What Produces A Thankful Heart?

What Makes a Thankful Heart?

Loads of images come flooding in when you hear the word Thanksgiving. What does the word trigger in your mind? Turkey. Back-to-back football games on TV. A break from school, Pumpkin pie, Shopping, Family squabbles, Fun and games. Oddly enough, sometimes the whole 'giving thanks' part of the day can get lost in all the flurry and fuss. Unless we're careful, Thanksgiving can easily miss the original intent of the holiday - to gather with others and give thanks to God!

What makes for a thankful heart? Does it overflow from having an abundance of the coolest technology, clothes, or car? Does it come from having a warm house to live in? From being popular? From having a positive cash flow? Or a boyfriend or girlfriend to make you feel special and loved?

Frequently, our minds go down those roads when we collect our thoughts to focus on what we're thankful to God for. But as followers of Jesus, we should look to him as our model for thankfulness. And Jesus didn't have an abundance of 'stuff' in his life, or a nice house, a steady income, or a girlfriend. Yet he lived a life of gratitude and thankfulness. Check out these examples from the Bible:

Faith, faith the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains!

What would happen if you had no doubt? How would your life transform if you consistently looked for the gift beyond challenges? What if you consistently approached life with an open heart, sincere appreciation and more certainty and confidence in Christ than ever before?

Even researchers are discovering that two specific states can make all the difference in living a powerful and purposeful life: Faith & Gratitude.

FAITH is a belief and feeling of absolute certainty that what God says is true and that it is true for our lives. It is an inner knowing. Faith dispels doubt, disintegrates fear and offers peace. It is a state of total confidence and contentment.

GRATITUDE is the state of sincere appreciation and thanksgiving. Expressing gratitude expands your ability to give and receive abundance. When you are grateful you experience the abundance of life that Jesus talks about in

Faith & Gratitude offers practical teachings that you can use everyday to condition your brain and body to live in harmony with your Spirit. It is the highest states of excellence and joy. It gives you real resources, mindsets, tools, and exercises to support you.

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The Expositor's Bible Commentary says this about John 10:10:

Jesus' main purpose was the salvation (health) of the sheep, which he defined as free access to pasture and fullness of life. Under his protection and by his gift they can experience the best life can offer. In the context of John's emphasis on eternal life, this statement takes on new significance. Jesus can give a whole new meaning to living because he provides full satisfaction and perfect guidance.

Barclay's Daily Study Bible adds,

Jesus claims that he came that men might have life and might have it more abundantly. The Greek phrase used for having it more abundantly means to have a superabundance of a thing. To be a follower of Jesus, to know who he is and what he means, is to have a superabundance of life.

A Roman soldier came to Julius Caesar with a request for permission to commit suicide. He was a wretched dispirited creature with no vitality. Caesar looked at him. "Man," he said, "were you ever really alive?" When we try to live our own lives, life is a dull, dispirited thing. When we walk with Jesus, there comes a new vitality, a superabundance of life. It is only when we live with Christ that life becomes really worth living and we begin to live in the real sense of the word.

We often hear that the key to Christian obedience is thankfulness for what God has done. But the Bible stresses faith and hope much more than gratitude. The Baptist pastor and author John Piper has written,

“Nowhere in the Bible is gratitude connected explicitly with obedience as a motivation. We do not find the phrase ‘out of gratitude’ or ‘in gratitude’ for acts toward God. Christian obedience is called the ‘work of faith,’ never of the ‘work of gratitude’ (1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:11). We find expressions like ‘live by faith’ (Galatians 2:20) and ‘walk by faith’ (2 Corinthians 5:7), but never any expression like ‘live by gratitude’ or ‘walk by gratitude.’

We find the expression ‘faith working through love’ (Galatians 5:6), but not ‘gratitude working through love.’ We read that ‘the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith’ (1 Timothy 1:5), but not ‘from sincere gratitude.’ We read that sanctification is by ‘faith in the truth’ (2 Thessalonians 2:13), not that it is ‘by gratitude for the truth.’ We read that ‘faith without works is dead’ (Jas. 2:26), but not that ‘gratitude without works is dead.’ And when Jesus deals with the disciples’ hesitancy to seek the kingdom first because they were worried about food and clothing, he did not say, ‘O men of little gratitude,’ he said, ‘O men of little faith’ (Matthew 6:30).”

Our primary motivation according to the Gospel has to be faith–confidence in what God has given to us and has promised to give us.

What this means is that we, as Christians, are never supposed to merely “gut it out.” We don’t tell ourselves that we need to simply endure because of our obligation to be grateful. No, we endure because we hope in what God promises in the Gospel.

