Wins Out

Habakkuk 3:^17-18 “Though the cherry trees don’t blossom and the strawberries don’t ripen, Though the apples are worm-eaten and the wheat fields stunted, Though the sheep pens are sheepless and the cattle barns empty, I’m singing joyful praise to God…”  (MSG).

The enemy’s only objective for putting pressure on you externally is so that he can pressure your mind. More people are taken out by internal battles (in the mind), than external battles (of life). For some, what is taking them out is the bullet that hits them in their mind, not the fight and the pressure that they are facing on the outside. For a lot of people, having a flat tyre on the way to work can ruin their entire day. In fact, I was counselling someone who said something that happened on Monday morning ruined the entire week.

What happened to you, happened in a space of about two minutes. Let’s use the flat tyre example, how long does it take to fix a flat tyre? Let’s say one hour and it ruins your whole day (twenty-four hours)? How can it achieve that? The mind. So, the enemy can bring (let’s assume it is from the enemy) a flat tyre, but should we allow our minds to be battered and deflated throughout the day? You need to get a grip of your mind, and your mental health. What we are sharing is so pivotal because when you understand this principle, you are equipped to dig yourself out of anything the enemy wants to bring upon you or put you in.

A study showed that the human brain cannot respond to anxiety and gratitude at the same time. It is either one or the other. They wired up people, scientifically simulated anxiety in the mind, and they wanted the person to be grateful. It is one or the other. The same person could not be anxious and grateful at the same time. What does that tell us? Gratitude resolves anxiety. Note that I am not saying that all anxiety is a result of ingratitude. However, gratitude resolves anxiety, regardless of the source of the anxiety. So, the more grateful I am, the less anxious I become. The more grateful you are, the less anxious you become. Therefore, you can actually eradicate (get rid of) anxiety with gratitude.

And guess what? Gratitude is a choice. Just sit down and think, God has been good to you. You are alive, reading this, God has been good to you.  You can be grateful. Gratitude and depression cannot coexist. Again, I am not saying that depression and every form of depression is a result of ingratitude. All I am saying is that gratitude will eradicate every kind of depression. If you maintain a state of gratitude in your heart and fill your home with songs of praise and worship, the depression will go down. Gratitude is a choice. What is it going to be? Choose gratitude.

Prayer (song): With a thankful heart, we will give You praise. You’ve been so good, covered us with grace. You have been our strength, in a time so dark. So we worship You, with a thankful heart. We lift up our praise and we lift up our sacrifice to You… Amen!