Tag Archives: grateful

Day 19: Angels unawares

July 24, 2012

The true nature of God is his love for relationships. He does not exist in a vacuum, and He didn’t create us to live that way either. Unfortunately, many of us miss the true blessing of relationships and the people that God has sent to us to make our lives better.

This morning as I was reading my emails, I came across one from a friend that said “we’re in this together”. I don’t suppose she knew what she was saying, but I thought of how God always positions us in good relationships because he wants to bless us. So today, I want to thank Him for Angels unawares.

What do I mean by “Angels unawares”.

In Hebrews 13:1-2, the author writes:

Let brotherly love continue.Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Everyday, if we allow God to do His bit, we entertain angels in ordinary form. I am not talking about those close people in our lives. But have you thought about

The postman who delivers your mail.
The person who walks by and offers a sincere smile to you
The friend who sends you an email to comfort you.
The attendant at Mcdonald’s who unwittingly declares “have a good day” over your life.
The pastor/youth leader at your church who always knows exactly what to say about your situation.
The random sister, who gives you a big hug even though she doesn’t know you
The colleague who brings you an ice capp to help your work a little easier.
Even the little cat or dog, that you have that’s always licking you when you need it.

There are so many examples around us where God is blessing us in little teensy bitty ways. But the enemy will trick us into believing that these people are bothering us, nuisances, distractions, just so we can foster the cycle of discontentment. The truth is God has positioned people all around to show His light and love.

We should be grateful for each person that’s in our lives. They may not be as close as family or friends, but God has placed these strangers as ‘angels’ to be a blessing to us in some small way. Not only should we give thanks to God for them, but from time to time, we should also convey our gratitude to those people. Take time out of the busy schedule to encourage them, talk to them for a few minutes, or return a coffee favour.

In everything we must give thanks. God has orchestrated all of the happenings of our day and has positioned angels to bless us.

Posted by schadah in How Great is our God, Thanksgiving, Tidbits for Relationships, Uncategorized Tags: content, grateful, gratitude, relationships

Day 11: Deliverance from Evil Traps

July 12, 2012

Don’t get weary in giving God thanks.

The enemy loves to get you so focused on ‘you’ that he will remind you of how many things are NOT working. Well you know what? Thank God for those too!

I’ve learned that there is a common trick that the devil likes to use: “Well I’ve run out of things to thank God for”, you say. That’s fine. But whenever we run out of things to be grateful for, it’s probably because all along we’ve been thanking God for the good things in our past. For some of us, it seems as if there has been ore good than bad. But do you know that even some of the seemingly bad things that happen in the past, God allowed it?

Yesterday, as my friend and I were talking about some of the really bad experiences, we realized something. Whenever there was something (or someone) that was not good for you, or good for you at the time, God removes it. It might not make sense to you, but God has hindsight, present sight and foresight all at once.

Let’s take for example some of the relationships/friendships that you were in. Now, I am firm believer that God does not like separation. But whenever He has His hand on your life, and He has a purpose for you, He will always uproot and remove people and things from you that are dangerous to your welfare. Yes, it may hurt. And I can attest to how painful it is when someone that you care about is ripped away. But in every bad experience, we have to remember that God loves us.

Man… He loves us so much that He will not allow us to be destroyed. So He takes us away from danger, or…He takes danger away from us. He blocks every path that will lead us down a terrible road. That’s our God.

Now, you may not see it at the time. You may not even see it now. But somewhere in the future, you will say, Lord thank you for taking me out of ________when you did .
Sometimes He takes you out of _______just for a season. But if you had stayed in that particular season, you would have been a goner.

So today, I challenge you to give thanks that God took you out of every destructive relationship, friendship, experience. Looking back, can you think of any bad relationships? What would have happened if you had stayed in them? You may not have understood it then. You may not even understand it now, but thank Him anyway for delivering you from every toxic thing. Because He loved you so much that He snatched you from the traps that the enemy set for you.

15 When they call on me, I will answer;I will be with them in trouble.I will rescue and honor them. 16. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”

Psalm 91:15-16.

