Choosing Gratitude: A Transformative Lifestyle for Believers

In today's gathering, we explored the profound theme of gratitude, emphasizing its significance in our lives as believers. Gratitude is not merely a seasonal sentiment but a lifestyle that reflects our appreciation for God's acts in our lives. We are called to be people of gratitude, allowing thankfulness to permeate every aspect of our being. This is not an easy task, as our natural inclination often leans towards complaining and focusing on what we lack. However, as followers of Christ, we are invited to rise above these tendencies and cultivate a heart of gratitude.

Gratitude is a fight, a conscious decision to refocus our attention from our circumstances to the One who holds all power and mercy. It requires us to actively redirect our minds and hearts towards God, acknowledging His faithfulness and provision. This shift in focus is not about ignoring our problems but about recognizing the problem solver. As we engage in this fight for gratitude, we are reminded of the peace that surpasses all understanding, a peace that grumbling and complaining can never produce.

Our relationship with God plays a crucial role in our ability to maintain gratitude. Constant communication with Him through prayer helps us stay grounded in thankfulness. When we are in close fellowship with God, it becomes easier to see His hand at work in our lives, even amidst challenges. Gratitude is not just an inward posture but an outward expression. It is about living a life that reflects our thankfulness to God, allowing our actions to align with our words.

As we navigate life's battles, we must choose gratitude over grumbling. This choice is not always easy, but it is essential for experiencing the fullness of God's peace and joy. Gratitude shifts our perspective, reminding us of God's love and faithfulness. It is a powerful tool that transforms our hearts and minds, enabling us to live a life that honors God and impacts those around us.

**Key Takeaways:**

- Gratitude is a lifestyle, not just a seasonal sentiment. It requires a conscious decision to focus on God's acts in our lives, allowing thankfulness to permeate everything we do. This shift in focus helps us rise above our natural inclination to complain and grumble. [46:22]

- Our relationship with God is crucial in maintaining gratitude. Constant communication through prayer keeps us grounded in thankfulness, making it easier to see God's hand at work in our lives. When we are in close fellowship with God, gratitude becomes a natural response. [55:56]

- Gratitude is both an inward posture and an outward expression. It is about living a life that reflects our thankfulness to God, allowing our actions to align with our words. True gratitude is seen in how we live our lives, not just in what we say. [52:00]

- Choosing gratitude over grumbling is essential for experiencing God's peace and joy. Gratitude shifts our perspective, reminding us of God's love and faithfulness. It transforms our hearts and minds, enabling us to live a life that honors God and impacts those around us. [01:09:18]

- Gratitude produces results in our lives that grumbling never could. It brings peace, reassurance, and a deeper understanding of God's character. By choosing gratitude, we align ourselves with God's will and open ourselves to His blessings. [01:08:28]

**YouTube Chapters:**

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:29] - Opening Prayer and Worship
[16:29] - Power of Prayer and Testimony
[35:47] - Limitless Lunch and Membership
[37:35] - Baptism Announcement
[40:11] - Introduction to Gratitude Series
[43:49] - The Fight for Gratitude
[46:22] - Walking by the Spirit
[49:24] - Be Thankful and Give Thanks
[52:00] - True Gratitude in Action
[55:56] - Relationship and Gratitude
[57:09] - Anxiety and Refocusing
[01:09:18] - Gratitude and Peace
[01:12:08] - Choosing Gratitude
[01:20:52] - Closing Prayer and Offering

**Bible Study Discussion Guide: Gratitude as a Lifestyle**

**Bible Reading:**
1. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
2. Philippians 4:6-7
3. Galatians 5:16

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**Observation Questions:**

1. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, what are the three actions Paul instructs believers to take in every situation? How do these actions relate to gratitude? [47:39]

2. In Philippians 4:6-7, what is the result of presenting our requests to God with thanksgiving? How does this relate to the peace mentioned in the sermon? [01:08:28]

3. How does Galatians 5:16 describe the relationship between walking by the Spirit and the desires of the flesh? How does this relate to the sermon’s message on gratitude? [46:22]

4. What examples from the sermon illustrate the struggle between gratitude and grumbling? How do these examples help us understand the importance of choosing gratitude? [01:09:18]

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**Interpretation Questions:**

1. How does the sermon suggest that gratitude can transform our perspective on life's challenges? What role does the Holy Spirit play in this transformation? [01:04:07]

2. The sermon mentions that gratitude is both an inward posture and an outward expression. How can believers ensure that their gratitude is reflected in their actions and not just their words? [52:00]

3. What does the sermon imply about the connection between gratitude and trust in God? How might a lack of trust lead to grumbling and complaining? [01:05:11]

4. How does the sermon describe the impact of gratitude on our relationship with God and others? What practical steps can believers take to cultivate a lifestyle of gratitude? [55:56]

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**Application Questions:**

1. Reflect on a recent situation where you found it difficult to be grateful. How might shifting your focus from the problem to the problem solver, as suggested in the sermon, change your perspective? [46:22]

2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of constant communication with God through prayer. How can you incorporate more consistent prayer into your daily routine to maintain a heart of gratitude? [55:56]

3. Think of a time when you expressed gratitude in words but not in actions. How can you align your actions with your words of gratitude in the future? [52:00]

4. Identify a specific area in your life where you tend to grumble or complain. What practical steps can you take to choose gratitude in that area this week? [01:09:18]

5. The sermon suggests that gratitude can lead to peace that surpasses understanding. How can you remind yourself of God's faithfulness and love when faced with anxiety or fear? [01:08:28]

6. Consider the role of gratitude in your relationships with others. How can you express gratitude to someone in your life this week in a way that strengthens your relationship? [53:13]

7. The sermon challenges us to live a life that is a thank you note to God. What specific actions can you take this week to demonstrate your gratitude to God in your daily life? [53:13]

Day 1: Gratitude as a Lifestyle
Gratitude is not just a fleeting feeling or a seasonal sentiment; it is a lifestyle that believers are called to embrace. This lifestyle involves a conscious decision to focus on God's acts in our lives, allowing thankfulness to permeate everything we do. It requires us to rise above our natural inclination to complain and grumble, choosing instead to see the blessings and provisions that God has bestowed upon us. By adopting this mindset, we align ourselves with a life that reflects God's goodness and mercy. [46:22]

Psalm 100:4-5 (ESV): "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find it difficult to express gratitude? How can you intentionally shift your focus to recognize God's blessings in that area today?


