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Some of you have had a tough year. You’ve endured criticism. Maybe you’ve lost a job. Maybe you’re walking through a rough patch in your marriage.Now comes Thanksgiving. Can we thank God even when times are tough?Yes, we can.“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV)This verse doesn’t say to give thanks for everything. It says to give thanks in every circumstance. People misinterpret that all the time.You don’t have to thank God for evil. If a loved one was murdered, I wouldn’t be thankful. If my wife was sick, I wouldn’t be thankful. The Bible never tells us to be thankful for evil. But in every circumstance—no matter how bad it is—you can thank God because:His purpose is bigger than your problemHe will give you the power to overcome your problemYou will grow through the experience if you allow him to help you growYou may not be thankful for evil or difficulty, but you can be thankful despite evil or difficulty.How can you be grateful when you’ve lost your job, your health, or your spouse? You shift your focus. Instead of looking at what you’ve lost, look at what you still have. And you still have a lot.For one thing—you’re alive.So ask yourself: What am I taking for granted? Your health? Your freedom? Your relationships? There’s an old hymn that says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” We need to do that. Make lists of what you’re thankful for—your family, your friends, your ministry, anything God has given you. When times are tough, that’s when you most need to remember what God has provided.Becoming truly grateful may be the healthiest change you make all year. It’s better than any diet or exercise plan. That’s because love isn’t the healthiest emotion—gratitude is. When you’re thankful despite your circumstances, you’re more resistant to illness and stress.And remember this: You can’t find God’s will for your life when you’re ungrateful.Read this part of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 again: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will.” If you’re not living a grateful life—despite your circumstances—you’re outside of God’s will. It’s that simple.

“The king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: ‘Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!’” (2 Chronicles 20:21 NLT)Pastor, few things strengthen your soul like thanking God before you see the breakthrough.When King Jehoshaphat faced three enemy armies, he didn’t rally the troops with a new strategy or a clever battle plan. Instead, he placed the choir in front of the soldiers—literally leading with worship. They sang, “Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!” (2 Chronicles 20:21 NLT).Imagine the optics: musicians on the front line and warriors behind them.But Jehoshaphat wasn’t being reckless. He was being faithful. He was reminding the people that the battle belonged to the Lord. Their formation was a declaration of trust. Their praise was tangible, public, verbalized faith.And, pastor, that’s the kind of faith God invites you to live out too.It doesn’t take much faith to thank God after the answer comes. But when attendance dips, when criticism cuts, when the budget is strained, or when prayers seem unanswered—that’s when thanking God in advance becomes an act of courage.Here’s the miracle: “At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves” (2 Chronicles 20:22 NLT).The breakthrough began “at the very moment” they worshiped.Pastor, you carry pressures that most people will never see. Some battles feel unwinnable. Some problems feel unmovable. But thanking God in advance helps your heart shift from fear to faith, from striving to surrender.So today, take a moment to thank God for what you haven’t seen yet.Thank him for the wisdom you’ll need this week.Thank him for the person he’s transforming behind the scenes.Thank him for the breakthroughs in your church that haven’t yet arrived.God is already working in ways you can’t see. And just like Jehoshaphat, you can lead from a place of praise—confident that the battle still belongs to the Lord.

