If we view the current world where it’s at - we see that Fear, Anxiety, Stress and Depression have become common place. Almost acceptable.
It’s taking a toll on our physical bodies, our mental health and ULTIMATELY .. our view of God because it clouds the reality of WHO God is … leaving us powerless in our worry.
Is this the legacy we want to leave our children? We will never live in a struggle free, chaos free world, as much as we would like to. As Passionate parents we have to find a way to successfully navigate our way through these emotions.
Be encouraged. There is one very effective tool that I want to equip you with today AND you can teach it to your children.
The practice of Thankfulness.
Let’s take a closer look.
1 Thess 5:18 NLT
“Be thankful in ALL circumstances, for this is GOD’s WILL for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
God not just commands us to be thankful … but He DESIGNED us to be Thankful
Being Thankful has POWERFUL life changing benefits that are “God designed” to impact our life … bringing clarity to our mind, health to our bodies and healing to our emotions!
★ Lets take a brief look at how THANKFULNESS benefits our SPIRIT ….
“Let EVERYTHING that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah!”
Psalms 150:6 CSB
“I will praise God’s name with song - and exalt him with thanksgiving.”
Psalms 69:30 CSB
Praise and thankfulness often go hand in hand when it comes to our spirit. Why? Because we naturally align our thinking with what we worship.
So when we Praise our God with a heart of Thankfulness toward Him - it exalts Him, Glorifies Him, Magnifies Him - releasing a LIFE GIVING POWER to our Human Spirit.
Praising God, thanking Him and acknowledging Him in all things - unlocks something in the supernatural that allows our physical lives to be touched by Gods power and His miraculous hand.
Psalm 22:3 Shows us that God inhabits the praises of His people.
What a beautiful design - that God would dwell in our praises, inhabiting our Spirit, and this UNION between His Holy Spirit and our human spirit gives us the power to overcome!! Let’s teach this to our children!
★ What effect does Thankfulness have on our BODY …
The Bible actually points to the benefits of a joyful heart, a thankful heart and an obedient heart … and how it brings health to our bodies!!
Proverbs 17:22 AMP
“A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing,
Proverbs 3:7-8 AMP
"…. Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil. It will be health to your body [your marrow, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles—all your inner parts] And refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones.”
How good is that!
As believers we should be doing this all the time - Living in awe and thankfulness of who He is….…and the best part is that it produces A JOY that brings health to our actual physical body. What a wonderful exercise to teach our children!
★ Lastly, a Quick Look at the benefits of thankfulness for our MIND..
2 Cor 10:5
"we take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ".
We are called to action here … by CHOOSING, to put on the mind of Christ, and with intention, discarding anything that does not glorify God. (In other words, taking responsibility for our thoughts.)
Phil 4:8 tells us what HEALTHY THINKING looks like.
“…..Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
Proverbs 12:25 TPT also says ..
“Anxious fear brings depression, but a life-giving word of encouragement (FOUND ALL THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE) can do wonders to restore joy to the heart.”
I will FINISH WITH THIS FUN FACT …. Dr Carolyn Leaf is a famous neuroscientist and Christ follower and she talks about what happens to the mind/brain when
we are Thankful, and When we speak gratitude OUT LOUD and when we Worship!!
When we do these things …. gamma waves are created in our brain that bring an increase in BPNF, which is a neurotransmitter that helps us grow healthy brain cells. … this in turn actually help us feel the presence of God and gives us a PHYSICAL BOOST in the following ...
- cognitive functioning,
- learning,
- memory, and
- information processing.
God DESIGNED us to be thankful - to worship Him and live lives full of gratitude. And when we do - we reap the benefits to our mind our body and our spirit.
Amazing!!
As we raise our families and point our children to the reality and power of Jesus - let’s make room for thankfulness in our world. Let’s show them the way through the chaos by reminding them of who they are in Christ, and what they have because of Him. After all, Thankfulness IS God-designed to bring health to our mind, body and human spirit.
Hallelujah!