Always Giving Thanks

"....always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20

I get to make choices every day, choices that impact my life and the lives of others. I can be discouraged because of my own trials I am enduring or I can have the Lord oversee my emotions but each new day we are given a choice to 'choose this day' who we will serve.

As I come to Him this morning He has reminded me of my choices as I read Ephesians 5:20. I must choose to begin this new day not dictated by my feelings but according to the Truth of who God is and what He tells me through His promises.

Today He speaks thankfulness to my heart. This new day He reminds me to give thanks always...Always is never ending, thanking continually, and in all things...Can you thank Him this day in all things? He knows it is so good for us to come into His presence with much praise as our sorrow and burdens of the day are then turned to a joy that radiates His presence and brings life to our hearts. With Thanksgiving approaching I love how we are being reminded everywhere we look to 'give thanks', that our "mouths would speak the praises of the Lord" Psalm 145:21. He has filled our lives with Life. Our Father's grace and mercy flows unending on our behalf.

I give thanks to the Lord for salvation, for His sustaining grace, for answering prayer, for my beloved husband, for our family, for our friends, for our brothers and sisters in Christ. For the Lord providing my husband a home in heaven through his salvation....and for my husband whose heart was led to provide me with a home here on earth, "a house that God built" over the last 4 months through each prayer prayed. I thank God for His leading when we could do nothing but 'be still and know that He was God' and in doing so how God was at work orchestrating things that were beyond our control! We as a family have witnessed His glory. I am so blessed and thankful to the Lord to share with you that our home is finished!

I am thankful....I give thanks to God for each of you. For all God has done in so many lives, for your God stories, for God's hand of mercy continuing to shape and mold your lives for His purposes. Over the past few months many of you have followed this blog. Writing has ministered to my heart and it has given me new opportunities during this time to experience the all sufficient power of God in my weakness as His words reassure me of His goodness and faithfulness that will never fail. It continues to be my prayer for God to use this site to minister to others of the hope only the Lord can give. I pray for each of you, that you too would have a greater understanding of the presence of Christ in the middle of your own particular journey, that your journey with the Lord continues to strengthened your faith as you continue to depend upon Him and His Word. I love this quote that has hung in our home for many years which we have stood on as we have walked with the Lord as it gives the truest perspective for a life of faith....."This is a life of faith, for God will try the truth of our faith, so that the world may see that God has such servants as will depend upon His bare Word".

I am thankful....for God's grace that encourages us in believing in all that He is doing in our hearts, through your journey and mine. My heart is to continue to share with you our story and most importantly that God promises us all in His Word that His grace is sufficient. He alone gets the glory in all that He chooses to do. Each day that goes by I am more convinced that I serve a God completely in control despite what I feel or think...only God and His bare Word is what Truth rests in. He has proven Himself since the beginning of time through each promise in His Word to bring good out of all things and especially out of what the world defines as wrong. His promises do not fail, He keeps each one.

I am thankful....God alone is the author of peace. I would not have survived the last year, and each day that goes by, without the truths of God's Word. His Word has sustained me, strengthened me, it has been an anchor to my soul and a place of refuge for my heavy heart, a haven of rest, a place of shelter, protection and security. God uses His Word each day to save me from bitterness, depression and despair. He is Light and through His Word His light is shed abroad into my death experience through the mourning of my beloved husband, my greatest example of a life lived by faith and I am committed to continue to serve the Lord as I did with him....to continue in his steps.

I am thankful....as I write this today in my new home that God has built, for the Lord who cares for me and protects me, who provides for all our needs. To the God who gives me strength and courage to continue to follow and serve the Lord all the days of my life. Randy shared often that God's plans for me were good...as well as the plans God had for his family and for our church that he so faithfully was called to serve in over the last 20 years.

I am thankful....as I see his prayers continued to be answered in my life and in the lives of others. Since our salvation and God's calling upon his life, 'it was God', the Master Builder, in every ounce of good that was bestowed upon our lives and we were determined to give God the glory for restoring, recovering and redeeming our lives. It is God who calls people who are flawed human beings to be His, His church, as His Word declares for all who believe. The salvation and building up of the house of God, of God's people, is the highlight of the Bible. The entire Bible speaks of life, home and building. We were made to know Him, and to serve Him and to be built up with others...to have the Lord build us in Him. We try to build Him a house by our own efforts as David desired but God instead wanted to build a house for David and God promised to raise up an offspring to succeed David, the One who will build a house for His name, whose kingdom would be established forever. "He who builds the house has more honor than the house...He who builds all things is God" Hebrews 3:3-6

I am thankful....In July the Lord spoke to my heart and gave me Hebrew 3, that it is God who builds all things. He gave me the word House/Home continually as the Lord fulfilled His promises to Randy and attended to his prayers. So many of you have been a part of this answered prayer and it is my heart, joy and privilege to blog and share more. God has so much to say about the "Home" in scripture.....about the first home He built in what was called paradise before sin entered the the hearts of man....to the restoration of man's heart as God desires to make man's heart His home after sin came in, to the building up of our lives and homes and our families....to the House of God, His church and people....and most importantly our eternal home that He has prepared in heaven for all who believe.

I am thankful....that God desires to use us all for the redemption of this fallen world. Last September the Lord gave me scriptures in Isaiah which reminded me that as believers "we are for signs and wonders" of God's glory to others. That is a privilege, a remarkable thought that God wants to use us all! We are to proclaim the praises of the Lord and in all things we are to be thankful and declare His works among the people and this has been our hearts through much of this journey over the last year and as I share with you.

I am thankful....through each trial, each time of suffering, through each season, and through each day, we are never abandoned but instead are given opportunities to have front row seats to witness His glory that He promises will be displayed -- no matter what we face. I am reminded of the Israelite's and how God camped them in the very place they were fearing as they seen the enemy of Egypt coming towards them, and the mountains surrounding them and the Red Sea before them...but it was God who said "you shall be camped there, that they may know that I AM the Lord"... They were to remember God's deliverance as they entered into the Promise Land and we can be sure He will do the same for us as He camps us where we are this day...and through the trials and testing He will deliver...and He will get the glory. He desires to show Himself strong on our behalf....that through all things we would embrace the blessing of knowing Him deeper as it was with Job, "My ears had heard of you before, BUT NOW my eyes have seen you" Job 42:5

Thanks be to God for His Word in Ephesians 5:20 that exhorts us to give thanks always which enables our hearts to be open wide and give back to Him an attitude of gratitude that He alone deserves.

I am thankful Father....may my heart express the gratefulness which You alone deserve. I pray God's blessings upon each who are reading this now, upon each home and family.... that each will reflect on Your Word and allow Your truths to become their companion, that all will experience the overwhelming peace of Your presence and speak Your praises.."....always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20

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He alone is worthy,

Michelle A. Guerra