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Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Grumbling to Gratitude Dear Heavenly Father,   I praise You for choosing me before the foundation of the world to belong to Jesus (Eph 1:4-5,11). I praise You for giving me a new and thankful heart through faith in Jesus (Eze 36:26). Today, help me to walk in that newness of life You've given me (Eph 4:24). Today, the only thing I want to be filled with is Your Holy Spirit. For whatever fills my heart guides my steps. Today, I don't want to be guided by my feelings or the push and pull of the world. Today, I only want to be guided by Your Holy Spirit, resting in Jesus while I work and go about my day.  Today, when I start being discontent in my heart or complaining out loud, help me to see my sin for what it is and turn away from such nonsense….because I have everything to be thankful for! Jesus is my Savior! As a child of God, I have no reason to grumble about anything or anyone, even though I am often tempted to at times. Today, help me not give into that temptation. Help me to resist the devil, and he will flee. Help me to come near to You instead (James 4:7-8). Grumbling only grieves the Holy Spirit, and I don't want to do that to Him. Today, I want to thank Him and be joyful in Him. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief (Mark 9:24)! For I know all of my sins can be overcome by simple faith in God's Word (See Mark 9:23). I know the perfect cure for grumbling is gratitude for the hope I've been given in Jesus. The Locomotive Truth Regardless of my earthly circumstances, help me to turn to Jesus in thankfulness for my eternal circumstances. And what magnificent circumstances I've been dealt! The Royal Flush! I am saved by grace, empowered by grace, sealed for Heaven, and kept by Your power forever. I am in Christ. I belong to Jesus! Lord, today will you help me keep that eternal perspective in my thoughts? Even when I can’t always rejoice in my earthly circumstances, help me to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil 4:4), knowing that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 3:8). May my feelings be all the boxcars and the caboose to the locomotive Truth in Jesus. Today, may my feelings be hooked up to the the Truth of Your Word....transporting feelings of love, joy, and peace, patience, goodness, and faithfulness, kindness, gentleness, and self control. What precious cargo!   Bold Enough to be Gentle Help me go about my day by today being reminded who Jesus is and what Jesus did for me. Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Jesus died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and three days later He rose again…so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. Lord, today help me keep the Gospel Truth in the forefront of my mind. May my heart overflow with thankfulness that sends praise upwards and spills outwards into blessings for others.    Today, help me to tell someone about Jesus. Lord, help me to be bold enough to be gentle in my approach and confident in my delivery…with the words that You give me at the time. Even if I fumble over my words, I know it's only Your power that brings a person to Jesus (1 Corinth 2:1-5). Help me to be bold enough to be gentle and leave the results up to You. I know that Salvation belongs to You, Lord. (Ps 3:8, 62:1, Rev 7:10, Jonah 2:9). And I am Your vessel. Help me to be empty of myself so that Your power has all the room to flow through me, boldly and gently. (2 Corinth 4:7, 2 Corinth 12:9-10). Today, help me to grow in gratitude for the grace that You've given me through faith in Jesus. He gets all the glory! In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen! Always be joyful. 17  Never stop praying. 18  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 19  Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20  Do not scoff at prophecies, 21  but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22  Stay away from every kind of evil. 23  Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 24  God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36 I was a tomboy growing up. I didn't like wearing dresses. When I was little I wished I was a boy. But I never told anyone that because even as a child I knew that was wrong. God made me to be a girl! And now because of Jesus, I love the woman I've become through faith in Him. I am thankful to be a girl and created in His image. Most of all, I am thankful my Mom, my Dad, and my brother Matthew believe in Jesus. That's what gives me a light heart. That's what brings me the most peace and joy in my life. Jesus loves my family. And He loves me too. Heaven is our Home. I’m thankful for... Jesus. my faith in Jesus. my family and their faith in Jesus. the life He’s given us now, and the gift of eternal life He’s promised us. I’m thankful for the forgiveness of my sins. being saved by His grace.   I’m thankful for... the Lord’s sovereignty. His perfect will. His timing and seasons. His goodness and faithfulness. His mercy and grace. His patience and gentleness with me. I’m thankful for... God’s written Word. His wisdom, discernment, and understanding He grants me through the gift of The Holy Spirit.   