Gratitude

Here is a blog from Steven Furtick, pastor of Elevation Church.

There are few things more important to God than gratitude. It’s the highest level of living because it’s where you realize everything you have is by the grace of God. It’s the eternal state of Heaven, and it’s something we can experience here and now.

Here are the five observations on gratitude:
1. Gratitude is never invisible or silent. There is no such thing as silent gratitude. If you’re really grateful for something, you’ll say it and show it. Unexpressed gratitude is a lost opportunity to give God praise.

2. Gratitude sustains joy and blessing. In the same way that you can relive an offense through bitterness, you can relive a blessing of God through gratitude. It is possible to relive the joy of yesterday’s gifts with today’s thankfulness.

3. Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends. To keep a high sense of gratitude, you must keep a low sense of entitlement. You can’t be grateful for something you feel entitled to. And the truth is, you’re not entitled to anything.

You woke up this morning. Someone else didn’t. They thought they would, but they didn’t. You received a standard Christmas bonus. Someone else is still looking for a job.
If that wasn’t enough, for the Christian, anything short of hell is God’s miraculous, overwhelming, and sufficient grace. We’re not entitled to salvation. It’s a gracious gift that demands a grateful response.

4. Grateful people can find a blessing, enlarge a blessing, or create a blessing in almost any situation. The opposite of this point is that negative people can find a burden, enlarge a burden, or create a burden in almost any situation. It might sound crass, but some people are crap factories. It doesn’t matter what you put in them, it just comes out crap. They’ll always find a reason to complain. They’ll always find the worst in every situation.

But then for other people, they find crap, put a seed in it, and let it grow. Who do you think possesses more joy?

Your situation doesn’t need to improve for your gratitude to increase. Gratitude sees the best and the potential in every situation.

5. Gratitude increases favor and creates opportunity. Gratitude will make you magnetic for miracles. Joseph preserved his gratitude even after unjustly spending over a decade in slavery and prison. And God used him to save a nation and preserve His people.

If you want the favor of God to flow through your life, keep a grateful heart.

Over My Head- Starfield

These are beautiful lyrics....

Lost for the words to sayI'm left here in disarrayWaiting for You, waiting on truth I've thrown reason overboardKnowing that there's still moreI don't yet believe, I can't even perceive I can't seem to understandCan't seem to find my wayIt's over my head, it's over my headLearning this mysteryTrust what I cannot seeIt's over my head, it's over my head The wonder of all You've madeFoundations Your hands have laid Bringing me back to my knees, to my kneesI'm lost for the words to say Lost for another wayBringing me back to my knees, to my knees I'm lost for the words to say Lost for another way Ruined for anything other than Your loveI'm desperate to know You, LordDesperate for what's in store Finding my hope in only You, in only YouTake me beyond this doorLead me to something moreOpen my heart up for more of You, more of You

Unstoppable- Rascal Flatts

Yeah yeah yeah.. Hey So, so you made a lot of mistakes Walked down the road a little sideways Cracked a brick when you hit the wall Yeah, you've had a pocket full of regrets Pull you down faster than a sunset Hey, it happens to us all When the cold hard rain just won't quit And you can't see your way out of it
You find your faith has been lost and shaken You take back what's been taken Get on your knees and dig down deep You can do what you think is impossible Keep on believing, don't give in It'll come and make you whole again It always will, it always does Love is unstoppable Love, it can weather any storm Bring you back to being born again oh, it's a helping hand when you need it most A lighthouse shinning on the coast That never goes dim When your heart is full of doubt And you think that there's no way out
You find your faith has been lost and shaken You take back what's been taken Get on your knees and dig down deep You can do what you think is impossible Keep on believing, don't give in It'll come and make you whole again It always will, it always does Love is unstoppable Like a river keeps on rolling Like the north wind blowing Don't it feel good knowing Yeah

You find your faith has been lost and shaken You take back what's been taken Get on your knees and dig down deep You can do what you think is impossible Keep on believing, don't give in It'll come and make you whole again It always will, it always does Love is unstoppable Love is unstoppable So you made a lot of mistakes Walked down the road a little sideways Love, love is unstoppable

It's Never Too Late to Call....upon God

The bridges have not burned down
I hope you come around
And how far you fall
It doesn’t matter at all
It’s never too late to call.


Can’t stop your world from spinning in circles
Now it’s caught up with your life
I’ll pray from a distance for the tears that you cry
In need of forgiveness, we all stand the same
I still remember when you lost your way
Time stood standing.The darker your night, the brighter your day

Love will light your way
Heaven waits the same
We were the best when we stood side by side

* Article One

Little is Much ~ Downhere

What is the measure of a life well-lived
If all I can offer seems too small to give
This is a song for the weaker, the poorer
And so-called failures

Little is much when God's in it
And no one can fathom the plans He holds
Little is much when God's in it
He changes the world with the seeds we sow
Little is much, little is much

Who feels tired and under-qualified
Who feels deserted, and hung out to dry
This is a song for the broken, the beat-up
And so-called losers

Consider a Kingdom in the smallest seed
Consider that giants fall to stones and slings
Consider a child in a manger
Consider the story isn't over
What can be done with what you still have

Just beyond the edge of the woods...

