Living A Life of Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday in the United States...it’s
a presence of mind...a state of being. Giving thanks precedes every miracle. Take one of the many
examples Jesus gave while on earth.

“When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence
shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he
said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves,
which remained over and above unto them that
had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen 
the miracle that Jesus did , said, This is of a truth
that prophet that should comeinto the world.”
John 6:5-14

If we withhold thanks we hinder ourselves from
being the recipient of the miracles & blessings God has in store for us. The next time I’m hesitant to thank God for what goes wrong, I need to think of
what would happen if I give thanks for the bad things
as well as the good things that take place in my life.

  Jesus gave thanks when he broke bread in the upper
room with his disciples, even prior to the awful death
he knew he would face on the Calvary, so that the
miracle of His resurrection could take place…allowing
anyone who willed, to be set free from the law
of sin and eternal death.

Every blessing or miracle is preceded with thanksgiving.
Lord, my quest, my vision, is to live each day with a t
hankful heart…learning to give thanks no matter what
comes my way...to give thanks for the past...what
was, what has already happened to me...both the
bad & the good, for the present...what I am
going through now...every single thing, for the
future...what will come my way both what is dreadful
as well as what is favorable.

Living with thankfulness, not just on my lips through
the words I speak, but living with thankfulness filling
my heart, overflowing from my soul and permeating
my mind...to the point that all negativity is relinquished...abandoned to the
pit from whence it came.
I believe with all of my heart that this will truly unlock
my soul from the things in the past that have kept me bound...I know this to be true, because ourHeavenly Father promised us this in His
Word: "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,
and ordained you, that you should go forth and bring
forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:
that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my
name, He may give it you."
John 15:16 

My prayer is to forsake & cast away what is
pessimistic, & begin to give thanksgiving to God for
everything that comes my way...

I know this will take time. I know it won’t be easy…some days it may be downright distressing…but in the long-run, this will become a way of life for me. Becoming a thankful person will not only change me but it will completely
change my outlook on life.