Shouts Of Thanksgiving

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4

This is the day set aside for a day of Thanksgiving commemorating when the Pilgrims settled here and had their first harvest thus celebrating  with a feast in 1621. They truly had much to be thankful for since many did not survive the journey overseas and some died once they were here. We had this day designated in 1863 as a holiday. 

Often times today we may not even think about this day of prayer and thanks. It used to be very solemn and everything was closed similar to Christmas but now many stores remain open and football seems to be the order of the day.

Today whatever your plans, and some even have to work, such as first responders, doctors,nurses, and law enforcement, stop and think what you have to be thankful for. Make a list. Somehow when you do this it seems to take away from the bad things in life.

PRAYER: I thank for this day, not just because we get to eat lots of food or watch parades and football game, but because of what it signifies in this land of plenty. Help me never take for granted the many blessings in my life and show me how I can help someone less fortunate not just today but throughout the year. In Jesus' name.Amen.

I Am So Very Thankful

I will give You thanks with all my heart;I will sing Your praise before the heavenly beings. Psalm 138:1

Today marks the end of a 'school calendar year' of praying with the Moms in Prayer group I am a part of. At the end of each year it is very exciting because we have a 'Thanksgiving celebration' to give thanks once again to many answers to prayer during the year. Our group consists of college/career/and military moms.

To be thankful for things helps you stay focused on the positive things of life. God does care and it is a comfort to go to Him with prayer and thanksgiving. Complaining and being ungrateful comes easy and usually drags other people down besides the one doing it. If you have trouble being thankful stop a moment and just sit with a pen and paper or your computer and make a list of all the things you are grateful for. I have a blessing jar at home where each day I put one thing I am thankful for or blessed because of.

No matter what is going on in your life,keep praising Jesus through the storms as one day you will indeed see the sunshine.

PRAYER: At times I have forgotten to get up and say thanks for another day of life and another day to try to be a blessing in this world. Forgive me Lord for not being more thankful. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click link for a song of Thanksgiving:
http://youtu.be/xtxmSAqMtDA

For more info on Moms in Prayer go to www.momsinprayer.org

GIVE THANKS ALL THE TIME!

"What on Earth do I have to be thankful for?" This could be the comment from someone who might have lost their child prematurely, a parent died, those whose job was terminated right before Christmas season or a person who has been given a diagnosis of a terminal illness. Even in dire sad times such as those, there is a reason to be thankful. God has not deserted you. He loves you. He has a plan.

This Thanksgiving Day why not stop and remember just why we celebrate this holiday here in America. It's Christian roots are often overshadowed with turkey decorations in lieu of the pilgrims.

In November 1620 some 100 Pilgrims from England landed near Cape Cod, Massachusetts in search of religious freedom in the New World. That is why we celebrate this day each year in November. It indeed is special. Many new things awaited these brave and hearty souls. They paved the way for what we enjoy today. Freedom of any kind is special. That is why we fight so hard to keep it!

Today stop what you are doing and think of just exactly what you are thankful for. Do not just watch parades and football and gobble down tons of food but sincerely make this a day of thanks.

Some readers are not from America but indeed we all have reason to give thanks.

1 Chronicles 16:34 says 'Give thanks to the Lord for He is good for His love endures forever.'

PRAYER: I thank you Lord for this day and every day you have given me. Help me Lord to show an attitude of gratitude every day not just on Thanksgiving. In Jesus' name. Amen.


Below is a link from the Internet about the history of Thanksgiving. Take time to read it sometime today.
http://www.history.com/topics/pilgrims

Click link for a song of worship.

http://youtu.be/KMTmZKotTYw

TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED

Several years ago a close friend of mine gave me a button which said "Too blessed to be Stressed"! Think about that phrase for just a moment. If you are reading this from the United States you probably truly are extremely blessed beyond measure. Even people in poverty in the U.S. often are much better off than those in Third World nations.

Stop for a moment and list the blessings in your life. Write them down. Things like food, clothing, freedom to worship, freedom in general, friends, great marriage, family that loves me,car to drive, bike to ride, ability to walk,great healthcare, and on the list will go. It is in fact true,I for one am "too blessed to be stressed".

