Be thankful in all circumstances; be grateful people

"In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thess. 5:18)

"..singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;always giving thanks for all things
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, the Father." (Ephesians 5:20)

"..singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. and whatever you do in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."
(Colossians 3:16,17)

" at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God...
suddenly there was a great earthquake.." (Acts 16:25,26)

In the end times, ingratitude will characterise many people.
People in general will become more wicked and less grateful.

"For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy." (2Tim. 3:1,2)
"although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful,
but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." (Romans 1:21)

People will complain about their circumstances, hoping for some "lucky break" to help him.
With big ego, he thanks himself for who he is, thinking that everthing comes from his own efforts.
The thankless person despises the idea of grace.

It is sad to see Christians who always seem to be stressed out, dissatisfied, depressed,
and unhappy about their circumstances.
Are we giving thanks to God everyday for His grace?

"God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything,
you may have an abundance for every good deed." (2Corinthians 9:8)

As Vonette Bright said,"When we express thanksgiving and gratitude to God,
peace flooded our hearts, and He provided the solution. My dear, always be thankful...
especially in crisis. God can turn your tragedy to triumph, discord to harmony,
and defeat to victory."

In the Old Testament (Lev. 3:1-17; 7:11-36), thank offerings and peace offerings
were to remind God's people of their need to be thankful to God.
They would bring a sheaf of grain and some oil and wine as thank offerings.
These were symbols of the Lord's provision, a reminder to thank Him
for His grace and mercy in supplying all they have.

Devotionals

1) It must be God's way.
And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day (Genesis 32:24)

As we look back over our own journey in life, we see that a lot of the way had been our way,
and that the end of our way is the beginning of God's way and the deep things of God.
How slow we are to see that God has a better way.
Yes, the glory is never so wonderful as when we are helplesss and have given up our ways,
and when God has His way.

Jacob and his mother devised an evil plan to obtain the family blessing from Isaac which belonged to Esau.
"Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob" (Genesis 27:41)

So Jacob had to flee to another land, and the Lord was gracious to him.
On the way to his mother's family at Haran, Jacob had an encounter with God,
which changed his life.
He called the place Bethel, which means the place of prayer.
God planned a ladder and the angels that Jacob would see.
God's plans of grace were not frustrated by the carnal workings of Jacob's mind.
So God revealed Himself to Jacob, saying,
"I am with you, and I will keep you whereever you go, and I will bring you back again to this land. I will not leave you. I will do that which I have spoken to you of." (Genesis 28:15)

Jacob remembered God's mercy and grace.
From the time Jacob saw the vision of the ladder and the angels,
he had 21 years of wandering, fighting and struggling.
He had deceived to get his birthright, to get his cattle.
And God was faithful to His promise all those years.
Later, God brought him right back to this same place.
It did not matter how Jacob had wandered.
God swore to him and brought him back.

How marvelous God meets us in our distresses.
When the cry comes from broken hearts, then God comes.
How many times have you tried and failed?
Let God comes; God in His mercy, never fails.

As Jacob returned to the land from where he fled, he was afraid.
God had met him 21 years before when he left home empty-handed.
He wanted to be alone with God.
His wives, children, sheep, oxen, asses and camels had crossed over the brook Jabok.
The Lord saw his need and came down and met with him.
The Lord wrestled with the deceiver, breaking him, changing him, transforming him.
Jacob was brought to a place of absolute weakness. He was broken before God.
And there alone in prayer before God, lean in soul and poor in spirit, he met with God.
He had to get rid of a lot of things in his life if he were to succeed in life.
All his life, it had been I! I! I!
Hour after hour passed, and he wrestled all night alone with God.
At daybreak,the angel said, "Let me go."
Jacob knew that if God left without blessing him, he could not meet Esau.
He must have favour with God.

Likewise you cannot meet the terrible things in life without God's blessing.
We too, as we pray to God alone, we will be broken and changed and trasnformed.
All care and strife is at an end.
We are occupied too much with the things of time and sense.
We need to give God time if we are to receive revelations, for God to deal with us.
We need to get past all the thoughts of earthly matters that crowd in so rapidly.
We must be serious and intense enough for God to bless us.
We must be hot for Christ. Victory is ours if we are earnest enough.
We must never let go, whatever you're seeking...revelation, direction, need.
If darkness covers you, if you're in confusion...never let go,
but hold fast to the Lord, your God.
After God has changed us, He gives us power to prevail.

Our own plans lead us so often into disaster.
In our human planning, we may experience blessings of a kind,
but we also undergo trials, hardships and barrennes
that God would have kept from us, if we had followed His way.
There's a way that seems good, but the end of that way is death,
but God has His very best for each of His own.
There is a good; there is a better; but God has a best for us.
It is a better thing if it is not our plan but God's plan.

