Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. ~Psalm 100:4 (NIV)
In Psalm 100:4 of the Amplified version we read “be thankful and say so to Him”. When was the last time you told the Lord how much you appreciate all He has done in your life and where He has brought you to? The bible teaches that the Lord orders the steps of the righteous. That can be a very comforting promise to those whose feet are heading off to war or for those who are walking into a courtroom or even for those who don’t have the strength of faith to hope for a better day. If you have given your heart to Jesus and made Him Lord of your life you can rest assured that you are on the path of sanctification! Sanctification is the process of becoming everything God has created you to be. It is following in the footsteps of Jesus in all that we do but most importantly it is developing an intimate relationship with our Father in Heaven. When we come to understand that we live in Him, and He lives in us we will realize that the Lord is doing amazing things in us and through us every day. As we grow in His grace, we grow in confidence of who we are in Him. The confidence that proceeds from a right relationship with God is what gives us the boldness to step out and petition God for our needs and for the desires of our hearts. Those who do not cultivate a relationship with their heavenly Father have a very difficult time believing God would do anything for them. That is because they don’t know His heart. But those of us who do know God, know that He is slow to anger and is plenteous in mercy!
The heights and depths of His love for us cannot be measured and He promises that love will never fail. As we learn to share our life with Him and trust Him with every detail, He teaches us more and more about what it means to come into agreement with what He has said. The truth is when we believe Gods word about us and to us, we are changed and when we are changed, our circumstances begin to change. We witness His grace on an experiential level. By the power of God everything on this earth is subject to change. Our finances, relationships, habits, the list goes on and on…It doesn’t matter what you are seeking, you can be sure when you come into God’s presence with praise and thanksgiving, He will meet you and bless you. Scripture teaches us in Hebrews 11:6 “For he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (KJV) Start your day praising and worshipping God then present your requests and petitions. Remember He transforms everything from the inside out. You might not see the answers to your prayers immediately, but you can trust in His promise that He hears, and He answers to bring everything about for your good in His perfect time. There is a lot of people out there who need to see your thankful heart receiving the goodness of God so they can follow Jesus to. Be that witness and live the life God created you to. Fellowship with your Father and give Him praise for His manifested glory in your life!
With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. ~Philippians 4:6b (CEV)
Comments