Day 2: The Role of Prayer in Gratitude
Our relationship with God is crucial in maintaining a heart of gratitude. Constant communication with Him through prayer keeps us grounded in thankfulness, making it easier to see His hand at work in our lives. When we are in close fellowship with God, gratitude becomes a natural response, even amidst challenges. This connection with God helps us to refocus our attention from our circumstances to the One who holds all power and mercy. [55:56]

Colossians 4:2 (ESV): "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving."

Reflection: How can you incorporate more intentional prayer into your daily routine to cultivate a heart of gratitude? Consider setting aside specific times for prayer and thanksgiving today.


Day 3: Gratitude as an Outward Expression
Gratitude is both an inward posture and an outward expression. It is about living a life that reflects our thankfulness to God, allowing our actions to align with our words. True gratitude is seen in how we live our lives, not just in what we say. This outward expression of gratitude impacts those around us, demonstrating the love and faithfulness of God through our actions. [52:00]

James 2:17-18 (ESV): "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

Reflection: Think of a specific way you can express gratitude through your actions today. How can you show thankfulness to God by serving or blessing someone else?


Day 4: Choosing Gratitude Over Grumbling
Choosing gratitude over grumbling is essential for experiencing God's peace and joy. Gratitude shifts our perspective, reminding us of God's love and faithfulness. It transforms our hearts and minds, enabling us to live a life that honors God and impacts those around us. This choice is not always easy, but it is crucial for aligning ourselves with God's will and opening ourselves to His blessings. [01:09:18]

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV): "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Reflection: Identify a situation where you tend to grumble or complain. How can you consciously choose gratitude in that situation today, and what steps can you take to maintain this perspective?


Day 5: The Transformative Power of Gratitude
Gratitude produces results in our lives that grumbling never could. It brings peace, reassurance, and a deeper understanding of God's character. By choosing gratitude, we align ourselves with God's will and open ourselves to His blessings. This transformative power of gratitude enables us to experience the fullness of God's peace and joy, impacting our hearts and minds in profound ways. [01:08:28]

Hebrews 12:28 (ESV): "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent experience where you felt God's peace through gratitude. How can you cultivate this transformative power of gratitude in your daily life moving forward?

It never ends and it won't come down. Ay, I had a great idea: a world with no hate and no fear. All grace, love, and all cheers. Families, hugs, and no tears.

Hey, let me just bask for a minute. Brand new with no windows tinted. Party in the street till the sun come get us. And tell the whole crew they can all come with us. And we ain't gotta lock the doors. And we don't need cops, of course. And we don't care about your skin. We just want an all-out win.

They tell me it's illogical, but anything is possible. If God be for us, we can overcome all obstacles. They say love covers a multitude of sins, so I'm here to put some love living less.

Alright, well, good morning, church! Good morning, how we doing this morning? Is anybody excited to be in the house of the Lord this morning?

Alright, well, we are getting ready to get started. I am excited! I cannot wait! I am in expectation of what God is going to do. And I want to challenge you guys to be in expectation as well.

When we come here on Sundays, we don't believe that it's just another Sunday. This is not just something on our calendar. This is an opportunity. This is a moment for us to encounter God with one another. We believe that something special happens when we are in the room together.

We believe that when we come together as a family, that God is here with us. And so we're going to get started in our worship. If you could do me a favor, would you stand? We're going to pray and we're going to see what God has for us.

Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for waking us up. We declare that this is the day that you have made, and so we make a conscious decision to rejoice, to be glad. God, we are in expectation of what you want to do in this place.

We pray that you would inhabit this place, God. Have your way. We're taking this opportunity to lay aside everything: to lay aside our cares, our worries, our anxieties, and our fears, and lay them at your feet. What do you want to do in this place today, God? Have your way. This is your house. Have your way.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Well again, for those of you that weren't here, welcome to church this morning! I'm excited to see each and every one of you this morning. If this is your very first time here, my name is Pastor Kenan, along with my beautiful wife, Ms. Sonia. We are the pastors here at Limitless Church.

We are excited that you decided to be here on a Sunday morning. It is a big deal that you're here, and we don't take it lightly that you decided to join with us. We are excited to be here on a Sunday morning. We are excited that you made it happen.

Sunday, we don't think that it's an accident that you're here. We don't believe that it's just happenstance. We believe that God has you here for a purpose and for a reason.

I know you woke up this morning and you thought, you know what, I'm just going to go to church this morning. Nah, it wasn't that simple. We believe that God has been working on your heart, that he's been having conversations with you. He even did so much as to adjust your schedule to make sure that you were here today in this service. That's how much he loves you.

And there is a plan and purpose. And I can't tell you, honestly, at Limitless, we're just excited to be a part of the process and be excited at what God is doing in your life. Limitless, can we make some noise for our visitors?

Hey, we're excited to see what God is going to do in your life. We are in expectation of the testimony. Do me a favor, visitors. After service, I'm going to be right outside at the connection table. I would love to shake your hand. I would love to find out your story, find out how you found out about this church.

Or if you say, hey, I don't really like talking like that, then guess what? We got something for you as well. There's a QR code on the seat pocket in front of you. It's one of my favorite things. On that QR code, we have a visitor's card. Fill it out. We would love the opportunity just to shoot you a text to say thank you for joining.

Someone from our team will call you this week to pray with you, to see how your experience was. We would love the opportunity to do that.

As we transition to a deeper part of worship, I'm going to ask our prayer team to come forward at this time. I am always excited to get to church because it's an opportunity for me to engage heaven in worship with my brothers and sisters.

I recognize that for some of us, we may walk in the door a little heavy. And sometimes it's a little hard for us to get in. We may see other people worshiping, we may see other people, but we can't because there's so much on us.

And we want to take the opportunity, if that's you, to pray for you, to pray with you, that whatever it is that's on your heart, whatever it is that we want to agree with you in prayer so that we can see God continually be God.

We love praying for people. I just heard a story just before I walked in here. One of our team Limitless members wanted to worship and they wanted to praise and serve in our kids ministry. And I don't know about y'all, but our kids ministry is one of the best kids ministries that I know of.

I'm not saying that just because my wife's over kids ministry, but it does help. But she came in and she wanted to worship with the team, but she said her back was really hurting her. She's like, I want to serve. I want to worship. I want to praise, but I can't do it.

