for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

No matter what you ask God for, you need to ask with an attitude of gratitude. You can ask God for whatever you need, but do it with a thankful heart for what he has already done.

The Bible says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). This past Sunday I talked about “Divine Decisions” and how we want God to give us all the answers to life – but he NEVER promised that. He said he would give us the wisdom to make the right choices.

What I’ve found that helps me through the tough times and with all of those difficult life decisions – is being grateful.

Be grateful for what God has already given you—your life, friends, family, mind, freedom, basic needs, and livelihood. Everything you have is a gift from God! Be grateful for all of it.

The Bible says to give thanks in all circumstances. Notice it does not say to give thanks for all circumstances. There is a huge, huge difference. There are a lot of things in life you should not be thankful for. I know for me I’m not thankful for some things I’m going through right now.

The scripture says to give thanks in every circumstance, not for, because God can turn things around and bring good even out of bad things. There is so much bad in our world today, but the God we serve is bigger than all those things. He can bring promises out of pain, blessings out of suffering, and resurrections out of death. So, no matter what you’re going through – it will get better.

God has a plan for your life. He can use everything in your life for good. The pain and suffering is not going to last forever. And he will use even the hardest things and situations in your life to build your character.

Do you know what will help you be thankful in all things? When bad things happen, don’t ask, “Why is this happening to me?” Instead, ask, “God, what do you want me to learn from this? How can I grow from this? What can I do better in the future?”

When you learn from God through these tough times, you grow to be more like Christ. Then you’ll be able to see how he is working in your life and give him thanks in all circumstances.

Blessings,

Pastor Bob

Sunday, July 17th,

Divine Direction.

This past Sunday was an emotional message for me. I believe God has been giving me these recent messages - not just for me, but for our entire congregation and extended church family that view through our YouTube Channel.

This Sunday, I will continue with the third message in this series - "The Confidence to Know!"

We need to have the confidence in our decisions that can only come from our faith in God. Our heavenly father only has GOOD THINGS in store for us. He has ONLY a good future.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

We need to remember that God loves us and cares for us - especially when it comes to making decisions.

Sunday, I'll share with you how we can harness the Bible to help us make those all-important daily decisions that guide and direct our lives into the future.