The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (18 page)

If you haven’t done a good job of running your own life, why not turn it over to the One who created you and knows more about you than you will ever know about yourself? If you start having trouble with an automobile, you take it back to the people who manufactured it to fix it. A similar principle is true with God. He created you and loves you very much. If your life is not satisfying to you, then take it to Him to fix it.

Your life will not change unless you make that very important decision to turn control of it over to God. And here is the good news: When you ask God to have His way in your life, He says, “Yes.” He will repair the damaged areas, give you direction to keep you safe as you travel through life, and give you a joy you’ve never known. With God in control, you can be grateful that your life has a new direction, purpose, and hope for the future.

Father, today I ask You to take absolute control of my life. Help me let go! Thank You that You can run things better than I ever could. I pray that You would heal, transform, and restore my life. I am grateful for the exciting new things in You that are in my future.

We all have days when we feel more emotional than other days. This can happen for many reasons, but sometimes we feel emotional because something upset us the day before and we didn’t resolve it.

I remember a night when I was unable to sleep. Finally, around five in the morning, I asked God what was wrong with me. Immediately I recalled a situation from the day before in which I had been rude to someone. Instead of apologizing to them and asking God to forgive me, I rushed on to the next thing in my day. Obviously, my conduct was irritating my spirit. As soon as I asked God to forgive me and made a decision to apologize to the person, I was able to go to sleep.

If you feel unusually sad or as if you are carrying a heavy burden, ask God what is wrong. And when He shows you, be grateful that you have a chance to make the situation right.

I thank You, Father, that You want me to live in peace. If there are any unresolved issues that are causing me to feel anxious or burdened, I ask You to show them to me and give me the strength and wisdom to resolve them. I thank You that You will be with me every step of the way.

What a blessing it is to know that the Holy Spirit helps us overcome our past. Thankfully, with faith and patience, you can recover from your past pain, from things that have been done to you, or from mistakes that you have made, but the recovery will require an investment of time on your part. You can either continue to invest in your misery, or you can begin to invest in your healing.

One of the ways you can deal with the past is by confessing God’s promises instead of talking about negative, defeated feelings. When you confess God’s promises instead of your problems, you are exercising your faith and investing in your healing. This is a powerful way to really begin enjoying your life.

Father, I’m grateful that I can invest in my own healing by confessing Your Word over my life. Help me to focus on Your promises rather than my problems. Thank You that You have good things in store for my life.

The spiritual weapons that God gives us to use in our lives are tremendous blessings that we can be grateful for. One important weapon at our disposal is praise.

Praise defeats the devil, but it must be genuine heartfelt praise, not just lip service or a method being tried to see if it works. Praise and all other forms of prayer involve the Word. We praise God according to His Word and His goodness.

Prayer is born out of relationship with God. It is coming and asking for help, and always remembering to praise Him for all of His goodness. It is talking to God about something that bothers us. It is fellowship, friendship, and an opportunity to express gratitude for all that God is and does. If you want to have an effective prayer life, develop a good personal relationship with the Lord. Trust that He loves you, that He is full of mercy, and that He will help you when you ask.

Thank You, Father, for the power of praise and prayer in my life. I want to live each day in amazement of all that You have done for me. Help me to incorporate praise and prayer into my daily walk with You.

People who finish well in life are the ones with strong character. As believers, we can be grateful that the Holy Spirit is developing the character in us that we need to do what God calls us to do—we have “staying power.” Jesus did not quit when His circumstances were rough, and He is our example. The Bible says we are to look away from all that distracts and look to Jesus instead.

I think most of us want to do and be everything God intends for us, and to enjoy it along the way. Great joy comes with finishing the race God has called you to run. Enjoy the journey and keep your eyes on the prize. One of the greatest testimonies you can have is
I’m still here.
When you speak those words, you are saying, “I did not quit. I did not give up. I am still here.”

Father, I thank You that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I have staying power. I make the decision today to keep going—to never give up. Help me to run my race with perseverance and discover the joy of finishing each task well.