1 Thessalonians 5:16-19,  Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Do not quench the Spirit. 

With all of the chaos you wouldn’t have to look far to find something to complain about, but we are called to pray, rejoice, and in everything give thanks!  As difficult as it may be some days we need to pray for God to help us overcome the negative attitudes and anger all around us.  We are children of God once we have accepted Him as our Savior and He has told us to not live as the world does as though there is no hope.  Our hope is always found in Him.  

There’s no doubt ~ it’s ugly out there and it seems to get worse by the minute, but God has given us the tremendous privilege to go to Him in prayer!  We need to be on our knees praying for our family, friends, pastors, leaders, and those around us who need to know Him.  This is a serious time and we have the answers found in His Word.  Complaining about what is going on will do nothing, we must pray!  We need to rejoice over the God we serve knowing that His timing and plan are perfect.  He is a great Father and He sees and He knows what is to come.  We must trust Him and we must do our part to live lives that glorify Him and draw others to Him!

Gratitude will change your attitude and it will make a huge difference in your day.  Just take a few minutes and remind yourself of all God has done in the past.  King David went through a lot and what brought Him through was encouraging himself in who God is and all he knew God had done, not only in his own life but throughout Israel’s history.  Don’t put it off, just take a minute or maybe throughout your day write down things you are grateful to God for and thank Him.  Ask Him for the strength you need to shine for Him in all you do and for His love for people.  We quench the Spirit when we sit around murmuring and complaining and then what? Then nothing around us changes and we feel worse for the wear.  So, let’s determine today that from this day forward we will look for ways to be a blessing in a dark and angry world and we will share His love so others will come to know Him!  His best is yet to come!