In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
—1 Thessalonians 5:18
It is impossible to really give thanks to the Lord without being thankful for all that He has done and trusting Him for all He is going to do. If we remove thankfulness from our lives and dwell on our problems instead of focusing on God, it is very easy to start glorifying our problems instead of praising God.
God is the author of everything good. Satan comes against God’s children trying to steal, kill, and destroy us. Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). If I praise God for the evil in my life, I give praise to the enemy for the destruction he brings. Yes, we can learn from the evil that comes against us (Romans 8:28), but learning from something bad in our lives does not mean that God is the author of it.
In all things—no matter what you face because you live in a fallen world—no matter what evil the enemy throws at you, trust the Lord, your God, your Father. Give Him thanks for the truth the Word reveals—not for the lies of the enemy attempting to destroy your faith. Thank God for the good. Give praise to God in the bad that happens, but don’t give Him credit for it.
God’s will for you is to know who you are in Jesus. Then you can give thanks no matter what happens. Then you can trust His love, and any work for Him will flow out of who you are in Jesus and not out of you. When you know that any evil you experience in this life is thoroughly conquered by the redeeming blood of the Son of God, you can have an attitude of victory. You know that nothing has any power to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:39).
The righteousness of God that is yours in Christ is greater than any weapon coming against you (2 Corinthians 5:21, Isaiah 54:17). Praise God for the truth of your victory in Jesus! Have an attitude of victory. Draw from His righteous power, and walk by faith in His Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 25).
© 2023 Lynn Lacher
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