Lessons 5 - 7: Gratitude as a Faith Builder
This month we’re focusing on faith - building it, bolstering it - to such a level that God can move our own personal mountains. If faith is the literal “substance” from which God works our miracles and saves our souls, then building faith could (in a nutshell) be the meaning of life… we are here that we might build faith.
Faith comes as a result of trial and testing. We learn something, we act on it, we see the results, and faith is increased. Or we go through a trial, God is there and helps us through it, and in the end our faith increases. We can either sit back and wait for trials of our faith to come, or we can take proactive steps to build our faith muscles. It is my experience and belief that God likes us to act and not wait to be acted upon! He blesses those who are anxiously engaged in building their faith.
That’s what the gratitude exercises we’re doing in Lessons 5-7 are helping us do. There is no greater faith than to be grateful for blessings ahead of time! I hope you’ll take the time to not only work through these exercises but also make them a part of who you are. I can promise wonderful results!
Please do share your insights, challenges and successes here!
February 10th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Here is a little something I just wrote about gratitude and thanksgiving…
MOMMY…
…DADDY
Mommy, will you help me with my Lego’s? Mommy, I’m hungry. Mommy, he’s being mean to me. Mommy, my head hurts. The problems and petitions are endless for a mother. Just yesterday, the demands and questions were so frequent that I couldn’t bare it anymore. I told my children, “That’s it! No more coming to Mommy with anything bad, only good things!”
As the words were coming out of my mouth, I reflected on the many times a day that I go to Abba, my daddy God, bombarding Him with my own similar appeals.
Paul tells us in Philippians “…in everything, prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God.”
Had my prayers and petitions been offered with thanksgiving? My own children sure had not and I knew how that felt. Filled with remorse, my heart turned to my Abba with an attitude of gratitude.
We are thankful that He is mighty and powerful to hear and answer the many requests of a needy and hurting world without growing tired, weary, or burdened. With hearts full of praise, we rejoice knowing that Jesus died for us and His precious blood atones for our sins. We are now called sons of God, able to call on the Most High, Creator of the universe!
Suddenly, I am thankful for healthy children who can call on me for help. I am grateful I have the ability to meet their needs through Christ. At once, the peace of God which passes all understanding was guarding my heart and mind just as His word promises. As my attitude was transformed, my dear ones responded in like manner. May our prayers and supplications always be accompanied with praise and thanksgiving to our loving and faithful God!
February 10th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Rejoice 2007 is very much on time for me. I have been reading the Science of Getting Rich for about 7 months. Then I was introduced to The Secret about 5 months ago. I have been a Christian from birth. I have been walking faithfully with God for over 15 years. I have never seen the type of trials and challenges that I am experiencing now in my life. It is almost overwhelming. Maybe that is why I have all of this knowledge come into my life now. I know I should be grateful. I know I should not be anxious. I know I am suppose to have faith and trust God. But, this has been a fight. I feel like I have all of these steps that I am suppose to be keeping to ensure that I am trusting God. Whew! I am committed to my destiny. I am committed to my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus. And I must say thank you to you Marne. I am pressing my way because you have been obidient to God in providing the coaching and the encouragement that I need in this time of transition. I know who I am and what I want. I am working on being conscience and grateful. The exercises are really empowering me.
Peace,
Doreen Carter
February 12th, 2007 at 7:30 am
Wow, Angie. Thanks for sharing because it certainly drove home the truth of how we must sometimes sound to God when all we can do is come to Him with our problems. He certainly is always there and He cares, but it must be such a refreshing change when we present our requests with thanksgiving!
February 17th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
The teleclass from February 15, 2007 on Gratitude is now available in the member area of RejoiceIn2007.com. To log in go to http://www.rejoicein2007.com/login.php
March 14th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
I must admit that I have not been keeping up with the Lessons, and had found other things to occupy the time that I had initially put aside to do them. However, on March 7, I decided to make time and go through Lessons 5 through 7. And that is when the light-bulb went off in my head.