It is the goodness of the Lord that leads us to repentance.
Many things happen in our lives to show us how depraved we are by nature,
but when the veil is lifted, we see how merciful and tender God is.
How wonderful it is to be where God is.

Seek the Lord with a humble heart;
Seek Him on your knees and pray.
Worship Him with truthfulness and in spirit.
He is your everything.
Do not stray away from Him.
Without God, life is meaningless and empty.

My eyes look to the hills -
from whence comes my help?
My help comes from the Lord.


2)With God all things are possible

"All things are possible to him who believes." (Mark 9:23)
"If you have faith as a mustard seed...nothing will be impossible for you." (Luke 17:6)
"The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke 18:27)

With men, not all things are possible, but with God, all things are possible.
A good many Christians are living a low life, a life of failure and of sin,
instead of rest and victory.
We need to check our lives, our hearts...any areas not right with God, any unforgiveness, any bitterness.
Is there a lack of humility, a lack of submission, a lack of surrender to God's will?
Are you broken before God?

The angel said to Mary, "With God, nothing shall be impossible."
We worship an Almighty God; our God is a big God.
"I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know."
Abraham knew that God who had promised was able to perform.

We must not try to be God ourselves, but let God be God.
We must not try to work things out ourselves, but le God works through us.
Allow God to work things out.
So we say to ourselves:
"I can do nothing on my own. God'll do all things through me, both to will and to do.
The things which're impossible with men are possible with God."
Therefore wait upon God; trust God in all things.
Lean not on thy own understanding.
All around you, you see sin and sorrow,
but remember, Christ is on the throne.
Like Abraham, be strong in faith, because you know
that God who had promised is able to perform.

Sometimes a situation seems so hopeless, and a cry so futile, so helpless;
yet this is what God looks for to demonstrate His loving care and power
and His powerful hand of protection.
God hears the cry of the heart...a cry that can bring freedom or healing,
a cry that brings help in a moment of grave danger,
a cry that brings a clear direction in a season of deep perplexity.
There is a need to cry out.
A father hears the cries of his children.

Through an honest cry of the heart, the father whose son was demon-possessed,
received a demonstration of God's power.
"the father of the child cried out and said with tears,
"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief." (Mark 9:24)

In our moment of fear, anxiety or trouble, to experience God's deliverance and protection
is simply to believe and cry out,
like the woman with the issue of blood.



3) What a little faith can do.

"If you have faith as small as a mustard seed...and nothing shall be impossible unto you"
(Mathew 17:20)
When the Samaritan woman heard Jesus talking about the living water,
she must be thinking, "Is this man ok?"
And Jesus had taken the trouble to go through Samaria just to talk to her.
Then Jesus gave her a word, saying, "Go, call thy husband, and come hither."
And immediately faith came in and made all the difference.
"The woman then left her water-pot, and went her way into the city,
and said to the men, 'Come, see a man, who told me all things that I ever did:
is not this the Christ?....
And many of the Samaritans of the city believed on Him for the saying of the woman."
. (John 4:16,28,29,39)
"it is impossible to please God without faith."
"And faith comes by hearing the Word."

The woman with the haemorrhage believed the word about Jesus.
Her faith and desperation and the cry of her heart
drove her through the crowd of men, just to touch Jesus.
What made her so sure that she will be healed?
Faith. What a little faith can do.

As Smith Wigglesworth said, "Only believe."
"Woman, your faith has healed you; go in peace."
There was restoration of health, and also peace within.
God wants so much to restore us physically, emotionally and spiritually.
"thy soul prosper, even thy health."

But because the soil is too shallow,
or the birds came to steal them,
the seed does not grow, but was choked
and prevented to grow in faith.

We need to pray in the Holy Spirit, to come into His presence.
"building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
keeping yourselves in the love of God,
looking for the Lord's mercy unto eternal life."

As we walk with Him, we'll realise how close He is with us.
He'll protect us from the schemes of the evil one.
We need to cling unto Him.
But the Lord also wants us to be strong,
for one day we shall reign with Him if we faint not.

So the Lord is also saying....
"Fear not. Be meek but not weak.
I have given you power over the devils.
Therefore speak with authourity.



4) Be uncommon for God

As we go through our journey in life, we are bound to face crossroads,
and tough decisions that we have to make.
How do we choose? How do we decide?

One thing is for sure : do not make hasty decisions, out of your own desires and thoughts.
Our ways are not as wise as God's ways.
Our thoughts and desires are not righteous as those of God.
Hastiness only leads to poverty and sin.
"The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone good
who is hasty surely to poverty." (Proverbs 21:5)
"Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge,
and he sins who hastens with his feet." (Proverbs 19:2

Instead we must trust in God, knowing that He's always there to light our path.
Our good future is in God's hand.
Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.
The poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angels encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
and saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Do not let your own thinking or doubts hinder you from believing what God says to you.
As you do His will for your life, and please Him,
and live an uncommon life that pleases Him,
God will bless you many times over,as you obey Him and love Him,
and He'll turn everything around for your good,
even turning around every evil that man has for you, into something good.

