Challenge for 2022

The Power Found in a Thankful Heart

8:30 AM


Did you know there is great power found in a grateful heart? It’s true, and they have research to prove it!

“Scientific studies have proven gratitude increases neural modulation in the brain, in the prefrontal cortex, which regulates negative emotions. It also activates dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for making you feel good.” That’s scientific talk that basically states that the results of maintaining an attitude of gratitude is instant happiness that will prompt you to continue to giving thanks.

A good friend of mine once confessed that she had been hospitalized due to a nervous breakdown and what helped her most to recover was reading her Bible and writing down 12 things she was thankful for in a journal each day- a practice she still swears by and practices today!

Gratitude also curbs other symptoms of anxiety, helping us to deal with the disorder more effectively according to a study published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information in the United States.

  • It can reduce Insomnia
  • Reduces stress hormones in the body
  • And can positively impact bodily functions, memory, and emotions.

 BUT more importantly, giving thanks is something that each one of us are commanded to practice on a daily basis; anxiety, or no anxiety. (Phil. 4:6-7, Col. 3:15, 1 Thes. 5:16-18, and many others)

So, How Can We Best Practice Maintaining an Attitude of Gratitude? 

(These are just a few suggestions and if you have any other proven habits, I hope you'll share them with us as well)

1.) Keep a Journal

Write down all that is causing any anxiety, sadness, fear, etc. And then find at least 3 things to be thankful for right now. Even if it's, 'I'm thankful I woke up and I'm still breathing!'

2.)  Stop to Meditate

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." - Phil. 4:8

 Focus on all the good things in your life and start thanking God for each. You’ll eventually become a thankful person by nature.

3.) Share Your Gratitude with Others 

This may seem silly, but it goes a long way towards practicing gratitude. 

Writing down your thoughts,  dwelling on the positives and then sharing your positive thoughts with God and others will go along way to develop an attitude of gratitude and squelch all those anxious thoughts that try to take over.  

Blessings, 

sue

Grateful

Scripture Saturday ~ Psalm 28:7 ~ Thanksgiving!~ Gratitude

12:00 AM

Saturday, February 16, 2019


Welcome to Scripture Saturday!

This coming week's memory verse is Psalm 28:7...

 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. (NLT)

 “The most valuable thing the Psalms do for me is to express the same delight which made David dance.” (C.S. Lewis)

 Dear Father…You are awesome and worthy of my praise and worship.  I trust you with all of my heart, my mind, and my soul. You are my strength, for I am weak. You are my shield, for I need protection. My heart bursts with joy and my mouth sings praises of thanksgiving of You!

 I love you Lord!

 So I’ll stand

With arms high and heart abandoned

In awe of the One who gave it all

So I’ll stand

My soul Lord to You, surrendered

All I am is Yours
So I’ll stand

With arms high and heart abandoned

In awe of the One who gave it all

So I’ll stand

My soul Lord to You, surrendered

All I am is Yours
The Stand (chorus only) by Hillsong

 Have a blessed day and week everyone!



1 Thessalonians

Pursuing a life of Purpose (1 Thessalonians 4-5)

9:00 PM


This year is almost coming to an end and I believe it’s time for us to take the time to slow down a bit and meditate in how many ways we’ve been blessed by our Heavenly Father throughout this ending year.

So many people become so busy thinking about the celebration of the holyday season: the food, the gifts and decorations. The commercial advertisements are continually trying to convince us we need to buy more to make this season special. So many people live these days in busyness and anxiety. Trying to be “Merry” according to family or cultural traditions, but we could easily fall in the trap and forget the “reason for the season”!  Paul encourages us (the Church) to focus on what truly glorifies the Lord:

“Finally, believers, we ask and admonish you in the Lord Jesus, that you follow the instruction that you received from us about how you ought to walk and please God (just as you are actually doing) and that you excel even more and more [pursuing a life of purpose and living in a way that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation]” (4:1) (Emphasis mine)
“9 Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write you, for you have been [personally] taught by God to love one another [that is, to have an unselfish concern for others and to do things for their benefit]…. But we urge you, brothers and sisters, that you excel [in this matter] more and more, 11 and to make it your ambition to live 
quietly and peacefully,” (4:9, 11a)


-To excel more and more: this means that Christian maturity is never finished on this side of eternity. No matter how far a Christian has come in love and holiness, they can still abound more and more.

-We need to live a quiet and peaceful life so that we can really take the time and give the attention to listen to God and get to know Him better. We need to live not only for our time in this world, but prepared for eternity (4:13-18).

Paul is calling us to be awake, sober, and watchful: “So then let us not sleep [in spiritual indifference] as the rest [of the world does], but let us keep wide awake [alert and cautious] and let us be sober [self-controlled, calm, and wise]. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we [believers] belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope and confident assurance of salvation. (5: 6-8 AMP)

Paul used in this verse the image of a soldier's armor to illustrate the idea of watchfulness. A soldier is a good example of someone who must watch and be sober, and he is equipped to do that with his armor. Isn’t that awesome?

-Putting on the breastplate (to protect our heart) of faith and love, and as a helmet (to protect our mind) the hope of salvation. “We need the spiritual armour, or the three Christian graces, faith, love, and hope. Faith; if we believe that the eye of God is always upon us, that there is another world to prepare for, we shall see reason to watch and be sober.” M.Henry

By taking Paul’s following instructions we will be not only sober and alert, but live with joy:

“Rejoice always and delight in your faith; 17 be unceasing and persistent in prayer; 18 in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (5:16-18)

Not only rejoicing in happy situations, but in sorrows also. Paul reminds us to rejoice always because our joy isn't based in our circumstances, but in God. Circumstances change, but our God doesn't! “Laying our concerns at our Lord’s feet with thanksgiving, reminds us that someone greater than us is concerned about what we are going through.” (iWorship Bible)

I encourage you to continue these final weeks of 2018 putting on “your armor” and with an attitude of thanksgiving. Here are some quotes on gratitude:

"When joy and prayer are married their first born child is gratitude." (Spurgeon)

"It is not joy that makes us grateful, it is gratitude that makes us joyful." *

"Small seeds of gratitude will provide a harvest of hope." *

"Gratitude is the best attitude." *

"Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings. Turn routine jobs into joy. And change ordinary opportunities into blessings." —​ William Arthur Ward

"Today be thankful and think how rich you are. Your family is priceless, your time is gold and your health is wealth." *

"For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of night, for health and food, for love and friends, for everything thy goodness sends." —​ Ralph Waldo Emmerson

"Let our hearts be full of both thanks and giving." *

"Gratitude turns what we have into enough."  *

"I'm thankful for so many things, but mostly, God. Without him I'd have nothing else to be thankful for." — Unknown *

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice." — Meister Eckhart