Author: thinkfulkarin

Thanksliving

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Daily Giving Thanks

He showed up!!

What an incredible thing!!!

The Father fulfilled the promise He made. The Son came as a baby to live a perfect life and then die, not for Himself, but for me and you so we could have forgiveness, reconciliation, transformation, and hope (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Thank You, Lord Jesus!!

My friend, Karen Tinsley, alerted me to this quote:

“Incorporating thanksgiving as a daily habit will translate into ‘thanksliving.'”

“Feature” A Daily Bible Study Guide

Love this concept of incorporating thanksgiving as a daily habit. Thanking Him for coming to die for our sins, not just at Christmas time, but all year long. Thanking Him for His grace and mercy, His many blessings every single day, His voice in His Word, His fingerprints in my circumstances, His closeness and promises in the refiner’s furnace ~ thanksliving.

My Th(i)nkful Friend

Every Monday I exchange thinkful lists with others who are learning to cultivate thinking thanks even when it’s so hard. I have done it for years with Grace, but recently I have started with another dear friend Cherie. Look what she texted me this Monday morning:

Thinkful
God’s will for my life doesn’t need to be found; it needs to be obeyed. And His will is that I’m thankful in all things. I certainly struggle with this, so I’m trying to train my mind as often as I can. These Mondays help so much. In everything give thanks for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

By God’s Spirit and God’s strength, I’m a thankful person. He is helping me to be thinking about being thankful.

When I struggle to find things to practically be thankful for, I remind myself of this:

  1. My salvation. God saved me so I will rebound my gratitude back to Him. 2 Corinthians 4:15.
  2. ⁠The sovereignty of God. He is not only in control of every kingdom but over every part of my life.
  3. ⁠Thankful that God forgives me. Psalm 103:12 / 1 John 1:19.
  4. ⁠I’m thankful for the love of God.
  5. ⁠God’s word. Scripture stirs us up.
  6. ⁠The people of God. The people God puts into our lives. Ephesians 1:16 / Philippians 1:3
  7. ⁠The promise of heaven. John 14:2-3. Rejoicing that our names are written there.
  8. ⁠His provision. Philippians 4:19
  9. ⁠The faithfulness of God. Psalm 92:1-2. Great is the faithfulness, standing with Him is never unknown.
  10. ⁠He answers our prayer. Isaiah 65:24 / Psalm 4:3
  11. ⁠God is with us. Psalm 139:7-10

My list for today

  • I was able to ask my son Seth for forgiveness
  • ⁠I was able to forgive him and restore our relationship
  • ⁠In these, showing him Christ and what Christ has done for us
  • ⁠We are praying about a little dog Seth wants, but we have to wait on a few things and it’s an opportunity to teach Seth to pray and trust God
  • ⁠I was able to do a walk this weekend and one day of gym last week
  • ⁠No headache today
  • ⁠Summer is here
  • ⁠I am redeemed
  • ⁠Jesus is coming soon 🙌🏻🙏🏻🕊️
Cherie gave me permission to share this

Thanksliving in Action

Wow! Cherie is an inspiration to me. I know her life is not easy. She has great challenges, but she is willingly thanking God anyway. She chooses to focus on Him and His Word, His character and His promises. Good example to follow.

Lord, I need You. It’s so hard for me to have this thanksliving way of life. Please help me. Remind me of Your love for me, how You know everything about me and yet desire a relationship with me. Thank you for Cherie’s testimony. May I do likewise as we both run this race of life and long for Your return.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Be a thinkful Cherie now and going forward into 2026!

Put On the Brakes

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Slow Down!

Screech….

The brakes did their job, but you could smell burnt brake pads. The accident did not happen, but man, was it close. My heart rate was accelerated and I felt uncomfortable.

Have you ever been extremely close to a wreck? It instills a deep desire in you to try to avoid those situations in the future. I remember my Driver’s Ed teacher in high school saying we should stop with enough distance to see the tires of the car in front of us.

Let me introduce you to a really cool word!

Are you familiar with the word sophron?

Such a great word!

Quick meaning could be ~ put on the brakes ~ according to Nancy Wolgemuth in her book, “Adorned: Living Out The Beauty of the Gospel Together” (p. 163).

Sometimes there are natural pauses where it is easy to use the time to reflect on the things you are thankful for. Like we just finished a weeklong module of teaching in Egypt. It was easy to stop, during the week and after the week was done, to recount what we were thankful for.