Posted by schadah in How He Loves Me, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized Tags: Christianity, discouraged, encouragement, God, grateful, gratitude, Heart, hope, relationships

2 comments

Day 8: Me

July 9, 2012

Well I hope you had a beautiful and ‘grateful’ weekend. I took two days off from my research to attend a women’s conference at my church with Lisa Bevere and Hannah Ouellette. It was awesome! From time to time we really need those times when we can be ourselves, and not bother with all the make up and dress up and all that jazz.

Today, I want to thank God for me. Yes…Me. And you should thank God for you too.

No we’re not being conceited by thanking God for ourselves. In fact, we are giving Him glory; when we thank God for ourselves, we are in fact admiring His handiwork.

So…while waiting in line in the ladies’ room during the conference, I had the wonderful pleasure of listening to a woman complain about her hair. She had such beautiful blonde hair, it was thick and long and just rich. Of course, I admire her hair, cuz if I wanted that kind of hair, it would most likely have to be a weave…and I’d have to pay a decent penny for some human form of it.

So on and on she went about how she hated her hair. Before I knew it, there were other people in the line who started to complain about their hair, and thighs, and stomachs…. sigh. If you didn’t know, complaining is contagious.

It was going to be a long wait, and really I just wanted to tell them all to shut up and ‘like’ themselves. But that’s when the Holy Spirit showed me that we really need to be thankful for ourselves.
When we are ungrateful for who we are, we are in fact slapping God in the face, telling Him that He didn’t make us right. How would you feel if you were an Artist, and you gave someone your finest work, only to hear them say that it was crap?

For about two years after a broken relationship, I basically felt that God created me as crap. I didn’t like anything about myself. And so I would complain about how my natural hair was not long enough, so I needed to change it. I would complain about how skinny I was, how tall I was. I also had help. Because others would tell me about how ‘unshapely’ my butt was for a Black woman, or how small certain features of my body were (sorry men. I swear, there is something for you too in this blog). But I came to the realization one day that I am really beautiful. According to someone I used to know “A piece of work”. I am not just talking about my curves, or my thighs, my weight, or my size. I am talking about real beauty.

This morning when I got out of bed, I saw it again. And I just had to declare “wow, I am a rare gem”. I am God’s handiwork, the express image of my God. I saw in the mirror, a glow…, more like radiance that I could not explain. But I knew that what I saw was a glimpse of what my heavenly Father looks like.

We all have flaws. And we could go on and on about them. But have you ever stopped to think that you are fearfully and wonderfully made? I mean, each of us has a unique beauty about us that represents some aspect of God. Our eyes, our lips, our hair, our legs. You may not have the six pack that you want, or you may have some pudge on your thighs. But do you understand how God crafted you in His perfection? He doesn’t craft junk. If He did, He would never have said “It was good”. He made you “gooooood!”

Take a moment and gloat in yourself, in the fact that you are God’s handiwork. Thank Him for your lips, your hands, your biceps, your hair, your personality. You are you. And in some way, whether you see it or not, you are the image of Him. So rather than complain about it, thank Him for making you so uniquely beautiful. Trust me, it will make you feel a whole lot better about yourself!

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that fully Psalm 139:14.

Posted by schadah in Thanksgiving Tags: Christianity, confidence, content, encouragement, grateful, gratitude, hope, relationships

2 comments

Day 7: Financial Blessings

July 6, 2012

Well then..it’s been 7 days… How many of you are still with me on the gratitude fast? lol.

Like any sort of fast, this fast is challenging. But I continue to accept the challenge of not complaining about things. And the more I feel tempted to complain or if I can’t find anything to be grateful about, the more I realize that there are some fleshly habits of mine that need to die. So if you are on this with me, I encourage you to keep pressing on. Fight the devil with your gratitude for what God has done.

Today, I am thanking God for Financial Blessings. I wanted to say a job, but I realize that God’s way of blessing you financially doesn’t always mean giving you a job when you want it.

Here’s one of my testimonies:
As you may already know I grew up in Guyana and moved to Canada in my teens. But at one point, I had to return to Guyana for a variety of reasons, and it was there that I finished my high school program. Having already been immersed in the North American school system, it would have been pointless for me to go back to the Caribbean education system. Let’s just say it would have been much harder for me to get back into the Canadian system.