Yet sometimes we find ourselves caving into fear,worry,cares of this world and we start to get "stressed out". Why do we allow ourselves to do this when we know we have a loving God who wants us to give Him our cares? Perhaps we are not focused on God and His goodness like we should be.

Psalm 34:1(NIV) says 'I will bless the Lord at all times His praise shall continually be on my mouth'. When you take time to praise Jesus and thank Him for your blessings you will have very little time to be down in the dumps. Why not try it today?

PRAYER: You are so wonderful Lord. Your blessings are new every single morning. You are so wonderful to me. I thank you Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.

THANKFUL ALWAYS

 Here in this part of the country it has now been two years yesterday since the devastating killer tornadoes that swept through leaving a path of destruction. It made me think of being thankful for "things". The most important thing I think the survivors of homes that were totally demolished was that they did not need all their "stuff". These individuals were just thankful to have made it out alive since these were F4 and F5 tornadoes. These storms did not pick and choose by age, ethnicity, religion or income level. I was fortunate to have escaped but was able to help some families in the weeks after, clean up their messes and search for photos and mementos and things like their drivers license or birth certificate. At one home I found an ultrasound of a soon to be born baby. What an awesome thing something like this is to the family. They could care less about their material possessions. Surviving a disaster makes people think of earthly treasures in a different light.

What are you thankful for? Food and the farmers who grow it? Maybe freedom? Do you have a car to drive? Give thanks! Perhaps the ability to read your Bible and not have armed guards arrest you for it. Recently I have realized I am very thankful for my mobility since my torn ACL and LCL occurred. Next I am thankful for friends as I have had friends not want to be friends anymore and that hurts lots. I am thankful for a mom who is still alive at age 88! I am very thankful for my husband, my two wonderful sons and my beautiful daughter in law. I also am thankful for her awesome family! I love my sister and brother and give thanks for them. I am thankful for eyes to see and ears to hear although I am not always the best listener.

Get yourself a piece of paper and start listing your blessings. This "exercise" will draw you closer to Godand the more you do it the less you complain. Start even looking outside at the beauty around you that God created for you to enjoy. Sure there is the majesty of the Grand Canyon or Rocky Mountains but everywhere has something beautiful. A few nights ago I gazed up in the vast night sky to see twinkling stars and a full moon. What a glorious sight to behold.

1 Corinthians 10:27(NIV) says 'For the Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.' He created the Earth for man. Go back and read Genesis. He created male and female and said be fruitful. Psalm 89:11(NIV) reminds us 'The heavens are yours and yours also the Earth. You founded the world and all that is in it.' We are not to worship the Earth but the creator who made it. Just stop what you are doing and take a breath and get outside and look around you. Stop and ponder all your blessings. I am sure if you give some thought you can have a pretty substantial list.

Now go give thanks, why don"t you. Never take this life for granted as we are never promised tomorrow. Tell people around you that you love them as you never know when God might call you home.

PRAYER: Lord indeed I have much to be thankful for. Often when I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life I not only forget to be thankful but often take the people in my life for granted. Help me to not do that. You have blessed me with the gift of life first of all and for that I am grateful. In Jesus' name.Amen.


Click on link below and worship God in song:

http://youtu.be/eWYn2k4IaPY

>>

EVEN MORE THANKS!

Last Friday I wrote about Thanksgiving and listing all the wonderful
things in our lives we are thankful for and I forgot to list five very
important things. This is always the case when you are thinking of
what you are thankful for. I know in Moms in Prayer each week in our
Four Steps of Prayer (see www.momsinprayer.org) the third step is
"Thanksgiving" where we share in prayer the things God has done for us
and answers to prayers we have prayed in our lives there in the group.
So five more things I thought of the other day at O dark thirty as I
pushed "send" to put my writing out there in cyber world were my
family such as mom,brother, sister, nephews, niece, and many other

relatives still living; my beautiful and wonderful daughter in law and
her absolutely terrific family, the pets in our lives, and the answers
to prayer each and every day we often take for granted. Once again as
I send this out no doubt more will come to mind. That is what we need
to have happen. Be so grateful and thankful for so many things that
you just can not stop praising God for them. So many little "God
things" in your life you may not even notice. It is so awesome how God
orchestrates all the details in our lives and even turns bad things
around.