And so she said, you know what? I'm going to go to the prayer. And anybody who's been here, y'all know we got some prayer warriors. We don't play about prayer up in here. Okay.

And so she had the prayer team lay hands on her and pray for her. And she says, I had them pray for me. And then while I was instructing the kids, because I'm leading, I want to be an example. You know, I just said, you know, let me just try my right side and maybe I can just do one side.

And she said, I didn't pay attention to it. And I raised my hand up. Oh, and you know how we are. We don't believe it when it happens. So she said, you know what? I'm going to try it. And she lifted her hands real quick on the other side. And then she began to twist. And she said, my back doesn't hurt anymore.

And next thing you know, she's upstairs getting down more than the kids is upstairs. So I'm telling that to let you know that we believe in the power of prayer. We believe in what God can do. We believe that he hears us when we pray.

And so I want to offer you this opportunity to receive prayer because when we engage in heaven in worship, it is an opportunity to receive prayer. And so I want to offer you this opportunity to receive prayer.

It is an opportunity for us to cast our cares, our worries, our anxieties, our fears, and we join with heaven. The Bible says that they are always continually praising and lifting his name. It says they say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty who was and is and is to come.

And when we come together, we just get an opportunity to slide in and participate with that. And so if that's you today, if you need prayer for whatever it might be, as Taylor continues to lead us in, I want to offer you this opportunity to receive prayer.

Heavenly Father, thank you. We take this opportunity to engage heaven. We need you, Lord. It means nothing if your presence isn't here. So we take this opportunity to lift the name above all names, to worship the only one that is worthy to be worshipped and worthy to be praised.

Just like you did with the children of Israel, God, would you inhabit our praises? We love you, God. Have your way. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Yeah, on your feet and a smile, we do the unquestionable rarely. But quality in that. That's what we tell you to do when we dance from eight to nine. To a neighbor, telling you my beautiful, Tj, what? To a neighbor or a young man who's doing something that's sometimes it's a... It's just you.

I'm saying there's something that's far from funny to them, but it's hard to see. Take heart and air, love them as hard as you can.

Hey, new Limitless family. I want to have the opportunity to have lunch with you. That's right. If you've been here within the past three months and you said, hey, I would love to get to know more about this church. I would love to know more about the vision, the mission, and why they do the things that they do and what is coming up and possibly make a decision to be a part of the church in a bigger way, then this is for you.

It is called the Limitless Lunch. This is where you'll have an opportunity to meet with the pastors, staff, the leaders here, and hear all about what Limitless Church is all about. We would love the opportunity.

Please sign up at the QR code on the seat pocket in front of you or anywhere around or at the connection table. Come and have lunch with us.

Hey, Limitless, we have something coming up that I would love for you to be a part of. Our Roots and Wings is a membership portion of Limitless Church. Maybe you've been here for a minute and you've said, hey, this is my home. This is where I want to be. This is where I want to plant the roots of my family and my community and where I want to grow and be a disciple of Jesus.

If that is the case and you want to take that next step, then please sign up at our QR code or our table outside. We would love to have you. So please sign up at the QR code in the seat pocket in front of you or at the connection table and come be a part of Roots and Wings.

Alright, well, good morning, everybody. Are we ready to dive into this word this morning? Yes. Alright. I'm fired up. I got on that prayer line. Y'all lucky I got done because I was ready to go.

Alright, so we are diving into a new series. But before we do that, I have two quick things. The first of the two things is we have baptisms coming up next week.

Oh, my mic was off. I'm sorry. My bad. No, no, it's too late. It's too late. I got to do it. I got to start over now. Come on, tech team, get my mic right.

Alright. I said we have baptisms. Let's do it. Let's do it. Let's do it. Let's do it. Let's do it. Let's do it. Let's do it. We have baptisms next week. Sorry, I'll pray for my tech team. It had to be my mic. I know there had to be that.

So we are excited about baptisms because we get the opportunity to celebrate with people who have made a decision to go public in their faith after getting saved. What is baptisms? As Daniela said, it's this opportunity to go public. It is this outward profession of the inward confirmation that you've made in your heart.

And we love to celebrate people when they make that decision. So if that's you, if you said, hey, you know, I am ready to get baptized, then we want to make sure, first of all, that you signed up. But secondly, we want to celebrate with you.

So we encourage you, bring your family, bring your friends so that we can all celebrate in this together. We get excited about it. Not just the baptism, but the opportunity to walk with you after that, to see God move in your life and for you to grow as a believer.

Now, I recognize as I've been doing this that you may have questions about baptism. What does it mean? Maybe I'm coming from a different faith or I'm coming from a different place. What does baptism mean?

Well, the great thing about our connection team is that we have somebody there ready to answer those questions for you. We will give you a call this week. We will walk with you to make sure that you're comfortable, that you're ready to experience all God has for you through baptism.

So I encourage you to sign up. If you haven't signed up, it is going to be an amazing time. Secondly, this week, we have our Limitless Loves Woodland Outreach. And so we are excited about the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our city this week.

I'm excited to be out there with you, packing groceries, handing out groceries, packing boxes for the holidays. So if you signed up, I need you to make sure that you have a waiver, okay? We need those signed.

So if you could meet us outside at the connection table after service, get your waiver, get it signed, and let's prepare to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Amen?

Just want to make note, I still got 30 seconds left and I just did that. I just want to just put that on the thing so I can get credit for that.

Alright, let's dive into this word. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for the opportunity to hear from you today. God, you are the only one that can speak to each one of us individually. God, you are the only one that can speak to each one of us individually and speak to all of us at the same time.

We know that your word is already anointed. We ask you to anoint our ears so that we can hear you, anoint our hearts so that we would be able to receive from you. We need to hear from you, God, and you alone.

We pray today that we would not just be hearers of the words but we would be doers as well. We praise you and we honor you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Alright, so we're entering a new series called Thanksgiving. For those of you who have been here for a while, you know we did this series last year around this time, but I think that it is so important because two themes often come up every year during this time that I feel that we need to address, and they are the themes of gratitude and generosity.

Today I want to talk about the fight for gratitude. It is hard to be grateful. It is not a natural thing for us to be grateful. We like complaining. We like being sad and angry and grumbling about stuff. We like it.

