Fight the Fight with Thankfulness

One way the Lord has been using His word in my life lately is convicting of my unthankful heart.  I would have told you that  I'm a pretty thankful person before I saw my sin so clearly.  

I was thinking on several different sins I'd been struggling with for quite some time and quite frequently, when I realized they were really the symptoms of my real sin struggle.  I was viewing my frustration, sassiness, discontentment, and negative words as separate things.  

However they were all symptoms of my unthankful heart.  Unthankfulness was the root. The behavior simply the thorns.  

How about you?  What's the root of your sharp tongue, impatience, or envy?  The frustration with your friends or husband, the envy and discontentment that Pinterest and fb bring- is it because you are straying from a very basic discipline of Christianity- to be thankful.  We are actually commanded to be thankful, and we have much to be thankful about! 

I'm terribly guilty of putting bandaids on my sin.  I see a sin in my life, and I attempt to pull my self up by my boot straps and change my behavior.  The beauty and truth of the Gospel is there are NO boot straps to pull.  And it isn't simply my behavior that needs changing, even thought my behavior will change as a result.  It is a heart change that I need first.  

Through confessing my sins, repenting, and seeking wisdom from His word, friends, and the church, the Lord changes us through Christ! 

THE POINT: 

Combat your envious thoughts with thankfulness for the Lord's provision.

Combat your discontent with thankfulness for what the Lord has placed in your life.

Combat your selfishness with thankfulness for the cross. 

Combat your anxiety with thankfulness that He never changes and provides for those that love Him! 

Find specific scripture to combat your specific struggle.  Pick one place you struggle and ask the Lord to help you combat your sin with thankfulness for the next month. Put them on mirrors, cards, in the shower, on phone reminders, or some coasters!!! :) 

 When we feel our hearts with thankfulness, our sinful thoughts wither.  

So, put your armor on, dear sister, and battle for the sake of the Gospel! 

Verses on Our Thankful Coasters: 

"...but be filled with the Spirit...giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." -Ephesians 5:15-20

"And now we thank you our God, and praise your glorious name." -1 Chronicles 29:13

"Let them thank the LORD for His steadfast love for His wondrous works to the children of man!" -Psalm 107:8

"Sing praises to the LORD, O you saints, and give thanks to His holy name." -Psalm 30:4

Ephesians 5:4, Colossians 2:6-7

And so it begins...

I feel a little odd to tell the truth.  I'm starting a blog.  Weird.  I can remember when the masses began blogging.  My "When I was kid..." stories have already begun! 

I've considered starting a blog every now and then over the years, but couldn't decide if it was something I should do.  Plus, there are SO many wonderful blogs out there, who needs one more?!

However through our recent adventures and having friends and family all over the map, my desire to blog has grown immensely. 

 Since so many of my friends, that are so close to my heart, are SO far away, I thought I might could send a bit of encouragement your way via blog! 

My hope is that this blog will serve as an encouragement in your pursuit of righteousness and fear of the Lord!  I plan to just share my heart chatter on the Word, struggles, and the Lord's unending faithfulness!  

Dear sisters in the faith (and brothers if you're reading), remember the Gospel and be encouraged.  

 "Because His steadfast love is better than life; my lips will praise His name!" -Psalm 63:3 

We know His steadfast love is better than life because we read it in the Word. We know it to be true because we experience His goodness. But what about when we don't "feel it?"

One of the most amazing things about the beauty of the Gospel and God's character is, that it stays true even when it doesn't "feel" true.  Think about that for a second.  The Gospel and God stay true even when they don't feel true.

When we're overtaken by our anxious, sinful thoughts, when the fallen world puts our hearts in a blender, and when we feel like that kid on the beach caught in the onslaught of breaking waves on the sand...His steadfast love IS better than life! He does not change.  He does not falter.  He is steadfast.

Praising His glorious Name,
Mallory