknowledge His hand in all circumstances, not for all circumstances.” Though I may not be clear on God’s will in my life regarding a particular situation, I can be certain of God’s will for me regarding my attitude and how I am to respond to the blessings and trials of life. “In everything give thanks—for this is the will of God for you, in Christ Jesus.”

Two Ways to Focus on Gratitude

When I get discouraged by a trial and catch myself complaining, two things help me to turn my focus back onto having an attitude of gratitude.

1. I choose to stop focusing on my problem, and start focusing on the promises of God.

These promises in particular always turn my discouragement into hope, despair into joy, and give me reasons to thank God in the midst of my trial:

God’s plans for me are for good—to give me a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
God will not withhold good from me (Psalm 84:11)
God is working all things to good (Romans 8:28)
God will deliver me—it’s only a matter of when (Psalm 34:19)

Additionally, this summer I memorized Psalm 103 and since then if ever I need a little help in finding something to be thankful for while in a difficult time, I just think on the promises of Psalm 103 and find that it gives me plenty of reasons to praise and thank God.

2. I ask myself “What does this allow?” to turn my attention onto the blessings within my trial that I otherwise would have been blind to, had I continued to focus on how my problem is making my life difficult.

In Christ We Can Do It!

At first glance, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, looks like an impossible command. And truth is, in our flesh it is impossible. But in Christ we can do all things! (Philippians 4:13) As we seek to find the blessings in every trial, and habitually thank God in all things, we will experience a supernatural joy apart from our circumstances, like Paul and Silas, and find we always have a reason to give thanks.

Have you found a reason to be thankful in the midst of a trying circumstance?
Leave a comment!

Brooke blogs at Rivers of Water, a site dedicated to encourage and equip Christian women to fully trust in God and His Word so when their faith is tested, through trials, they will not be shaken. She has a Bachelors degree in Biblical Studies from Calvary Chapel Bible College, and is passionate about studying and memorizing Scripture.

Share the Love – Unshakeable Faith 8

November 5, 2012 by Kathy Howard 6 Comments

This is the last lesson in the Unshakeable Faith Bible study. It has been a privilege to share it with you! The devotional is below. Access the 2-page Quick Study here.

Every Christian belongs to God’s family. When God saves us, He saves us into His family. We can never experience all God has for us apart from a local body of believers. Jesus made it clear to His disciples that God designed the Christian life to be lived in the context of community.

Unshakeable Faith trait eight: Connected to a local church body with love and service

Peter spent roughly three years learning from Jesus how to live in a community of believers. This group traveled together, ate together, and did life together. But Jesus didn’t merely teach about love and service. He set the example.

Read John 15:12-13. What command did Jesus give His disciples – then and now – on the night He was arrested?

How did Jesus ultimately show His love for us?

Our friend Peter learned what love looks like from Jesus. In his first letter, Peter encouraged his readers to also love like Jesus loved.

Read 1 Peter 3:8-9 and 1 Peter 4:8-10. List all the characteristics and behaviors that describe how we Christians should love one another.

Peter used the Greek word agape to describe the kind of love Christians should have for each other. According to the The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, “agape love is capable of being commanded because it is not primarily an emotion but a decision of the will leading to action.” Agape loves deeply, unselfishly, with the other’s best interests at heart.

God loves His children through His children. He cares for us, comforts us, provides for us, and encourages us through our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Do you know of a need right now in your church family that needs your love in action? List some concrete ways you can show your love.

God’s purpose for your life includes a vital connection to a local church body. He has designed this interdependent relationship to benefit each of us. When trials hit, God will use His body to hold you up and He will use you to encourage someone else. If you are not fully connected to a local church, don’t wait any longer!

Let’s talk! Let’s share today some of the ways God has loved you through the local church.

I’d also love to hear how this study has encouraged you in your faith!

Unshakeable Faith Lesson 7 ~ Faithful in Persecution

November 2, 2012 by Julie 3 Comments

Jesus said that if the world hates Him, the world will hate those who follow Him. Those called by His name should expect persecution. There are some parts of the world where Christians suffer today, but there are other countries where followers of Christ don’t know persecution first hand. Lesson 7 of Unshakeable Faith showed us how those who call themselves by the name of Christ should be ready to share about their hope, fighting back fear of those who oppress them. Today we want to share about women who faced persecution with a strong faith.

If you were unable to see the video click here.

What does the possibility of persecution make you feel? How are you strengthening your faith today so that you are prepared to stand firm in the days ahead?

Thanksgiving in the Word: For What Should We Give Thanks?

November 1, 2012 by Patti Brown 5 Comments

Each November in the United States we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. It is a time when family and friends gather together to enjoy one another, to share a meal, and ostensibly to reflect on the things for which we are thankful.

It is easy to talk of being thankful for the people we love and the things we have. But the scriptures paint a picture of a gratitude that goes far deeper than the superficial thanks many give as they prepare to carve a turkey.

Throughout this month the Do Not Depart team will take a look at what God’s Word has to say about true thanks-giving. For what does God ask us to give thanks? How can we be thankful in all circumstances? Is it even possible to be thankful for suffering?

There are many scriptures about giving thanks. What is your favorite verse? Please share in the comments.

Let ‘er Rip! Unshakeable Faith lesson Seven

October 29, 2012 by Kathy Howard 3 Comments

This post is the Devotional version of Lesson Seven. You can also access the Quick Study (2 page version) of today’s lesson in a PDF. If you want to do the Full Study you can purchase the book on Amazon or CBD.

Christians around the world are imprisoned, beaten, and even killed because of their faith in Christ. Although the same kind of persecution isn’t prevalent in America, times are changing. Christians have lost favor with popular culture, and the only thing that is not tolerated in our tolerant society is Christianity. How will you respond when persecution hits here at home?

Unshakeable Faith Trait Seven: Prepared to Endure Persecution for the Sake of Christ

Jesus clearly taught Peter and the other apostles they would suffer because they followed Him. Although He warned them to be on guard, He also promised they wouldn’t have to worry about what to say. The Holy Spirit would give them the right words. (See Matthew 10:17-20, Mark 13:9-11.)

Read John 15:18-21. List all the reasons Jesus gives in this passage that explains why the world will persecute His followers.

It is generally accepted that Peter died a martyr’s death under Nero’s persecutions in Rome. But Peter did not let persecution deter him from following Christ. He joyfully endured beatings and imprisonments and continued to spread the Gospel message.

While trials are common to all humans, only Christians will experience persecution because of their faith in Christ. This kind of suffering is a direct result of obedience to God.

Read 1 Peter 3:13-17. List all the instructions Peter gives about how a Christian should prepare for and respond to persecution.

Read 1 Peter 4:12-19. Write a summary of the attitudes and actions we should have regarding Christian persecution.

Times are changing quickly. Christians in the United States may well begin to suffer persecution for the name of Christ. Ask God to prepare your heart and mind for the possibility. The Bible promises that when we do suffer we will know Christ more fully and more intimately. Do you desire to know Christ more fully?

Let’s Talk. How do you feel about the possibility of facing persecution? Are you prepared? Are you prepared for persecution?