“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~Romans 15:13
Inner peace comes from gratitude, the simple act of counting your blessings will produce peace of mind. You might consider yourself to be a very positive person, so, you might ask, why should I count my blessings if I’m already good to go? Most people think that positive thinking is believing that everything will always work out great. However, true positive, or Godly thinking is focusing on God rather than things. It’s believing that He is control of everything, and then thanking Him for everything in your life, for all the blessings that you already have, and trusting that whatever He allows is for your own good. It’s literally thanking God for everything, both the good and the bad!
More than just counting our blessings, we need to acknowledge and accept all that Jesus suffered for. Yes, He died for our sins so that we might spend eternity with Him, but He also suffered so that we might live this life to the fullest as well.
"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." ~John 10:10
He suffered to take our griefs, our sickness,and our sorrows. He was beaten so we could be healed. He was punished for our crimes so that we might have peace. He was wounded for our transgressions; our sin and disobedience—He died for the evil iniquity, the sinful wickedness of all—so that we might all live with Him eternally.
"Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” ~Isaiah 53:4-6
Jesus is telling us that He wants us to accept these gifts that He freely suffered to give to us, the gifts of joy, health, and peace! If we don’t grab hold of and accept these incredible blessings, we are literally throwing them back in His face. That breaks my heart—to think that He wants to give me these gifts and I would choose to leave these most valuable things behind.
Above all else, I gratefully accept the gift of peace. This is the most important thing in this life. I would never want to go back to my anxious, frustrated way of existing. I pray regularly; “Thank you, dear Jesus, for the peace that you fill me with. Please keep me in your care and fill my heart with your love today.”
I also take hold of my perfect health first thing every morning and the last thing every night when I pray this prayer; “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for my perfect health, I am so grateful that I am healthy from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.” And of course, I try to do my part by doing those things that He tells us in His word, living a healthy lifestyle to the best of my ability according to the many insights the Bible gives us.
I gratefully accept the free gift of joy that I feel in my heart just for knowing Him. His love is the thing that keeps me happy no matter what my situation might be. The knowledge that I have an all-loving God with me, 24/7 is what ultimately produces a sense of pure, perfect peace—knowing that I am safe no matter how crazy or out of control things might appear.
Every morning when I wake up, I thank God for another day. The minute my eyes open and I realize it’s morning, I talk to Him in a state of heartfelt gratitude; “Thank you, Jesus, for this day, help me to live it to the fullest. Help me to see all of the good and resist the bad. Put the people in my path that you want me to speak to, and please put the words in my mouth that you want me to say. Please help me to be a better daughter today. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for yet another day of life.”
I always speak His name when I pray these prayers. I do this for two very important reasons. I believe there is tremendous power in the name of Jesus, I believe the universe harkens when His name is spoken, and I also do this because He said to. There is no other way to access God, Jesus is the only way. There are nearly twenty different verses that tell us to pray in Jesus’ name. If Jesus tells me to do something . . . I’m gonna do it!
"And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” ~ Colossians 3:17
Q: Are you ready to live in gratitude?
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