But as believers, God has called us to be something else. God has called us to be people of gratitude. Thankfulness should permeate everything we do. When people come in contact with us as believers, one of the characteristics that they should be able to say about us is that we are grateful people.

Man, there's something about those Christians. It doesn't matter what happens, there's something about those Christians. It doesn't matter what's going on, they are always grateful, and I don't understand it. I don't understand how they could be.

Thankfulness should permeate who we are. When they think of us, they should think about gratitude. Now, I don't want to assume everybody knows what gratitude is or has an understanding, so I want to define what gratitude means.

Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful, the readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Biblically, we define gratitude as this: a lifestyle of genuine and continual appreciation for the acts of God in one's life.

Okay? A lifestyle, not October and November, a lifestyle of genuine and continual appreciation for the acts of God in one's life. For the majority of us, if we looked at all the things that's going wrong, okay, the things that we don't have, the things that we feel like we should have but don't have, the things that we need that we don't have, there is ample room for complaining.

There's ample room for worrying. There's ample room for stress and even hopelessness. And let me tell you that the enemy would love nothing more than for us to sit in that, to wallow in that, to stay in that. Just to wallow in our sorrow, just to be there.

But as believers, that is not how we are called to operate. We have been called to something higher. We have been called to something else. We have to make the decision to not keep falling for the enemy's trap.

We have to make the decision to not keep falling for the same trap. We are called to do something different. We have to fight for gratitude. We have to fight to be thankful. We have to fight because gratitude is the opposite of what the flesh wants.

Like I said, complaining feels good. It's like, yeah, you know, it's... And this, let me tell you, we preface it by, I'm not complaining, but, right? And what we say, I don't want you to think I'm complaining, but no, but you are complaining. But you are, that's exactly what you're doing.

And it is something that gratifies our flesh. When we complain, when we grumble, we feel justified. We feel like, yes, it is bad. We watch something on TV and they tell us for hours how bad it is. And we like, you know, you're right. This world is going up. Yes. Yes, it is bad, and the money is bad, and the food is bad, everything, right?

Because there's a gratification that comes from that. But Galatians 5:16 says, but I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. So what's actually happening is when we engage in that, what are we doing? We are gratifying the desire of the flesh.

Also, we're not walking in the Spirit. Ingratitude, complaining, ungratefulness is a desire of the flesh. Why? Because when we're ungrateful, we are focused on us. We are thinking about us, what we don't have, what our situation is. That's what we're thinking about.

But when we walk by the Spirit, we refocus our attention away from our circumstance towards Christ. When we're walking by the Spirit, there's a refocus that's taking place. We are not ignoring the problem because someone would say, oh, those Christians or those believers, that's all they do. They're trying to ignore the problem.

No, we're not ignoring the problem, but we're refocusing our attention away from the problem to the problem solver. That is the difference. That is the difference. We're refocusing our attention towards His power, towards His mercy, towards His consistency.

That is the difference. Part of being a believer is actively fighting to maintain a heart of gratitude. Part of being a believer is actively fighting to maintain a heart of gratitude and constantly redirecting towards Him.

Constantly redirecting our minds and our hearts towards Him. Constantly bringing ourselves back into focus. Gratitude. Gratitude. Gratitude is a fight. It does not come easy, but I guarantee you that it is worth fighting for. It is worth fighting for.

1 Thessalonians 5, let's go to chapter 5, verse 16. Rejoice always and delight in your faith. Be unceasing and persistent in prayer in every situation, no matter what the circumstances. Be thankful and continually give thanks to God, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Paul says, be thankful and give thanks. Not for every situation, but in every situation. Because we're not thankful or giving thanks for the terrible things that happen in our lives. For the things that have no explanation. For the things that we can't even begin to fathom. God, why would this happen?

No, He's not saying to forget that it happened and be thankful for it. No, He's saying while you're going through it, find an opportunity to be thankful. And that's difficult. It's not easy. It is something that has to be trained on the inside of us. It is a process.

But what He's doing is He is charging us to reflect. To refocus ourselves. To refocus ourselves. And not only does He speak to our attitude, but He speaks to an action that is produced out of our attitude. He says, be thankful and give thanks.

Be thankful and give thanks. One is an inward heart posture. The other is an outward expression. Be thankful and give thanks. Be thankful and give thanks.

I told y'all last week, we took Cadence and Caius to Apple Hill. We went somewhere. I can't even remember where we were. Where did we buy that egg with the thing in it? With the dinosaur? With the organ.

Alright, so we're in Oregon. And we're... My kids like these toys. And so we were... My wife and I were walking. And we got this egg. And it had like... It was a 3D renderer. And it had like this lizard in it. And we were like, we know the kids are going to be excited. They're going to love it.

So we take it home. We take it home as suspected. They liked it. They loved it. They played with it until it broke. Yeah, they were sad. They were very, very upset. And I love them, but I'm not driving back to Oregon to get them no egg in a thing. I'm not going to do it. I'm sorry. The Southwest ain't that cheap.

So we went to Apple Hill last week and I was walking around and I'm like, you know, let's go in the craft. I was trying to find my wife, but I got distracted. I'm not going to lie. I got distracted and I was looking at all the crafts and stuff and all the colors, just like my kids.

And I saw that they had the same thing, but they were dinosaurs. And so I was like, oh, I'm going to get this. They broke the other ones. They were so sad. They were so dismayed. I'm sure they will love it. So we buy it. I walk over to the kids. I finally find them. I walk over to them. I said, guess what? I got you guys.

And as I suspected, they loved it. They got it. They were like, thank you, daddy. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We get in the car. They're playing with it. The next day.

Y'all know where I found it? I found that thing. It was under in the crevice of the bed of my... I don't even know how I got in there in the crevice of my bed on the floor. And I asked them the next day, I said, hey, are y'all playing with the dinosaur? They're like, yeah.

Yeah. I'm like, what happened? You know, I was excited. I was excited that I bought. I was like, I got cool. I got dad points. I'm in there. This should last me the week, right? I should be alright.

See, they said thank you, but their actions didn't show true gratitude. Okay? And that is exactly how we look to God. When the thanks that we say in our prayers isn't matched by the life that we live.

It's not just an inward thing. It is an outward thing as well. Gratitude isn't just what happens in us. True gratitude is seen outwardly as well. It is the will of God for us to be thankful and give thanks.

If you think of somebody that you know that is grateful, just think right now of one person that you say, I know that this person is thankful. It's not just an inward thing that you know about them. At some point, they have confessed or you have seen their gratefulness in action.

That's how you know that they're grateful. This doesn't just stay on the inside, but it goes outwardly as well. Yes, we definitely sense their heart of thankfulness, but more so we see their gratitude in action.

And if we're really grateful to God, then it won't just be our words that confess it, but we live a life that will express it as well. My wife has a saying. She says, I want my life to be a thank you note to God.

What is she saying? She's saying, I want the way that I live my life to express my gratitude to God for how good he's been. The gratitude for him waking me up. The gratitude for him taking care of me. The gratitude for him protecting me. The gratitude for him putting clothes on my back and shoes on my feet.

The gratitude for him. The gratitude for him keeping his angels encamped around me. The gratitude when I'm hearing stories of people who didn't make it, but I get the opportunity. My life will express that gratitude.

But we have to get there. And it's hard for us to get there. Because we want to complain. And we want to. It's just who we are. Because we're fleshly. We're fleshly people.

But we have to get to a place. How do we get to a place where gratitude is active both inwardly and outwardly? I was reading this scripture. And in verse 17 and 18, something Paul mentions is worth paying attention to.

In verse 17 and 18, he says, be unceasing and persistent in prayer. Be unceasing. Be unceasing and persistent in prayer. Then he says, in every situation, no matter the circumstance, be thankful and continually give thanks to God.

So now, how do I be thankful and continually give thanks to God? If I go a comma before, he says, be unceasing and persistent in prayer. Our communication and relationship with him has a direct effect on our ability to be thankful to him and for him.

Okay? When I am in constant communication, when I'm praying, when I'm reminding myself of the goodness of God, it's hard for me to complain. When I'm like, God, thank you for healing me. Thank you for me walking out that situation that I thought was going to be something and it turned out to be nothing.

When I think about God, you know, I didn't know how I was going to make it out there, but you brought me out anyway. When I think about God, you know, I didn't know if I had gas money to get here today, God, but you made a way. God, when I think about that, I didn't have money to eat, but you continue to provide for me.

When I'm constantly thinking about these things, when I'm constantly talking to him, it's hard for me to complain. I ain't got no time to complain. I have no room to complain. So when I am unceasing and persistent with prayer, I am able to be thankful and give thanks.

There is a direct correlation with my relationship with him and my ability to be grateful. So if I find it hard to be grateful, then I might want to check how my relationship is. I need to check how my communication has been.

Because when I'm out of communication and when I'm out of a relationship, gratitude is hard. Why? Because my attention has shifted. And as my attention has shifted, my heart has shifted as well.

But when my communication is constant and my relationship is strong, it is so much easier to be reminded of his faithfulness and reminded of his power in my life. Why? Because I'm constantly dwelling on it until the point to where it just becomes a part of who I am.

It becomes a part of who I am and it becomes a part of my fellowship with him. Some time ago, I shared with the congregation about how I was having these... Did we say they were panic attacks? I don't know if I said they were panic. Anxiety. There we go. I was having these anxiety attacks.

And I took some time really to think about what I was thinking about as I'm preparing for this message. I realized that in the moment I was so focused on something that was so unfit that was so far away from feasibility. It was something that was just outlandish.

And my dwelling on something that could possibly happen in the future had effects on my body and me now. I'm going to talk to this side. Okay. Alright. Y'all with me, right?

Okay. I begin to think about something happening to my wife, something happening to my kids, some... And it begins. I mean, something far off. Far off from reality.

Now, I'm having an anxiety attack. Now I'm worried. Now my heart is beating fast. Now I'm in fear. Now I'm wondering what could possibly happen. Why? Because I was focused on that.

And so what I had to do is make a decision to now refocus my attention in the moment. I had to think about what I was focused on. And instead of being focused on something absolutely crazy, I refocus my intention.

And my attention to gratitude. What does that look like in the moment? I'm afraid something happened to my wife. Something happened to my kid. God, I thank you. I thank you that my life is redeemed from destruction.

God, I thank you that your angels are encamped around my family. I thank you that I plead the blood of Jesus over their life right now. I thank you that no hurt, harm, danger, incident, accident, breakdown, fatality or failure shall come near them.

I thank you that you protect them. I thank you that your hands are over them. God, I thank you that every morning you wake them up. And I ain't got nothing to do with it. God, I thank you that you put clothes on their back.

God, I thank you that you feed them every day. I thank you that they have no worry or no care in the world because they are yours. What am I doing? I'm refocusing out of gratitude.

I'm making a decision to shift my focus from something absolutely crazy. I'm focusing my attention and my intention on gratitude. And what happens? Gratitude shifts the atmosphere.

Gratitude shifts the atmosphere. Gratitude changes my heart. Gratitude changes my mind. Something happens on the inside of me that fear cannot stay there anymore. Worry cannot stay there anymore because why? I have chosen instead of having an attitude of fear, an attitude of complaining, I now have an attitude of gratitude.

Philippians 4, verse 8 talks about what we should think about. He says, finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God's word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things.

Center your mind on them and implant them on your heart. Center your mind on them and implant them on your heart. This is what he tells us. We have to think about what we're thinking about.

This is why the enemy attacks us, and his main attack or his main attacks that lead us to ingratitude is this: the bombardment of busy and the deceit of distraction. Bombard you with busy. I'm going to run, you're going to be running around like a chicken with your head cut off.

I'm going to bombard you with busy. And then I'm going to bring things in the midst of busy to distract you. It's deceit. The deceit of distraction. Why? Because all I gotta do is mess up this connection.

All I gotta do is get you to not focus on him. All I gotta do is get you to just not... You don't need to pray. What's that gonna do for you? You don't need to go to church. What's that gonna do for you? Oh, your schedule is so busy, right?

Let's put more things on your schedule because that's what we do. Let's put more things on your schedule. Let's get you busy. Let's get you distracted because in busyness and in distraction, what happens? You get overwhelmed.

Then you get overwhelmed and now it's like, you know what? I'm just so overwhelmed and it's just... This is going on and that's going on. And now here you go. You're right back there.

He is trying to do whatever he can to make sure that we are not in close fellowship with God and to make sure that we are not in constant communication with God because he knows that if I do that, I got you.