"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.
Surely good and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." (Psalm 23:4-6)

The blessings and favours of God shall follow you,
if you would only put your trust and faith in God.
Everything happens according to God's will and perfect timing.

Keeping up our faith as believers is not an easy task, for it requires great strength and courage.
There are so many mountains, so many storms & fires in our lives, that we have to go through.
But God will never let us down, and never to forsake us.
Miracles only happen at the peak of a storm; when everything seems so impossible;
when there is no hope, no light, no future.
God is the light; He will light our paths, but only at His perfect time and will.

God has a perfect plan for our lives, but it is up to us to unfold it,
and walk in it, believing in the impossible,
and being uncommon & separated from the world.

The LORD is saying to you :

Know that I am with you at ALL times.
There is no other person in the world who can HELP you beside Me.
It is not easy to TRUST someone whom you cannot see.
The WORLD will reject you when you serve Me,
for you're the SALT of the world; you do not BELONG to this world.
Thank Me for everything you have now; express your love for Me.
THIS life you're living now is temporary;
but is your life after this eternal? Is it guaranteed?
Salvation is not a ticket to heaven, but it's a head-start to your life with Me.
It is how much you LONG for Me that'll determine
My grace & mercy & favour upon you.
Do not take things for GRANTED, but know WHO's the maker of the heavens and the earth.

Trust in Me in everything; let Me guide you step by step.
Do not run ahead of me, but always be CALM in your spirit,
so that you can hear My small, still voice in you,
and ask wisdom from Me, as regards the decisions you're to make.


Lean unto Me, and not on your own strength,
for only by My grace & mercy,
can you overcome your difficulties that you're facing.
I AM the only true light that can lighten your path,
and SHOW you the way.
You're the salt of the earth; be a history-maker by making a difference
in your life that'll glorify My Name.
It's not enough just to be a believer and be lukewarmth,
because then you're neither hot nor cold.
Know that you're a child of the living God,
a God who's full of compassion, love and warmth,
a God who's caring, and who had died on the cross for you,
a God who suffered through pain and agony for the sins of the world.


Know that My grace is sufficient for you,
and My mercy is new every morning.

What are you to do?
Carry on to walk in faith and unity, undying passion,
even daring to sacrifice your very own life for Me if need to,
never holding back anything back from Me, like Abraham did.
If you give your 100% to Me, I'll do the same for you.


As for strength, knowledge, money and so on,
know that I ,the Lord your God, am in control.
I AM the Almighty. Never DOUBT My power and My PROMISES.


I AM a just God. What you sow is what you reap.
Therefore in every aspect of your life,
stay righteous and loyal to Me, from giving tithes on time,
to serving Me in the church with respect,
to loving your family, and guiding them in My ways.


How hard are you trying to please Me, to do My will?
to share the Gospel, to live a righteous life?


Where is your heart? Is it beating with the My love?
Is your heart beat My heart beat ?


You must be one with me.
You must put your entire life in My hand, and depend on Me totally.
Love Me more each day, and as you walk with Me,
grow in intimacy with Me. Amen.


5) When others disappoint

"As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." (Colossians 3:12)

Christian life is a journey, and we need God's strength and guidance along the way.

Paul said in Phlippians 4:11 - "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."
Paul wrote those words while in prison, his plans disrupted and his future uncertain.
He had learned to see disappointment and failure frm God's perspective,
and to trust the future into His hands. May this be true of us.
When life turns against you, may this prayer be yours :
"Show me Your ways, O LORD, teach me Your paths." (Psalm 25:4)

You may have said this to yourself: "Life would be great if it weren't for other people."
This is not true, because no man is an island.
We are made for companionship. God knows we need others,
and our greatest joys often come from our relationships.
God declared, "It's not good for man to be alone."(Genesis 2:18),and so God created Eve.

Nevertheless, no area of human life is so full of difficulties and heartaches as relationships.
Someone asks, "Why is life so difficult?" "People."
People can be selfless and kind, but they can also be difficult, stubborn, ego-driven, mean,
thoughtless, selfish, manipulative - the list goes on.
Nor is the problem just other people; it is also ourselves.

Why can't we seem to get along with each other?
We each want our own way. We usually think only of ourselves.
"If that person would just do things my way, we could get along!"
"What causes fights and quarrels mong you? Don't they come from your desires that
battle within you?" (James 4:1)

This is why simply changing the circumstances seldom solves anything.
One married woman said, "We thought if we moved to a pleasant area and built a
beautiful house, we'd be happy, but all we did was take our problems with us."

