Every year in November, we celebrate Thanksgiving on the Fourth Thursday. This year Thanksgiving Day is November 22nd. It is good to have a special day of Thanksgiving, but it is even better to celebrate Thanksgiving every day. In other words, be grateful all the time.
Eric Butterworth said that you do not have to have anything to be grateful for, just be grateful. It helps, of course, to count our blessings because then we have a focus for being thankful. If you have not yet created a “Blessing list,” you will find that this is a very beneficial thing to do. You just write down on paper the blessings you have to be thankful for. Re-write the list every day for a period of thirty days, or longer, and add new blessings to it. This was taught to me many years ago when I was at rock-bottom and believing that Life had truly handed me a lemon because it was so sour. A mystical and magical thing happened when I began writing my Blessings list. Things began to change, first, in me and then in my life. Life has gotten better and better with each passing grateful day. Writing your Blessings list gets your thinking off seeming problems and onto God.
When you make your Blessings list, do not thank God for negative things. God didn’t give them to you. If you have them, you created them on your own. Thank God for the love and courage to create a genuine Gratitude Attitude.
I wrote in my book, *The Secret of Multiplied Money, “Gratitude is Love in expression. Gratitude causes you to live close to God, the Source. The more grateful you are toward God, the easier and faster it is for you to prosper, and greater is your supply. You are healthier and happier, too.”
Thanksgiving, being genuinely grateful, is a wonderful way to let Love flow. I once knew a lady who was a “hard case” when I tried to help her have a better life. When she was finally convinced to create the Gratitude Attitude, everything changed for her. She became healthier, happier, more loving and peaceful. She said, “I can’t thank you enough for helping me create a life worth living.”
Anyone with a negative, pessimistic, cynical attitude toward life can make their life more beautiful, happy and healthy, if they really want to and are willing to make some adjustments within themselves. It happens every time for those who learn to be truly grateful.
Practice is essential. When you are genuinely grateful, you are practicing the Presence of God. God is love, peace and joy. These are qualities of life that you feel when you express Thanksgiving every day. Yes, it’s Gratitude Time! It is time to be grateful all the time. Declare: “Thank You, God, I am Grateful!” 100 times daily, and you will experience love in action. You deserve all the good that will come because of your Gratitude Attitude. – Lovingly, Rev. John
Declare this Positive Prayer 100 times daily.
Thank You, God, I am Grateful!
We welcome all prayer requests and encourage everyone to write their prayer requests to us. When we receive them, we write to each person, either by e-mail or regular mail, assuring everyone that we are praying with them. We expect everyone to do their own prayer work; to use a Positive Prayer we may send them, and to be open and receptive to the loving prayer energy we send to you.
We keep those who ask for prayer on our prayer list for at least 30 days, and often longer. When you ask for prayer, believe that we are praying with you. It is not necessary to ask again in a few days for us to pray with you. (Ask again in 30 days.) If we are asked again in a few days, it is usually done from fear, and lack of faith. Although it may require some effort on your part, let go of fear. Believe God is answering your prayer, and is doing so now. Gratefully accept that our prayers are with you. In faith, give prayer a chance to work.
Never hesitate to ask us to pray with you. We are here to lovingly support you in prayer; to know the Truth with you, and give thanks for answered prayer. – Lovingly, Rev. John
In the Mail . . . .
Likes e-Newsletter! – Thank you, Rev. John, for your Positive Living e-Newsletter. I look for them each month. They are very helpful. I also forward them to my friends and they like them too. – Arizona
Son freed through prayer! – I am writing to thank you and your prayer ministry for praying with me and my son. He was not arrested, and the guilty parties were found. I felt there was a divine hand in all of this because it appeared so hopeless until we all started praying. For a week, I forgave others involved, knowing that my son was truly innocent. My prayers were answered. Thank you. My grateful tithe is enclosed. – A Grateful Mom in Connecticut
Bytes of Wisdom . . .
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. – John F. Kennedy
Giving thanks is one course from which we never graduate. – Valerie Anders
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. – Melody Beattie
Keep a grateful journal. Every night, list five things that you are grateful for. What it will begin to do is change your perspective of your day and your life. – Oprah Winfrey
A Little of Humor . . .
At a defensive-driving course I attended, our $100 traffic fines were forgiven because of our participation in the class. The instructor, an off-duty police officer, asked us what we might buy with the money we were saving. “A new outfit” and “a night out on the town” were some suggestions. My favorite response, though, dame from a participant who said: “A radar detector!” – James G. Fox