Because when we're overwhelmed, it feels like the most opportune time to grumble, the most opportune time to complain. And we feel like we deserve to vent. We feel justified. We feel like we deserve to complain a little bit.

And the reason that we feel that way is because that's exactly how our flesh and the enemy wants us to feel. That's exactly how he wants us to feel.

And if we want to live an overflowing life instead of an overwhelmed life, we have to choose gratitude. We have to choose gratitude, and it is not easy.

But the only way that we can maintain a heart of gratitude, even in life's toughest battles, even in life's toughest battles, it's through the power of the Holy Spirit and a complete trust in God.

I was doing sermon prep for this, for the sermon. And I said, what is the thing that causes us to be in an area of where we are complaining and like, we're just not grateful? What is it?

And I realized that is a lack of trust in God. When you get down to the room, to the bottom of it all, right? I'm gonna preach to me, okay? Just me. When I thought about why I was such in fear about my family, why I was having such anxiety about my wife, my kids, their future, their safety, because I didn't trust God.

See, I'm not telling on y'all, I'm telling on me. I wasn't in a place to where I was trusting God. I was trusting in myself, and the fear came from the realization that I can't do it all.

And since I can't do it all, now I'm in fear for their life. Now I'm in fear for what's going to happen to them. Why? Because I'm not trusting God.

You, I'm trusting in myself. I'm telling on me so y'all don't have to tell on yourself. Thanks, Lance. But that's where it comes from. It comes from me trusting in me.

So when we get to a place of grumbling, when we get to a place of complaining, and when we get to that place, what happens is we're at a place to where we are not trusting God.

Gratitude produces results in our life that grumbling never could. My God. Gratitude produces results in our life that grumbling never could. Grumbling does not produce results.

Actually, I apologize. Grumbling does not produce beneficial results. Because it does produce some results. My wife was telling me last night, reminded me. High blood pressure. Anxiety. Depression. Aneurysms. Depression. What else, baby? Depression. Ulcers. Migraines.

So if you want to keep, that's on you. Because it's producing results. But if you want to see other results produced in your life, things that are beneficial to your life and your health, gratitude is the answer.

Gratitude produces results in our life that grumbling never could. Philippians chapter 4, verse 6, verse 7. We can go right up from where we just were. Verse 6. Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything, every circumstance and situation, by prayer and petition with what?

It's on the screen, y'all. Y'all ain't got to guess. But in everything, every circumstance and situation, by prayer and petition with what? Thanksgiving.

Continue to make your specific requests known to God. Here we go. And verse 7. Verse 7. Gratitude produces results in our life. Gratitude produces results in our life that grumbling never could.

And the peace of God. I can stop right there. But I love the amplifier because it said, no, no, no, you need some more. The peace which reassures the heart. The peace which transcends all understanding. The peace which stands guard over your heart and mind in Christ Jesus is yours.

See, grumbling and complaining don't produce peace. It produces the opposite of peace. But gratitude produces a peace that surpasses all understanding.

So what does he say? He says that when you have your list that you go to God with, make sure that you underscore it with a heart of thanksgiving. Because when you do that, there's a promise attached.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, is yours. Grumbling, complaining, it only produces more frustration. More tension, more conflict within us.

But when we come to God with a heart of thanksgiving, we receive a peace unlike anything we've ever experienced. The things that we thought were a big deal don't seem like a big deal anymore. The problems that we thought were insurmountable seem a little mountable now.

Why? Because in gratitude, we are reminded and reassured of the character of God. Of the faithfulness of God, of the grace of God, of the love of God. Sometimes you need to be reminded that God loves you.

Sometimes you need to be reminded that God loves you. Somewhere along the line of busy, somewhere along the line of frustration, somewhere along the line of all the issues that are going on in your life, you somehow came to the conclusion that God doesn't love you.

Let me remind you, God is infatuated with you. He don't play when it comes to you. Somewhere you thought that he forgot about you. I don't know how you thought you woke up this morning, but somehow you thought that he is in love with you.

Scripture says he knows the number of hairs on your head. It says he prepares the day for you. We are reminded and reassured of the character of God and gratitude.

We are reminded of the scoreboard. What you mean? Sometimes we think we lost or we're, or even that we're losing. Or we're like, we like, oh no, God, I don't know how you're going to do it. God, you're just, I'm just coming to you now, Jesus.

I'm just, look at the score. I know your head is down and you're trying to plow through life, but take a second to look at the score. God continues to win and the enemy continues to lose.

He's still got zero and we are still racking up the scoreboard, but we can only be reminded of that when we are in gratitude. That's what having gratitude produces on the inside of us in the middle of our storm.

We don't complain about the rain because we know who controls the weather. We know who's in charge, but we have to take a second to be grateful.

This is what gratitude does. It does for the life of a believer. Be grateful. Remind yourself. I make it a habit to remind myself of the good when I feel like... Because I'd be wanting to complain.

They don't need no, you know, amen. I got this. But in those moments, I have to say, I have to make a decision. And here's the thing. Here's the thing. It's not just instant. It is a process.

When I was battling that anxiety, I would spend some time in it. I would spend maybe three minutes before I had to snap out of it. Well, first I wasn't snapping out of it.

But once we had a conversation, we put a name to that thing. I began to go look in the word of God. Now it was like, you know, three minutes. And then I would say, you know what? Let me, God, thank you. Thank you for what you're doing.

Yeah. Then the next time it got a little bit shorter, I would catch it a little bit earlier. And the next time I would catch it a little bit earlier. And the next time I would catch it a little bit earlier until the time where as soon as I had the thought, I immediately made a decision to go to gratitude, but it was a process.

So what I'm saying is while gratitude may be hard, you have to start somewhere. You got to start somewhere by just saying, just catching yourself, recognizing that you don't have to sit in that feeling.

You don't have to sit in that disgust. You don't have to sit in that. And no, no, no, no, no. You make a decision to say, oh, you know what? Let me, thank you, Jesus.

You may not even be able to recollect anything in the moment. I don't know how, but you may not be able to recollect anything in the moment. And so you just say, you know what? Thank you, Jesus.

That's it for me. It's easy. Ooh, God, thank you. With shoes on my feet. God, thank you. This clothes on. God, God, thank you that I got a bed to lay in. They got covers on it.

