ARE YOU ThankFULL or ThoughtFULL?

WE HAVE A CHOICE: ThankFULL or ThoughtFULL?

This IS THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. Are you ThankFULL you are a NEW CREATION IN CHRIST? If you are HIS, Christ's, then YOUR OLD MAN IS DEAD, crucified, buried and he is not coming back. ONLY HIS LIFE, JESUS, REMAINS. HE lives IN YOU and I, and we are IN HIM, made righteous IN CHRIST.

Hebrews 4:14-16 "Therefore, SINCE WE HAVE a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that WE MAY RECEIVE mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Undoubtedly, if you believe the Bible, you KNOW that you and I are BEYOND BLESSED. I AM THANKFULL; how bout you?

Ephesians 1:3-8 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, WHO HAS BLESSED US with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace WHICH HE LAVISHED ON US."

And, keep in mind, HE DID IT ALL for you when you and I were DEAD. WE had nothing to do with this blessing, but we are FREE TO RECEIVE ALL OF IT and to REJOICE. How can we NOT be THANKFULL!

Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,"

Being THANKfull is knowing we have ALREADY BEEN MADE IN HIS IMAGE and we abide fully in HIS ORIGINAL PLAN now, abiding FULLY IN CHRIST now, and that means we are living in and from THE FATHER’S HEART of LOVE. Can you even imagine?

Genesis 1:27 "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

To be THOUGHTfull is to believe we are still made IN ADAM’S IMAGE, and that we are STILL abiding in the flesh. Being thoughtFULL is to live in and from the knowledge of both good and evil, apart from the love of THE FATHER.

John 10:15 "even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."

To be thankFULL is to abide IN CHRIST and to eat from the TREE of LIFE. To be thoughtFULL is to abide in the old man, the flesh, and to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

John 14:6 "Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."

To be THANKfull is to be FULL OF HIS JOY and to know HIS LIFE as yours. To be THOUGHTFULL is to be full of oneself, focused on one's own needs and demands, and shortcomings; AND critical of others TOO. To be thoughtFULL is to be full of DOUBT, FEAR, DISAPPOINTMENT, and BETRAYAL.

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

For a man to always be thankFULL IS GOD’S ORIGINAL PLAN for man. It is HIS ONLY PLAN for man. To be THANKFULL means that as far as it depends upon you and me, we've been ENTIRELY RESTORED IN CHRIST, which is a big deal to HIM because HE LOVES US. Be thankFULL! RESTORATION starts when we are THANKFULL and abiding in HIS ORIGINAL PLAN. 

2 Corinthians 5:18 "Now ALL THESE THINGS ARE FROM GOD, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,"

To be thankFULL is to know WE ARE God’s Sons and Daughters, HIS FAMILY, HIS BELOVED CHILDREN, loved eternally, always protected, always secure as HIS SONS and DAUGHTERS, as HIS FOREVER FAMILY.

Philippians 2:13 "FOR IT IS GOD who is at work in you, both to will and to work FOR HIS GOOD PLEASURE."

To be THANKFULL, one KNOWS and places ALL FAITH in God’s LOVE, MERCY, WISDOM, PEACE, and FAVOR. To be thankFULL is to TRUST GOD’S FAITHFULNESS ABSOLUTELY. Being thankFULL is to eat from the TREE OF LIFE; it’s to know HIS HOPE IN CHRIST, to KNOW FORGIVENESS, to be made RIGHTEOUS, to be made PERFECT in HIS IMAGE, to know HIS ABSOLUTE GOODNESS (absence of all evil), to know MERCY, and live in PERMANENT BLESSINGS FROM GOD.

Zephaniah 3:14 “Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

To be THANKfull is to BE FULL OF CHRIST. Jesus knows NO LACK, NO DOUBT, NO DISEASE, NO DISAPPOINTMENT, and NO DISGRACE, and NEITHER DO YOU because YOU ABIDE IN HIM, forever!

Zephaniah 3:15 “The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, HE HAS CLEARED AWAY YOUR ENEMIES. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more.”

To be thoughtFULL is to be focused inward and full of oneself, self-absorbed, and self-focused. To be THOUGHTfull is to have a thought, either good or evil. The possibility of any thought apart from God is to be a judge, to be critical of even God’s thoughts, and have an opinion of our own, even about God’s thoughts. One has to be separate and apart from God to have his/her own opinion.

Zephaniah 3:16-17 “In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

Being THOUGHTfull is the evaluation process, and it includes doubt, including doubt in God and doubt in others and even doubt in oneself. To be thoughtFULL is to be doubtful and to seek independent verification from self, even about self. And, get this, “self” rarely trusts itself, let alone trust God and others. To have a SELF is to BE separate from GOD. Adam gave us a self, toil, and death. Jesus gave us the Kingdom of HIS FATHER'S LOVE. If you can be anything, BE THANKFULL.

Zephaniah 3:18-19 “I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts— They came from you, O Zion; The reproach of exile is a burden on them. Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors, I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In all the earth.”

“Self,” the old man, never trusts, and he continuously checks to verify everything, including verifying God, as if he could. Adam's self was made to doubt and always doubt itself. Self, full of self and self-doubt, is constantly looking to protect itself, even from itself. The self looks for trust outside of itself, but the self looks for trust to protect itself by seeking and detecting the "distrust” in others. Self, therefore, is founded on distrust, doubt, and fear of everything, but especially lack. How can the “self” function? It can’t, and that’s the point! Instead, be THANKFULL!

Zephaniah 3:20 “At that time I will bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” Says the Lord."

To be THOUGHTfull is to fear judgment ALL THE TIME, including the judgment of God. BEWARE! Being thoughtFULL means, you have to stand your ground, fight and argue to win. To be thoughtFULL is to experience strife, dissension, and disunity, even in oneself. One has to be THOUGHTfull before he or she can fight for anything, good or bad. Ultimately, when one is THOUGHTFULL, they’ve come to realize there’s NO PEACE for self. That’s when they seek God and they always find Him in THANKFULLNESS.

What about you, THANKFULL or thoughtful?