Oasis of Faith

November 2015

November is upon us, and as you know it’s the month in which we celebrate “Thanksgiving.” Being thankful should not be thought about just in the month of November, but every day. In Psalm 100, David gives us some insight, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all you lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing. Know you that the LORD He is God: it is He that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.”

As we Christian believers take this Psalm to heart, notice David doesn’t specify this act of thankfulness only takes place in the month of November. In David’s life I believe this was a daily occurrence. You and I have so much to be thankful for. As because we have so much to be thankful for, giving thanks to the Lord should be a never-ending cycle.

One important thing that I have learned over the years as a believer is that I don’t thank the Lord for everything, but I thank the Lord in everything. The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” There are probably a lot of situations or circumstances that have happened in your life that you would like to forget. I know in my own life there are things that I want to forget, some good and some not so good. But regardless, even for the not so good, I have learned not to thank God for them, but to thank the Lord in them.

I want to encourage you to take the time and sit down and begin to write a list of the things in your life that you are grateful and thankful for, not the bad, only the good. Then each day add another thing you thank the Lord for. By this time next year if Jesus tarries His coming, you will have an entire list of things to be thankful for.

Then each day begin the day off just like David by entering into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. If you will begin to do this, I promise that you will begin to have a whole different outlook on your circumstances and on your life. You will begin to make a joyful noise. You will begin to experience a new joy and a new happiness. And the funny part is that people around you may not understand what’s taking place in your life, but you will! Carla and I and our intercessory prayer team pray for you daily because we care for you our partners, remember God loves you; we love you and JESUS IS LORD!

In The Service of Our King,

Darrell G. Harrelson
P.S. Please continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem [Psalm 122:6].