Thanksgiving Archives

Thanksgiving and Faith Episode 162

Thanksgiving and faith go hand in hand even when our faith is always being tested by the forces of this world. Even if everything in your life is going well, or as well as can be expected, it is as if we have one eye looking in the rearview mirror just waiting for something to happen. Maybe, however you are an optimist and you look at things as being in God’s hands, a very good place to be… and for us as Christians there is a very simple lesson and that is to get our priorities in the right place.

Where are your priorities?

Your family, your immediate needs, maybe you are struggling with an illness and your priority is to get better. We must get our priorities straight and that includes thanking God in all things, having faith when faith seems distant, and looking at our lives as a temporary place yet, somewhere the Lord wants us right now.

Do you remember, some time ago (for those of you who have listened for a while) I did a show on being in the present moment? When our peace is robbed, it is because we are looking too far in the future.

Today, focus on today.

And, as you are focusing on today—what are you thankful for. As I record this it is a time of difficulty as well as the holidays around the corner. And truthfully, many people might feel like there is not much to be thankful for…however, that is never true. As disciples of Christ, we have so much to be thankful for!

Gratitude is something that is innate for some people, it comes naturally—yet, for others it is difficult. Being grateful means we see the little things, the things often overlooked by others. We see the it in the sunset, in the time with family or friends. We see it in the ability to go to church and praise God. Without gratitude, we have no hope. Without hope we have no future. Where is our hope? It is with the Almighty.

Lately, the news has been dire. And when you listen to the news you hear doom and gloom, yet when you open the Bible, the Word of God is encouraging for those who love and follow the Lord and His commands. Remember the children’s song, based on scripture? This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad? Psalm 118:24 says, The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. But what about verse 25? Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!

Remember success varies, and what you consider success is not what I consider success.

For some success translates into money earned, and for others, success is in the smile of a child or a sunset or sunrise. Thanksgiving doesn’t depend on success. Thanksgiving takes a conscious effort of determining that you will be thankful…why? Why not? What is it in your life that you can praise God for, and mean it? Take some time to think about this. I see people post things on social media that show a sense of hopelessness. There is a sense that things are all bad and there is no redemption, but those people have not only lost a sense of hope and dare I say, faith. If we have faith—the faith that surpasses all understanding we have hope. And, if we have hope – we are thankful.

Why is it that it is easy to list all the things that upset you?

If I gave you five minutes to list all your grievances you could probably fill a sheet of paper, but if I asked you to list all the ways you are thankful and have hope, what would your paper say? The enemy does not want us to have hope and he has robbed a society glued to social media and television of hope. Do you have the weight of the world on your shoulders? Do you feel defeated? Think about this:

Here is what we know.

God is the victor, and to Him goes the glory and honor.
You are a child of God. Remember that.
Unite your will to God’s every day – Lord I give you my will, please give me your will. Thy kingdom come thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
In God there is hope. Never forget that.
The battle is not for us to fight, but the battle is for us to prepare for (Ephesians 6:10-18- put on the armor of Christ: –because once again the battle has been won. Let me remind you what this amazing scripture says:

Ephesians 6:10-18

New International Version

The Armor of God

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

How can we be vigilant? By praying dear friends, praying to our Lord because only God and God alone can change our hearts from being burdened to overflowing with Thanksgiving and hope!

Let’s pray.

Dear heavenly Father, I praise you and I thank you for everything. For the sun, the moon, and the stars, for the mornings and the evenings. For giving me the breath each and every day to not only survive but to thrive and to praise YOU who are worthy of my praise. I love you my God and I thank you, only YOU are victorious against the enemy and I thank God the Father for sending His only son that we can not only be saved but to be healed and to be joyful and hopeful people. Dear Lord, I pray for the following needs: And I pray this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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Worship and Thanksgiving

Worship and Thanksgiving ~ Episode 228

What do worship and thanksgiving mean to you? Your definition may be similar to many Christians, yet where is the challenge? The challenge is living lives that show that we worship the One True God and, in that way, our faith is permeated in all that we do. Listen to the challenge this week, by your host, Felice Gerwitz.

