Feelings Follow Gratitude

Just because Thanksgiving is over, doesn't mean our gratitude has to stop. I think leading up to Thanksgiving, gratitude can be easy because we're preparing and thinking about the holiday that's coming up. But, as we pass Thanksgiving and flow into the other holidays, and a new year, I think gratitude can get lost in the rush. Thanksgiving being a holiday of thankfulness and remembering all the good we have, the enemy hates it. The enemy's heart is to "steal, kill, and destroy" (John 10:10). When we're thankful, it actually benefits us mentally, physically, and emotionally. Gratitude helps reduce stress, lowers blood pressure, helps our relationships and communication, and helps us shift our perspective to identify things worth praising, rather than stewing on the negative (Pratt).

If all else fails in life, we have a Hope that never fails or fades. We can always praise Him and bring thanks and glory to His Name. The other day, I was really struggling to find the good. A lot had happened that wasn't the best, and I had an attitude of frustration and bitterness. As I laid in bed that night, I literally felt a wrestle. I knew if I didn't address how I was feeling and fix it, I was going to wake up with the same bitterness. Over the past few months, I've started a praise list on my phone. It's helped me on good days to remember to give thanks for all the things, but it's also helped me on the not so great days. To remind myself of how good the Lord has been and always will be, and to choose to praise. To fight to praise. God commands us to praise. It's all over the Psalms. And it's not just because He deserves it, but it's also because He knows we need it. We were created to worship and praise Him, what's better than living out that purpose? That's why praise requires a fight. Because something the Lord commands, the enemy tries to restrict. Sometimes, we have to force our feelings to follow gratitude. Our feelings don't always fall in line to be grateful first, sometimes we have to be grateful, fight for praise, find gratitude, even when our feelings aren't in a position of gratitude. But, once we choose an attitude of gratitude, our feelings will follow. The night I had a poor attitude, I decided to pray and give thanks to God over every single thing I had written over the course of the past 3 months. After praying praise, I could feel the weight of frustration and bitterness lighten. This is NOT to brag about what I did. Rather, it's to brag on our God and how when we choose to praise, like He's commanded us to, peace follows. Because we're not only living in obedience, we're destroying lies the enemy is telling, and we are living out our purpose- to bring glory and honor to His Name. Speaking praises when we feel frustrated, ungrateful, or discontent changes the attitude of our heart, the nature of our thoughts, and the health of our body. A grateful heart is inviting, a bitter heart is suffocating, not only to you, but others around you. Force your feelings to follow gratitude. Speak praise, your attitude will follow. The enemy likes to convince us that our feelings are unchangeable and dictate how we must operate. But, as we all know, our feelings are deceitful and often follow our flesh. We have full authority to take every thought and feeling captive and make it obedient to Christ. In regards to feelings of anger, bitterness, discontentment, etc., we don't need to sit in those feelings. We can acknowledge them and then choose to change the destructive course of those feelings will end on.

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

-2 Corinthians 10:5-6

Pratt, Misty. “The Science of Gratitude.” Mindful, 15 Nov. 2023, www.mindful.org/the-science-of-gratitude/.