  • That we had the joy of teaching this material to godly adults
  • The students were enthusiastic and loving toward us and the teaching
  • That we ourselves were encouraged by reviewing the truths from God’s Word
  • That we had a chance to help buy new TV’s to replace the old small ones, improving future visual learning in that classroom
  • Camaraderie with fellow staff and teachers

But sometimes, it is not so easy to stop and list things you are thankful for, especially when something or someone needs fixing! The Apostle Paul was concerned for the churches every day (2 Corinthians 11:28), yet when he wrote to those churches about urgent issues they were facing, he would put on the brakes and begin his letters by giving thanks for them before he would address different matters.

Self-Controlled Th(i)nkfulness

Reading through Titus 2, we find an exhortation for sober-minded self control.

Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled (Titus 2:1-5).

Paul’s words are commending seriousness. There is a need for women to exercise self-control. Leaders in the church also need these qualities.

A new song we sang a few Sundays ago at our Phoenix Fellowship here in Durban, South Africa, drove home this point. The unusual title of the song was, “Give Me Self-Control.”

Self control is curbing your impulses and emotions, but it also includes controlling your pace, your pauses, and your pondering such that you keep a sane and sound mind. So many people are “run” by their job, their children, their pets, or the expectations of family and friends. Putting on the brakes to think thanks is an integral part of regaining a sound mind.

Resolutely untangling myself from the anxious demands of the next item on my to-do list, I have an opportunity to regain a balanced perspective, to see the strong hand of my sovereign God above all that is happening, to be mindful of hasty choices I am making, and to recommit myself to live slowly enough to discern His will and way for me.

I know that He desires me to think thanks in every circumstance because He tells me in His Word (I Thessalonians 5:18). But most often I need to stop in order to think. The impulse to be driven by outside demands must be controlled. So, choosing to be characterized by sophron, I am in a good place to develop a practice of thinking thanks.

Putting on the brakes in my life doesn’t mean I am not still busy doing the job set before me. It means that I am allowing the Holy Spirit to help me proceed with self control and wisdom.

When we’re not sophron, we don’t have any margin or heart for kindness.”

“Adorned,” Nancy DeMoss Woldemuth

A Little Introspection

Are you sophron? Does that describe or characterize you? It should.

Why not start fostering that quality in your life today?

Take a moment to put the brakes on. Slow down your pace and emotions, cherish your pauses, and meditate on truth. Regain a sound mind through self-control. You did that by stopping to read this blog post. Well done! The Holy Spirit is with you, inside you, and can help you become peaceful and trusting of the Lord’s sovereignty in your life.

Write down seven things that you are thankful for right now. And a step further share those seven things with a good friend. It’s edifying to them, too.

Thinkful Muscle

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Using Those Muscles

“Don’t give up! Lean in! Use those muscles!” We had the privilege to climb a mountain in Norway recently. As our age climbs, the mountains are harder to climb. We had to reawaken muscles who thought they had reached retirement.

The view was worth it as we looked out over a seaside town through sunshine and light hail. But it was hard going up … and then hard in a different way going back down.

You have to want to achieve the goal. Then you push and take steps to make it happen.

One foot in front of the other, step by step, you push forward. It was my first time to use hiking poles for balance and support. Very helpful! Felt professional.

Thinkful Muscle

Choosing to download grace from the Lord to think thanks about every circumstance in my life takes muscle. It takes the heart: “I want this change in my life.” It takes the will: “I will choose daily or as often as needed to stop and speak or write out things I am thankful for.” It takes the mind: “OK, now looking back through this day or this circumstance, what can I be thankful for?”

This does not come naturally, at least not to start with. But after those muscles have been engaged and used repeatedly, it does begin to come more automatically. That is a benefit of being “in th(i)nkful shape.”

Friend, when you choose to ask God for grace to process things with gratitude, you are exercising yourself towards godliness. You are obeying God’s command to give thanks in everything.

But honestly, it can feel like climbing a mountain. Every step feels hard and you have to choose to pursue your goal.

If you practice being grateful, even under duress, that can help you develop the attitude that makes you resilient as you move through tremendous difficulty.

Dr. Jordan B. Petersons

Even people who are not believers realize the importance!