Hebrews 11, among other passages, makes this extremely clear. It speaks of what the saints do “by faith” and makes quite clear what that means. Noah didn’t come home to his wife one day and say, “Well honey, I know life has been good. But God has told me we have to build a big boat in the middle of dry land, and become a laughingstock to everyone around us. It will take time and money and destroy my credibility but we should do it because we should be grateful to God for making us and besides, he’s God and it is always wrong to disobey God.”

Now, if anyone should have been able to simply gut it out, to simply obey because God ordered him to do so or simply out of gratitude for past blessing, it should have been Jesus Christ, the Divine Son of God.

But that’s not what the inspired word of God tells us is it! No, he did what he did because he hoped in God and new that the path God had for him to trod would leave him infinitely better off than any other course of action.

So it should be with us. Yes God had given us much, but he always promises us much more. Hope in God’s promises–saving and justifying faith–is the key to the Christian life.

Childlike Faith is the wonder and awe at what Christ did for us. It is a synergy of trust, hope, and unpretentiousness that knows the Lord loves us and will lead us. Because of our trust in the Lord, we are more able to take comfort in Him. Childlike faith sees the world as exciting and adventurous, and worth pursuing with our faith so opportunities to please God override our complacency and the attitude of “been there, done that,” even though we may have. It is a part of us that we should never lose. It enables us to maintain our humbleness and enthusiasm and not become just a subculture or routine!

Jesus sees the value of faith as paramount over anything else; faith is lifted up as the most important thing we have or do. Yet, all too often, we do not seek faith, but rather just what we can get. May be that is why we do not have a Thankful Heart?

What would it be worth to consistently experience Faith that produces Gratitude in your life now?

Faith is the foundation upon which we build our character; it supports the house where the Spirit can dwell and empower us. This is a fruit of the Spirit given to us as we grow and mature. It comes from being "conformed to the image of His Son." (Romans 8:29) Faith and our trust in Christ will be the quintessential aspects of applying obedience and growth in our maturity and character and it will lead to a Thankful Heart

Philippians 4:5-7

⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

This weekend, I was visiting my family in California and my niece told me about all the money she has spent recently on her car. I imagine there are a lot of people in the same boat right now, and because of that, I just have to tell you about this site. Check out repairpal.com the next time you are going to get repairs on your car. With repairpal.com you can see if you are being charge a fair price for car repairs. It is simple and straightforward. Check out the site for yourself. :)

LINK: Repairpal.com

Can you believe that we are just weeks away from Thanksgiving? And shoppers know what that means. We are also weeks away from Black Friday! Crazy! Here is your website tip. There are many, many Black Friday sneak peek websites that give you some clues and more on what Black Friday sales are coming your way. Check out Black Friday 2010 for your sneak peek now. You can just search like crazy online too for other sites and links.

Who loves free food? I do! If you like Jack in the Box is offering two free tacos (limit two per person) just for the asking on November 16th after 2 pm. Mind you, do check with your local Jack in the Box because this offer is limited to participating locations. So once more: TWO TACOS AFTER 2PM AT PARTICIPATING JACK IN THE BOX LOCATIONS.

LINK: Jack in the Box 2 Tacos After 2pm

Try for your chance to win a sample of Thomas Coffee. There are 250 people chosen each month. I love coffee and will definitely give it a shot. :)

LINK: Thomas Coffee Sample

Looking for a calendar for the upcoming year? You can head over to Pilsbury's website, and sign up for one of their news letters, and an awesome Pilsbury 2011 calendar is yours!

LINK: Pilsbury Calendar

If you are a Betty Crocker fan, you can sign up for some of their email newsletters, and get their yummy 2011 calendar. Is it just me or is it almost crazy to think that we are that close to even needing a 2011 calendar?

LINK: Betty Crocker Calendar

At Everyday Health you can sign up for a free sample of Vaseline Intensive Rescue (first 1 million). There is a limit of one sample per household.

LINK: Vaseline Intensive Rescue

Today is Veteran's Day and participating Applebee's restaurants are going to again offer free entrees to all veterans and active duty military who come in on November 11th.

They can choose from a special Veteran's Day menu which has lots of favorites like 7 oz House Sirloin, Bacon Cheeseburger, Fiesta Lime Chicken, Double Crunch Shrimp, Oriental Chicken Salad and more. The link below will have details and the menu.