Just beyond the edge of the woods was the brightest light that was beckoning a girl to follow it. It was made up of so many different colors of the rainbow like pure white, lavender purple, and neon yellow. The light was blinding. It was stunning and was brighter than any sun light that has ever aroused. What was it? The girl was being pulled towards this light by some force that was uncontrollable. As she followed the light through the large oversized leaves of the forest, she could see that people and animals were being drawn to this light as well from all over. What was it?
The closer she got towards the light, the more she heard sounds; the most beautiful sounds. It was like a symphony being played, an orchestra being strung. All of the music was in unity and perfect pitch. The music was coming from above not from below or behind the girl. As she reached closer she was blinded by the light. It struck as she was forced to shut her eyes, not being able to bear the pain of the light. The music was loud, but peaceful to listen to. As she stepped closer and closer, she began to fall to her knees. It wasn't out of nervouseness, but rather out of reverence. She trembled and wept at the pure white light, wondering where this glory was coming from and could this be happening right here and right now.
"Yes", she told herself, "this really is happening, and I get to be a part of it." As she awakened from her trance of peace on her knees she rose to her feet and just as she was looking up to the heavens, a face appeared to her that was calling her name and reaching out their hand. A face that looked so gentle and so appealing, full of grace and agape. The hand was reaching out to lift the child up, to escape her from her troubles, fears, and iniquities.
The face that shined so brightly was the face of Jesus that was surrounded by the trumpets playing within his realm of glory. The people fell to their knees crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty." And as she was in awe of seeing her Saviour, Jesus Christ, she reached out her hand to grab a hold of Him. His hand covered her cheek as he softly wiped away every tear she had ever cried and welcomed her into a place of eternity to find rest and peace and everlasting love.

Just beyond the edge of the woods...

Just beyond the edge of the woods was the brightest light that was beckoning a girl to follow it. It was made up of so many different colors of the rainbow like pure white, lavender purple, and neon yellow. The light was blinding. It was stunning and was brighter than any sun light that has ever aroused. What was it? The girl was being pulled towards this light by some force that was uncontrollable. As she followed the light through the large oversized leaves of the forest, she could see that people and animals were being drawn to this light as well from all over. What was it?
The closer she got towards the light, the more she heard sounds; the most beautiful sounds. It was like a symphony being played, an orchestra being strung. All of the music was in unity and perfect pitch. The music was coming from above not from below or behind the girl. As she reached closer she was blinded by the light. It struck as she was forced to shut her eyes, not being able to bear the pain of the light. The music was loud, but peaceful to listen to. As she stepped closer and closer, she began to fall to her knees. It wasn't out of nervouseness, but rather out of reverence. She trembled and wept at the pure white light, wondering where this glory was coming from and could this be happening right here and right now.
"Yes", she told herself, "this really is happening, and I get to be a part of it." As she awakened from her trance of peace on her knees she rose to her feet and just as she was looking up to the heavens, a face appeared to her that was calling her name and reaching out their hand. A face that looked so gentle and so appealing, full of grace and agape. The hand was reaching out to lift the child up, to escape her from her troubles, fears, and iniquities.
The face that shined so brightly was the face of Jesus that was surrounded by the trumpets playing within his realm of glory. The people fell to their knees crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty." And as she was in awe of seeing her Saviour, Jesus Christ, she reached out her hand to grab a hold of Him. His hand covered her cheek as he softly wiped away every tear she had ever cried and welcomed her into a place of eternity to find rest and peace and everlasting love.

What Are You Waiting For?

Walk On The Water lyrics (Britt Nicole)

You look around and staring back at you
Another wave of doubt
Will it pull you under
You wonder
What if i'm overtaken
What if i never make it
What if no one's there
Will you hear my prayer?
When you take that first step
Into the unknown
You know that he won't let you go

So what are you waiting for
What do you have to lose
Your insecurities
They try to hold to you
But you know you're made for more
So don't be afraid to move
Your faith is all it takes
And you can walk on the water too

So get out and let your fear fall to the ground
No time to waste, don't wait
And don't you turn around, and miss out on
Everything you were made for
Gotta be, I know you're not sure, more
So you play it safe, you try to run away
If you take that first step
Into the unknown
He won't let you go

So what are you waiting for
What do you have to lose
Your insecurities
They try to hold to you
But you know you're made for more
So don't be afraid to move
Your faith is all it takes
And you can walk on the water too

Step out, even when it's storming
Step out, even when you're broken
Step out, even when your heart is telling you,
telling you to give up
Step out, when your hope is stolen
Step out, you can't see where you're going
You don't have to be afraid
So what are waiting, what are you waiting for