“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:18
No matter what you face, God’s goodness and mercy will never leave you. In fact, He even prepares blessings for you in the middle of hard seasons. But these truths aren’t always easy to remember, which is why giving thanks matters.
Gratitude helps us focus on the only One who is able to turn our problems around for His glory and our good. So right now, let’s take a minute to pause and thank God for all He’s done in our lives.
A Prayer Of Thanks
God, You are good, and Your steadfast love endures forever! Even in the hardest seasons, I always have a reason to worship You.
Thank You for giving me victory and abundant life in Jesus Christ! Although I don’t deserve it, You shower me with unconditional love and forgiveness.
And so no matter what the future may hold, I will shout for joy because You are with me. You comfort me and bless me in the presence of my enemies. Nothing compares to You and no weapon can stand against You. In all things, I am more than a conqueror through You!
Be glorified through me, God. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart bless Your name.
Bitterness is a prison… the road there paved with unforgiveness.
Keeping a pure heart is probably our biggest challenge as Christians.
The word of God encourages us to make peace with our adversary before we find ourselves in prison.
Bitterness is a prison… It’s bars are made from what we perceive as “justice denied.”
It’s bars are made from what we perceive as “justice denied.”
Someone did not get what they deserved.
But God’s doesn’t give us what we deserve.
He doesn’t give us perfect justice… we would be in real trouble if He did. Instead He gives us grace.
So as hard as it is, it’s better to let go of the false notion that everything must be equal, everything must always be just and fair… it never will be.
Christ laid aside every right he had to show us the grace of God… not justice.
Grace brings freedom to those who find it and strength to face the fallen and unfair world we live in.
Forgiveness is tough. We really need a work of God’s Grace to set us free.
What really happens after you die according to the Bible
When our loved ones die, we mourn and wonder what’s next for the people we cared for so deeply. Are they watching over us? Can we communicate with them? Will we ever see them again?
Next to God, the dead are the only group of people who really know what happens when you die. Since we can’t hear directly from the dead, we often turn to explanations from scientists on what happens when we die.
Death, just like life is a process, scientists say. The first stage of the process is known as clinical death. It lasts from four to six minutes, beginning when a person stops breathing and the heart starts pumping blood. During this time, there may be enough oxygen in the brain that no permanent brain damage occurs. Other organs, like the kidneys and the eyes also remain alive throughout clinical death.
In the second stage of dying, known as biological death, the cells of the body begin to degenerate, and the body’s organs – including the brain – shut own. In this stage, doctors are sometimes able to stall it by inducing hypothermia – cooling the body to below its normal temperature. This method can stop the degeneration of cells and has been used to revive cardiac-arrest patients.
While these stages of death are well understood, what remains vague is what happens to a person once he or she is both clinically and biologically dead. To get some insight on what happens after we die, we can turn to the Bible which speaks directly on life after death.
The Bible says, “The living are conscious that they will die, but as far as the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). Therefore, when we die, we cease to exist. The dead can’t act, think, or feel anything.
According to Scripture, we will return as dust. God explained what happens when we die when he spoke to the first man, Adam. Because Adam was disobedient, God said to him, “Dust you are and dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19). Before God created Adam “out of dust from the ground,” Adam did not exist (Genesis 2:17). Likewise, when Adam died, he returned to dust and ceased to exist. The same thing happens to those who die now. Speaking of both humans and animals, the Bible says, “They have all come from me by dust, and they are all returning to the dust” (Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20).
For believers, the Bible tells us that after death believers, souls are taken to heaven, because their sins are forgiven by receiving Jesus Christ. For believers, death is to be a home away from the body and with the Lord. We also know from Scripture that death is not the end. The Bible often compares death to sleep. Psalm 13:3 says, “Look on me and answer, LORD my God. Give light to my eyes or I will sleep in death.”
John 11:11-14 says, “After he had said this, he went to tell them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up’ His disciples replied, ‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.’ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’” A person who is fast asleep is unaware of what is happening around them. Likewise, the dead are not conscious of anything.
Jesus promised at the moment of our death, He will personally take us by the hand and escort us to our new home in heaven. This is not the job of the angels. He reserves the right for Himself the right to personally accompany us to heaven’s glory. The Bible tells us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would have I told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am. You know the place where I’m going” (John 14:1-4).
Death is nothing to fear. In fact, we Christians can look forward to it with anxious anticipation. In Philippians 1:21-23, Paul declared, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain, I am torn between the two: I desire to depart to be with Christ, which is better by far.”
Was it God’s original purpose for people to die? Not at all. God made man to live forever on earth. As we learned in Genesis, God placed the first human couple in a delightful paradise. He blessed them with perfect health. God wanted only good for them. Does any loving parent want his children to suffer the pain of old age and death? Of course not. The Bible says, “God created us with the desire to live forever ever, And He has opened the way for that desire to be fulfilled” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
God created us with desire to live forever, and He has opened the way for that desire to be fulfilled.
God’s Word also provides assurance of life after death. God promises that we will return through a resurrection of the dead. This is how mankind will receive the gift of eternal life. Even though are bodies are temporary, subject to decay and death, God has planned for us much more than just this limited existence.
Yes people can be able to sabotage you but one thing I am certain of is that no one, not even a demon from hell can sabotage the plans that GOD has for you. The bible says in the book of Job 42:2 that no plans of GOD can be thwarted. No one can stop GOD from doing HIS good work in your life. Have confidence in this!!
“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.
