The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (73 page)

We will never fulfill our destinies if we have undue concern over what people think. Let them think what they want. What someone thinks of us doesn’t need to affect us at all because the truth is that their thoughts cannot hurt us if we don’t worry about them. The only thing that should be important to us is what God thinks of us. It is not our reputation with people that is important, but it is our reputation in heaven that is important.

Don’t worry about what other people think, because it won’t change what they think anyway. Be thankful that God loves you and thinks highly of you—that’s the only thing that matters! If you will break free from excessively caring about what other people think, you will instantly upgrade your level of living. You will increase your joy and your peace one hundred–fold.

Father, with Your help, I am going to stop worrying about what other people think about me. I thank You that You love me and You think good thoughts about me. Help me to realize that is all that matters.

God wants us to live with confidence and approach life boldly—and we can be thankful that He helps us do both. Make the choice today to start being more decisive. It may be a bold move for you if you have spent a lot of your life in fear and indecision, but it is necessary if you want to enjoy a life of peace. Indecision is not a peaceful place.

Put your confidence in Christ and who you are in Him, not in what people think of you. Know yourself! Know your heart, and don’t wait for other people to dictate to you the truth about your value. Don’t assume you are wrong every time someone does not agree with you. Believe that God’s wisdom dwells inside of you. Believe you can make decisions. There is no point in believing something negative about yourself when it’s just as easy to believe something positive—and it’s certainly a lot more beneficial.

Father, I am thankful that my confidence is not in my own self or my abilities; my confidence is in Christ Jesus. I believe that I have Your wisdom and Your discernment. Today, I am going to live a bold, confident life.

Courage is a necessary quality if you intend to do great things for God. Leaders are not always the most gifted people, but they are people with courage. They are grateful for any new opportunity and they step out when others shrink back in fear. They take bold steps of faith. They may be wrong occasionally, but they are right enough of the time that it doesn’t matter.

God expects us to increase, to be fruitful, and multiply (see Genesis 1:28). He admires courage; in fact, He demands it from those who work alongside of Him. The Lord told Joshua that he was to take Moses’ place and lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, but there was one stipulation: He had to be strong and of good courage. The Lord was with Joshua to give him the courage he needed—and He is with you too.

Father, when I am in a situation that seems overwhelming, I thank you that You have already given me the courage I need. I thank You that You are with me and I have nothing to fear. Thank You that I can be strong and courageous.

When Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17:13, He actually prayed that we would have joy. He said, “I say these things… so that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them…” With Jesus Himself speaking and praying such powerful words about His desire for us to have joy, how could we ever doubt that God wants us to be happy and enjoy our lives?

If it is God’s desire that we enjoy life, then why are so many people miserable and unhappy? Perhaps it is because we fail to set our minds to enjoy life. We can easily fall into a pattern of merely surviving and enduring rather than enjoying. But a new mind-set will release you to begin enjoying life like never before. The more you enjoy life, the more enjoyable you will be to be around, so get started today and don’t delay.

I thank You, Father, that it is Your will for me to have joy. Regardless of what my circumstances look like around me, I will choose to live the kind of life You have for me. Thank You that I can have overwhelming, abundant joy every day of my life.

Maintaining a life of balance is possibly one of the biggest challenges we have. I encourage you to regularly examine your life and ask yourself honestly if you have allowed any area to get out of balance. A lack of balance could be the root cause of not enjoying life as well as many other problems.

For example: Work is good, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work, but too much of it causes stress. Food is good, and we are certainly thankful we have food to eat, but as most of us know, too much of it is not good. It is possible to spend too much money, but it is also possible to not spend enough. Any area that is out of balance causes confusion and distress in our lives and steals our joy.

Balance every area of your life and all your activities. Do all things in moderation. That way, you’ll avoid burnout and be able to enjoy everything.

Father, I am thankful for the blessings of provision in my life: work, food, and finances. Help me to keep things in proper perspective and live in moderation. Thank You that, with Your help, I can live with balance.