The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (29 page)

Many people are familiar with the statement, “There is power in praise!” It’s true, and when we praise God from our hearts, we exert power in the spiritual realm. God Himself inhabits the praises of His people (see Psalm 22:3).

Praise allows us to remember and express our joy and thanksgiving for all God has done for us… and everything He is going to do. It engages our hearts to focus on Him and our mouths to speak about Him.

Thankfully, we can tap into the power that is released through praise—it gives us an opportunity to express how truly thankful we are. We do this because we love God, but also because praise and giving thanks are attitudes that God delights in. Praying with gratitude is the way to see prayer answered.

Father, I praise You because You are worthy to be praised. Thank You for everything You have done in my life and everything You are going to do in the future. I love You, and I praise You with everything I am.

The blessings of God in our lives are certainly something to be thankful for, but we must also remember that we are blessed in order to bless others.

Let me suggest an experiment today. Just think:
I am going to go out into the world today and I will be a blessing to others.
Then get your mind set before you ever walk out the door that you are going out as God’s ambassador and that your goal is to be a giver, to love people, and to add benefit to their lives.

You can begin by smiling at the people you encounter throughout the day. A smile is a symbol of acceptance and approval—something most people in this world desperately search for. Deposit yourself with God and trust Him to take care of you while you sow good seed everywhere you go. Make a decision to let God work through you today!

I am so thankful for the blessings in my life, Father. Help me to use what You have given me to bless others. Today, I choose to spread Your love, Your joy, and Your blessings to the people I come in contact with.

Our righteousness in Christ is one of the greatest gifts we can ever be thankful for. Through faith in Christ we are placed in right-standing with God. And by faith, we are covered with His robe of righteousness. In other words, because we are trusting in Jesus Christ’s righteousness to cover us, God views us as right instead of wrong. His righteousness becomes a shield that protects us from Satan.

In and of ourselves, we are less than nothing; our righteousness is like filthy rags, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (see Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:23). But we are justified and given a right relationship with God through faith. Knowing we are righteous through the work of Jesus brings peace and joy to our lives that no one can ever take away.

I thank You today, Father, that I have right standing with You and I am pleasing in Your sight because of the work of Jesus. I am grateful that I know I am accepted, loved, and approved by You.

God’s Word says that He wants us to be blessed (see Deuteronomy 29:9). It states we can and will be blessed in every way when we walk in God’s will. Satan wants to keep people fearful and hopeless. Hopelessness steals our God-given peace and joy.

The enemy tells people they will never have anything, their life will never change, and things will never get better. And when people believe his lies, they remain hopeless and discouraged. We receive what we believe, whether it is positive or negative, so it’s vitally important for us to have faith in God constantly, like Mark 11:22–24 tells us to do.

Refuse to be hopeless and put your trust in God’s Word. Be like Abraham, of whom it is said that although he had no reason to hope, he hoped in faith that God’s promises would come to pass in his life. As he waited, he gave praise and glory to God, and Satan was not able to defeat him with doubt and unbelief (see Romans 4:18–20).

Father, thank You for the power of hope. I am grateful that no matter what the circumstances around me look like, I can place my hope in You and in Your Word. I am at peace today because You are the source of my hope.

John 10:10 states that “the thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.” The passage is referring to Satan and his system. Just as God has a system that He encourages us to live by, and He promises blessings if we do, Satan has a system and he wants us to live by it so he can steal our blessings.

Satan shows us a circumstance and then makes us afraid it will never change. God wants us to believe His Word is true even while we are still in the midst of the circumstance. That’s why Scripture says, “Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors…” (Romans 8:37).

In God’s economy, we can believe before we see change or the good things we desire. Jesus gave us peace as our inheritance, but Satan does everything he can to rob us of it. Recognize your enemy, and stand aggressively against him in the peace and power of God.

Father, though I have an enemy who is trying to rob me of my joy, thank You that I don’t have to fear him. You have already defeated the enemy, and Your Spirit lives within me. I recognize I have an enemy, but I thank You that the victory is already mine through Christ.