Do you have a Thankful heart?
Dr. Michael Youssef, born in Egypt, is the founding pastor of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta, GA, and the executive president of “Leading the Way”, a ministry focused on reaching Muslims in the Middle East. At his website, he shared this devotion on November 27, 2025, entitled, “A Heart of Thanksgiving”.
Psalm 28:7 “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.”
For every temptation the enemy presents, there is a greater blessing God wants to give.
When the enemy lures us subtly away from God’s best plan for our lives, we begin to compromise in many areas, so we must be alert to his schemes. A tried-and-true trick that the enemy has used since the beginning of time is to convince us that we are getting a bad deal.
Human nature does not like to get taken by anybody or anything—and the enemy knows this. Once Satan convinces us that God is robbing us of some of life’s greatest pleasures, we plan and plot how to get what we think we deserve. It is dangerous to venture down such a path.
However, there is a way to combat such tempting thoughts. To have a heart of gratitude means that we appreciate what God has given us. In fact, each day is a gift from God to rejoice in whatever the circumstances.
Paul and Silas knew this full well. When they were tossed into prison, they sang praises and hymns to God. These grateful hearts prepared the way for God to do something incredible in that Philippian jail. Had they been murmuring and grumbling about how a loving God could let them land in such a place, they would have missed an opportunity to lead a man and his entire family to the Lord.
As we seek God more and more, we discover that for every temptation the enemy presents, there is a greater blessing God wants to give. We must remain faithful to the Lord in those trying moments, pressing ahead with the knowledge that God will not withhold His best plan for our lives as long as we are putting Him first.
Prayer: Lord, please help me realize when I have an ungrateful heart and give me a heart of thanksgiving. When I am tempted, show me how much greater Your plans are. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
I am reminded that when we pray with thanksgiving, God gives us peace beyond understanding. Gratitude removes worry and replaces it with joy. 1. Worry focuses on what is missing; gratitude focuses on what is present. 2. Fear focuses on the unknown; thanksgiving focuses on God’s faithfulness. 3. Complaining magnifies problems; gratitude magnifies God’s power. A thankful heart leads to a joyful life because it keeps our eyes on Jesus rather than our circumstances. Let’s give thanks!
This Sunday, October 11, we will conclude our exciting study through the Book of Philippians, “Unshakable Joy!” with “Paul’s ‘Thank You’ Note” (4:10-23). We will focus on the “Power of Contentment” (v10-13) and the “Power of Sacrifice” (v14-19). Please invite someone to join you at the 10:35am worship service in the building or online for the Live broadcast on either Facebook (Honolulu AG) or our YouTube channel (Honolulu Assembly of God). We Livestream every Sunday to both locations and would love to have you join us!
Be sure to check out the online midweek Bible Study that is uploaded every Wednesday afternoon to our website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel. This past week’s study was “Be a Person of Destiny!” Please pass it along to someone who is in need of encouragement. And please join us for Bible Study this Sunday morning at 9:30am. There are two classes for children, one for youth, and one for adults (Gospel of John). Be blessed and grow in your Christian life by studying the Bible together!
Aloha and Aloha ke Akua!
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