“It is not happiness that brings us gratitude. It is gratitude that brings us happiness.”
A grateful man or woman is bound to be content in God.
A grateful attitude towards God is essential to our contentment in Him, not just for the blessings He bestows on us, but for who God is. It is very essential for us to be satisfied with who God is, who He has created us to be.
The minute we cast our eyes off Him and focus on anything contrary to His face, we will become anxious, envious and discontent. In our discontent, we become ungrateful to Him.
RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT GRATITUDE AND ANXIETY CANNOT CO-EXIST IN THE BRAIN.
You cannot be a grateful person and be discontent at the same time.
A grateful person walks in confidence and contentment.
An ungrateful person is always, angry, anxious and envious.
PAUL PUTS IT THIS WAY
Philippians 4:6-8
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving,
That is WITH GRATITUDE
let your requests be made known to God.
And listen to this verse 7
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
As you show gratitude to God, His peace will then protect you from unnecessary mental and emotional tension.
You will be content with whatever situation you find yourself in.
WAYS TO REMAIN GRATEFUL AND CONTENT#
1. Meditate on the good things
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Paul says fill your minds with only good thoughts.
- A person with good thoughts is always grateful.
- The more grateful we are to God and man, we gain acceptance and become fearless of the future.
- Gratitude to God actually serve as a protective factor against anxiety.
Habakkuk puts it this way
Habakkuk 3:17-19
17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines. Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls—
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills.
- The more grateful we are to God the more content we become with life,
2. Let your gratitude redirect your attention from your anxious thoughts to the goodness of God, this will stop your worries.
3. Regularly practice gratitude to others, this will help you appreciate other people and be grateful to God for bringing them into your life.
4. Recognise who you are in Christ Jesus. Thank God for your life, appreciate God’s gift in you, appreciate God’s call on your life. When you appreciate God’s call on your life you will not walk in arrogance, but you will walk in humility knowing that it is by His grace
that you are who you are.
Jeremiah 1:5
5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Hebrews 5:4
4 And no man takes this honour to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.
This is probably the most encouraging scripture for me.
Every time I have felt myself feeling like Asaph, I go back to this scripture. This was the scripture given to me by the Holy Spirit in 1997, when I was avoiding been commissioned as an associate Pastor.
5. A grateful person sleeps well at night. Thank God every night as you go to bed. Thank God for your family, thank for His faithfulness towards you, thank Him for your job, etc. Apparently, gratitude has been linked to better sleep quality, which is crucial for managing anxiety.
6. Have a gratitude journal, document things you are grateful to God for, remind yourself of God’s love and kindness towards you. Remind yourself of the victories you have won through Him.
Like David, encourage yourself in the Lord always.
1 Samuel 31:6
6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