God, God, I thank you that I got hot water. God, God, I thank you that there's a car sitting outside, right? Oh God, you know, thank you. I got a wife laying next to me. God, God, I think that there's a roof over my head.

Why? I'm looking at the things around me because it doesn't take much to look at it to know that I didn't have it so that I can be grateful for it now.

And so what I'm challenging you to do is if you find it hard to be grateful, first, check on that connection. He says, be unceasing in prayer. Take the opportunity to choose gratitude.

I gotta go, y'all. I'm gonna say this and I'm gonna get out y'all way. Talking to my wife again last night and she showed me this thing and I'd seen it before. She says, it said, be careful that you're not complaining about the days that you prayed for.

Be careful that you're not complaining about the days that you prayed for. Because you asked God to restore your marriage. Oh. You asked God to bring your kids back. You asked God to put a roof over your head.

Now you complaining about the roof you got? You asked God to provide you with transportation and now you mad and you can't wait till you get something else? What?

My wife sent a message out to our cleaning team and she shared it with me. Josh, y'all get up here. Because I already said I was closing. Now they're gonna say I'm a liar. I'm a liar.

Not even knowing what I was preaching about yet, she sent this message out. Hit the pad because I want to make sure I sound holy.

She sends this message out to her team. She had no idea what this message was gonna be about. And she shared with me that she was in the restroom, in the men's restroom, cleaning.

On Saturdays, we come in and we clean the church. And she says, I was in the men's restroom cleaning and it just hit me in the moment. I have a restroom to clean.

We have a restroom to clean. Some of y'all don't know this, but literally we prayed for this. The OGs in here, they know. We prayed for this.

I was sitting on a beanbag in my office, crying my eyes out, calling my wife with tears in my eyes. And I said, I can't do it anymore. I've been trying to find a building for the church.

I've been trying to make this deal work. I've done everything I know to do and it's overwhelming and it hurts. And I don't think that that's what God wants for me. So I'm giving up.

Lord, you're gonna have to find a place for us to be. I've checked everywhere in this town. I've done everything that I could do. We don't have a place and we need a place. A place now, Jesus.

But it's too much. I can't pastor the church and try to look for a deal and try to be a broker and try to get... I can't do it all. I'm at the end of myself. You're gonna have to do it, Lord.

Crying with tears in my eyes. Not even three, four days later, I get a call from my broker. Hey, you should check out this. It's a Catholic church.

I'm like, I don't know. I want something nice. I want something new. Something ready. I was crying my eyes out. Three days later, receiving a call that would change the course of everything.

So as she's down there cleaning the toilets and cleaning that bathroom, it is literal. God, thank you that we have a bathroom to clean.

She could have chose, in gratitude, she could have chose to be like, I'm the pastor's wife. Why am I down here cleaning the toilet? What? We got all these people in the church. We got all these volunteers. He always up there.

What? No, she said, no. I'm choosing to be grateful. Oh, my God. I'm choosing to be grateful. God, thank you that I got a toilet to clean.

Thank you that I got a bathroom to clean. God, I'm going to walk out this bed. Thank you that there's a sanctuary here. Thank you that we have a kids ministry.

God, we got a parking lot. It might be small, but we got a parking lot, God. God, people are going to walk in this door and encounter you. Thank you, Jesus.

Choosing, choosing gratitude. Each day we have a decision and we have to make a choice for how we are going to move. Are we going to stay the same and grumble and complain and murmur?

Or are we going to choose to be grateful? My family will tell you, I say, how are you doing? They say, I'm doing fine. And I say, everything good? They say, yeah, everything good. I'm not going to complain.

I say, it won't do you no good, no way. Choose gratitude. Gratitude produces results in our life that grumbling never could. It could change everything. Just like that.

Father, I thank you for your word. Thank you for what you've spoken to your people today, God. Your word tends to enter your courts with thanksgiving and praise.

Today we make a decision to choose gratitude. We are grateful to you, God, for all that you've done and all that you continue to do. Show us how to be people of gratitude.

It is only through your Spirit. It is only through the Holy Spirit working in us that we could be people to be thankful and to give thanks.

God, we repent as a whole if we've been ungrateful. If we sat in complaining and murmuring, we repent, God. We turn away from the proclivity to do that, God. And we walk towards you.

We walk towards a heart of gratitude. A gratitude of thankfulness, God. We choose to be thankful. Thank you, God. Hide this word in our hearts, God.

As we enter this holiday season, God, let us look for opportunities to be grateful. Let us look for opportunities to be thankful. Let us look for opportunities to see you being you in our lives.

That our gratitude and our thankfulness won't be satisfied. It won't be something that's just inward, but it will be something that's lived out. Let us all have the confession that we want a life lived as a thank you note to you.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you that your word has been sown on good ground today. That it will produce a harvest. A harvest of gratitude.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

I'm going to have our offering team come forward at this time. I'm going to finish this next week before we jump into Thanksgiving. But I'm always excited to share with you all the things that God is doing in our church.

And as we just happen to be talking about this building, we know that we're believing God to go next door. And we often drive by the building and we look at all the things that are going on.

And every time something happens, I make it a point to let you know so that we can all celebrate together and move forward in what God has called us to do and moving next door.

Please remember, every Sunday that we sit in these seats, a middle schooler or a high schooler is not being ministered to in these seats. We're sitting in their chairs.

So we got to get out of these chairs and get next door. So to my right, your left, as you walk in and as you walk out, you know that there are pictures, 3D renders, and there's a list of things that we're trying to accomplish in phase two.

I didn't get to celebrate this two weeks ago because I was out of town, but we raised, I think it was $20,000 or $25,000 to cover our plumbing for phase two. That's all of finishing our restrooms.

That was two weeks ago. And within those two weeks, we have now raised $80,000 to cover our electricity for phase two as well. Come on, somebody. Hallelujah.

Come on. And so I always want to take the opportunity to say thank you. Thank you for giving your tithes. Thank you for giving your offering. Thank you for going over and above in your generosity because we're going to walk in that building and it ain't going to take us 50 years to get there.

We're going to walk in that building and it ain't going to take us 50 years to do it either. God is moving and I thank you that God is moving on your hearts.

Next week we're going to talk about our year-end giving campaign and what we're believing for to continue on this project. But this week I wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate the goodness of God.

We believe in this church that he gives seed to the sower. So thank you for being sowers. As we prepare to give, if you're new here, there are three ways to give. Our QR code, I told you you're going to hear more about it.

