“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God requires us all to give thanks in all circumstances. One might say that it is easier said than done. However when we become mature in Christ and have a full understanding of Who God is and how He works, this becomes fairly easy. This is because understanding God more and developing a close relationship with God enables us to serve God for who He is rather than what He does for us or what He can give us.

What good is it to give thanks to God if we only do it when it suits us and when all is well with us?
Which is why we should remember that we are giving thanks IN the circumstance not for the circumstance

For prayer and reflection:
Dear Lord, please give me the courage to give thanks to you in whatever situation I may find myself.
Amen

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Most of the time we take for granted how patient and merciful God is with us each time we sin and fall short of his glory. God is always gentle, humble and patient with us despite our many flaws because of his love for us. As a result he expects us to do the same and cut others some slack just like he does for us so that they may also experience the love of God.



Prayer and reflection:

Dear Lord, in this week help me to be humble, gentle and bear with others in love just as you do for me. Give me opportunities where I will be required to be completely humble in order to be patient With others and when these opportunities come, remind me of this scripture and give me the strength to be able to put it into practice for your Glory. Amen!

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm‬ ‭37:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To delight in the Lord means to take pleasure in Him and find fulfillment in Him. This also means  loving Him with all your heart,  doing what pleases Him and living according to His will. David said “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. David compared to Saul was a man after God’s own heart because He took delight in God and he was rewarded for it. 

When we delight in the Lord, His desires and the things He takes pleasure in becomes Ours. As a result we begin to walk in His perfect will thereby having a sense of an unexplainable joy, peace, happiness and fulfillment deep within us. Life becomes more about God and less about us.

Prayer and Reflection:

Dear Lord, from today onwards help me to take pleasure in and to only desire the things that pleases you. So that all the desires of my heart will be fulfilled and I will be fully satisfied in you.
This I pray in Jesus name Amen! 🙏🏽

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭16:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

One thing I've realised is that things don't usually go according to how I plan for them to turn out. Sometimes I make plans in my mind, pray and ponder over them before I set off to carry them out only for things to turn out unexpectedly, sometimes with outcomes which I didn’t even think were an option. It doesn't necessarily mean they turned out bad, it just means God had greater plans.

Prayer and reflection:

This week, as you set out to do your day to day activities each day, ask God to help you to remember that although you make your own plans in your heart and mind, it is Him who orders your steps. I pray that the Holy Spirit will continually remind you of this so that you will not be discouraged and will not lose faith when things, especially ones which you've vigorously prayed about in hope of how you wanted them to turn out doesn’t go as planned.

So as you go through your week, don't forget to seek the Lord first in everything that you do and always remember that “when my plans fail, God has greater ones for me".

Amen