Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6–7 (NKJV)
Thankfulness has so many incredible effects on our lives. Besides helping grow our faith and preventing a fear of lack, gratitude also refocuses our attitude, pushing out anxiety to replace it with peace.
You see, it’s easy to find problems. If the enemy manages to get us murmuring and complaining, our focus stays on the negative. We become problem-focused and develop an attitude that turns people off. But when we practice gratitude instead, that thankful attitude becomes an attractive force! In fact, developing a culture of thankfulness, not one focused on fault-finding or fixing everyone else, can cause our relationships, homes and businesses to move to the next level!
Acts 16:16–34 shows us a powerful example of thankfulness in the midst of trouble. Imprisoned, whipped and bleeding, with stocks clamped around their feet in a dungeon, Paul and Silas choose to pray and sing hymns to God. Despite severe pain and hardship, they focused not on themselves but on God and His ability. Because of that, their hearts maintained an incredible level of peace and joy that touched lives and saw them ultimately freed from jail! In spite of huge problems, thankfulness opened the doorway to peace and the miraculous.
Now, you don’t need to give thanks for sickness, poverty or problems. But through it all, the choice to continually give thanks is yours, and “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your [heart] and [mind] through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7, NKJV).