The Power of a Thankful Heart

God made the human brain. He made everything actually. He knows what we need. He knows what helps us. He understands Science. The act of being thankful has been shown to improve mood, and actually bring health to our physical bodies. 

Being thankful is more than just an idea, it is a conscious decision. It is a decisive act. It is something you do on purpose with your own will power and volition. It is something you do that can actually shift your mood and your mindset. I would compare it to working out. Being thankful releases endorphins in your brain and helps you feel better. 

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain 

What does the Bible say about being thankful?

2 Chronicles 5:13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: "He is good, His love endures forever." Then the temple of the Lord was filled with the cloud.

It looks like in this verse there is a cause and effect going on. It seems to read that if people give thanks to God with their voices, then God shows up. To sum it up, the verse basically says: if you join together to give thanks to the Lord, then the Lord's presence will show up. The last part of the verse about the "cloud" is just referencing the presence of the Lord. In the Old Testament when God would show up in the temple, there would be a cloud of glory to show people that His presence was with them.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. 

It looks like thankfulness can actually help heal anxiety. It looks like we are commanded to not be anxious, and the way we are going to be healed from anxiety is to be thankful. Anxiety is real. Anxiety sucks. But also, anxiety does not have to rule your brain or your emotions. Anxiety can be stopped and it is through thankfulness. God wouldn't command us to do something if we weren't able to do it. He literally commands us to not be anxious, which tells me that anxiety free living is possible. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

This verse is very straightforward. In everything, we are called to give thanks. It is God's will for us to give thanks, and I think He commands us to do it because He created it to be good for us. 

Psalm 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

This verse creates a picture in my head when I read it. Gates usually denote property boundaries. Usually gates are to protect what's inside. It says here that we can enter his gates with thanksgiving. So in my mind it seems to say that if we want to be inside God's property, we can walk through the gates by being thankful. Again, the same theme is laced through these verses. The more you express thankfulness the closer you will be to God's presence. Secret Message: thundercloud. 

We are going to take a moment to write a letter of gratitude to someone that helped you through something difficult in your life. I want you to write a letter to that person thanking then for anything and everything that comes to your mind. This activity of thankfulness is going to literally change the framework of your mind and allow you to become more natural at being thankful.

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