Thanks to our sponsor, Media Angels, and the wonderful books and products such as A Few Minutes with God and to NowProgams for sponsoring this episode.

As we discuss worship and thanksgiving today remember that the key to everything we do is to make it workable for us. What works for me may not work for you and that is important. I’ve read blogs over the years that list things that are so not doable in my life. This is why I try to simplify things for myself and for you! Which reminds me.

Have you heard the saying, “Do as I say, not as I do?”

At times when I record podcasts, I feel a nudge from the Lord with the thought, “Are you living your life in the way you are challenging your listeners to live theirs’s?” Unfortunately, the answer is not always, “Yes!” Yet, podcasting on topics that point to the Lord also challenges me as well.

As we head into the months of Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations the theme of thanksgiving resounds in my mind. I ask myself the following questions:

How am I worshipping God daily?
How am I giving Him all the praise and thanks He deserves?
How am I living my Christian life to the fullest?
Am I allowing myself to be used by the Lord (those gentle nudges).
Am I giving myself time to pray?

Giving ourselves time is the biggest obstacle in our life, so in this busy season, we need to cut ourselves some slack while placing a focus on the most important things. What have you learned from past mistakes and how are you leading a life that does not parallel the old? Think about this and consider ways you over-commit.

Years ago I found that if I quit one ministry or volunteer position to make more time for my family, I soon found I was volunteering for another position somewhere else that might not take as much time, or perhaps was for a better cause. This is great to give in some type of ministry but look at your life, your family, and your time commitment. Be sure you are not sacrificing your family.

Worship is an important facet of giving praise to the Lord. If you have a smartphone it is worthwhile to set up a praise and worship album. At one time I had about five songs and my kids would tease me because I had so few, yet these songs spoke to me. They filled my heart with love for the Lord. Today I have a mix of faster-paced songs with some contemplative tunes. I have new favorites depending on what is going on in my life. I shared with you the song “The Motions,” by Matthew West in a previous podcast and for the longest time that was my song, it was an important one to me because I felt like I was becoming complacent, and I wanted to change. Then my song was, “Joy,” by For King and Country. I wanted to be sure I was choosing Joy, and that was my focus. My next favorite was “He Reigns,” by Newsboys. Of course, I love many other gospel hymns and I go to a traditional church where we often sing songs like “Amazing Grace.” I believe you can tell your spiritual mood by looking at the songs you like to play frequently.

Take time to do this, and create a song playlist. What songs speak to you and what songs lead you into worship? Currently, my new favorite is “Blessed Be Your Name.” It makes me consider God’s precious Name and how we should worship Him not only in song but in our lives.

Music is a huge part of helping to set the mood which is why many churches begin with praise and worship. This opens our hearts to the Word of God spoken to teach us and challenge us. If you do not have a playlist make one, either on your phone or on a computer. It is not that difficult to do, and if you do not know how, ask someone to help.

I’m not sure who began the saying when we sing we pray twice. But I believe there is truth to those words. Singing allows us to rejoice and music lowers our inhibitions in a good way and the roadblocks we often put up keeping the Lord out. We can use music in a way that enhances our prayer time and allows the deeper meaning of the words to speak to us in a way that just saying or even reading the words can accomplish. God knew what he was doing when he created music!

I believe that worship music allows us to live our lives more fully. The scriptures are filled with references to music, we read in 1 Chronicles 6:31 “there are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there.” And we know the Psalm is a sacred song or poem used in worship such as the book of Psalms.

In what ways do you like to worship? Think about this and then when you do, make a point to make this part of your life. Worship can be serious and there is a time for this, but it can also be lighthearted. I think laughter is great and I believe with all of my heart that the Lord has a sense of humor. If He is truly Lord of Lords and created all things he created humor (the good kind) as well. Remember anything good can be perverted by the evil one.

I think one of the reasons I like music that I play in the car is because it fits my lifestyle when I am on the go. It puts me in a good frame of mind when I get to my destination. We use the tools at our disposal to make things work for us! In this way, we can more easily add worship and thanksgiving into our lives, daily.

The challenge for you is to look for a way to implement worship and thanksgiving not only during the holiday season but daily in your own life.