Praise and Thanksgiving

Picking up the pieces of ashes, of loss, of heartbreak and allowing God to breathe life where death has been is tough, but God can and standing on His promises that are yes and amen knowing that He will in His perfect time fulfill them. Life is a waiting game right now, a process of grief and many stages that I never wanted to have to endure again, but yet here I am and God is still God and He is still good even when I feel like I am not facing the grief like I should…..is there any right way to face it really? One may try to run but can’t hide for long because you will be found and if not careful overtaken by it like a tidal wave in the Ocean. Thank God for Jesus who is riding this tidal wave with me in the midst of this very dark storm. I know that I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and word of my testimony, but getting my emotions to line up with His word has proven to be the most difficult ever. There’s a time for everything under the sun, and I guess this is my time to just cry (Ecclesiastes 3:4)…..can't wait for the victory and joy that is just around the corner concerning this particular situation. It’s so close but yet so far. His faithfulness keeps hope alive in my spirit!

Psalms 106:1~ “Praise the LORD.Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

The best way to combat discouragement like this is through Praise and Thanksgiving. When we place our eyes on Jesus and look to Him we find a peace that embraces our hearts and passes all understanding. Reflecting on where God has brought us from, and how much He has blessed us with gives us a great appreciation and should make our hearts desire to shout His praises!!! We all truly do have so much to be thankful for!!! Satan loves nothing more than to take our focus off of Him and set it on our problems. When that happens, Thanksgiving usually goes out the door.

Our praise truly is a weapon against the enemy who intends to discourage our hearts in every way. There is something about Praising Jesus that makes the devil Mad!! Praise is a bold stance declaring that God is great!!! Standing firm makes Satan weak in his knees. Knowing His word and who we are in Jesus terrifies Satan. Praise is a weapon!!!

Hebrews 12:28-29~Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

I end with the above verse. We serve a Holy God who is Jealous for all of us and deserves every ounce of praise and worship that we can offer up to Him!!! He is deserving, we are undeserving, but His grace made us deserving so we should hold great thankfulness in our hearts toward Him and all that He has blessed us with!!

Challenge~ Thanksgiving is just around the corner and while we should be thankful daily, this is a great time to reflect on all we are thankful for!! Let me encourage you to write a list of everyone and everything that you are thankful for!!! If you are discouraged feeling like the world is caving in around you, let this encourage you!!! If you are encouraged, I pray that your encouragement increases. Most likely the list will be way longer then you expect. Give God praise for all on your list!!!

Let’s pray!!

Dear Heavenly Father,
I want to thank You for who You are and all you’ve blessed me with!!! You didn’t have to, but you did, and I am thankful beyond words for Your grace and love toward me!!! I praise and worship You!!! In Jesus name, Amen!!!

* I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!! This month and next month, I will only be sending out one devotion for each month due to the holidays!! Enjoy your family time!!! God bless!!! Love yall!!!*