The assignment for all readers once again is to get out that paper and
pen and go to work writing down all the things in your life you are
thankful for. It is a very good exercise to do and to do daily. The
more we learn to thank the less we learn to complain. I just thought
of another one just now, grocery stores. In America we are so blessed
with an abundance of food.

Ephesians 5:20(NIV) is a good memory verse and it says 'Always give
thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ'. Try cultivating daily an attitude of gratitude.

PRAYER: Lord first I am thankful for knowing you as my saviour. I
thank you for my Bible and I pray I do not neglect reading it daily.
In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click on link and be blessed.

http://youtu.be/-GPpx9oINsI

THANK YOU SO MUCH JESUS!!

When you are down in the dumps and think your situation or trial is
unbearable I challenge you to do this simple exercise. Get a piece of
paper and start listing your blessings and the things you are thankful
for. It is easy to complain and is a bad habit to get into. I have

heard a person has to find seven good things to negate the one

critical thing you may have said.

Here is an idea for saying thanks listed not in any particular order.
I challenge you to make your own list and see if you do not feel
better.

Thank you Lord for freedom.
Thank you Lord for good health.
Thank you Lord for food and clean water.
Thank you Lord for my spouse.
Thank you Lord for my children.
Thank you for where you have me now as I know it is your plan.
Thank you Lord for friends.
Thank you Lord for eyes that see and ears that hear.
Thank you for being able to walk, run, swim,ski, hike.
Thank you for monetary blessings.
Thank you for education.
Thank you for healthcare.
Thank you for the gift of speech.
Thank you for my Bible.
Thank you for your mercy and forgiveness.
Thank you for hearing my prayers.
Thank you for talents and gifts.

1 Thessalonians 5:18(NIV) reminds us 'give thanks in all circumstances
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.' Let Psalm 51:10(ESV)
be your prayer. It simply says 'Create in me a clean heart Oh God and
renew a right spirit within me.' Is your heart clean? Are you walking
with the Lord daily or just wait to visit Him one hour on Sunday? Why

not make that "thanks list" and start letting the Lord "truly" take first place in your life?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus thank you for yet another day you have given me to
make a difference in the world around me. I choose to not complain but
to have an attitude of thanksgiving instead. Satan has no power over
me as I sing your praises. In Jesus' name. Amen.

ARE YOU THANKFUL??

Today our nation celebrates Thanksgiving. Most will sit down and overstuff themselves and afterwards lie down for a nap never even thinking what this holiday really is about. After that will be watching football. Don't forget the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade which is televised each year. It could be rather easy to just forget God on this day because of all your busy activities.

This holiday is based on the 1621 feast between the Pilgrims and Native Americans thanking God for their harvest. In 1789 President George Washington declared Thursday November 26th, a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. It was still not a national holiday until October 3rd, 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving, but President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1939 declared it to be the next to last Thursday in November.

So what do you give thanks for today? A family, good health, food to eat, friends, a job, living in freedom, and so much more. Take some time right now and think of all the ways God has tremendously blessed you.

'Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His mercies endure forever.'Psalm 107:1 (NIV)

PRAYER: Lord I am truly thankful for the abundance of blessings in my life. I am overflowing with joy because you love me so much. Today I stop and say thank you for directing my steps and guiding me each and every day. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving! Take about 6 minutes and praise God in song by clicking link below.

http://youtu.be/BhD2S6blRWU

THANKSGIVING IS HERE AGAIN

I love this holiday. It holds lots of fond memories for me. It is not about being a glutton and going away from the table stuffed as much as the turkey is, but it is much more. Today it is a challenge to even find Christian symbols of this important holiday even, sometimes sad to say, in the Christian bookstore. By 'Christian symbols' I am referring to the Pilgrims. Those men and women who bravely made the voyage from England in 1620 seeking to worship God and have freedom from the rule of the king. In 1621 the Indians and the settlers had a feast to celebrate the harvest and to thank God for safely guiding them to the new world. It was not until 1863 that President Lincoln declared it a national holiday to be celebrated each November.