Our QR codes, you can give from there. There's an offering envelope on the seat pocket in front of you. And if you're watching online with us, you can text the word give to 833-879-0161 or you can go to limitlesswoodland.com and the give button is there for that.

But today we give out of generosity. And here's another opportunity, look at this, to go from inward gratitude to outward gratitude. I say, God, I'm not just going to be thankful on the inside. I want to show you my gratitude.

God, you've been good, and one of the ways that I get to do that is through my giving. Thank you, Jesus, for this opportunity to give.

Heavenly Father, I pray right now over those who are making their decision to give. I pray that you would speak to them. God, we don't want to give out of habit and we don't want to give just because someone told us to.

God, we want to give out of a heart of gratitude and a cheerful heart. Thank you for the finances. Thank you for miraculous income. Thank you for the job. Thank you for the seed that you've given us, and we're making a decision to sow it on good ground.

Speak to us what you would have us to give. We praise you, we honor you. Thank you for allowing us to participate in the harvest. In Jesus' name, amen.

God bless you as you give. Would you do me a favor as the buckets go past, go ahead and stand. Taylor is going to lead us in worship and I have one more thing and then we'll dismiss you.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Alright, let's stretch our hands towards our seat. Heavenly Father, thank You for this opportunity You've given us to sow. We believe our finances are a seed and You give seed to the sower.

So we speak to our seed and we command it to go to grow and to multiply and do exactly what You've called it to do. We thank You for it. We believe You for it. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Very quickly, no walking, no moving at this time. If you are here today and you have not made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, we want to offer you this opportunity.

God sent His Son into the world to die, to suffer the pain of crucifixion after living a perfect life simply because He wanted to be in relationship with you.

If you want to know why believers have such gratitude first, it's because of this. It's because we recognize that we are sinners. We recognize how horribly off we were, but yet God still sent His Son to die for us.

That's why we're grateful because we know that we deserve death and we deserve hell, but God. So we offer you this opportunity. He says if you believe in your heart and confess Him as Lord, you will be saved.

What does that mean? It means that maybe you've made Him hospitals and funerals, God. Maybe you've made Him in case of emergency, God. Maybe you've made Him Christmas and Easter and Mother's Day, God.

But He says if you confess me as Lord. This word Lord means king and ruler. It means first priority. It means ruler of my life. He says if you believe in your heart and confess me as Lord, then you shall be saved.

And so we want to offer you the opportunity to come into relationship with Jesus. The best decision that you could ever make. I used to say this all the time. I said life is a test. How much better is it when a teacher is on your side?

That's what it's like to be with Jesus, to have the Holy Spirit there with you. You've tried the rest. Try the best. Come to the end of yourself. You've done everything you could on your own.

I admonish you, I beg of you, watch what Jesus can do. So if you've never made Jesus Christ Lord of your life, we would love to pray with you and walk you through this step.

Not just today, but through the rest of your life as a believer. We would love to be a part for you to be a part of this family.

Secondly, if you're here today and maybe you made Him Lord, but you haven't been living like He's Lord, and we want to offer you the Holy Spirit.

We'd like to offer you the opportunity to recommit your life to Jesus. I always think about the Prodigal Son. As he's coming in, as he comes home, his dad looks up and runs to him.

A king, a ruler runs to his son. He gets undignified at the thought of his son coming home. God is right there, waiting, arms wide. He says, I never leave you. I never forsake you. I'm here.

So if you want to recommit your life to Jesus today, then we want to pray for you as well. And lastly, if you're here and maybe you weren't here earlier, you say, hey, I need prayer for something.

I need somebody to agree with me. I need prayer for my marriage. I need prayer for my health. I need prayer for finances. I'm making the decision and I want someone to stand in agreement with me.

Then we want to pray for you as well. We are excited about the opportunity for God to be God in your life. So if that's you today, to my left, to your right, on the black wall, our team is here ready and willing to pray with you.

We are excited. We are in expectation of what God is going to do in your life. So I charge you, come down, grab your bag, grab your Bible, grab everything that you came with.

Get down here and get prayer and watch what happens. I know you might be in a hurry, but I promise you that whatever you're getting to will be there when you pray.

But this, this decision could very well change your entire life. Church, I challenge you to walk in an attitude of gratitude. We are called to be different.

That's why we're called Limitless. We're called to take the limits off of the way that people see Jesus' faith and the church. And we do that with a heart of gratitude.

I challenge you to be grateful this week. Father, I thank you for each and every person under the sound of my voice and those watching online, that your word has rested on your people and that it will produce a great harvest.

I thank you for those that are making decisions right now, God, to make you Lord of their life, to recommit those life, to recommit their life. Even those that are making a decision about baptism right now. Would you confirm that you are making a decision about baptism right now? Would you confirm in them what you've said?

This week, protect this church. Keep them, God. I pray for visible victories in the lives of the people in this church. That we would hear the testimonies of your goodness throughout this week.

When we're walking by the Spirit, there's a refocus that's taking place. We are not ignoring the problem because someone would say, oh, those Christians or those believers, that's all they do. They're trying to ignore the problem. No, we're not ignoring the problem, but we're refocusing our attention away from the problem to the problem solver. That is the difference. That is the difference. [00:46:32] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


Gratitude produces results in our life that grumbling never could. Grumbling does not produce beneficial results. Because it does produce some results. My wife was telling me last night, reminded me. High blood pressure. Anxiety. Depression. Aneurysms. Depression. What else, baby? Depression. Ulcers. Migraines. So if you want to keep, that's on you. Because it's producing results. [01:06:41] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


We are reminded and reassured of the character of God and gratitude. We are reminded of the scoreboard. What you mean? Sometimes we think we lost or we're, or even that we're losing. Or we're like, we like, oh no, God, I don't know how you're going to do it. God, God, you're just, I'm just coming to you now, Jesus. I'm just, look at the score. I know your head is down and you're trying to plow through life, but take a second to look at the score. [01:11:06] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


Each day we have a decision and we have to make a choice for how we are going to move. Are we going to stay the same and grumble and complain and murmur? Or are we going to choose to be grateful? My family will tell you, I say, how are you doing? They say, I'm doing fine. And I say, everything good? They say, yeah, everything good. I'm not going to complain. I say, it won't do you no good, no way. [01:19:10] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)