Muscle Development

To get fit, you need a plan. David and I tried to take lots of walks on the hills around where we live to prepare for our mountain hike. We chose hills that were steep to begin to push our thigh muscles to get ready. Yes, it was a bit uncomfortable. We would sweat and breathe heavily, and some people who watched us pass by wondered if we would pass out, or pass away, before reaching the top … but slowly, it got easier.

The same is true with developing your thinkful muscle. Although it may feel awkward and unnatural, you choose to write down some things you are thankful for. Maybe it’s just one a week at first, but you build up to one a day, maybe even three+ a day.

As that gratitude muscle gets fit, it will amaze you how quickly you can blurt out one thing after another of what you are thankful to God for, even during difficulties.

That is climbing the Thinkful Mountain!

Joy Along Life’s Path

As I was pushing my leg muscles climbing up the mountain, I would take a pause and turn around looking how far I had already gone and the view from where I was.

It gave me inspiration to go on (and needed oxygen). We also met some who were descending because they were afraid of getting caught in a heavy downpour. Fully understandable! The one lady looked at me and said in Norwegian that she had some regret though that they had turned around.

If you pursue getting your thinkful muscle fit, I believe you will have no regrets. Becoming more of a natural at giving thanks to God for Who He is and all He does, will pour courage and joy in your heart.

Joy multiplies when exercising with friends

What are You Feeding on?

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What Goes in, Comes out

Oh, just give it a break! I want to relax and just veg out for a while.

Vegetate means to relax in a completely passive or mindless way.

“I am so weary and tired. I can’t think straight. Just need to refuel and restore.”

These are such common phrases. Our jobs, families, schools, and ministries are demanding and pushing us to perform, even through stress and discomfort. No wonder we have a desire to veg out.

May I please alert you‼️

When you are vulnerable and passive, there is danger lurking. Yes, you do need to rest and restore, but be careful how.

Whatever we passively allow into our minds will actively affect us. It goes into the database of the soul, our minds, and begins to influence us.

“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.”

Proverbs 15:14

Feeding as Meditating

We are what we think about.

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:“

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)

But the motivator for what we think about is our heart. We think what we think because our hearts want what they want. The heart determines what we feed on in the idle moments. Sometimes it’s not bad. We just need to check it.

Absent strong medication, most of us can’t go into a state of just not caring. The mind will receive input even if we are not seeking to actively acquire knowledge.

The area to continually check is our hearts. What do I really want in my heart?

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Proverbs 4:23

News?

For so many of us, conditioned for years by 24-hour news and social media, our hearts want us to be informed. Many don’t want to find out the latest shocking events one or two days later. AI evaluated a number of sources to report where 18-24 year olds get their news.

Fascinating!! What you read and see surely will color the way you perceive something.

In the olden days, it was the town crier calling people out into the town square to share news.

That is where we get the word for “church.” Ekklesia means “called-out ones” – people called out of their homes and businesses to gather together in the town square to hear the news and official announcements.

When Jesus came as the true Messiah, many had not heard the news. The news of the gospel was to be proclaimed everywhere. That news is still being shared all over the world. One by one or in big groups the gospel is declared.

As Western culture moved into the 18th century, the printed page became popular as a source of news. People would buy gazettes and then newspapers.

Whatever was printed in the newspaper or broadcast of the radio hourly was carefully curated and presented to us as objectively as possible. What we read or heard in those days we took at face value. It had authority.

Today we have a superabundance of ways to get information, and in this populist era, everyone has a voice, and mainstream legacy media outlets, discredited as authorities, are seen as just a few of thousands of biased voices with hidden agendas. No one can be trusted. Difficult as it may be, we use discretion in the selection of our sources, and be careful of our level of daily intake.

Guidelines for the Mind

Our Father in heaven who has created us and controls all things, has given us guidelines for how to walk worthy in the Christian life.

He encourages us to renew our minds often.

” Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Romans 12:2

Firstly, we need the fresh water of the Word of God every day to satisfy us and renew our perspective (John 4:10). I have a morning appointment with the Creator … like at 6 am at the breakfast table, He is waiting for me. I need to talk with Him and hear from Him before jumping into news or texts.

Secondly, we need to view current events with the glasses of thinkfulness. God has given us His Word as an anchor (Hebrews 6:19) and light for our path (Psalm 119:105). He says to think thanks for everything.

“… giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Ephesians 5:20

Thirdly, build up your “big God” belief system. Have you compared the amount of time you spend getting news with the amount of time spent on a sovereign God who is orchestrating all of those events in the news towards fulfilling His plans and purposes (Daniel 4:34-35, Acts 17:26-27)?

Many Christians have a “small God” – a God who is overworked and distracted and not paying sufficient attention to some details. They are more oriented horizontally than vertically. They care a whole lot more what people around them think about something compared to what the Lord thinks about the same thing. God warns us that the fear of man brings a snare, but whoso trusts in the Lord will be safe (Proverbs 29:25).

We need to move to a “big God theology” and to a vertical orientation, confessing what is true from heaven’s standpoint. God is infinite mind (never misses the smallest detail). God has steadfast love and faithfulness toward His children (micro-orchestrating every detail in our lives, struggles, and deaths for our good and His glory). And God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent (ruling over the affairs of men and nations – those that are war-torn and those that smugly feel they have achieved utopia).

Recently I was made aware of how trusting completely in God’s sovereignty actually helped two friends of mine who had gone through the loss of a spouse. They grieved, but there was hope in that God was working a plan, and His peace and plan eased their suffering sooner than others around them. We cannot always see His plan behind the path that He chooses for us, but He asks us to trust Him (Isaiah 43:2).

Fourthly, roll over your soul-weights and anxieties on the Lord, with thanks. When the Lord tells us not to be anxious in Philippians 4:6, He gives a way to process our concerns. He encourages us to bring our burdens and troubles to Him wrapped up in thanksgiving.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Remind yourself that God CAN be trusted in every detail. Give thanks for the Lord delivering us from the dominion of darkness and transferring us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption (Colossians 1:13-14).

Fifthly, be discerning. How can a person know where to “feed?”

  • First of all, pray that God would give you wisdom and guide you.
  • Seek godly counsel from trusted mentors.
  • Curate your feed. Unfollow accounts that bring anxiety and follow accounts that edify.
  • Limit your time and platforms.
  • Turn off notifications.
  • Engage in real-life activities.
  • Consider a tech Sabbath – no phone from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Colossians 3:2

Eat healthy!!

Embrace with Joy!

/ thinkfulkarin / 1 Comment

A Divine Appointment

David was doing his simple magic trick for some little children during an evening fellowship meal at Fellowship Bible in Springdale, AR. The kids were intrigued that the wad of paper that disappeared could, seconds later, be pulled from their ear.

While David was keeping these little ones spellbound, a lady introduced herself to me and we began chatting. Cathy and her husband knew some of the same people we did from Citadel Bible College years ago. She had grown up as a MK in Congo, and then later with her husband, they had served the Lord for thirty years in Mindanao, Philippines. They moved back Stateside about six years ago.

When I asked how that transition had gone, she smiled and said it was very, very difficult.

Change is Hard!!

And a big change, like changing countries, is even harder.

Many people moving cross-culturally have fought heart-wrenching struggles. Exchanging the familiar for foreign, replacing routine with constant trial-and-error, and discovering new types of humor, privacy zones, and communication styles is exhausting. All the changes slide them down into a spiral from which they can’t find their way out. Culture shock is mental-emotional trauma, and even more tricky is “reverse culture shock,” because people don’t expect to feel like strangers when they return to their old “home.”

Mentally choosing to go down the different path of trusting in God’s Word and His promises, instead of the natural path of worrying thoughts and doubts, takes a huge and persistent amount of effort.

“Trust is not a passive state of mind. It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them despite the adversity that at times seeks to overwhelm us.”

Jerry Bridges

The New Motto

As Cathy continued her description she mentioned something that intrigued me.

“It was like a never ending funeral leaving the Philippines for me. Till my kindergarten roommate Marilyn wrote me. She said, ‘I know it’s hard coming home. But I want to challenge you to embrace this new change with Joy.’ That made a whole big change in my thinking and emotions. I have had such Joy here embracing what this season has brought.“

Cathy shared how she decided to follow the advice from her friend and “embrace with joy” this new season. It was a mind game. Instead of recounting the hardships, sorrows, and frustrations, she would look for the joy, the gifts from the Lord, that were all over the place just waiting to be discovered.

