Oh Let Us Give Thanks Unto The Lord

Psalm 95:2
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Psalm 86:12
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 69:30
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 106:1
Praise the Lord.^[a] Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 107:21
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
1st Timothy 4:4-5
⁴ For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
Hebrews 13:15
¹⁵ Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
Philippians 4:6
⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1st Thessalonians 5:18
⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Colossians 3:16 NLT
¹⁶ Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
Psalm 92:1-2
 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.
² It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening,
Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
Psalm 86:12
I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.
Psalm 69:30
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 106:1
Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 107:21
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
1st Timothy 4:4-5
⁴ For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵ because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
Hebrews 13:15
¹⁵ Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
Philippians 4:6
⁶  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
1st Thessalonians 5:18
⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Colossians 3:16
¹⁶ Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.
Psalm 92:1-2
 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.
² It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening,
Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

1 Chronicles 29:13
¹³ Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
Psalm 107:8-9
⁸ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
⁹ for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.
1 Chronicles 16:34
³⁴ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 69:30
³⁰ I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 100:4
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

November is one of my favorite months of the year.   Not only is it the month that we celebrate Thanksgiving, but it its also the month in which the Holiday Season starts.  I love the family gatherings, and of course, the food is wonderful too!  What I really enjoy is hearing what others are grateful for this time of year.  More so than ever, it seems that this is when most people hit pause, and really think about how blessed they are.

Don’t Fall For Satan’s Lies

1 Peter 5:8
⁸ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Lately, I have been reading two books regarding the way that Satan works.  What I have learned is the only weapon that he has, are lies that he tells us.  And they only work, if we choose to believe them.  He tells us lies to
create doubt and fear inside of us.  When we are stuck in doubt and fear we become ineffective.

We all have a choice as to whom we will believe and who we will serve.   We must choose wisely because who we believe, affects how we move through life.  We will either walk in fear or in faith, based on what and who we believe.  We will either lead a life of victory or a life of defeat, based on our beliefs.  Today I encourage you to study God’s word so that you are very clear on His promises and His character.  This way you will know when something contradicts God’s word or His character.  Anytime you see or hear anything that does not line up with God’s word, you know that it’s straight from Satan.  Don’t fall for his lies.  God has a better plan for your life, so look up, not down.
We are daughters of the King, and we must believe and live like we are.

Happiness Is A Slice Of Pound Cake

One of the things that I enjoy most is seeing others made happy.  It is even more
enjoyable for me if I have contributed to their happiness in some way or another.   I
wanted to write about this today because; unbelievably we all have a special gift that if
shared, will bring happiness to someone else.
Some of us have several things that we really do well, that would be a blessing to
others.  Today I would like you to search your treasure chest of special gifts and
talents.  Ask yourself, what is the one thing that I do so well that it brings happiness to
others?
The next step after discovering what it is would be to remove it from your treasure
chest and dust it off.  Start to notice the number of smiles that you can create, simply by
sharing your God-given gift or talent with others.  Most of us already know what our
gifts are.  In many cases, we may have been reluctant to share them with others in the
past, because of our own fears and insecurities, which by the way is a trick of the
enemy.
I personally know that public speaking is my gift.  I love to speak and that is where I
find my greatest joy.  But I will have to tell you when I really want to make someone
happy, I give them a slice of my famous pound cake,  it is as though the world stops and
smiles take over.  I have never seen so much happiness in one room, as when I walk in
with this pound cake.  Family and friends are instantly happy just to know that it rode
in the car with me to their home and that they will soon get to enjoy more
deliciousness when they can hardly take in, in one sitting.
You may be asking how I got from talking about my gift of public speaking to talking
about the famous pound cake that I bake, from scratch I might add.  The reason I
brought it up, is that there may be a varied number of things that you are capable of
doing well, that would brighten up the world of those around you.
You may grow beautiful flowers, and they certainly would brighten up someone’s day.
Let us face it, it is hard to look at a bouquet of flowers and not smile.  They seem to
always bring joy.  You may be a musician, and just think how many would be happy, if
you stopped by a nursing home and asked if you could go in and just play the piano for
an hour or two.
Maybe your gift is storytelling. Can you imagine how many children; in your local
Children’s Hospital would love for you to stop by, and let your imagination run wild, as
you capture their hearts with a great story.   Maybe sewing is your thing.  Winter is
coming.  Think of how many families are struggling to afford winter clothes, and
you have the ability to whip up a winter outfit, or a nice warm blanket in a flash.

You see this is how we love others tangibly.  It really does not matter what your gift or
talent is, what matters is that you use it.  God created every one of us uniquely
Differently.  He blessed us with these special abilities to be a blessing to others.  This is
One of the ways that we are to let our light shine.  Today use your gift to be a difference-maker, and bring a smile to the face of someone who could use a little happiness in his
or her life.  What a beautiful and happy world, it would be, if we all used our gifts and
talents the way God intended for them to be used.

Today I would like to dive into the action word Faith.  Let me start this lesson by asking; How strong is your faith? How strong is your commitment as a Christian, to the God that you serve?

I know that we all would like to think that we could withstand any test, no matter how difficult.  However,  the reality may be, that we may not really know how well we will do until we encounter the test. 

The Old Testament book of Habakkuk holds some of my favorite scriptures in the entire bible.  Habakkuk was a prophet who was clearly upset with the violence, lawlessness, injustice, and wickedness that was taking place in Judah during his time.  He went to the Lord in prayer,  asking out of apparent frustration; “How long, O Lord must I call for help?  But you do not listen!  “Violence is everywhere!”  I cry, but you do not come to save.  Habakkuh 1: 2 

I could totally relate to Habakkuk when he said “ How long, O Lord must I call for help?  I cry, but you do not come to save me.  Haven’t we all been there at one time or another?  I know I certainly have.   What I love about Habakkuk’s story is this:

1. He knew who to call out to when he needed help.  He was clear that God was the only one that could solve this problem.  He was a man of faith and he prayed faithfully.

