The Liberating Power of Gratitude - Christian Entrepreneur Lectures

God created us and so is quite aware of our weaknesses. He knows that we have a very short memory for pain; especially when it has subsided. Consider this: He led Israel out of their slavery and through the desert on the way to their Promised Land. And along the way He had to remind Israel not to forget Him. This is because He knew the consequences of quickly forgetting a hard experience (weariness, discouragement), and the benefits of remembering always (hope, trust, faith). History somehow has a habit of repeating itself, and if you do not learn from the first experience, subsequent ones might prove more difficult.

Picture yourself in the same situation. God has delivered you from the worldly sins that had you captive; your Promised Land is Heaven; your life, your vital relationships, your finances, your work, your business is the desert that you need to pass through on your way to glory. Most of us conveniently go the way of Israel to complain through it all.

Indeed, many Christians would have found to their consternation that it is easier to complain and to worry rather than to pray. We dedicate whole days to fretting over things that we have no control over, and we are often unable to dedicate much of quality time to talking to God about it. We allow whole chunks of our lives to be eaten up by this unprofitable attitude, and we consequently cannot achieve the potentials, which God has planned for us along the way. And when eventually we do get around to praying, it is often to complain some more and express self-pity.

Have you ever stood back from your situation to look at your life from without, and to appreciate what God has made of it, and done for you in the past? Do you remember your former slave names: confused, debtor, drunk, smoker, prostitute, adulterer, liar, thief and so on? And can you appreciate how much grace has come into your life since then?. And if you can appreciate it , does it not make you to conclude that God who has done so mercifully in the past can do as much and even better if you fall into a worse situation ? This is why it is important to remember God all the time and thank him for his past mercies.

What happened to that problem long ago which you thought would not get solved. The one that you thought, the consequences will kill you. Somehow it went away didn't it? Maybe not the way you thought, but it did nevertheless (Matt 6: 25-34)

What happened to that relationship problem that you thought would leave you emotionally scarred for life? Somehow it ended up making you stronger in your faith didn't it? All things work together for good. What happened to that illness that you thought will certainly destroy you? Praise God it is yet unable to do the worst. Now don't you see that it is very easy after you have achieved a little comfort after a period of pain, to forget by whose hands it had all come about?

An attitude of daily and continuous thanksgiving is very important to God, as it is to you. For you, it makes you to be able to appreciate where you've come from, and be encouraged that God is indeed with you and can take you further and higher. An attitude of thanksgiving is important to God because it is the means by which you come into the mental and spiritual position, which permits Him to move you, further and higher. Through your attitude of thanksgiving, you are able to connect permanently with God and be tuned into His channel.

Whatever is your worry today, hand it over to God, believing that He has it under control. Release yourself from it all and replace it with a heart full of thanks that He will make things even better than you want them to be. Count your blessings; name them one by one; and thank God for each of them. It is a long and difficult process - but very liberating.


KEY SCRIPTURE : Deut. 8:10. "When you have eaten and are full, then you will thank the Lord your God, for the good land which He has given you"

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