This day to many is nothing more than a huge family reunion,parade viewing, and a day of football followed by a day of Black Friday shopping. No thought of Christ is even mentioned to many.  Why not start a new tradition in your family and have each family member say one thing they are thankful for? It should be about family! This is one of the biggest family get together days during the year. Many miles separate families nowadays and I know being a military wife our extended family had always been our friends through the years who we shared the Thanksgiving feast with when we could not go home.Last years Thanksgiving was special meeting the family of my soon to be daughter in law. This day has always been a fun one. But the real meaning needs never to be forgotten. Merchants seem to rush to celebrate a secular Christmas before Thanksgiving is even over.

No matter what you are doing today stop and give thanks to God for living in freedom if you live in America. We all have something to be thankful for.  Below I have listed several verses from the Bible dealing with being thankful. Read them out loud or as part of your family celebration today. Even if you are reading this from a foreign country you can still pause and give thanks to God above for all good things.

Several verses of Thanksgiving follow:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 31:19 How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.

Psalm 95:1-2 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;  let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.
1 Corinthians 15:57  But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 67:4  May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.
Psalm 100:1  A Psalm for Thanksgiving. Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
Psalm 145:7  They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
1 Chronicles 16:34  Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
Colossians 3:17  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Timothy 4:4  For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.
Psalm 100:4  Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!
Go into this day with a heart full of thanksgiving! When you praise and thank God the enemy shudders and has to flee.

PRAYER: I thank you Lord for this day set aside to thank you for all you have provided for us. Help us not forget to thank you the other 364 days as well.Help me always have a grateful heart. In Jesus Name. Amen.
I have included a link from the History Channel website about Thanksgiving.It takes about 4 minutes to view.
http://youtu.be/wFDSobNnfQs

Also I have included a song of Thanksgiving. Click on link.
http://youtu.be/IBpv-ZzcQD8

THANK YOU LORD

We have so much to thank God for but how often do you really do it? Perhaps at meal time you utter a 'God is great prayer' and 'thank you for this food' but is that the only time you really say thank you to Jesus?

The Moms in Touch prayer ministry which I have been a part of for over 16 years now, has taught me the importance of thanking God for the answer to prayers. Each week we thank the Lord in our prayer time for the answers to our prayers. All of us need to get in the habit of making a list of sorts for all the wonderful things the Lord has done for you. Try it. Get a piece of paper and just start thinking of all the things the Lord has done for you. After a while it will be hard to stay in a pit if you have been feeling 'blue' and down in the dumps.


Here are some common examples you may overlook. Thank you for clean water that comes out of my faucet each day when in many countries they have contaminated water.Thank you for the access to health care we have in America and the wonderful doctors and nurses to care for us. Thank you for cars to drive to get us around, although many do not have cars even in America those who do are blessed. Your car may be a junk heap but if it gets you there praise God. Thank you for farmers who work hard to grow the food that is in the grocery stores for us to buy and eat. Thank you for sunshine and rain. Thank you for the four seasons we have to enjoy. Thank you for friends and family. Thank you for a bed to sleep in at night when in many places people do not have a bed, even in some places in America. Thank you for freedom. So you get the idea. Just sit quietly and think of all the wonderful things the Lord has done for you. And think of the ways he has answered your prayers as well.

1 Corinthians 15:57 says "But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."  Proverbs 21:31 says "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD." Other verses about thanksgiving and thanking God abound in the pages of the Bible. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him."  1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." That is right, it says in ALL things. Tall order perhaps but God says to do it. Sometimes things that seem bad at the time lead us to wonderful awesome breakthroughs in our life.

Are you thankful today? If not try doing this 'thanksgiving list' and do it daily. Do not wait til it is the Thanksgiving national holiday to be thankful for the Pilgrims, turkeys and pumpkin pie and the family you are gathered with and the friends around you. Make every day Thanksgiving Day.

PRAYER: Lord I am ever so grateful for the gift of life. I am thankful for the parents who gave me life and raised me. I am thankful for being able to freely wander about in my country. I am thankful to have money to spend to be able to buy things. I ask you Lord to forgive me when I have not said 'thanks' for all you have done for me and acted like a spoiled ungrateful brat. I want to make each day a day of thanks. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Note: Please take time to listen to the following praise song dealing with thanks to God! Click on link and turn up speakers.

http://youtu.be/JwN_2nO5B24

Also  here is a link to the Moms in Touch prayer ministry which has taught me so much about prayer. You do not need to be a mom to benefit from their 'four steps of prayer'. http://www.momsintouch.org/