Pastors know the weight of guiding people in worship each week. But before you can lead others, it’s worth remembering what kind of worship actually pleases God. God doesn’t want just a part of your life—he wants all of you. He asks for all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. He is not interested in half-hearted commitment, partial obedience, or the leftovers of your time and money. He desires your full devotion.A Samaritan woman once tried to debate Jesus on the best time, place, and style for worship. Jesus replied that those external issues are not the point. Where you worship is not as important as why you worship and how much of yourself you offer to God when you worship. There is a right and a wrong way to worship. The Bible says, “Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him” (Hebrews 12:28 GNT).The kind of worship that pleases God has four characteristics:1) God is pleased when our worship is accurate.People often say, “I like to think of God as . . .” and then describe the kind of God they’d like to worship. But we cannot create our own comfortable or culturally acceptable image of God and then worship it. That is idolatry.Worship must be based on the truth of Scripture, not our opinions about God. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” (John 4:23 ESV). To “worship . . . in . . . truth” means worshiping God as he is truly revealed in the Bible.For those in ministry, this means keeping worship rooted in Scripture rather than in shifting preferences or trends. Congregations will follow the model set before them—so let them see a pattern shaped by God’s Word.2) God is pleased when our worship is authentic.When Jesus said we must worship “in spirit,” he wasn’t referring to the Holy Spirit but to your spirit. Made in God’s image, you are a spirit who resides in a body, and God designed your spirit to communicate with him. Worship is your spirit responding to God’s Spirit.When Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Matthew 22:37 NIV), he meant that worship must be genuine and heartfelt. It isn’t just saying the right words; you must mean what you say. Heartless praise is no praise at all—it’s an insult to God. “People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV).Since worship involves delighting in God, it engages your emotions—but they must be genuine, not faked. God hates hypocrisy. We can worship God imperfectly, but we cannot worship him insincerely.For pastors, this is an important reminder. It’s tempting to measure worship by how people seem to respond in a service. But God is looking past appearances and focusing on the heart.3) God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful.Jesus’ command to “love the Lord your God . . . with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37 NIV) is repeated four times in the New Testament. God is not pleased with thoughtless singing of hymns, perfunctory praying of clichés, or careless exclamations of “Praise the Lord” when we can’t think of anything else to say. If worship is mindless, it is meaningless. Jesus called thoughtless worship “vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7 KJV).Even biblical terms can become tired clichés from overuse. That’s why it helps to read Scripture in different translations and paraphrases—to expand your expressions of worship.Ministry leaders can serve their people well by modeling fresh language in prayers and songs, encouraging expressions of worship that are specific, meaningful, and clear.4) God is pleased when our worship is practical.“Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1 NIV).Why does God want your body? Because without your body you can’t do anything on this planet. In eternity, you’ll get a new, improved, upgraded body, but while you’re on earth, God says, “Give me what you’ve got!” He’s being practical about worship.In worship we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. The problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl off the altar—and we often do. But real worship costs. David knew this and said, “I will not offer to the LORD my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24 GNT). One thing worship costs us is our self-centeredness. You cannot exalt God and yourself at the same time.This is especially important for pastors. Worship is not just what happens on stage or in a service—it’s also in the sacrifices of humility, generosity, and service throughout the week. That’s what teaches a congregation the most.

Prayer is a conversation, not a monologue. When you pray, don’t do all the talking. As a pastor, it can be easy for you to carry everyone else’s needs to God but forget to pause and let him speak to you. But you can’t build a friendship with God—or lead his people well—without listening to his voice.How does God speak? Through his Word. So much of what he wants to say is already in Scripture. Don’t waste time wishing God would write his will in the sky. He’s already written it in a book—the Bible. Stop looking for a sign, and start looking at Scripture. Stop looking for a vision, and start looking for a verse. God’s will is in God’s Word. The more you immerse yourself in it, the clearer your steps in ministry will become.King Jehoshaphat faced three armies at once. Israel had no chance to win in their own strength. They knew defeat was certain unless God stepped in. So they prayed. This is what God told them:“‘Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. . . . You will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD’s victory. He is with you. . . . Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you!’ Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the LORD” (2 Chronicles 20:15, 17–18 NLT).Pastor, you may feel today like you’re facing multiple battles—criticism, exhaustion, spiritual opposition, or self-doubt. But the same God who fought for Jehoshaphat fights for you. The battle for your church, your calling, and your heart is not yours to carry alone.Take your position. Keep serving faithfully. But then stand still and watch what God does. Worship while you wait. The results are not up to you—they belong to him.God has so many promises waiting for you. But you’ll only discover them by opening his Word and letting him speak. On this Monday, rest in this truth: It’s God’s battle, not yours.Father, thank you that the battle belongs to you. Today I surrender my church, my ministry, and my own weary heart into your hands. Speak through your Word. Strengthen me to take my position faithfully, but teach me to stand still and watch you move. Guard me from fear and discouragement. Let my leadership flow out of worship and trust in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.