She chose to journal and write down these gifts. Some gifts were hard, but it was amazing to find nuggets of joy embedded even in the hard things. I was reminded that in the gold mines under Johannesburg, gold appears as black spots in the otherwise gray rock. The black is chiseled out and with heat the gold takes on its familiar color. God’s hard things have to be refined with thankfulness to draw out their true color and worth.

Terry and Cathy now do a Neighborhood Bible Club where they live. Cathy also gets to spend time with her grandson teaching him.

Why Embrace New Seasons?

Why do we need to embrace new seasons with joy? Because it gives the honor and credit to the One who made the change and controls all things in my life. To fuss and fight and complain and lash out is an empty effort to seize control.

Down deep, we believe God has done something wrong – He has left things too ambiguous, hasn’t fixed what I want fixed, has been too slow, isn’t listening, doesn’t care – and we embrace a host of slanderous thoughts and lies. We say we are frustrated with our circumstances, but actually we’re frustrated with the God behind those circumstances.

God knows what He’s doing! He can be trusted! We need to say this over and over to ourselves as we wait upon Him and His timeline. He is the sovereign, dependable Shepherd who is micromanaging the details of our lives, even through the valleys of dark shadows.

It is best to let God be God as the Author of our lives and the changes He leads us through. Scan the names in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith” and see how many of those people God took through massive changes and cross-cultural moves. God moved them to new places and into new seasons … and they stayed faithful because they trusted in God’s character!

How Do I Embrace New Seasons?

If He has allowed a difficult change in your life, go to Him and pour out your heart before Him because He is a refuge for us, but make sure you TRUST Him!!

“Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.“

Psalm 62:8

So if I was to begin to try to embrace a new season in my life, how should I do that? Can I suggest baby steps?

Firstly, maybe ask for God’s help and get a journal to record just three things a week that have brought you joy and for which you can be thinkful. Then after a few weeks, try to find one or two joys each day. I think you will discover them when you put the right glasses on. They are all over.

    When a person gets a proper view of how infinite God’s mind is, how steadfast His love and faithfulness to us is, how comprehensive His knowledge of our details is, and sees how much the whole creation is filled with His glory, it results in submission to whatever He ordains. There is blessing and praise that come with that mindset (Proverbs 31:30). This is a beautiful thing that happens to a person who fears the Lord.

    Learning How It Works

    When David showed the little girls how the magic trick worked, they became so excited to try it themselves. They struggled at first – it was a new skill – but with practice they, too, in time would be able to give joy to others.

    Governing your thoughts is no easy trick, but in time you, also, can learn the “magic” of embracing your new season with joy. Step by step God is teaching us to trust Him and embrace whatever He sends.

    “Be still my soul the Lord is on thy side

    Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain

    Leave to thy God to order and provide

    In every change He faithful will remain”

    Anxious Thoughts

    / thinkfulkarin / 6 Comments

    Test Or Temptation?

    David and I arrived at the Atlanta airport and went through passport control. Went so smoothly that we both remarked how different that was from Africa. We were exhausted, as we normally are after sitting in an airplane for about sixteen hours and my head hurt, but not too badly.

    When we got to the luggage carousel, we stood for a long time looking for our four bags. They did not come. We were among a large cluster people whose luggage did not make it. So we stood in line to report the missing pieces.

    There was a lot in those bags. Over 300 knitted African animals that my Zulu ladies had made, important meds, clothes, papers, journals that we needed. If I allowed my thoughts to go where they wanted, anxiety would seep in. No doubt!!

    Opportunity for Wisdom

    When something happens in our lives, we get the opportunity to react or respond. If this is a test, there will be temptations connected with it, and part of the victory over temptations is slowing things down so that we can think – responding rather than reacting.

    Will I take a second to remember that this challenge is common to man, that God is faithful, that He has checked that I can handle it with His help, and that He is watching me? If I reach out to Him for wisdom and carefully choose to respond with wisdom, there’s a way of escape so I can bear it (I Corinthians 10:13).

    But if I am enticed by a spike in my own desire to react rapidly, I take no time to regain God’s perspective, or use any wisdom filter. I just fall into the floodwaters of my adrenaline or anxious thoughts. The repetition of unchecked thoughts and unfiltered reactions brings a life called “death” (James 1:14-15).

    Often we don’t consciously think about how we respond. We don’t quickly recount God’s promises. We don’t consider what would be wise. We just react. Anxiety just happens so quickly and naturally. Thoughts come like kamikazes, dive-bombing into your mind with great force.

