Thanking God When Things Happen Not Matter What Happens- Episode 66
Thanking God is difficult when things don’t work out the way we want. And this goes against everything in our human nature. I believe in God, but even science shows us that we are built for self-protection. It is what psychologists call the fight or flight mechanism. When we feel something hot we immediately pull our hand away, when we feel threatened we instinctively back up—so in this podcast we are going to discuss Thanking God in all things – which even means when things go wrong, when bad things happen and when we can’t do one more thing because there is a crushing weight upon us!
I recently heard an amazing speaker and she was full of energy, God’s love flowed out of her and she was truly anointed as she spoke – and she gave us that exact challenge. This lady is no stranger to adversity. Her son who recently came home from the service after many tours of duty in dangerous countries died in a one-car auto accident close to their home. He was her only son. Then not too long afterward her husband died after being diagnosed with an incurable illness and then he was gone. She speaks internationally, has her own television show, radio show, and many, many books and Bible studies. She travels the world proclaiming God’s love and joy. And yet she is no stranger to tragedy, not once but twice in her immediate family.
This lady told us that we had to thank God for everything. Thank God for cancer. Thank God for illness. Thank God for whatever it is that you don’t want to be thankful about!
Think about this. How can we be thankful when we do not feel thankful?
Similar to the podcast I did some time back on Forgiveness (link here) when we do thank God for everything – even the bad things what we ARE doing is an act of obedience.
But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
Will you serve the Lord? If so at what cost? To some, the cost is to high.
Here is how I look at it – You can NOT outgive the Lord. In otherwords, if you help a stranger or if you do something nice for someone else, whatever that is… as little as letting someone in ahead of you in traffic or allowing the person with one item to go ahead in the grocery store, holding the door for someone else, all these are acts of kindness – then watch what happens in your life – the unexpected…(say something about motivation)
Maybe you are thinking – but I don’t do anything for anyone else, I don’t go out much I don’t see others – how can I give?
God does not look at what you do – he looks at your heart, and your motivation. IF you are only doing acts of kindness for something back, it is for yourself that you do these things. If you give freely without restraint or strings you are giving to the Lord.
Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. Deuteronomy 5:33
Thanking God even in the midst of hardship and adversity FOR THAT PROBLEM is an act of obedience.
So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the Lord. 1 Chronicles 21:19
Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. Psalm 128:1
How can we outgive the Lord – you can’t … I remember one time thinking that I wished the Lord would use me for evangelization. But I was a stay at home, homeschool mom. How was I going to do this? I couldn’t!
So, you know what happened? God sent people to me. Literally. The guy who sprayed for bugs. The plumber. The door-to-door salesperson. The lady at the grocery store.
We listen to people, ask how they are doing – how did you get into this job? How long have you lived here (I live in Florida so people here typically moved from somewhere else.) and it was amazing, I’d get their life stories. Some even said no one even asked how they were doing and treated them as if they were invisible!
Let’s pray.
Dear Lord, we thank you for everything that is happening in our lives. We thank you for ____________ each of us has a special need Lord and you know our hearts. But you also know everything that happens in our lives – you are aware of it Lord and in your permissive will it is allowed to happen. Lord, I ask you for the spirit of obedience that you take away any obstacles in our lives that are holding us back. That you increase our love for you, that you fill us with every good thing so that we can be used by You to minister to others. By our obedience in the good and the bad make us an example of your love. We praise you and we give you all the glory, all the honor and all that is worthy of your praise. And, I thank you Lord! In Jesus Name, Amen.
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