Again, check if your Applebee's is involved in this event and make sure to bring proof of service which includes: U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card, U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card, Current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), Photograph in uniform, Wearing uniform, Veterans Organization Card or DD214

LINK: Applebee's Veterans Eat Free on Veteran's Day

Chili's is also hooking up our veterans on Veteran's day. Again, proof of service is required, and it is limited to a specific menu (I will have a link to that menu here), but some of the items are Quesadilla Explosion Salad, Cajun Chicken Pasta, Chicken Club Tacos and more. Always check with your local restaurant for participation.

LINK: Chili's Veterans Eat Free on Veteran's Day

Golden Corral is having a Military Appreciation Monday on November 15th from 5pm to 9pm. Last year they honored over 335,000 veterans and active duty military with a free dinner buffet and beverage. Check to see if your local Golden Corral is participating.

LINK: Golden Corral Military Appreciation Monday

Dollar General is offering a 10% discount on Veteran's Day for Veterans, Active Military and their families. :) Follow the link to their website for details. Definitely again ask your local Dollar General if they are participating.

LINK: Dollar General

Let's not forget that EVERYONE gets free entry to US National Parks today! So if you are at home because you got Veteran's day off...go have some fun.

LINK: Free Entry to US National Parks on Veteran's Day

This Saturday, November 13th is Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic, and your child can make a fun periscope. November 20th workshop will be for a Snowman gift card holder. Check out the details.

LINK: Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics

While supplies last, sign up for a Style-n-Smile magnet frame from Scholastic and the American Association of Orthodontists. Also your order counts as an entry in their $1500 gift card sweepstakes so you may want to take the leap. :)

LINK: Style-n-Smile Magnet Frame

If you know someone who is expecting, how about taking advantage of a free download of Sing To Me A Lullabye Album at the WIC website.

LINK: Sing to Me Lullabye Album Download

iTickets.com has a free download this week of "The First Noel" by Revive. This is a great song to start off your Christmas collection for 2010!

LINK: iTickets Free Song Download

FreeCCM has a free download of Fee's song "Send Me" from their CD "Hope Rising." Also still available are songs by The Choir, Israel Houghton, Lincoln Brewster, and John Mark McMillan.

LINK: FreeCCM Free Song Download

While supplies last take advantage of the opportunity for a free sample of Purina ONE brand pet food.

LINK: Purina ONE

Oh His Marvelous Ways, May We Never Forget

Oh His Marvelous Ways, May we Never forget!

"God thunders with His voice wondrously, Doing great things
which we cannot comprehend. For to the snow He says, 'Fall on the earth,'
And to the downpour and the rain, 'Be strong.' He seals the hand of every man, that all men may know His work. (JOB 37:5-7)

”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”-Isaiah 55:8,9

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. This is a day to honor and remember the great sacrifice, bravery and service the men and women of the military have given to this great Country. The will be parades, special ceremonies and a time to view memorials. In Honolulu is the memorial to Pearl Harbor, where you can see the memorial to the heroes of the sunken ship, the Arizona. It is a very moving experience to be taken out to the memorial built above the sunken ship and quietly contemplate the events that led to its destruction and the death of so many crew members. It is easy to be very moved, and to this day, the memorial, and the events it represents remain in our minds. Such sacrifice!

We can sometimes forget events of the past. To help His people remember the works He has done for them, the Lord commanded that certain memorials be erected to remind the people throughout the future generations of His miracles and His special care for them.

The Lord knows how important it is for the people to remember His works. For example, in Deuteronomy 6:10-12, He tells the Israelites: “10 ‘So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 12 then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.’”

We find in the Old Testament histories, in fact, that many times the people of Israel are told not to forget all God had done for them, by the Lord Himself, as well as by Moses, Joshua, and the prophets.

Look at Joshua 4 for a moment. The meaning of the Hebrew word for" memorial" in verse 7 is literally “to remember” or “rememberance.” Memorials have frequently played an important role in biblical history—memorials like this pile of stones, altars, the ark of the covenant—and memorials consisting of special holy days and celebrations

It is to be a time of remembering what God has done

“And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever” (v. 7). First, the memorial stones were to be a reminder of their own personal experience. Notice that in verse 6 that this memorial will cause the children to ask; “What do these stones mean to you?” These stones are first of all to be a reminder those who were present of their personal experience, what they saw, heard and felt. To paraphrase, “Tell your story, Keep a clear memory of what God did for you. Keep on telling your stories so that you never lose your own sense of awe and wonder of what God has done in your life.”

I want you to consider with me: What kind of memorials do we have in our lives? We all have memorials in our lives, no not a monument of stones, but one built of memories. There are memories of places, places that trigger memories just as the memorial stones in Gilgal. There are some significant places in your life that bring back memories.

