Too many people offer God prayers with claw marks all over them.
Author unknown
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
[FONT=Times New Roman] For as high as the heavens are above the earth,[/FONT]
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:10-12 NASB
Have you ever made a gratitude list? That would be a list of people, things, events, situations, and anything else that you are grateful for. I recommend it. In the back of my Narcotics Anonymous book on a blank page I have a gratitude list. I made the list several years ago at a time when I was overwhelmed by circumstances in my life. At that time I had just been diagnosed with a liver disorder and was feeling very low. After years of drinking and drugging the free rent on my body was over and it was time to pay up. At the time I was two years clean and sober and I thought why does this have to happen to me now. The very first thing that I did was run to my church where I found the youth pastor Jesse, and I asked for him to anoint me with oil and agree with me in prayer. Jesse being a man of God agreed and grabbed his bible and we headed for the oil bottle. As we walked down the hallway toward the sanctuary, Jesse read the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, where there is found a listing of the blessings and cursings of God. Its all about obedience. We agreed with the Word of God, he put the oil on my head, and we prayed the prayer of faith. I received my healing that day, but it was five years later before the physical healing came about. And then it came about by medical doctors, agreeing with the Word of God, and many prayers. It took all available sources. Today to my gratitude list I add healing. The reason I mention my gratitude list is because it is a wonderful tool in leveling out the low spots in our lives. We have so many things to be grateful for that can get buried when other less enjoyable thoughts seem to consume all our waking and even sleeping hours. Sometimes its good to remind ourselves that there are those out there that love us unconditionally. I screwed up many times in my life, but my Mom and my Granny never stopped loving me. They are both gone today, but God has made sure that the love other family and friends is evident in my life. They are on my gratitude list. I am grateful for the unconditional love of God and the fact that I have been forgiven. I am grateful for living in a country that allows me to worship God. It is easy to take this for granted. I am grateful for my sobriety. Each day is a new day where the grace of God abounds. I am very grateful to be able to share my experiences, strengths and hopes with others, and I am grateful for others that share the same with me. When I count my blessings and put them on my gratitude list, I find that what God has done for me will balance the scales of life in the right positive direction. I have gratitude because God has done for me what I could not do for myself ..JRE
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases.
Psalm 103:2-3 NASB
Author unknown
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
[FONT=Times New Roman] For as high as the heavens are above the earth,[/FONT]
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalm 103:10-12 NASB
Have you ever made a gratitude list? That would be a list of people, things, events, situations, and anything else that you are grateful for. I recommend it. In the back of my Narcotics Anonymous book on a blank page I have a gratitude list. I made the list several years ago at a time when I was overwhelmed by circumstances in my life. At that time I had just been diagnosed with a liver disorder and was feeling very low. After years of drinking and drugging the free rent on my body was over and it was time to pay up. At the time I was two years clean and sober and I thought why does this have to happen to me now. The very first thing that I did was run to my church where I found the youth pastor Jesse, and I asked for him to anoint me with oil and agree with me in prayer. Jesse being a man of God agreed and grabbed his bible and we headed for the oil bottle. As we walked down the hallway toward the sanctuary, Jesse read the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, where there is found a listing of the blessings and cursings of God. Its all about obedience. We agreed with the Word of God, he put the oil on my head, and we prayed the prayer of faith. I received my healing that day, but it was five years later before the physical healing came about. And then it came about by medical doctors, agreeing with the Word of God, and many prayers. It took all available sources. Today to my gratitude list I add healing. The reason I mention my gratitude list is because it is a wonderful tool in leveling out the low spots in our lives. We have so many things to be grateful for that can get buried when other less enjoyable thoughts seem to consume all our waking and even sleeping hours. Sometimes its good to remind ourselves that there are those out there that love us unconditionally. I screwed up many times in my life, but my Mom and my Granny never stopped loving me. They are both gone today, but God has made sure that the love other family and friends is evident in my life. They are on my gratitude list. I am grateful for the unconditional love of God and the fact that I have been forgiven. I am grateful for living in a country that allows me to worship God. It is easy to take this for granted. I am grateful for my sobriety. Each day is a new day where the grace of God abounds. I am very grateful to be able to share my experiences, strengths and hopes with others, and I am grateful for others that share the same with me. When I count my blessings and put them on my gratitude list, I find that what God has done for me will balance the scales of life in the right positive direction. I have gratitude because God has done for me what I could not do for myself ..JRE
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases.
Psalm 103:2-3 NASB