So my mom decided that the best move would be to send me to the only school in Guyana that would allow me to graduate with a US High school diploma. It was an expensive school for ambassadors’ and diplomats’ kids. About $5000 US dollars per term. (Approx 1.2 million dollars- that was enough to buy a new house). My mom, the faith woman that she was, said that I had to go there and that God would provide. PS. My mom was a seamstress, and there was no possible way that she could get this money on her own. She did her best, and came up with $800 US which they took as a down payment so that I could get enrolled for the semester.

Well, no matter how much my mom tried to raise the other $4200, it just wouldn’t work. It was like all doors were closed. Her business even dried up. The school’s director allowed me to graduate with my friends, just because they really liked me. I was a positive influence among the other students. But if I could not pay the money by a certain time, I would have to return my diploma and the hat, and my scores. Without that diploma, I technically had no proof that I finished high school. But after waiting and waiting for a breakthrough, I returned it.

I remember my mom and I walking to church one night, and I was so despondent. I was not in a good place. I thought God had failed me. I really wanted to know that He was my Father, that He had not forgotten me. But He apparently did. On a dark alley, at 7pm that night, a black car pulls up and this woman asks us to get in. It was the vice coordinator for the school I attended. My mom and I got so scared, because we thought that we were in trouble. Once in the car, she asked where we were going. And continued to drive. Once we were at the church, she took out an envelope…legal size… and said “I’ve been trying to find you all for a while. I don’t even know why I was on this street. But I have had this sitting in my car for a while.” My mom opened the envelope. It was my US diploma and my scores and my hat. She said, “I paid the balance. You go on with your life. Do well and make your mom proud”.

God always provides financially. It may not be on our turf, but He does. Do you realize that despite your job status, the salary that you earn, all of your credit card debts… somehow, there are always financial blessings to rescue you? How many debts has God written off for you? How many has he frozen, so you can buy time? How many ravens has he sent to bless you? How many times has he provided the money that you need? How many times has he allowed you to find money, or run into someone who owes you money? The sale at Wal Mart for water and juice? That’s Him lowering the prices to meet your budget. The butcher shop where you get meat at a discounted price, that’s God dressing you in His financial favour. That’s what a Father does. You may not be the millionaire that you want to be. But He’s providing. Thank Him for financial blessings.

Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.Psalm 37:25

Posted by schadah in How He Loves Me, Thanksgiving Tags: believe, Christianity, encouragement, God, grateful, gratitude, jesus, love, prayer, trusting god

3 comments

The weapon of Praise

March 20, 2012

The word ‘praise’ means to give thanks.

It is stupid, absolutely stupid to think that giving thanks to God works, especially when everything around you seems to suggest otherwise. But Praise is one of the deadliest weapons that you could ever have. Why? Because it confuses the enemy. Can you imagine being on a battle field with someone, and instead of pulling out a sword or a gun, you pull out a boom box and start to dance and sing as if crazy? Your opponent will wonder what’s wrong with you!

In the spirit realm, it’s the same. The enemy knows that you cannot physically see your breakthrough and he will take advantage of this little fact to make you think that what you are praying for is not going to manifest. In fact, you all would agree that you normally only give thanks when you have received something tangible. Therefore, when you give thanks despite not seeing your breakthrough, the enemy is totally dumbfounded.

Now it’s important to know that every weapon in war, must be used strategically, or they can sometimes have no effect. I can give you a whole lot of scriptures to back this up, but from my own experience, I can testify that praise is the best weapon when

1. you are about to go into depression

2. when someone opposes what God has promised you

3. when you are about to get frustrated

4. when you find yourself comparing yourself to someone who has something you don’t have, but want/need

5. when you are financially distressed.

6. when you are hearing voices that you are not going to make it, or that you lose.

There are others. The key is to discern when you need to use this weapon. At your very worst, if you cannot think of what weapon to use, put praise into effect.