We also have other memorials in our memories. There are memories of people God has used in our lives. For me, many of these are the people who encouraged me when I was wrestling with giving up a career and going to seminary. There are memories of experiences, of God’s answers to prayer and of God’s marvelous hand of provision. I remember in seminary how God always provided for our needs. We learned some valuable lessons about faith. Most lessons in faith are not something you can be taught, it is something that you must experience to truly understand. Those days in seminary and God’s constant provision for our family are memorials in my memory of His faithfulness and love.

There are also mementos of the past. If you were to come into my office and look around you would see miscellaneous objects that are reminders to me of life experiences—a picture of the family and many others. No doubt when you look around your home, you find similar memorials. Each of those objects triggers memories of what happened then, of the things that God did, and of things you experienced; some are experiences that have changed your life; others are memorials to warm memories you always want to remember.

The point is that God knows how we think and that is the reason that he instructs Joshua to build a memorial. So that each time the Israelites saw it they would be reminded that they had not crossed the Jordan on their own ability, their own strength but because of God. To understand what God was trying to teach His children Israel, spend some time thinking through your memorial stones, let them draw you closer to God and remind you of His faithfulness.

As with other memorials in the Old Testament, the intention of the memorial was to provoke questioning especially from future generations.

We need to remember that our faith is never more than one generation away from extinction. Just think about our own country. We have drifted away from our Christian foundation in just the last couple of generations. We need to tell each generation about the eternal life God offers to anyone who believes and the great things God has done for us and the rest of His people.

Perhaps we, too, can remember a monument, a pile of stones, a memorial to a time when we by an act of bold faith we decided to abandon ourselves to God and step out into the unknown to take new territory for Him—to step into the waters of the flooding river in faith that God will take us across and show His mighty Ways are true and can be trusted.

Kelly's Thrifty Tips

Want to save money on gas? Ask directions. According to a British study, men drive an additional 276 miles a year because of not asking for directions which can waste up to $3000 in gasoline over a lifetime! I am not saying that women do not waste gas as well. I just don't have any numbers on that.

LINK: Lost Male Drivers


WEBSITES

If you are looking for some awesome shopping deals, sign up with Eversave. You sign up with your email to Eversave, and you will get daily deals sent to your email. You can go for them or pass. These deals can be local or online. A great online deal right now is for magazine subscriptions through Blue Dolphin. You can pay just $12 for $26 magazine subscriptions. To learn more about Eversave follow the link below.

LINK: About Eversave

You might also want to check out Groupon. Groupon features daily deals from different cities all over the country. People sign up and then see the deal and decide if they want to buy in or not. You can save mad money! There isn't a Prescott, Arizona Groupon, but there is one for Phoenix and Tucson. Maybe the Prescott businesses will jump on this soon. You can also get some pretty cool online deals there just like Eversave. Check them out at the link below.

LINK: Groupon

FREEBIES

While supplies last you can get a free subscription to Forbes magazine through Rewards Gold.

LINK: Free Magazine

Tom's of Maine is offering a sample of their Wicked Fresh toothpaste. There is a limit of 100,000 samples so get it while supplies last.

LINK: Wicked Fresh Toothpaste

While supplies last, click on the link below for your sample of Breathe Right Advance nasal strips.

LINK: Breathe Right Advance

FreeCCM's free download this week is Israel Houghton's "You Hold My World." You can still get "Reaching For You" by Lincoln Brewster, "Skeleton Bones" by John Mark McMillan, "What Grace Looks Like" by 33Miles, "Raising Up The Dead" by Caedmon's Call, "Power in the Blood" by Bart Millard, and "Eyes Wide Open" by Sara Groves. Don't forget that you have to be a member to get the freebies.

LINK: FreeCCM Music Downloads

More Free Test Prep!

Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions is pleased to offer free online test preparation for the SAT, PSAT and ACT for Students. All students, freshmen through seniors, now have 24-7 on demand access to comprehensive preparation. These lessons will guide students through instruction, practice and mastery on every skill tested on the exams.

Kaplan’s proven methods are delivered through instructional video lessons, guided practice problems, and independent practice quizzes. Kaplan’s adaptive learning technology, Smart Track, analyzes the student performance and adjusts to provide each student with a customized learning plan. Smart Track also moves from course to course, and test to test with students, so that demonstrated mastery in the PSAT is carried over to the SAT.

Here’s how to sign up:
1.) Visit www.kaptest.com/kas. Under “Free Resources” select “SAT Online”, “PSAT Online” or “ACT Online”.

2.) Click “Enroll Now”, then click “Proceed to Next Step”

3.) Fill out “Billing Information” (don’t worry, it’s still free). You must complete all fields, including student and parent contact information.

