Discipleship – indycrowe

Ideas for Growing in Gratitude

“Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The Bible tells us to give thanks in all seasons. It’s a year-round, every-day opportunity. We should not wait until Thanksgiving Day or the month of November to be grateful, but we can leverage this season to increase the gratitude we feel, cultivate the habit of thanksgiving, and deepen our awareness of all the reasons to praise and thank God.

It’s a great season for churches, families, and individuals to lean into giving thanks to God together. Like so many things, there is a shared joy that doubles our own joy when we do things with others, and thanksgiving is no different. As we practice giving thanks in our churches and homes, we are encouraged by how God is at work in the lives of those around us and we are reminded of the many reasons to thank God based on who He is and what He does.

As I’ve read about, studied, wrote on, and practiced the spiritual habit of thanksgiving over the last decade, here are a few resources to help you grow in gratitude.

How David Learned His Lesson the Right Way (Eventually)

There’s an interesting story from early in David’s reign as king that takes place in both 1 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13-15. After securing a new capital city, one of King David’s first recorded acts was to defeat the Philistines, retrieve the ark of God, and begin the important process of putting it in the new capital so God’s presence and worship would be at the center of Israel’s kingdom and life. David admonished the priests and people for not prioritized seeking God by seeking the ark in the days of Saul (1 Chronicles 13:3).

God’s Grace When We Stray

One frustrating thing about the Christian life is how fickle our hearts prove to be. I’m amazed how I can start my day in Scripture soaring on the truths of God’s glory, and then by lunch I doubt whether God will come through for me. I can tell others about His goodness one day and then question His goodness the next. I’ve had seasons of spiritual dry spells where it felt like the dark clouds of life hid the sun of God’s presence, and then had seasons where the rays of God’s presence felt like they beamed directly on me. I can lay down my life in selflessness toward one person but act so selfish toward someone else. My mind can rest in God’s Word, only to have a windstorm of anxious thoughts sweep through with a trail of destruction.

What Star Wars, and David, Teach Us about Not Trusting Ourselves

The Star Wars franchise is guilty of overselling the wisdom and strength we can find from within, but they also recognize how much our thoughts and desires can cloud our judgment, confuse us, or conflict within us. This is the experience of Anakin Skywalker, or Darth Vader, from beginning to end. He’s a conflicted character. He trusts himself too much but experiences inner turmoil and conflict because of it. Throughout the film are scattered remarks that highlight the instability of the human heart.

How to be Led by God

In Psalm 25, David repeatedly asks God to teach and lead him. He uses very similar language in Psalm 27 when he speaks of someone having no parents to guide them in life with wisdom and love (Ps. 27:10), and yet God steps into that role as our loving, heavenly Father and He teaches and leads us on the right path (27:11).

Notice the repetition of David’s requests or comments on God leading him in Psalm 25:

Endorsements for Your Wilderness Is Not A Waste

With the release of Your Wilderness Is Not a Waste: God’s Purpose in Suffering and Struggles, I wanted to share two of the endorsements. My hope is the book is an encouragement to those in a trial, in a season of waiting, disappointed by life’s circumstances, or confused by where God is leading them.

New Book Releases Today

I’m excited to announce my new book releases today with Moody Publishers. Your Wilderness Is Not a Waste: God’s Purpose in Suffering and Struggles can be ordered wherever you buy books, including Amazon, Moody Publishers, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, 10ofthose, and WTSbooks,

The book walks through some of the physical and spiritual wildernesses in the Bible and offers us windows of hope to see how God works in our trials, troubles, and temptations. I’m praying it’s an encouragement for readers!

Don’t Lose Hope in Hardship

One of the many lessons I’ve learned from David’s time in the wilderness is not to let present hardship rob me of future hope.

Hold on to Hope: Eight Elements of Biblical Hope

“Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you see it, you’ll never make it through the night.” Leia Organa in Star Wars: Episode VIII

“Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” Andy Dufresney in The Shawshank Redemption

What is Hope?

In the Bible, “hope” is not a wish, dream, or something that has a chance of happening. Hope doesn’t spring from optimism about circumstances but confidence in God. It’s something we can expect and anticipate, even have assurance of, though it might require much waiting and trust. Biblical hope is anchored in the character, promises, and work of God, which is why the Bible calls God our hope (Ps. 71:5; 1 Tim. 1:1) or the gospel a gospel of hope (Col. 1:23; Rom. 15:13).

“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.” (Ps. 71:5)

Live in the Land of “And Yet”: Why Faith Must Speak into Our Feelings

“Faith is a footbridge that you don’t know will hold you up over the chasm until you’re forced to walk out not it.” Nicolas Wolterstorff

What do you do when things don’t go the way you wanted, and now you’re in a mental, emotional, and spiritual funk? How do you escape the frustration, discouragement, or disappointment that feel so powerful in both the small annoyances and larger trials of the day? How do you get out of your own head or not be ruled by your feelings so you can instead seek, trust, and walk with God in the troubles of the day?

Earlier today, I felt frustrated and disappointed, and then I felt frustrated and discouraged because I couldn’t shake those feelings. (I’ll share more of the details later or below in this post.) What God nudged me toward was I needed to choose trusting and resting in Him rather than remain restless and frustrated over my circumstances. There were two parts in this movement toward experiencing God’s peace. I needed to shift my attention away from undesirable circumstances and onto the glorious God, and I needed to choose to trust in the objective truths of who God is rather than be ruled by the subjective feelings in my circumstances.

Much of the Christian life is learning to live in the tension of not feeling like trusting or praising God but still choosing to trust and praise God. You might feel frustrated, disappointed, and discontent, and yet part of how we respond to these normal experiences is by choosing to still trust that God is good, present, and at work for my good even in this situation.