Stay Positive; Things Could Always Be Worse

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The challenge of every Christian is to live every day and every hour of their life with the purpose of fulfilling God’s will… This doesn’t mean simply inquiring about God’s will, but executing the very steps outlined in today’s devotional scriptures… We are called to rejoice, pray and give thanks in all circumstances… The part we tend to lose sight of is the “in all circumstances” as we find ourselves from time to time becoming distracted by situations both positive and negative and ultimately losing sight of what God’s will is… Understand today that it is very easy and even natural to rejoice when things are pleasant; it can become second nature to pray when things become difficult and we can bear thanksgiving when we hear things which we have longed for… But how do we handle the opposite; are we able to rejoice when things or situation are unpleasant? 

Can you continue to pray to the Father when the storm has left your doorstep? Can you give thanks when you don’t receive what you desire…? These are the questions that we must ask ourselves today knowing that we are to live these points in every area and situation of our lives. As a Christian we are to rejoice no matter what, we are to pray without ceasing and we are to be thankful for everything… God has a plan for you and it is perfect, you rejoice because your Master is in control, you pray because this is your communication line directly to the father and you remain thankful because things could always be worse… Paul says that it is the will of God that you adhere to these 3 things; in understanding that this is the will of God we will know that there must be power in the combination of these acts… It is through the rejoicing, praying and thanksgiving that we humble ourselves and unleash God’s authority in our lives… This is why we must do these acts in all circumstances… The enemy has so many snares laid out along our pathways each and every day that if we are not careful we will not only slip up, but we will lose sight of the ability we have in releasing God’s power into our situations… The greatest example is when we incur the unexpected and seek resolution with our own finite hands… 

We give thanks, we pray and we rejoice always because we don’t want to give the enemy a foothold (Ephesians 4:27)… This is another reason why we are called to live these three words; God doesn’t want you to become complacent and forget how to pray or be thankful when the enemy comes in like a flood… When we display these three things we are not only growing in Christ, but we are shifting the very atmosphere around us… Paul starts of this chapter by speaking about the Day of Christ; He talks about those in Christ being children of the day, while those who are not align themselves with darkness. He goes on to speak about those who drink and sleep and how they do it at night. The Day of Christ will come as a surprise to those who are aligned in darkness… We, being of the day can rejoice, pray and give thanks because we know that our Savior is coming back to Judge… This world is not my Eternal Home and to die is gain… We all know that weeping may endure for a night, but even if this last beyond a natural day, we in Christ rejoice knowing that the Morning (day) will come… Always walk in the will of God, because I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18).

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!