4.) In the “Promotion Code” box, enter the discount code for the course you would like to begin :
• SAT Online KAS2S711
• PSAT Online KAS2P711
• ACT Online KAS2A711

5.) Click “Apply” next to the promo code box. Total should automatically reset to $0.

6.) Click “Submit Order”, and you’re done!

I found this deal at Big Big Forums.

God is Powerful and In Control But Also Personal

God is Powerful and in Control, But Also Personal

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4 NIV)

A few weeks ago I was standing on our back deck looking up at the evening sky.

There are millions of these tiny points of light laid out over the canopy of darkness

It is always amazing to think that God, our Creator, set all of the stars in place. So many billions of stars and galaxies! Yet, He cares for each one of us. He cares so personally that Psalm 139 describes it this way:

Psalm 139: 2 -He knows when we sit down and when we rise up.
3 -He is familiar with all of our ways.
4 -Before a word is on our tongue He knows it completely.

Think of this one for a minute; He hems us in–behind and before; and He lays His hand upon us (vs. 5)! When I am afraid, I ponder that and am so comforted. He is in front of us, behind us, and He lays His hand upon us. We are completely covered with His love!

When I am facing an unpleasant test or procedure, I remind myself of this verse. To think of how big our Creator God is, and how personal His love for us can be. When we are facing an uncertain future because of ill health, we can know that He is right there with us. All of His creation, the moon and the stars, the birds of the air, the lilies of the field, He created. He is familiar with all. He knows. And He covers us.

“How precious to me are Your thoughts O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand” (Psalm 139:17-18).

*The Concept of Divine Control

. . . how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! —Matthew 7:11

Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct in this passage for those people who have His Spirit. He urges us to keep our minds filled with the concept of God’s control over everything, which means that a disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.

Fill your mind with the thought that God is there. And once your mind is truly filled with that thought, when you experience difficulties it will be as easy as breathing for you to remember, “My heavenly Father knows all about this!” This will be no effort at all, but will be a natural thing for you when difficulties and uncertainties arise. Before you formed this concept of divine control so powerfully in your mind, you used to go from person to person seeking help, but now you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those people who have His Spirit, and it works on the following principle: God is my Father, He loves me, and I will never think of anything that He will forget, so why should I worry?

Are you expecting God to act on your behalf today?
The following story was written by a doctor who worked in South Africa.

One night I had worked hard to help a mother in the labor ward; but in spite of all we could do she died leaving us with a tiny premature baby and a crying two-year-old daughter. We would have difficulty keeping the baby alive, as we had no incubator. (We had no electricity to run an incubator.) We also had no special feeding facilities. Although we lived on the equator, nights were often chilly with treacherous drafts.

One student midwife went for the box we had for such babies and the cotton wool the baby would be wrapped in. Another went to stoke up the fire and fill a hot water bottle. She came back shortly in distress to tell me that in filling the bottle, it had burst. Rubber perishes easily in tropical climates. "And it is our last hot water bottle!" she exclaimed.

As in the West it is no good crying over spilled milk, so in Central Africa it might be considered no good crying over burst water bottles. They do not grow on trees, and there are no drugstores down forest pathways.

"All right," I said, "put the baby as near the fire as you safely can, and sleep between the baby and the door to keep it free from drafts. "Your job is to keep the baby warm."

The following noon, as I did most days, I went to have prayers with any of the orphanage children who chose to gather with me. I gave the youngsters various suggestions of things to pray about and told them about the tiny baby.

I explained our problem about keeping the baby warm enough, mentioning the hot water bottle. The baby could so easily die if it got chills. I also told them of the two-year-old sister, crying because her mother had died.

During the prayer time, one ten-year-old girl, Ruth, prayed with the usual blunt conciseness of our African children. "Please, God," she prayed, "send us a water bottle. It'll be no good tomorrow, God, as the baby will be dead, so please send it this afternoon."

While I gasped inwardly at the audacity of the prayer, she added by way of a corollary, "And while You are about it, would You please send a dolly for the little girl so she'll know You really love her?"

As often with children's prayers, I was put on the spot. Could I honestly say, "Amen?" ! I just did not believe that God could do this. Oh, yes, I know that He can do everything. The Bible says so. But there are limits, aren't there? The only way God could answer would be for a package to arrive from the homeland.

I had been in Africa for almost four years at that time, and I had never, ever received a parcel from home. Anyway, if anyone did send me a parcel, who would put in a hot water bottle? I lived on the equator!

