Praise before Progress

Well, it has been a while since I have felt like I needed to write a blog, but I felt the need tonight. I am going to share what has been on my heart. The biggest thing here lately has been being thankful. I know that sounds so easy to some but I think sometimes we forget what being thankful truly is. Its not just something that we do when we feel like it but its something we have to wake up every morning and decide to do. I am no where near perfect on this and I fail everyday but thank God he has been showing me where I am weak. Where we are weak, he is strong. I woke up this morning at 4am and as most of the people in TN the thought of "Man, it is cold in here" crossed my mind as I was too lazy to get up to turn on my heater. As I laid there God spoke to me as plain as anyone else did today and said Yes, it is cold but there are my people out around you homeless that are 10x colder with no blanket and no pillow. 

WOW, that will make you thankful really fast and humble you at the same time. 

Sometimes its the little things and sometimes its the big things. 

I think sometimes we do not focus on what we say through our words. I have learned that SO much relies on what we speak to ourselves and to others. There is power in our words. I believe that if we really knew and understood how much power was placed in our words we would use them more wisely and we would not say a lot of the things we say. Our words have to power to kill or build up. They can encourage or they can discourage. They can give life or they can take it away. 

Sometimes we go through things in life where the first thing we really want to do is complain and say God, why me? Why are THEY having to go through this? Why is this happening? & While we are asking these questions our mouth gets away with us and we may believe in our heart that God is in control but our mouth is not telling that story. God has promised protection, grace, love, mercy, health and prosperity to his people. He has promised that all things work together for the good of those who love HIM and are called according to his purpose. This does not mean things will always be easy or that things will always be good, BUT it does mean that God is going to turn it around and make it good in some way because he loves us. He has given us so much and wants to give us so much more and heal what is broken and mend what needs mended but we have to focus on him and watch our words and where we allow our minds to go. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. We have to trust and have Faith that our God is bigger, greater and stronger than anything we will ever face. Just when we think we know a glimpse of how good he is... he gets even better :)