GRATITUDE. We all talk about it, yet we all truly struggle with it—if we're honest with ourselves. However, did you know that gratitude is the key to so many other important aspects of living, even the condition of our soul? Let's dive into scripture and follow a pattern of how and when we are to express gratitude...and feel gratitude deep within.

PSALM 55:4-5 My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. ^[ESV]

PSALM 55:16-17 But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage…” ^[ESV]

PSALM 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? ^[ESV]

Anxiety and fear come from misplaced trust. Ponder what might be causing anxiety or fear. Then, acknowledge that you are not trusting God with that situation. PRAYER: "Father, forgive me for not trusting you with _____. Teach me how to trust You in this situation and show me how to pray for ______".

PSALM 56:4 With God on my side I will not be afraid of what comes. The roaring praises of God fill my heart, and I will always triumph as I trust his promises. ^[TPT]

John 1:4-5 In him (Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ^[ESV]

PSALM 56:8 You have kept count of my tossings, put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? ^[ESV]

PSALM 56:9-11 This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I prose, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? ^[ESV]

ROMANS 5:17 Death once held us in its grip, and by the blunder of one man, death reigned as king over humanity. But now, how much more are we held in the grip of grace and continue reigning as kings in life, enjoying our regal freedom through the gift of perfect righteousness in the one and only Jesus, the Messiah! ^[TPT]

ROMANS 5:18 …through the one righteous act of Jesus’ sacrifice, the perfect righteousness that makes us right with God and leads us to a victorious life [is] now available to all. [TPT]

The root word of victorious is VICT. It means "conquer". The suffix -im means "not". As in "one who does not conquer; or one who is conquered". I certainly don't want to be conquered! The suffix -or means "one who". So a VICTOR is one who conquers. (yes!) Victorious means "full of victory". Think about this...Jesus came and dies for you so you could stop being conquered and life a life full of victory. (Wow, wow, wow). Your victorious life is NOW!. You are right with God, NOW, because of the sacrifice that Jesus made on your behalf. In Revelation, it says that we have overcome by the BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND THE WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY.

To live out a life full of victory, speak out the Blood of the Lamb. Testify of the goodness of God in your life and how the Blood of the Lamb has covered you and transformed you. THIS gives you a life full of victory, breaking fear and anxiety. If you haven't submitted to the Blood of the Lamb yet, now's a perfect time. Salvation is through Jesus, the Lamb of God. He was perfect but died for your sin (imperfections) so that you could live in victory and unbound from fear. The Father rose Jesus out of that grave and handed Him complete victory over EVERYTHING. And in Ephesians, it says Jesus then turned and handed that victory to us! When you feel afraid, understand that you need to settle in your mind, that it's based on lies, you are covered by the blood of the Lamb and, you've have everything you need to live free from fear and anxiety. 

I acknowledge it's easy to nod our head to such good news, but that it can take time for that understanding to soak into our bones. So I pray that the revelation of the light of Jesus (Yeshua) would illuminate the understanding of how your fear is already overcome by the Blood of the Lam and the word of your testimony. Amen. 

ROMANS 6:4 Sharing in his death by our baptism means that we were co-buried and entombed with him, so that when the Father’s glory raised Christ from the dead, we were appraised with him. We have been co-resurrected with him so that we could be empowered to walk in the freshness of new life. ^[TPT]

Fear is the opposite of Love

PSALM 57:7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast!…I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. ^[ESV]

JOHN 3:16-18 For this is how much God loved the world – he gave his one and only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it! So now there is no longer any condemnation for those who believe in him… ^[TPT]