Halfway through the afternoon, while I was teaching in the nurses' training school, a message was sent that there was a car at my front door. By the time I reached home, the car had gone, but there, on the verandah, was a large twenty-two pound parcel. I felt tears pricking my eyes. I could not open the parcel alone, so I sent for the orphanage children. Together we pulled off the string, carefully undoing each knot. We folded the paper, taking care not to tear it unduly. Excitement was mounting.

Some thirty or forty pairs of eyes were focused on the large cardboard box. From the top, I lifted out brightly colored, knitted jerseys. Eyes sparkled as I gave them out. Then there were the knitted bandages for the leprosy patients, and the children looked a little bored.

Then came a box of mixed raisins and sultanas-that would make a batch of buns for the weekend. Then, as I put my hand in again, I felt the.....could it really be? I grasped it and pulled it out-yes, a brand-new, rubber hot water bottle, I cried.

I had not asked God to send it; I had not truly believed that He could. Ruth was in the front row of, the children. She rushed forward, crying out, "If God has sent the bottle, He must have sent the dolly, too!"

Rummaging down to the bottom of the box, she pulled out the small, beautifully dressed dolly. Her eyes shone! She had never doubted. Looking up at me, she asked: "Can I go over with you, Mummy, and give this dolly to that little girl, so she'll know that Jesus really loves her?"

That parcel had been on the way for five whole months. Packed up by my former Sunday school class, whose leader had heard and obeyed God's prompting to send a hot water bottle, even to the equator. And one of the girls had put in a dolly for an African child-five months before-in answer to the believing prayer of a ten-year-old to bring it "that afternoon."

Jesus said there are times when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but you should trust Him. At times God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not.

Keep the thought that the mind of God is behind all things strong and growing. Not even the smallest detail of life happens unless God’s will is behind it. Therefore, you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but is an attitude of the mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural.

“Ask, and it will be given to you . . .” (Matthew 7:7).

So many people pray with an attitude as if they are trying to hit a dartboard blindfolded! They know the target is there, they have an idea of the general direction; they just hope they´ll just get somewhere close. But understand, when you get into God´s Word and declare His promises over your life, it´s like taking the blindfold off and walking straight up to the bull´s eye! When you pray with expectancy according to God´s Word, you´ll hit the target every single time.

What are your needs today? Find the promise in God´s Word that addresses those needs. Then, expect God to act! He is faithful to His Word, and He´s just waiting to show Himself strong on your behalf.

A PRAYER

"Heavenly Father, today I come to You with an attitude of faith and expectancy. I know that You have good plans for me, and I choose to come into agreement with Your Word. Thank You for hearing my prayers as I wait patiently for You. In Jesus´ Name. Amen."

"Before they call, I will answer!" Isaiah 65:24

Kelly's Thrifty Tips - October 21

I have talked about ways to save money, win prizes and get free stuff. Right now I just wanted to mention a few ways to give. These are easy as can be and totally free.

Go to Target and make a pledge to take time to read with a child, and Target in turn will donate a book to children in need. You will be doing good in two ways. One by reading to a child and the second by getting a book into the hands of another child. Pretty cool. :) Follow the link below to make your pledge.

LINK: Target Reading

If you head to The Hunger Site you can click and give. There are several causes that you can click on and each click will give a donation from sponsors. They also have items you can purchase there which enables the sponsors to give more. Again though, you don't have to pay a thing to give. You can give for hunger, literacy, child health, breast cancer, the rainforest, and animal rescue.

LINK: The Hunger Site

Goodsearch is a search engine that you may have heard about on Radio Shine. It is very easy to do, and can be a huge benefit to the nonprofit you search for. To do a search you can simply go to goodsearch.com and put in the name of your charity in the box where it asks who are you searching for. Put the charity name in and click verify. That is it! Then you just do your search. You don't have to constantly fill this in if you use it frequently. Each search will give a one cent donation to your charity. It may sound small, but it really adds up.

Check this out:

Charity or School Size	Number of Supporters	Average Searches Per Day	Estimated Revenue/Year from Search	Amount Purchased Per Person/Year via GoodShop	Average % of Sale Donated	Estimated Revenue from Shopping	Total Donation/Year
Small	100	2	$730	$500	3%	$1,500	$2,230
Medium	1,000	2	$7,300	$500	3%	$15,000	$22,300
Large	10,000	2	$73,000	$500	3%	$150,000	$223,000

One of the cool features is you can also check on your charity and see how much money has been raised so far.

