In this season we are seeing how God weaponizes our gratitude. Humbling ourselves to learn to be thankful breaks bad attitudes off of our lives. It’s not joy that makes us thankful. It is gratitude that makes us joyful. Two of the most powerful words known to mankind are “THANK YOU!”
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. NKJV
Having the right attitude releases a healthy atmosphere which helps produce the right perspective. Is your inner man strong? When your inner man is strong you can become more powerful than your circumstances transforming situations left and right. Suddenly the weak start saying things like, “I am strong!” (Joel 3).
Where did David’s courage come from the day he fought Goliath? Where did Daniel’s courage come the day he face a pit full of lions? Where did Shadrach Meshach and Abednego’s courage come from the day they faced the fire?
Who do you believe is the boldest of God’s prophets in the Bible? Most people would agree this is Elijah. Imagine 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah; 850 occultic leaders staring one man down! Realize that these were not simply people of a different faith. These were spiritual leaders of a very murderous and immoral expression of worship as a way of life.
In times of crisis, Baal's followers sacrificed their children, specifically the firstborn, to gain personal prosperity.
Asherah was worshiped in various ways, including through ritual sex. Although she was believed to be Baal's mother, she was also his mistress.
This practice became the basis for religious prostitution (1 Kings 14:23-24). The priest or a male member of the community represented Baal. The priestess or a female members of the community represented Asherah. In this way, God's incredible gift of sexuality was perverted to the most obscene public prostitution. No wonder God's anger burned against his people and their leaders.
The false god Elijah opposed was Baal, the favorite deity of Jezebel, wife of King Ahab of Israel. To please Jezebel, Ahab had altars erected to Baal, and the queen murdered all of God's prophets, except for one according to Elijah’s own words.
James 5:17 Elijah was a man just like us… NIV
1 Kings 18:22 Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the Lord's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. NIV
Elijah rose up in faith, fire came down and God was glorified. Jezebel was furious at the loss of her prophets, however, and swore to kill him. Something shifted in Elijah’s heart, confidence and courage. In the very next chapter of life he says the exact same words from a very different perspective.
1 Kings 19:10 Elijah replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." NIV
Selective sensory perception filters out the unimportant and filters in the important. SSP tells your brain the things you need to know and the things you need to ignore. Without this ability you would live in a constant state of confusion as a result of sensory overload processing things that diminish your functional capacity.
You have the ability to stand on a corner and process traffic sounds, people motion, traffic lights, crosswalk signs, etc. and take in that which is imperative and neglect that which is irrelevant. Steve Uppal‘s personal assistant was trying to cross the street in America. He lives in England and he simply did not know what to filter out and what to take in. He was taking in the wrong things as he filtering out the wrong things. In doing so he could never find the courage to cross the street.
Once I was watching a basketball game but became engaged in conversation instead of watching the game. I’d filtered out peripheral vision and my brain was no longer paying attention to what was going on to my side. A basketball hit me in the head. My selective sensory perception had filtered out something that was really important. It made a mistake.
Some people erroneously filter out necessary information about a beautiful life and they conclude that no one can be trusted and no one loves them. If that’s what you think you will spend your whole life thinking there is nothing good in life as a filtered and mistaken conclusion. You will think you have come to this conclusion because of all the facts but actually you will have filtered out everything God wants to use to help you have and enjoy life. This is why a healthy inner man is so important.
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. NKJV
Gratitude is something you should be processing routinely. Other things should be filtered out so you are not living a diminished capacity lacking courage and lacking faith to climb mountains, conquer giants and possess God’s promises in your LIFE AND IN YOUR LEGACY!
1 Thes 5:18 Give thanks in every circumstance! NIV
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Give out two thank you cards to somebody in your life this week.
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
Click here for a downloadable pdf file to this guide.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. If someone were to write a letter thanking God for you, what do you hope it would say?
God calls us to live differently. Rather than carry a sense of entitlement that says, “You owe me,” God wants us to be grateful for all we already have in Christ.
1 Thes 5:18 Give thanks in every circumstance! NIV
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
2. What are some barriers to gratitude in your life?
Paul commanded the Thessalonians to be grateful. Gratitude isn’t something we express when it feels right. Gratitude is a choice and an attitude. Grateful people choose to see any situation with a grateful perspective. Instead of seeing the negative, they search for ways to rejoice and be thankful.
Paul makes no exceptions for not being grateful. God works all things work together for good for those that love Him (Rom. 8:28). We will never find ourselves in a situation that doesn’t ultimately work out for our good and His glory. Because of this, we can thank God in the midst of any circumstance.
Gratitude is part of God’s plan for our lives. The gospel is the greatest gift we could ever receive. We could never pay God back for the grace that He has shown us. What God wants for us is to live day by day, moment by moment in need of Him and His grace. We need His grace to be obedient and thankful. Doing this magnifies God and brings Him glory. In addition, this awakens something healthy within our hearts and lives.
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. NKJV
Selective sensory perception filters out the unimportant and filters in what is important. This tells your brain the things you need to know and the things you need to ignore. Without this ability you would live in a constant state of confusion as a result of sensory overload processing things that diminish your functional capacity.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
3. Share a time in your life when you rehearsed things you shouldn’t and it affected your overall perspective in a negative way.
4. Take some time to share at least two things each person in your group would like to give God praise for in an expression of thankfulness together.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Give out two thank you cards to somebody in your life.