“Carry A Thankful Heart”

In everything….give thanks. This is what God instructed us to do.

A favorite quote of mine from Jesus Calling is this:

Give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in this transaction: You give Me thanks (regardless of your feelings) and I give you Joy (regardless of your circumstances). This is spiritual obedience.

How is it possible to give thanks when your heart is broken, you have lost a loved one or your job or when life just seems to keep handing you lemons?

When you thank God fervently and without ceasing, regardless of the situation, you are inviting His presence to enter your heart and you begin to see things differently and you will be blessed beyond measure. The blessings you already have in your life will suddenly come into focus and you will see that despite the hardships, there are still so many things to be grateful for.

When you consume your time with thanksgiving, you have no time left over for an ungrateful attitude. Each time you thank God, regardless of the circumstances, you acknowledge that He is in control and there is a comfort in that. It’s not easy to accept this when your life seems out of control and your heart just doesn’t grasp the idea, but it is God’s word and if we are to live as He intended then we must obey Him. I’ll be the first to admit that this is not as easy as it sounds and I often fail at it. But in those moments when you truly relinquish control and just look to him with thanksgiving, He will bring peace to your heart, even when it seems impossible.

Wherever you are and whatever you are up against, just start by offering up this simple prayer:

God, I thank you and praise you. I believe You are working on this situation and working in me. My faith, trust and hope are in You.

Today and every day, choose to carry a thankful heart.

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day – 2 Corinthians 4:15-16

“New Look, New Name, Same Blog”

Yep, I have switched some things up. You probably noticed some changes here…starting with the new blog name. I felt it was time.The old name was very generic and at the time it was what I needed each day – to be inspired along my path to healing. I have been considering a new name for a while but nothing jumped out at me. I picked up my devotion book this morning and turned to a page where I had written, “You hear my when I’m calling, Lord You catch me when I’m falling”. They are words to a favorite song of mine and it just stuck, because over and over again when I fail Him or don’t have the strength to pick myself up, He does. He is always there to catch me when I call out to Him.

And He’ll do the same for you!

“A Prayer for Relationships”

I have felt the need to write lately and so I asked God earlier today to put on my heart what needed to be said. He waited until late tonight but he reminded me of so many that need healing right now. This is my prayer for them…

Dear God,

I come to you in prayer for the many women I know who are struggling with relationships right now in this very moment. I pray for comfort and healing in their lives. I pray that you give them strength to love the men in their lives, even when it isn’t easy. I pray that you cover them with your love, mercy and grace. Lord, we know that Your word says that it was not good for man to be alone so You created woman. Help her to feel compassion towards him and to be a comfort even when it is the farthest thing from her mind and to forgive, even when it feels impossible. Give her self-control to extinguish harsh words before they are expressed and a positive attitude to fight insecurities. Open the door to communication that would bring peace to her home.

I pray as well, Lord, for the men in these ladies’ lives. I pray that you would move in their hearts so that they may love her like you love her. We know that temptation, anger, jealousy and selfishness often create a stronghold in these mens lives. Release them from these entanglements and convict them when they are wrong. Grant them patience to handle her insecurities and understanding when she is hurting. I pray that your spirit would guide them to become the men your created them to be. To be more like you.

Lord, I pray that you would meet them where they are and that your Holy Spirit would comfort and guide these couples and that broken hearts would be mended. We know that you are love and without you, love cannot survive. I pray that anger and bitterness would be replaced by kind words and comfort. That compassion would flow between them and that healing and forgiveness come quickly.

In Your Holy Name,

Amen.