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Our minds are powerful tools that can either draw us closer to God or pull us into negativity. When our minds are filled with thanksgiving and praise, we develop immunity to the devil’s infectious ways.

Complaining and grumbling on the other hand, give the enemy a foothold, making life feel worse and increasing our sense of defeat.

If we want to live in victory, praise must be one of our major weapons. We can see praise fills the heaven and earth with God’s presence and drives away the darkness. So, if we want to live in the sun-shine, praise the Lord. It is easy to lift our hands and our voices when God answers our prayers and delivers us from problems. But it’s not always as easy when things go wrong.

What do we do when we’re sick, lose our jobs, or face criticism? How do we fill our minds with joyful thanksgiving in those situations?  Philippians 4:4 reminds us to “rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice” This scripture gives us a positive option: to maintain a thankful heart despite our circumstances.

A good example is the biblical lesson in maintaining a grateful heart. When Job’s wife suggested he renounce God, Job responded with great wisdom, acknowledging that we must accept both good and bad from God’s hands (Job 2). A righteous life doesn’t mean everything always runs smoothly; it means trusting God through all circumstances.

Our positive options for a thankful heart are (a) praise God despite difficulties. In the midst of our troubles, we can choose to praise God. We can rejoice over the things that are blessings in our lives and recall how God has faithfully seen us through past turmoil (b) seek lessons in hardships. Ask God, what can I learn from this? What do you want to teach through this so that I may be in your goodness? This approach allows us to grow spiritually and find deeper meaning in our struggles.

Not everyone can rejoice and give thanks for their suffering, but we can all give thanks in the midst of it. By turning our hearts toward God and maintaining an attitude of gratitude, we invite His presence into our lives, driving away the darkness and filling us with His light.

Psalm 139:17–18 “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.”