Let me back up here a little bit…. I have been unemployed since January 8th and have struggled to keep a positive attitude. I mean why should I, an educated woman with talent and many skills, not be able to find a job. As I read these Lessons, I realized that every job I ever had, and every career I excelled in, it wasn’t me. It was God. Every skill that I acquired, and every exam I had to take to get my Master’s Degree, it wasn’t me. It was God. But it goes deeper. My monthly household expenses comes to about $2,000 per month (that’s the no-frills-so-tight-I-can-hardly-breath budget) my umemployment comes to $550 per month. Every week I call the Agency to see if they have work for me, and since January 8th, I’ve had one assignment. But guess what, my bills are being paid. That isn’t me. That is God.
Marnie on February 8th you wrote:
“Faith comes as a result of trial and testing. We learn somthing, we act on it, we see the results, and faith is increased. Or we go through trial, God is there and helps us through it, and in the end our faith incresaes. We can either sit back and wait for trails of our faith to come, or we can take proactive steps to build our faith muscles. It is my experience and belief that God likes us to act and not wait to be acted upon! He blesses those who are anxiously engaged in building their faith.”
I GET IT! Do you know how many variations of your statement I have read and share with others over the years? Countless. But for some reason, now, it becomes personal to me. I can relate to what you said. I REALLY GET IT!!! What I need to do right now, this very minute, is act/behave expectantly knowing (believing) that God is going to (will, already has) work it out for me. I must believe that whatever God has planned for me will be better than what I had before because that is how He works. God is working things out in me for whatever it is that He has planned for me to be involved in next. He’s working things out for me by providing for my physical needs. He is working things out through me spiritually, by helping me to re-direct my focus. My focus is not finding a job, even though I am doing the due dilligence of job-hunting, sending in my resumes, setting up interviews, etc., everyday; my focus should be God, humbling myself efore Him, renewing a right spirit within me through Him, and proving Him by His word and His promises.
Wow! I can’t tell you how light and free I felt after my 2-hour study that day on March 7th. I felt free for the first time in many years. Free to acknowledge that I don’t have to worry because God truly has got this. Free because all this time it was all about me, Eudine and what I wanted - -when in reality it is and always has been all about God and what He wants for me!
So, I just need to press forward in faith, being proactive, but always making the time to not just hear God, but actively listen to God’s voice, knowing that His silence is always His answer.
Thank you Marnie for these lessons, and your desire to enlighten, encourage, and empower your readers to the Power of God within us. I can say now, today, that I truly will be Rejoic(ing) in 2007 because I am expecting blessings in all four domains of my life - Spiritual (God & His Word), Psychological (mental), Physical (health), & Social (relationships).
Step One - Change How I Think
God Bless ~ Eudine
March 19th, 2007 at 7:54 am
Dear Marnie,
Thank you for this wonderful program, I have gained so much and I am living with vision. It has been a missing part of my life for a long time. I have grown in love and trust in my Heavenly Father also. the change in my inner life has been profound and it is slowly taking effect in my sourndings also. I have shared much of this proccess with my 25 yr old son. He has also helped me and sustained me in this process. We have had some good discussions. We have read your How can you fly when your still clutching the ground book, and the jackrabbit factor. We have wondered about the prophets and followers of christ and others who have suffered through no negative thoughts or ill will of thier own. I find it hard to belive that christ had negative thoughts very often. I wonder if you have any thoughts to share on this subject. I also found a mission statement builder on the Franklin Covey web site. It was alot of fun and might be helpful to any one having a hard time getting started. I also would like to recommend a movie called “What the bleep do we know” the first half only though. In the first half you learn of quantum physics and it supports the things we are learning here. The second half is about how we become addicted to emotions and is very interesting but has some inappropriate scences. It is easy to tell when the second half begins because it starts talking about your brain chemistry so you could easily skip the bad parts by stopping the movie there. I found the first half very uplifting.Thank you
Marie