Count your blessings
Dear Leader,
A common Sunday morning worship song growing up in First Assembly of God, Healdton Oklahoma, was Count Your Blessings. We sang that song so often that I still remember all the words and even what number it was in the Hymn book. Looking back, I think the adults sang that song because they understood that living in a “Thanksgiving Attitude” should be an every-moment experience for a follower of Christ.
Experience and discipline
Thanksgiving is an easy posture to maintain and experience when life is good and the challenges are minimal. The times when you are overwhelmed with the Goodness of God, walking, and feeling the closeness of blessing. This happens when PRESENT TENSE is surrounded by victories, fruitfulness, and celebrations. We also know Thanksgiving is a disciplined attitude that has to be fought for in certain seasons. The moments of uncontrolled chaos, threatening giants, or daunting mountains, are times when declarations of WHO God Is, WHAT He has Done, or WHAT He has Promised to DO have to be bigger and louder than the reality of the current circumstance. The discipline moments are when present tense is in the valley of challenge. When the fight is great, and the fruit is minimal. Discipline helps us remember past blessings, future promise, and present-day presence of the Lord.
If you are on the mountaintop, in a season of great fruit and seeing victories on every side, Praise God and enjoy the Experience of Thanksgiving. If you are in a Valley of Challenge and in a battle on every side, enjoy the Discipline of Thanksgiving. Begin to recall a few of those more than 130 occurrences of “Thanksgiving” mentioned in the Bible. Consider those victories of the past, and declare the Lord’s PRESENCE and PROMISE over present circumstance in your life!
Favorite verses on giving thanks
Some of my favorite verses on “Giving Thanks” are:
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ…
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus…
You are on my list
As I practice what the old song suggests, “Count your blessings, name them one by one,” I am adding you to my list. You are a blessing to Kara and I. We are praying this season will be full of “Thanksgiving” for you. Our entire Network Office stands ready to help you become all God has called, challenged, and envisioned you to be.
As a reminder, we are in transition at our District Office. Please send any correspondence to the following address: PO Box 7388, Alexandria, LA 71306.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Scott
Dr Scott Holmes
P.O. Box 7388
Alexandria, LA 71306
318.445.6238