2. He didn’t stop praying just because he had not received an answer.

3. When he received a response from God, he was willing to listen and he was willing to share his honest feelings with God.

4.  He knew the character of God.  When we know the character of God, it helps our faith in Him to grow stronger.  Habakkuk 1:13…

5. He remembered that historically God had been there to rescue his people in prior years.  When we are having a difficult time waiting for God,  it gives us so much hope, to recall what He has already done for us in the past.
 Habakkuk 3:2…

6. He was committed to being faithful to God,  no matter what came his way and to praise God in the process.  His mind was already made up, on what his response would be no matter the trial.  He clearly had faith in the One that he served.   I want to encourage you to do the same.  Make up your mind now, that no matter what, you will faithfully serve God.  Have faith that He will come through for you when He feels that it is best.
Habakkuk 3:17-19

In this life, we all will encounter so many twists and turns that we will not see coming, and the best way to be prepared for the unforeseen, is to walk closely with God.  Take Him as your partner in all that you do.  Stay in His word, meditating on it day and night.  Stay prayerful, by talking to Him at all times, in other words, pray without ceasing.  Most importantly, take a few minutes each day, to get still and listen for His voice, which usually comes in a whisper.
Regardless of the answer that God gives you, give Him praise.  This is truly the only way, to have faith like Habakkuk!

What Makes God Great Part 2

Daniel 4: 35
All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.
He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”
1st Chronicles 29: 10-14
¹⁰ David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
¹¹ Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
    for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
¹² Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
¹³ Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
¹⁴ “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.
Psalm 139: 7-10
⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Jeremiah 23:23-24
“Am I only a God nearby, ”declares the Lord,  “and not a God far away?
²⁴ Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? “declares the Lord.
   “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord.
Psalm 147:5
Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
Job 11: 7-9
“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
⁸ They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do?
    They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know?
⁹ Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.
Philippians 4:19
¹⁹ And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 1:3
³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
2nd Chronicles 20:6
⁶ and said: “Lord, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.
Proverbs 16:9
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
Psalm 50:7-12
“Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel:  I am God, your God.
⁸ I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
⁹ I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,
¹⁰ for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹ I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.
¹² If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
Psalm 102:12
But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations.
Ephesians 1:18-20
¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
1st Peter 1: 16
¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”^[a]
1st John 4:16
¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
Revelation 4: 8
⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’^[a]
who was, and is, and is to come.”

This Is Why God Is Great:

God is Eternal, there was no beginning and there will be no end to His existence.
God is Sovereign, He reigns supreme over all and He has the final say always.
God is Infinite, He is not limited by space and time as humans are.
God is Omnipresent. He is everywhere at the same time.
God is Omniscience. He knows everything, whether past present, or future. He knows it all.
God is Omnipotent. He has unlimited authority and power.
God Is Immutable.  God is unchanging.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
God is Self-Existent. He was not created as human beings were. His existence is by and of Himself, he relies on no one to sustain His existence.
God is Self-Sufficient.  He has the ability to take care of Himself.  He depends on no one.
God is Incomprehensible. No one can fully grasp or understand the mind of God.
God is Holy.  He is without blemish or sin. He is perfect!
God is Love. All that God does for us is from a place of love, He loves sacrificially.

What Makes God Great? Part 1 

Today I have decided to share on the greatness of God.  As you look at the title of today’s blog, it ask the question; What Makes God Great?  Well, I will have to say, that the short answer would be that He is great, because “He is God”, end of discussion.

However, I think that it would be more beneficial to my readers, for me to share what the scriptures have to say about the greatness of our God. This is a lot to take in at one time so this lesson has been written as part 1 and part 2.   Hopefully, through reading these scriptures you will be in absolute awe of our “Amazing God!”   He is greater than anything that we could possibly fully comprehend.
Now let’s dive into His word fully expecting to be blessed beyond measure. By the way, it’s ok to have a moment or two where you break out in praise to Him as you read these scriptures.
He is so worthy of all of our praise!

This Is Why God Is Great:

God is Eternal, there was no beginning and there will be no end to His existence.
God is Sovereign, He reigns supreme over all and He has the final say always.
God is Infinite, He is not limited by space and time as humans are.
God is Omnipresent. He is everywhere at the same time.
God is Omniscience. He knows everything, whether past present, or future. He knows it all.
God is Omnipotent. He has unlimited authority and power.
God Is Immutable.  God is unchanging.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
God is Self-Existent. He was not created as human beings were. His existence is by and of Himself, he relies on no one to sustain His existence.
God is Self-Sufficient.  He has the ability to take care of Himself.  He depends on no one.
God is Incomprehensible. No one can fully grasp or understand the mind of God.
God is Holy.  He is without blemish or sin. He is perfect!
God is Love. All that God does for us is from a place of love, He loves sacrificially.

Romans 11: 33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and^[a] knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ³⁴ “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”^[b]35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”^[c]36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Proverbs 16: 9
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
Psalm 115: 3
Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.
Isaiah 14: 24
²⁴ The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,  and as I have purposed, so it will happen.
Revelation 4: 11
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
Acts 17: 24-25
²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. ²⁵ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
Revelation 1: 8
⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Malachi 3: 6
⁶ “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.
Psalm 147: 5
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;  his understanding has no limit.
Psalm 145: 3
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
Hebrews 13: 8
⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Psalm 102: 27
But you remain the same, and your years will never end.
Romans 11:33
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and^[a] knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!