I’m thankful for... being able to come to my Heavenly Father at any time. the privilege of prayer and communion with Him. knowing Jesus is with me throughout my whole day, every day, and every night. I'm thankful for... the Lord's beauty, creativity, and sense of humor shown through my joyful dog, Monkee and everything He has made.   I’m thankful for... my dog, Monkee and every good and perfect gift from Above, as well as every trial that God works together for my good to make me more like Jesus and prepare me for eternity.   I’m thankful... that I can share all my joys with Him as well as my sorrows. Jesus hears. Jesus cares.   I’m thankful... because Jesus knows me, chose me, died for me, rose again, saved me by grace through faith, and loves me forever. I'm thankful to... Jesus for Him and for everything. for it is all from Him, through Him and to Him. To Him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36 "It's all about Jesus." - Charlie Kirk But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, 5  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6  and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7  so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9  not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:4-10

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8:31-32 Truly His Jesus' true disciples know the Truth. We know that Jesus is God (John 1:1). We know that Jesus is who He claims to be as The Messiah (John 4:25-26). We know that Jesus is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). Therefore, we believe everything that Jesus says, and we continue in His Word by His grace. We are truly His. He Keeps You Even true disciples though will have far from perfect faith and obedience. So, do not be discouraged, Christian. It's not about your pefection or performance in your walk with Jesus. It's about your secured position in Him and your direction toward Heaven. Even though true disciples may stumble at times, Jesus keeps you from ever falling away (Jude 1:24). Jesus is the One who keeps you in the palm of His hand (John 10:28). Jesus is the One who guides you on paths of righteousness (Psalm 23:3). Jesus is the One who upholds you with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:11). Scripture says that He even broadens the path so your feet don't slip (Psalm 18:36). Yes, true disciples will often battle against sin and temptation and struggle to obey at times. But, true disciples will look to Jesus through every trial and make a practice of righteousness rather than sin (Rom 6:16-18). Jesus will always teach you the right way to go and forever keep you as truly His, Christian. From The Heart It's not about the strength of your faith or how well or big you perform in the Christian life. What matters is the Object of your faith and that you believe Jesus from the heart. And when you truly believe in Jesus, you will desire to obey Him from the heart! What you believe in your heart will be evident in what you produce in your life. Jesus tells His disciples that "you will know someone by their fruit" (Matthew 7:15-20). You won’t just profess "Jesus is Lord" and sing "Christ is King" and then continue in unrepentant sin as if He wasn't Lord and King (Titus 1:16). As truly His, you will show the evidence of God’s grace working in your heart and the sovereign, transforming power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Furthermore, you will will not only know the Truth, but your eyes will be opened to a greater understanding of it (1 John 5:20), as you continue in His Word, growing in His grace and knowledge.  Freedom From Sin True disciples not only know the Truth but find freedom in the Truth because Jesus says,  “And the truth will set you free”  (v 32). During Jesus' time, the Jews were living under the oppression of the Roman government, but Jesus was not talking about earthly or political freedom. In verse 34, Jesus clarifies by saying,  “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” Being a slave to sin represents the ultimate form of slavery. Jesus was talking about the bondage deep in the human heart; the will of a person. Through the new birth, you've been set free from the bondage of sin and welcomed as a member into God's own family. Because you've been given a new heart through saving faith, you now live under God's grace where you want to obey Jesus . You are now willing and free to obey Jesus from the heart! You can only do this by His power through the faith that He gives to you by His grace. The grace that has the power to save you from your sins is the same grace that has the power to help you walk in His ways. Before you came into a saving relationship with Jesus, whether you knew it or not, you were unwilling to obey Him because you were willing to obey another master: sin/self. And Jesus says that no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). As a believer, now your only Master you want to serve is Jesus. Christian, you don't have to obey sin anymore and be ruled by it. You owe Satan nothing. Yes, believers may struggle