In All Things Give Thanks- Winning In Life's Difficult Moments

Is It Really Possible To Give Thanks In All Things?

The Word of God is filled with scriptures that admonish us to give thanks to God, and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 happens to be one of the most discussed “give thanks” scriptures in the Bible. Yet what is interesting about this passage of scripture is that it tells us to give thanks in ALL things. But is it really possible to give thanks in all things? I mean, how can we give thanks in hard times? How can we give thanks when life has dealt us a terrible blow, and how can we give thanks when we feel as though there is absolutely nothing that we have to be thankful for?

Yet, despite how challenging this command may seem to be, the fact is that it is absolutely possible and imperative that we give thanks in ALL things, especially in life’s difficult moments. Because when we do this we gain certain victories that we would not gain if we chose not to give thanks.

Overcoming pain is one of the victories giving thanks in all things provides. This is something that I understand very well. When I experienced the greatest pain in my life which was losing my five year old son Brayden to cancer, I learned the importance of giving thanks in all things.

In a very short amount of time my entire life had been turned upside down and God hadn’t answered my prayer in the way that I wanted Him to. What did I have to be thankful for? How could I embrace a spirit of thankfulness when my heart had been shattered into pieces?

Thankfully, God had showed me that being thankful even in the worst of situations had the power to turn my life around. He showed me that the enemy wanted to use this situation to destroy me spiritually and that by focusing on Him (God), I would be able to find victory even in the midst of this tragedy. He showed me that being thankful was my only option if I wanted to live a life filled with peace, joy, and happiness. So that’s exactly what I did and it was the best decision I could have made.

Check out this video to find out more about my testimony.

So, let me share with you the lessons that I learned as to why you should give thanks in everything.

We Should Give Thanks In Everything

Giving thanks in all things benefits you more than you could ever imagine. The enemy knows this, which is why he works over time trying to keep you from having a thankful heart. So to help you through the process of giving thanks even in difficult times I’ve created a FREE Download just for you. It’s a printable download that includes the 5 steps that will help you give thanks at all times. You can grab it at the end of this post.

Now, there are three main reasons why we should praise God in all circumstances and give Him thanks.

1. Giving Thanks Is Required Of Us

The first reason is because giving thanks to God in all things is required. The word of God is filled with scriptures that command us to give thanks to God in everything.

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

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ… Ephesians 5:20

Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 1 Chronicles 16:8

It is so important that you understand that God’s commands are not optional and that the things He commands you to do are always going to work out for your good. God is an amazing Father who sacrificed everything for you, which means He will never ask you to do anything that will hurt you. Therefore, you can be confident in obeying His commands.

2. God Deserves Our Thanks

Have you ever done something amazing for someone and then they had the nerve to not even tell you thank you for all that you did for them? It doesn’t make you feel so good and likely it will deter you from wanting to go above and beyond for that ungrateful person again.

Here’s the thing. Each and every day God showers you with blessings. He gives you sunshine, air to breathe, food to eat, He causes your heart to beat and your mind to work. These are not little things, they are huge. Yet these are things that we might often take for granted. God deserves our thanks. No matter what the situation may be God is worthy of our praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations. Psalms 100:4-5

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Psalms 107:1

It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night… Psalms 92:1-2

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

3. Giving Thanks Brings Us Into The Presence Of God

One of the amazing things that happens when we give thanks to God regardless of our circumstances is that we find ourselves in the presence of God. Did you hear me, or should I say, did you read that? Giving thanks places you in the presence of God. The word of God tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Thanksgiving is a form of praise. The word of God also tells us that to come into His presence we should do it with thanksgiving.

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Psalms 22:3 KJV

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Psalms 95:2

One of the greatest benefits of being in the presence of the Holy God is that it changes you. You see, when you are in the presence of God certain spirits can’t remain. God’s spirit of praise and thanksgiving pushes out the spirits of sadness and depression. The fact is that it is close to impossible to have a praise party and a pity party all at the same time because those two spirits or emotions are in direct conflict.

So when you make the decision to give thanks, even in your darkest moments, you are making the decision to change your atmosphere by surrounding yourself with the presence of God. A presence that brings the fulness of joy.

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy… Psalms 16:11

4. Giving Thanks In All Things Causes God To Move On Our Behalf

One of the greatest examples of the power of praise and thanksgiving during difficult times is found in Acts 16:25-26. Here the story is told of Paul and Silas, two men who have just been beaten and thrown into a prison for simply doing the will of God. They are experiencing one of life’s most difficult moments. Yet, for some reason instead of murmuring and complaining, they recognized the importance of offering up thanksgiving to God in the form of praise through song. This moved the heart of God and caused Him to do something amazing for them.

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. Acts 16:25-26

Praise and thanksgiving in difficult times caused the God of the Universe to shake the earth and break the chains that were binding them.

This is the exact experience that I had as well. When my son died the enemy tried to keep me chained up in the prison of sadness and grief. He tried to keep me from my purpose, but like Paul and Silas God freed me from my emotional prison by breaking my chains.

I believe God did this for me because I had a thankful heart and I understood the power of being thankful to Him in all circumstances. As a result I experienced and continue to experience true joy despite the fact that my son is no longer with us.

How To Give Thanks In All Things

So now that you know how important giving thanks in all things is, how do you give thanks? Well King David gives us some valuable insights as to how you can show your gratitude to God.

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalms 100:1-4

Through serving God with a joyful heart we show Him our gratitude. When we sing praises to His name and recognize that He is the almighty God we are showing Him gratitude. When we tell Him thank you for all He’s done for us we show Him gratitude.

So when we experience the painful seasons of life, we have to understand what God expects from us. He doesn’t expect us to literally say “thank you” for all of the terrible things that have occurred in our lives, just like He didn’t expect me to say thank you for Him permitting my son to die from cancer. That’s not what He desires.

But what He does desire from us, is that we show Him thanks, even in the midst of our greatest storms, by following the pattern outlined in Psalms 100:1-4. And again, we do this by singing praises to His name, no matter how we feel. By acknowledging Him as the one and only true God of the Universe no matter what our circumstances may be and by thanking Him for every blessing seen and unseen that He has bestowed upon us even in our darkest hours. That is how we give thanks in ALL things.

Taking Action And Moving Forward

The simple fact is that you are of great value to God and He wants the absolute best for you. He understands the pain that you experience and He knows that if you embrace the spirit of thankfulness you will be positioning yourself to receive some of His greatest blessings and to gain victory over the enemy.

So what are you going to do? Are you going to trust God and start thanking Him no matter what your circumstances are? Will you offer up praise and thanksgiving to His name even when you don’t feel like it? Will you take Him at His word so that you can experience His best?

Listen, I understand how challenging it can be to give thanks in all things. But I also know how amazing it is to feel God’s presence and overcome through His power. Believe me, you can do this, and if you need a little help just grab my FREE download below. It contains the steps that I took and continue to take to help me overcome certain emotions that try to prevent me from giving thanks in all things. I pray that it will be a blessing to you.

Let me know your thoughts on this post as well as how you plan to give thanks to God in all circumstances by commenting below. Also be sure to share this post. God bless!