How to Be Grateful in Hard Times: Part I
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To Have Trust in Yahuah in Difficult Times Starts with Gratitude
It’s hard, but it’s also the key initial step to really building a foundation of faith for every believer in Yah. You might ask why, especially if being grateful is the last thing you want to do right now in this trying season you may be in. Gratitude, my friend, is proof that you hear and see Yahusha working in your life. You are more open to what He has to say to you when you are operating with a heart of gratitude.
In this three part series on how to be grateful in hard times, we’re going to break down why gratitude matters, what happens if you ignore murmuring spirits operating in your life, and how to shift into a grateful heart posture. It’s going to include tips on how to stop complaining and sustain your deliverance from an ungrateful mindset. If you’re ready, my friend, let’s begin.
Why Gratitude Matters
Gratitude disables the enemy from keeping you in a murmuring spirit. It helps you to better acknowledge what you do have and how well you actually are equipped to carry out what Yahusha has placed before you. To understand this, we’re going to dive into our founding scripture for this series:
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
What we see in these two verses is a breakdown of Yahusha explaining to the disciples that what they were experiencing was something to be grateful for. They not only had direct access to the Word of Yah (as Yahusha is the Word made flesh) but they were getting understanding of that Word straight from the source. It was something that prophets and Levites and other messengers of the Most High would have loved to experience in their lifetimes. And He was giving these breakdowns to them and not to all of the people who were following Him because not everyone that was traveling with Yahusha HaMashiach in the multitudes that surrounded His ministry had eyes to see and ears to hear what He was giving to them. They had their hearts closed to the revelation of who He truly was (I’m looking at you Pharisees).
Your heart posture, as explained in the Parable of the Sower, is what allows you to either receive or reject the Word of Yahweh. When you have a grateful heart towards God, it is easier for you to understand what He is saying and how He wants you to nurture the Word He is planting inside of you. To better understand this, let’s break down what gratitude really is.
WHAT IS GRATITUDE?
So let’s start with what gratitude is not— it’s not a murmuring spirit. The word murmur, as described by the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary, is “a low continuous sound in the background” and specifically, in medical terms, “a faint sound in the chest, usually a sign of damage or disease in the heart.” It’s a recurring sound, meaning that it speaks. And it keeps speaking, and speaking, and speaking. And when it speaks, it’s a voice that’s coming out of the heart of a man.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
So when you’re not operating in gratitude, what’s happening is this low, continuous, evil sound is not only residing in your heart, but there’s a lot of this evil in there, that’s eventually gonna be something you start saying out loud. (Deep, isn’t it?) It’s not good, bestie. Luke 6 clearly tells us this. But the word murmur also shows us that a lack of gratitude in your heart, a lack of what is good, is a sign that something’s wrong.
OKAY, REALLY: SO WHAT IS GRATITUDE??
According to the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary, gratitude is described as, “the feeling of being grateful and wanting to express your thanks.” (Not too helpful if you don’t know what grateful means.) So let’s dive deeper: Grateful is described as, “feeling or showing thanks because someone has done something kind for you or has done as you asked” [1].
The root of the word gratitude is where things really get interesting. It’s thought to possibly come from the Latin word gratitudo, whose root word is gratus ‘pleasing, thankful’ (Oxford Advanced American Dictionary). When we understand these three definitions, we can further see and recognize what Matthew 13:16-17 is saying.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Kindness is one of the fruits of the Spirit of Yah. We know that fruit starts as a seed, that’s its root. So when the Spirit of Yah is dwelling within you and able to operate in His fullness, you’ll start bearing the same fruit. And in particular, one of the same nine fruits mentioned in Galatians 5.
Gratitude towards Yahuah’s kindness towards you is proof that you recognize what Yahusha has done for you. And when we look at that root word, at gratus, we understand that not only is it pleasing to God to be grateful, but a thankful heart is proof of your faith in Him.
GRATITUDE IS PROOF OF FAITH IN GOD
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
So this is the meat of Part I, my friend: we are blessed not only because we are living in an age where Yahusha is available to be seen (I mean, you can go on Amazon and grab a bible or walk into a Walmart and get one in 10 minutes flat like I did) and heard (look at the free bible apps with audio versions you can listen to FOR FREE) at such a massive global scale… but because we also have His Holy Spirit available to us to give us a deeper understanding of His Word. These disciples got to get their revelations of these parables Yahusha used to teach the multitudes straight from the source, but Yahusha said that when He left earth, we were going to have access to something better: His Ruach Ha’Qodesh, which He promised will teach and guide us in all truth (John 14:15-17 AMP, John 16:7 AMP).
This is something that would’ve been wonderful while Moses walked the earth. Can you imagine how much heartache may have been avoided if His Spirit wasn’t just resting on Moses, but had been accessible by all of the Children of Israel? You don’t need a Levite priest to intercede on your behalf in this era: you can go to the Word yourself, ask the Holy Ruach for understanding, and you are able to see and hear what Yahuah is saying to you specifically (during good times and bad) because of Yah’s kindness towards you. And it’s in this seeking of understanding, just like the disciples were asking Yahusha to explain the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, that Yahuah is pleased with you. He wants you to come and ask questions. It’s proof of faith. It’s a sign you trust in God.
THE #1 THING KING DAVID KNEW ABOUT GRATITUDE MANY CHRISTIANS DON’T
It’s your heart on the line, friend. It really is. Yahusha HaMashiach came that we may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10 KJV). Since He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life — and no one can even get to God except through Him (John 14:6 KJV) — this means He came so that we would have more of Him in our lives. Our gratitude for that kind act gives us access to our Elohim. And David knew it.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
David shared the recipe right here in the Psalms. He knew how to get an audience with God legally. In hard times, this is really important to know: to be granted access to the presence of the Most High Yah in the heavenly realms, thankfulness is necessary. And what is it to be thankful? At the beginning of this post, what did we find out when we got to the root of gratitude? To be thankful is to be grateful, and this pleases God. It’s gratitude, my friend, that you need in difficult seasons so you can access Yahuah and get understanding.
Gratitude Stops the Enemy’s Illegal Activity from Operating in Your Life
The Bible, if you didn’t know, is a legal book. Yeah, there’s poetry (and even a little risqué prose in Song of Solomon, whoops!) Yeah, there are the letters and books of history, which I’m totally grateful for… but there’s a reason why in Galatians 5:23, Paul writes that against the fruit of the Spirit, there is no law. To know and better understand this law is what we’re diving into in the next part of this series, bestie. And I’m excited to dive into what happens when you allow murmuring spirits to illegally operate in your life when gratitude should be.
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REFERENCES
“Grateful, A. (1).” Oxford Advanced American Dictionary, www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/grateful?q=grateful. Accessed 25 January 2024.
Hey, I’m Chase! I’m so excited you’re here, because diving deeper in the Word of Yah is right where you belong!