with sin, but what true believers really want to do is obey Jesus from the heart. And God gives them the grace to be able to. What freedom! (For understanding on the battle against sin for the believer, read Romans 7) Scripture says that as believers, they are now obedient from the heart and wholeheartedly committed to the teachings of Jesus. Believers have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God and righteousness instead (Rom 6:17-18). This is true freedom, which only the Christian knows. To want to obey Jesus and be able to is a gift. The Great Commission Jesus died for your sins on the cross and rose again, so that by grace through faith alone in Him, you may have eternal life. Believing in Jesus brings ultimate freedom — freedom from sin, the tyranny of the Law, and working for your salvation through your own efforts. It's freedom from God’s righteous judgment and wrath against sin, condemnation, and ultimately from death itself (Romans 6:22, 8:1-2). Jesus did all the work for you through his perfect life, death, and resurrection. Eternal life is a gift . Through the new birth, you are a new creation in Christ (John 3:3-7, 2 Corinth 5:17). Now you have become a member of God’s family, a child of God, and Jesus' true disciple. You know the Truth, and the Truth has set you free by His grace. And it's also by His grace you continue in His Word, learning and growing in Christ. As truly His, we love to learn from Jesus and obey Him. Jesus gives all His true disciples The Great Commission: telling others about Jesus and making more disciples! Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them all that I commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20a). Today, let's tell someone about the Good News and the freedom we have in Jesus so they may become truly His too, by His grace. All glory belongs to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. “So if the Son sets you free you'll be free indeed.”   John 8:36

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Jenna's recommendations of Christian ministries that hold to biblically sound doctrine and reformed theology with faithful ministers of the Word who provide trustworthy teaching and exegetical preaching on Scripture through selected sermons, podcasts, and biblical lessons. < Back Tim Conway I'll Be Honest Ministries illbehonest.com I'll Be Honest | Christian Videos | illbehonest.com I'll be honest about what the Bible teaches, will you? Christian Video Sermons of Tim Conway, Paul Washer, and other Biblical preachers. My Favorite Sermons & Biblical Teaching • Repent and Believe the Gospel or Perish • On What Basis Will We Judged on Judgment Day? • The Truth Sets You Free From Sexual Lust • The Necessity of Daily Prayer & Bible Reading • How Do I Repent? • Live Pure: Free From Porn and Lustful Thoughts • A Warning Against Lazy Praying • Beware of False Prophets • What Hebrews 10:26 Does Not Mean Part 1 • What Hebrews 10:26 Does Mean Part 2 • Only a Few Find It - Matthew 7:13-14 • Afraid I Committed the Unpardonable Sin • Enslaved by the Desires of the Flesh • Is Your House Built on Christ's Words? • Ugly Pride - Wanting to Be Recognized by People • Covetousness • What is the Object of Your Faith? • Am I Saved? 10 Tests of Assurance • Voice of Christ • I am Repenting, but it's Not Working • There Will Be Many Surprises on Judgment Day • Sermon on the Mount • Seek First the Kingdom of God • Is God Enough for You? • Let Go of Your Sin or Perish • The Sins You Won't Give Up • Can I Lose My Faith? • The Futility of the Mind • I Tried to Be Saved but Didn't Work • The Presence of God or Mysticism?

Jenna's recommendations of Christian ministries that hold to biblically sound doctrine and reformed theology with faithful ministers of the Word who provide trustworthy teaching and exegetical preaching on Scripture through selected sermons, podcasts, and biblical lessons. < Back RC Sproul Ligonier Ministries www.ligonier.org Ligonier Ministries – Renew your mind. Ligonier Ministries, founded by R.C. Sproul, exists to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible. My Favorite Sermons & Biblical Teaching • What is the Gospel? - 3 minute version • What is the Gospel? • The Way, The Truth, and the Life • What is Truth? • Who is Truth? • Can We Know Truth? • How Does the Truth Relate to Me? • How Does the Truth Command Me? • How Do We Know What We Know? • The Practice of Love • The Degrees of Sin • If God is Good, Why Do I Suffer? • Knowing the Will of God for Your Life • All Christians Believe in Predestination • A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing - Theological Liberalism • If God is Sovereign, Why Pray? • What is Free Will? • Why Did Christ Die? • Must I Be Born Again? • Does God Create Unbelief? • How to Deal With Anxiety • The Christian's Assurance of Salvation •The Battle with the Flesh: Pleasing God • The Resurrection of Christ • Four Kinds of People - Assurance of Salvation • True Assurance Vs False Assurance of Salvation • Salvation Guaranteed • Guilt and Forgiveness • What is Theology? • What is Reformed Theology? -Introduction • What is Christian Marriage? • Nothing Left to Chance