Goodsearch also has Goodshop which is a shopping link that allows you to shop online and a portion of those proceeds also go to your charity at no extra cost to you! These are stores you probably already shop at online. Stores like Amazon, 1-800-CONTACTS, Barnes & Noble, bebe, Best Buy and many more. PS Radio Shine is a Goodsearch Charity so feel free to search and bless today! :)

LINK: Goodsearch

Free Rice gives just that. Free rice. You go to the site and you answer the quiz vocabulary questions. For each right answer ten grains of rice is donated. Sounds like a small amount to you? Since its inception Free Rice has donated nearly 83 billion grains of rice. Read more here: Donation Impact

LINK: Free Rice

FREEBIES

For this one you have to pay for shipping, but it is definitely an awesome freebie. Right now you can get a hardcover photo book at Picaboo. New customers qualify for this freebie that will definitely make an awesome Christmas gift for someone special!

LINK: Picaboo Free Hardcover Photo Book

New Release Tuesday members can download lots of free songs, but the special can't miss song this week is Third Day's "Make Your Move" from their new CD "Move."

LINK: New Release Tuesday

If you want you can also listen to "Move" this week at NRT. Click the link below. LINK: New Release Tuesday Listen to "Move"

FreeCCM has a free download of Lincoln Brewster's song "Reaching For You" as well as several other songs AND an opportunity to download 10 free songs! Crazy cool! Got to love being a member!

LINK: FreeCCM free song download

iTickets.com has two free downloads including "Love Amazing" by Circleslide and "Let Us Go" by Konviction. Remember you have to be a member, but it is a great site. I find out about lots of great concerts thanks to iTickets.com.

LINK: iTickets Free Music

Taster's Choice is STILL giving you the chance to try their instant coffee packets. They do come in great flavors. I got mine last week. If you have been passing this by...commit now!

LINK: Taster's Choice Sample

While the offer lasts, you can join Rewards Gold take a brief survey and get a subscription to Men's Fitness. I have picked up many free magazine subscriptions through Rewards Gold. Give it a shot.

LINK: Rewards Gold

If you have a Kindle and you want to get a little more financially savvy, you can take advantage of a free Kindle edition of 16 Expert Lessons for Successfully Managing Your Personal Finances (Collection). This is free for a limited time. Of course you do have to have a Kindle reader.

LINK: 16 Expert Lessons for Successfully Managing Your Personal Finances

SHOPPING DEALS

Get a $5 Target gift card from Real Simple while supplies last when you spend $15 or more on a combination of Target Wise Buy products in one transaction at Target. Products that you can purchase are:

Silk Soy Milk Reach
Access Flosser
Oxyclean Versatile Stain Remover
How to Train Your Dragon on DVD and Blu-ray
Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars
Eucerin DAILY SKIN BALANCE Skin-Fortifying Body Lotion
Curel Sensitive Skin Remedy Lotion
Garnier Skin Renew The Brusher Gel-Cleanser
Garnier Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Moisturizer SPF 15
Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller
Garnier Ultra-Lift Pro Gravity Defying Cream
Colgate Total
Bertolli Frozen Meals
all Small & Mighty

If you are planning on buying some of these items, why not take advantage of the gift card opportunity? You can use it for yourself or maybe make it a nice little stocking stuffer.

Make your $15 purchase in any of the above combinations between October 5, 2010 and November 12, 2010 (I recommend getting it done ASAP as it is while supplies last). Oh this needs to be postmarked by November 13th. Again...I wouldn't wait long.

Mail your receipt and your name and address printed clearly on a 3" x 5" card to:

Real Simple Smart Shopping GiftCard Offer
c/o DW Direct
P.O. Box 5067
South Hackensack, NJ, 07606

There you go. Nice and easy. Take advantage of this deal if these are products you will use. There is no point in spending $15 on products you don't need or use in order to get a gift card. Want more details? Follow the link.

LINK: Real Simple $5 Target GiftCard

Pier One has two printable coupons that are good until November 7th. One is for $10 off a $30 dollar purchase and the other is for a free reusable bag with a $25 purchase. You can get some awesome Christmas gifts here. I personally love their candles and their table settings.

LINK: Pier One Coupons

Okay, we covered freebies, some coupons, ways to give, and lastly I would like to share a cool giveaway. Chicago Coupon Confessions has a giveaway for $150 in Safeway gift cards! One winner will win a $75 gift card and three will win a $25 gift card. One of the ways I stretch my budget is by keeping an eye out for giveaways like this. So head on over to Chicago Coupon Confessions. The giveaway ends on October 31st and the winners will be emailed so you need to include your email in the entry. You will notice how other entrants spell out parts of their email (like AT instead of @). That is a trick to keep spiders from grabbing your email. So be sure to put your email like that.

