Psalm 150:6 - Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.
God deserves our praise. Praise God for His--faithfulness, goodness, forgiveness, truth, love, power, sovereignty, mercy, patience, peace, perfection, holiness, wisdom, eternalness, changelessness, justness, and grace. Praise Him because He is all-knowing, ever-present and the Sustainer and Creator of the everything.
Ephesians 5:20 - Always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We need to give God thanks. Thank God for--people, family, friends, enemies, teachers, situations (good, bad, and ugly), blessings (protection, wisdom, peace, love, conviction), provision (food, money, friends, family, shelter, freedom, school).
One time I was playing in the indoor soccer finals. We had a very good team and we were winning by a few goals. We started to enjoying our lead and we ended up losing it in the final minutes of the game. I was so upset. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I barely looked at anyone as I walked briskly to my car. Slamming the door, I sat there. When I decided to give God thanks for this loss, it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. God had a plan, as He always does. Perhaps I could learn more from this loss than I could have after a victory. It is nice to speculate as to why God does certain things, but it is essential that we give Him thanks. Then and only then, can we begin to see things through His eyes. When we see things through His eyes, we grow and become wise.
I John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, He'll forgive us.
When we confess our sins and accept God's forgiveness, our guilt and shame are removed. The time between sin and repentance determines our character. And the time between our repentance and when we forgive ourselves determines our maturity. Satan will try to make us feel guilty before we sin and after we are forgiven. He will also make us try and feel right when we sin. Identify his weapons, ask for forgiveness, and say "Shame, shut up."
James 4:2b - You don't have because you do not ask God.
We are not on God's permanent mailing list of blessings. We must ask Him and expect Him to answer. In 1997, I began sincerely praying this prayer for 30 days. I kept praying it for months because I saw amazing results. It goes like this, "Bless me, increase my ministry, lay Your hand on me, and keep me from evil." During the first 30 days, I accepted a preaching job that I would not give up for the world and I started Jesus Christ Saves Ministries. JCSM has grown and developed into a multi-faceted, dynamic, worldwide ministry with over 200,000 web pages, over 10,000 email subscribers, and millions of visitors. God has blessed me, kept me from evil, and given me more power than I could explain. I highly suggest that you pray this prayer in sincerity for 30 days and watch what happens. There is nothing magical about the wording of the prayer, but God wants to give these things to a sincere heart.
James 1:5 - If you lack wisdom, ask God, and He'll give it to you.
John 15:7 - God will always answer.
I John 5:14 - He always listens and gives in line with His will.
Philippians 4:6 - Don't worry; pray about anything. Tell Him your needs, thank Him for answers.
Romans 11:36 - From Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
