‘’No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.’’

I want to draw our attention to what the scripture is saying here so that, we don’t read wrong meanings into it and think that it is scriptural. The chapter says ‘’Give thanks in everything’’ not for everything! We cannot give thanks for evil, for wickedness, unrighteousness or anything that is contrary to the will of God. But we can give thanks in everything. Every good and perfect gift comes from God. Even the darts the enemy throws at us to bring us down but God turned it around, gives us more reasons to give thanks to God in everything, not for everything. Why? Because the scripture says, ‘‘all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose’’  [Romans 8: 28 KJV].

All things – the good, the bad and the ugly; what the enemy meant for evil, God will turn it around and use it as a tool to promote us and advance His purpose on earth. That is why we have to give God thanks in every situation we find ourselves. Because no matter how ugly things are; if we love God He will turn things around for us and glorify His name and advance His righteous plans for our lives. So the question is not about what we are going through in life, because we are not yet in heaven; where there will be no more sorrow or pain. Jesus said in the world we will have tribulations, but if we love Him and are living in the light of His divine will, no matter what the enemy unleashes on us, He will turn it around for our good and make it a blessing.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4: 8 –15 [TLB] ‘’ We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going… so it is clear to all that it is only the living Christ within who keeps us safe.  Yes, we live under constant danger to our lives because we serve the Lord, but this gives us constant opportunities to show forth the power of Jesus Christ within our dying bodies… We boldly say what we believe, trusting God to care for us, just as the psalm writer did when he said, “I believe and therefore I speak …”

Many times people talk about Paul’s exploits of faith as if he dropped from heaven; they don’t talk about the confessions of some of the challenges he faced. Yes, we don’t like negative confessions but the Bible is real. Paul said, “We are pressed on all sides…” He would have said we are okay there is nothing disturbing us! But he said don’t deceive yourself, ^’’We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken…”

That is the mentality of winners; people who win in life do not believe that you can ever come to a place where there are no challenges. They are prepared regardless and by the grace of God, they always get to where they are going.

Another scripture on point is Romans 8: 35 – 39 [TLB]: ‘’Who then can ever keep Christ’s love from us? When we have trouble or calamity, when we are hunted down or destroyed, is it because he doesn’t love us anymore? And if we are hungry or penniless or in danger or threatened with death, has God deserted us? No, for the Scriptures tell us that for his sake we must be ready to face death at every moment of the day… but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us. For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love… all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow… nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.’’

We are supposed to grow above childish mentality, which some people are teaching from the pulpit; that if we have certain challenges, it means God is no more with us; He has forsaken us. Go through the Bible and see what people who loved God and served Him faithfully went through. However, they stood their ground and held unto their relationship with God. The challenges they had in life drove them even closer to God and not away from Him. And so the victory we are talking about is not just victory in the sense that we overcame miraculously, it is also victory regardless of what the enemy throws at us.

This is the lifestyle that God meant for us to live on a permanent basis. This is the kind of life that God has called us to live in Christ. It is not something you do once in a while and it is a mentality and a way of life so that you become unstoppable regardless of what the enemy is doing. God will continue to be with us, will continue to move us from one level to the other; not that problems are not there but in the face of the problems, just like David said, ‘’Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me [Psalm 23: 4 KJV].

Some people say if God is with you the devil will not come near, but David said while my enemies are around and watching, ‘’Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over….” [Psalm 23: 5. KJV].

2 Samuel 7: 1 – 2. [KJV] says, ‘’When the Lord finally sent peace upon the land, and Israel was no longer at war with the surrounding nations, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look! Here I am living in this beautiful cedar palace while the Ark of God is out in a tent!” Go ahead with what you have in mind,” Nathan replied, “for the Lord is with you.’’

From the scripture above, for many years Israel had not known peace but finally God brought Israel to a place of peace and tranquility and a beautiful palace was built for David. For some of us, we would have dismissed it as nothing. But David never forgot where God has brought him from and so he desired to show appreciation by building a temple for the lord. But that was not what God wanted; so God spoke to Nathan about it and Nathan went back to David and told him that God wants his son to build the temple and not him. Some of us would have jumped; thank God and be very happy that we have done our best and God understands! David did not stop there, he said although God won’t allow me to build; I am going to gather all the materials in place for my son [Solomon] to build. That is somebody that refused to be stopped from expressing his gratitude to God. And after the man of God had told him more of the things that will happen, David went into the temple of God and sat down quietly alone. After a while he began to ask God why He stopped him from building the temple. At the end of it David offered yet another great sacrifice by gathering the people to celebrate the goodness of God.

Solomon imitated his father’s lifestyle: ‘’And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father… Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee’’ [1kings 3: 3 – 5. KJV].

All of these people did not do the things they did because they were looking for blessings from God; that was not their motive. Is it bad to expect blessings from God? The answer is an emphatic NO but our relationship with God should not be transactional. David was overwhelmed by all the things God did for him and thought of what to do to reciprocate the goodness of God. Same with Solomon his son; there was never a time he contemplated blessings before he made the sacrifice to God. Every other thing he did was out of the love he had for God. He offered a thousand burnt offerings and that same night; God visited him and said, “Ask me anything that you want and I will do it for you” [paraphrased].

‘’And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people, which thou hast chosen, a great people that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord…  And God said unto him, Because thou hast… not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days…
And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream…”   [1kings 3: 6 – 15 KJV].

Accordingly, our relationship with God should be based on love, loving Him for who He is, responding to God for what He has done for us through Christ. When we live like this there is no limit to what God can do in our lives and He will take care of even things we didn’t pray for.

QUOTE:

“That is the mentality of winners; people who win in life do not believe that you can ever come to a place where there are no challenges.’