Count Your Blessings

“Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” – Psalm 103:2 (NLT)

Too many people never realize how blessed they are because they spend so much mental energy focusing on what they don’t have. Instead of counting their own blessings, they are counting someone else’s blessings.

Gratitude is the best gift you can give yourself because when you are more thankful, you are more conscious and aware of the blessings God has already given you. As a result, you open up the pipeline for more blessings to flow in your life.

There are so many things to be grateful for—life, health, family. Everything may not be perfect, but not everything is terrible. I challenge you this week to take time to focus on God’s goodness and count all of His many blessings in your life.

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Why Rejoice?

“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice!” – Philippians 4:4

Paul doesn’t just say it once, but twice—REJOICE! 

To rejoice is a command given throughout the Bible. This is not a command to ignore the realities we face, but to see God at work in the midst of them.

Joy is the base word of rejoice. The challenge, therefore, is to find joy in the midst of what we are going through. Joy is that sense of well-being that abides deep down in the heart of the person who knows all is well and God is working behind the scenes.

So rather than focusing on how bad the problem is, find something good to rejoice about. Rejoice knowing that all is well! 

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This Too Shall Pass

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.” – 2 Corinthians 4:17 (NLT)

Have you allowed your circumstances to convince you that God has turned His back on you? Be assured that He has never left your side, and He never will.

God never leaves us to fend for ourselves in difficult times. He promises to be with us in all that we face. Allow His amazing love to encompass all of your pain. Expect His peace to surround you and His grace to empower you to keep pressing through.

In the midst of what you are facing right now, do not become overwhelmed or yield to the temptation to give up. Always keep in mind that all trials have an expiration date. Just like the last test you faced and overcame, this too shall pass!

So when tests and trials come your way, go ahead and make testimonies out of them.

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Looking Beyond the Circumstances

“Looking away from all that will distract to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith.” – Hebrews 12:2 (AMPC)

Are you the kind of person who wants everything to run smoothly all the time? What about if you encounter a bump in the road of your plans, do you feel disappointed and like a failure?

I can definitely relate! Receiving an unpleasant outcome can cause much frustration and uneasiness. Our circumstances can easily rule our emotions if we let them. But God doesn’t want us to be at the mercy of our varied circumstances, or the hopeless feelings we can sometimes have about them.

Today I want to direct us to look beyond our circumstances. Rather than giving power to things we can’t control, why not seize an opportunity to trust God more? We may see a hopeless situation, but from God’s view something greater is taking place.

Gaining God’s perspective is learning to look beyond the circumstances. Unlike the unpredictability of life, God is unchanging. Therefore, we can depend on His faithfulness in every changing season of life.

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