Power of Thanksgiving part 2

I just recently posted about being Thankful. I wanted to follow up with a more complete explanation of what Jesus has been doing in my heart.

I never know what to say when people ask "how are you?" I know that people are well meaning and some people really do want to know what is happening in my life. Yet it is a hard question for me to answer because I have a lot of different emotions attached with events and current circumstances in my life. I tend to gauge how I am doing by circumstances and what Jesus is doing in my life in a manifested way. It is hard for me to separate what Jesus is doing in my heart from the story of my life that is intertwined in my circumstances. I find myself telling people about all the things that are happening and my circumstances, thus only scratching the surface in how I am really doing.

So I talked to Holy Spirit about this and he reminded me that a mentor used to always tell me "Christina, as Christians we are not to judge our lives by our circumstances." I did not understand at the time what He was saying or the significant of that statement. Holy Spirit suddenly brought that back to my memory and gave me understanding. Holy Spirit also reminded me that Jesus lived homeless, had to barrow a deaneries and a mull ect... In other words Jesus lived life of victory doing the will of God despite what our society would call impossible circumstances.

I also remembered a hymn called “It is well” written by Spafford, the line says, "it is well with my soul, it is well with my soul!" and I thought yea it is well with my soul, Jesus loves me. So really no matter what my circumstances are, I love Jesus, He loves me therefore it is well with my soul, and I am well! This revelation came to me on a Friday on my drive home.

That following Sunday a friend of mine shared a dream/encounter he had. It was about being Thankful. It was such an amazing encounter and it complemented what Holy Spirit was telling me on Friday. I was reminded about the need to be thankful in any and every situation. Latter on that week the Lord convicted me that He is worthy of my praise regardless of my circumstances, suddenly through praise I could see the last couple years of my life with new eyes! I realized that Jesus has truly been faithful!

Below is the dream/encounter my friend had:

Thankfulness Dream

July 7^th 2011

In the beginning of the dream I was not in any particular place but I was totally aware that all of the humanity around me was physically, emotionally or spiritually distorted or stunted in their appearance. I could see their emotional and spiritual beings as well as I could see their bodies.

Then suddenly the heavens were open and everything came alive in every dimension and in some dimensions that I have never perceived before. For example there was not only height, depth, width and breadth but a perceivable dimension of spirit and the power of endless life from every direction. When I looked at the sky there was three hundred and sixty degrees of star filled sky with occasional places where no stars were instead of a black background with stars dispersed in it. In this atmosphere there was perfect physical, emotional and spiritual completeness and everything was emanating life that gave off a distinct sound as well as a voluminous light.

There was a depth of joy, rejoicing and fun saturated with a tangible sense of expectancy. For a long period of time an endless stream of gifts were being bestowed upon everyone. Something’s that each one had desired and some things that each one had never thought of before.

Suddenly everything went back to the same place and atmosphere that I was in at the beginning of the dream and I began to weep uncontrollably for the loss of this glorious place that was being experienced by all.

I heard a small voice behind me say “ Just give thanks” and I began to thank God for allowing me to experience a small taste of this glorious place and in an instant I was right back in the midst of this glorious party of wholeness, light, life, joy and endless bestowing of lavish gifts of love. The gates to this place were swung wide open and on the left one was THANKS and on the right one was GIVING.

I know that Psalms 100: 4-5 became not just something that I believed and knew but a living experience.

Psalms 100: 4. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5. for the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations.