Count Your Blessings

God’s Secret Weapon for a Life of Joy

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psalm 100:4 (NIV)

I sometimes refer to today’s lesson as the secret weapon for staying full of joy. I think it often gets overlooked, but it’s tremendously important. Maintaining a thankful mindset is a major way to transform any bad day.

Hebrews 13:15 (AMPC) says, Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.

When do we offer thanksgiving? At all times and in every situation! It may feel like a sacrifice at first. But when we do, we enter into a place where the enemy can’t control us. How can he control us if we are going to be joyful and thankful no matter what our circumstances are?

Be a grateful person—one who is filled with gratitude not only toward God, but also toward people. When someone does something nice for you, let him know that you appreciate it.

I appreciate my husband; we have been married a long time, but I still tell him that I appreciate him. He is a very patient man in many ways and has a lot of other really good qualities. I know that it helps build and maintain good relationships to let people know that we appreciate them and even mentioning certain things specifically that we are thankful for.

Expressing appreciation is not only good for the other person, but it is good for us, because it releases joy in us. I encourage you to meditate daily on all the things you have to be thankful for. Rehearse them to the Lord in prayer, and as you do you will find your heart filling up with life and light.

Walk It Out: Today, we’re going to count our blessings! Take 5-10 minutes and jot down things you are grateful for—as many as you can think of. Then, talk to the Lord and give thanks for the things you wrote down. Finally, reach out to at least one person to share your gratitude for something they have done.