Our deepest problems are within ourselves...our our hearts and minds.
We need to seek God to change our mind-set and our hearts' desires.
Jesus said, "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality,
theft, false testimony, slander." (Matthew 15:19)
Our old sinful nature still lives within us, and constantly tries to assert itself.
Only the Holy Spirit can subdue our old nature and overcome it with God's love.

Friendship...is it important?

Do you agree with me that building good friendship is important?
Friendship with your husband, wife, children, parents, friends, teachers
and with God....is it important?

Why is it important?
It's because good friendship affects our own happiness...
friendship with others, friendship with God.

How to build this friendship?
Building friendship is like buiding a house.
A house needs a strong foundation. The same with friendship.
This foundation needs the help of God.
It requires of us to develop a good, strong character,
with honesty, faithfulness and ability to persevere.
That is, it takes a lot of sacrifices,
for what you sow is what you reap.

Remember Jesus said in Matthew 7: 34-27: -
24 - Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I'll liken him to
a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 - and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house;
and the house did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 - But everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 - and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

Why is honesty important?
With falsehood and dishonesty, we cannot develop friendship.

Why is faithfulness important?
Unfaithfulness is the cause of breakdown of many friendships.

Perseverance is needed to make honesty and faithfulness work.
We need to keep going, because obstacles will surely come.

On our own, we're weak.
So we need the strength that comes from a close friendship with God.
Only God can provide that foundation.
We can overcome, because God is with us.
When we cry out our sins to God, we'll find peace & confidence within us.
We can have joy in spite of the circumstances.

Without true commitment, friendships cannot last;
marriages cannot be strong.
We're to accept each person as he or she is,
to build each other up,
to speak words that build up.
We are to be as Jesus is to us.

Jesus is committed to our every need....every hurt, every hunger.
He's faithful to see us through.
He's committed to develop the best in us.
He became poor that we might be rich.
He died that we might live.

Getting along with someone involves not only doing things to strengthen,
but also avoiding things that hurt.
Set a guard over my mouth. O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. (Psalm 141:3)
How many marriages and friendships have been destroyed
because of criticism that get out of control?
because of gossip or a word spoken thoughtlessly or in anger?
A harsh word can't be taken back;
no apology can fully repair its damage.

"The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire,and is itself set on fire by hell." (James 3:6)
These indeed are strong words, but they're true.

Like Jesus before Pilate, sometimes it's best to keep silent or talk less,
especially when our words are filled with anger; they can only make things worse.

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Ephesians 4:29)

Remember that no relationship is completely smooth.
The closer the relationship, the deeper is the hurt.
Unforgiven hurts are the greatest source of destruction to a relationship.
If a hurt is allowed to grow, it deepens and becomes a barrier to good relationship.
Even if a person is fully justified in feeling hurt, nothing but harm can result
if that hurt remains unforgiven.

Any hurt, no matter how small it might seem, needs forgiveness.
If we refuse to forgive, that relationship will break down.
When someone hurts us, the instinct is to strike back....
but when we do, we not only destroy any possibility of reconciliation,
but also we allow anger and hate to control us.
We become a captive to the past, poisoned by bitterness all those years,
bitterness or anger becoming part of our identity,
making it difficult to get rid of them.
We can't change the past;
we can only seek God's forgiveness for what we did wrong.
But when God has forgiven us, shouldn't we also forgive others?
Don't let the past hold you captive any longer;
it's time to lay your bitterness & resentment at the foot of the Cross.
Jesus said,"If the Son sets you free, you'll be free indeed" (John 8:36)

We must always be ready to forgive, yet never demanding forgiveness for ourselves.
Forgiveness is the way to respond to the imperfections of others.
The heart attitude to deal with the failures of others is important.
Getting things roughly right comes before
getting things exactly right...we need to learn patience.
We need to forgive, correct, not demand and move on.
This is the right attitude.
We all fall short; none is perfect.
Sometimes we made mistakes that could have been avoided.
We have to forgive others, and also ourselves, and move on.

The key to love, forgiveness and patience is God's grace to you.
Grace is the currency of all true relationships.
Grace enable us to accept others as they are.
It's through intimacy with God that grace abounds.
God's grace abounds in that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

How can you love someone who had mistreated you?
Try to see your enemy as God does.
Christ also died for the person, who is also hurting.
People who strike out at others are like wounded animals...
they know they're in pain, but they resist attempts to relieve that pain.
By resisting against those who wish to help them,
they bring more pain upon themselves.
The reason is pride, which gets in the way.
True love submits and is willing to sacrifice for another's sake.

Colossians 3:13
"Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges.
Remember the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others."

Let this command to forgive ring loud in our hearts,
and let the healing power of forgiveness flow freely in our lives.