Thankfulness

This is beautiful and so very helpful for me.

"I have purposed to try to live in such a way that nothing ever gets bigger than my consciousness of God's presence. Sometimes conflict can be as simple as bad news on TV. If it starts to weigh on my heart and grow bigger than my awareness of God, I consciously turn my affection toward Him to become more aware of His presence...I can't just know in my head that He's bigger; I have to have my entire being in a position where I am aware of His presence and expect His world to invade my life and circumstances. If I don't sustain this expectation, I will expect other forces to be the prime movers in my life and will begin to live defensively instead of offensively...When I stay close to the presence of God through thanksgiving, I not only become aware of His absolute ability to invade the impossible, I sense His radical love and delight in me! As I give thanks for the good gifts He's put in my life, I present convincing evidence that He is my Father, He is for me, and His opinion pretty much cancels out all the others. The wonderful thing is that when we simply begin to give thanks, even when it seems difficult to remember one answered prayer, it isn't too long before our focus on the good in our lives creates an opening for the Lord's joy." Bill Johnson, Strengthen Yourself in the Lord, pp.60-61

This is so encouraging to me. I want to live my life as a thankful person, where the presence of the Lord is always more tangible to me than my circumstances or difficulties (or perceived difficulties). I don't always succeed in this. I have often let my emotions rule my thoughts, which then affects what I do and don't do. But God is changing me, and I trust that He will continue to change me!