LINK: Chicago Coupon Confessions Safeway Gift Card Giveaway

The Power of Praising God

The Power of Praising God

¹⁵Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. Hebrews 13:15

Praise invokes God's presence. It gets God's attention, it creates an atmosphere. Praise is to the New Testament what sacrifices, and offering was to the Old Testament, praise is sacrifice. Psalm 22:3 “says that God inhabits the praises of His people,” so when God's people praise Him, He draws near and worship results. God has given each of us a praise ministry with a worship "team" that is never any farther away than an inch below our noise: our lips, mouth, and tongue.

God does not need either our praise or our worship-He is God no matter what we do or don't do-but we need His presence. God's presence comes through our praise. If we desire to live abundant lifestyle, we must learn to cultivate a continual environment of praise. Hebrews 13:15 says, "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess His name." Praise is a sacrificial offering to God, the spiritual "first-fruits" of our lips.

4 Facts about Praising God

I. It is God’s desire that we praise Him with childlike faith.

Praising God in the midst of negative circumstances can turn seeming defeat into total victory. Psalms 8:1-2; Matt. 21:16

II. Praise Demonstrates Faith.

1. God has promised to answer prayer upon His established principles. Phil. 4:6-7.

2. It is our duty and privilege as kings and priests to offer God praise, Heb 13:15.

III. Victorious Living Through Praise.

1. Through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, victory belongs to the child of God. It is appropriated through praise. 1 Cor. 15:56-57; 2 Cor. 2:14.

2. David shows us how to appropriate God's power. Psalms 9:1-4; 50:14, 15, 23; 56:4-11.

IV. Biblical Examples Of Victory Through Praise.

1. The first thing Jehoshaphat did was seek God. Then he prayed according to the word. 2 Chron. 20:9. The results of praise - 2 Chron. 20:17-22.

2. Jonah put action to his faith by praising God. He offered the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Jonah 2:1-10.

Paul and Silas got victory when they praised God in spite of there circumstances - Acts 16:16

Why is praising God important?

The reasons are countless. First, God deserves to be praised and He is worthy to receive our praise:

• "For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods" (Psalm 96:4).
• "Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom" (Psalm 145:3).
• "I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies" (2 Samuel 22:4).
• "You are worthy, our LORD and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being" (Revelation 4:11).

Second, praising God is useful and favorable for us. By praising God, we are reminded of the greatness of God! His power and presence in our lives is reinforced in our understanding. "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant" (Psalm 135:3).

Third, praise discharges strength in faith, which causes God to move on our behalf. "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger" (Psalm 8:2). Praising God also transforms the spiritual environment that we have. 2 Chronicles 5:13-14 clearly illustrates the alteration that happened when the Levites gave praise and thanks to the Lord and the temple was filled with a cloud signifying the glory of God.

"The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: 'He is good; his love endures forever.' Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God."

Fourth, God inhabits the atmosphere of praise. Psalm 22:3 says, "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel (KJV). If we want to see a clear manifestation of God's blessings and grace, all we need to do is to praise Him with all our heart, our mind, and our soul.

Praising God - Who and When?

Who is to praise God? "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD," states Psalm 150:6.

• "I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips (Psalm 34:1)."
• "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands" (Psalm 63:3-4).
• "Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD" (Psalm 134:1-2).

We cannot embark on the true joy and benefits of praising God unless we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. As children of God, He dwells in our bodies through the Holy Spirit. This means that wherever we go, God is to be praised. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states that "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

Praising God - How to Praise and Worship God

How is praising God possible? Singing songs and hymns, clapping our hands, even jumping for joy…the list is endless. We can give glory and praise to our God with the use of our physical bodies, with our hearts and minds, and with our deeds. There are many ways to praise God!

No matter how you praise and worship God, it should result in an awe of God's power, love, and grace for all of us! However the best way to Praise God is to Obey Him.

One thing I want to make crystal clear is the importance of the presence of God. It is one thing to know of God's omnipresence, but quite another to experience the reality of His personal presence on a continuing day-to-day basis through praise, quiet time in His Word and personal intercessory prayer.

Before anything else, we need the presence of God. Everything else in life depends on God's presence. Praise attracts the presence of God. True praise is an exercise, a discipline that flows from a pure heart and a humble spirit. When we praise and acknowledge God, we are acknowledging His sovereignty and Lordship as well as our own dependence on Him. That spirit of humility is just what God is looking for in us. If we approach God with a humble spirit He will do two things: When we come near God, He will come near to us; and when we humble ourselves before Him, He will lift us up. And with those two actions all things all possible! ( Phil: 4:13)

Praise is an act of FAITH. It is the highest expression of faith because it shows we are trusting God.

^{1 [a]}I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonders.

² I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-4