How to praise: (Sorry but I got to go there for a bit)

I know you think praising is easy, but it’s important to remember that Donnie McClurkin, Hezekiah Walker, Marvin Sapp, are not YOUR WEAPONS OF PRAISE. They can help you but YOUR PRAISE is YOUR WEAPON. You must use your own mouth to praise. The devil is not attacking those singers, he is attacking you. So even if your voice is not as great as these wonderful singers, it is imperative that you use your own praise to confound the enemy.

If you read Psalm 150, it says this

Praise the LORD!

Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
² Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
³ Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
⁴ Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
⁵ Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
⁶ Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD!

Praise involves

1. Your MOUTH- you have to open up your mouth. Declare that God is good, tell Him thanks over and over again.

2. Your hands- you can clap, raise (as in war), wave, shake (with cymbals)- but everytime you clap your hands, you literally shake the realm of Guck. And whatever is stuck there gets shifted into your realm. (ummm. ps: in case you’re wondering where I am getting all of these from, I am a worship leader as well. It is my job to know how praise works)

3. Shout- Your mouth again. (the hebrew is Shabach). Shouting out “thank you!” resonates not only to God, but to the host of heaven. You call God’s army to defend you. And you continuously confuse the enemy’s camp.

4. Play an instrument. You do not need to know how to play any instrument. You are an instrument. You are an organ, you are a trumpet, you have vocal ‘strings’, you have feet, you can whistle as a flute. Every part of you is capable of making rhythm before God. Play your instruments in the bathroom, in your car, where ever!

5. Dance- I don’t care if it’s ballet, ballroom, hip hop, battle. When you dance FOR God, the enemy trembles. (Remember that Lucifer was the chief instructor of music. When he fell, he lost the privilege to praise and worship God. And as a slap in his face, God gave that privilege to you)

When you put these together you get what is called the “Tep’hillah” praise, which is a combo of tactics that the enemy cannot possibly understanding.

God said that He will use the foolish things of the world to confound those that think they are wise. I know doing any of these when you feel like things have lost, doesn’t make sense. But put it to the test and you will see what happens.

Posted by schadah in How Great is our God, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized Tags: believe, can't give up, discouraged, edged sword, encouragement, faith, fight, giving thanks, giving thanks to god, God, god sees, grateful, gratitude, joy, marvin sapp, paul and silas, praise. cymbals, spirit realm, trusting god, warfare, weapons

Monday morning gratitude

February 27, 2012

Romans8: 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them

Happy Monday!
Declare that: Happy Monday ________(your name).

When you get to work this morning, when you get on the bus to school, you’re going to find a million things to complain about. Don’t go there. It’s a road for disaster. Instead meditate on these things.
1. You woke up. Your lungs did not give way in the middle of the night for no apparent reason.
2. You woke up, cataract free, able to see what you need to wear today, able to see what you needed to fix yourself a sandwich and able to locate your keys.
3. Your muscles, bones, nerves cooperated with you, awakening you pain free, and able to get out of your bed stroke free.
4. Your mind…no matter how tired and how grumpy it might have been, was able to think, process and complete every function that your brain told it to.
5. Your heart still beats, even if it feels lonely, pain-filled, broken, empty.
6. You still had a more than $1 in your bank account.
7. You have the privilege to go to school and learn. Some cannot afford to.
8. You have the privilege to go to work. Some don’t have jobs.
9. Your labour today will be rewarded. It might not be the substantial reward that you want it to be. But it will bear fruit either in the form of a good grade. Or a weekly wage.
10. God has absolute and total control of your day. You don’t.

Now…as I said, declare that today is a good day. Thank God for all of these things. These little things that He has caused to happen.
All things in your life, yesterday, today and tomorrow, works together for your good. Even when you don’t see God’s hand, He is working behind the scenes, causing your mental faculties to work for your good, and causing everything about your day to work according to His plan. Rest assured, that He has absolute and total control of your day, and your days ahead. Once He is in control, everything will run like clockwork.

Posted by schadah in Thanksgiving Tags: encouragement, giving thanks, God, grateful, gratitude, grumpy, monday, morning blues, peace, thanks

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Day 19: Angels unawares

Day 11: Deliverance from Evil Traps

Day 8: Me

Day 7: Financial Blessings

The weapon of Praise

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