    • What if I can’t handle that?
    • Will I actually have to wait on the Lord with all this ambiguity?
    • Has the Lord forgotten about this one?
    • The Lord does not truly like me?
    • Maybe God wants to hurt me? He’s getting back at me for something.
    • What if I simply freak out and die?

    On and on it goes.

    The Lord has a check list of what to do when faced with anxious thoughts. He says to wrestle down the thoughts that are not in harmony with the knowledge of God.

    Wrestling takes work! Wrestling uses more muscles in the body than any other sport. It is not just an automatic response. No sir! It’s intentional. It’s aggressive. It’s grueling.

    We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

    2 Corinthians 10:5

    Why Does Wrestling Matter?

    In short, because you will receive consequences for not wrestling.

    Considering yourself defeated and going with the flow of your anxious feelings is not innocent. It’s disobedience. It’s sin. I know that sounds harsh. But the Lord who made us, tells us not to do that.

    “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

    Philippians 4:6-7

    The wrestling of anxious thoughts is not a fast, once and done thing. For many of us, it is a daily struggle. Like a wrestling partner who believes wrestling practice is never over, creeps up, and takes you down in random places throughout your day. It is a continual fight to set your thoughts above and not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2). Learning to slow down, regain perspective, and respond by speaking truth to yourself is essential.

    • My Lord is sovereign and meticulously managing the details of my life
    • I am loved steadfastly by my Father and nothing touches me without His design
    • The Lord desires me to pass this test with His help and have proven character because of it
    • This test will pass
    • I have been delivered from the domain of darkness (Colossians 1:13)
    • All my sins – all of them – have been forgiven. The Lord is never “getting back at me” for something
    • As I am in the midst of this test, I need to remember how it feels so I can relate to others
    • I have an opportunity to display God’s grace before others
    • If it is from the Evil One, I am worthy of being attacked
    • God’s Word becomes more precious to me as I cling to its promises

    Friend, as you read these words I want to pour courage over you. You can have victory. You can be conformed to Christ in the way you respond to hard things that come your way. Don’t be afraid!

    Christ Our Wisdom Sovereign Grace 2024

    The Wrap

    I want to share a tool that has helped me over and over again. Get a hold of a journal or even just a piece of paper. Begin to articulate exactly what it is that is worrisome. Then begin to wrap that concern with thanksgiving. In other words, deliberately think thanks about your challenge.

    Let me show you with the incident that happened to us with the lost luggage.

    My thinkful wrap:

    • Our plane made it to the USA all the way from Johannesburg, SA
    • The Lord knew exactly where our four bags were even if we didn’t
    • I Corinthians 10:13 promised me that God had checked this test. He knew I could pass this test with His help
    • David and I were together and could share this burden and have people pray with us that it would arrive in time IF God willed it
    • Romans 8:28-29 tells me that all things in my life, even losing luggage, can work for good, for me being more conformed to Christ
    • Perhaps it could help get my eyes more on things above and not on things on earth
    • Jesus has promised to never leave me nor forsake me even in the middle of an airport
    • I may meet others who have gone through the same test and I can now relate better

    End of the Story

    Losing luggage is really not a big deal. It’s irritating, but they are just things. There are many, many other challenges that are much more difficult. And in fact our luggage was never lost. The airline was facing a weight limit on a trans-Atlantic flight so they set many bags aside for the next flight.

    But this was a test to see if I would give into the temptation of anxious thoughts.

    How are you responding to anxious thoughts? With every test comes temptations? Slow down your response, wrestle down the lies and imaginations of worst-case scenarios, list the things you can be thankful for, regain God’s perspective, and act with wisdom.

    After thirty hours the luggage was delivered by the airline.

    God’s Journal

    / thinkfulkarin / 2 Comments

    Thankful Remembrance

    “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name.”

    Malachi 3:16

    God is God. He doesn’t need to write something down to remember it. But this passage states that God is listening to certain human beings. He listens with interest and delight as believers who are in awe of Him talk about Him and think of ways to honor His name. He has ordered that a “book of remembrance” be written about those believers. It seems that this is His ongoing journal covering centuries of conversations between believers.

    There are a few verses that talk about books in the Bible:

    • Exodus 32:32 says that Moses referred to God’s book
    • Psalm 56:8 refers to a book where the Lord keeps count of our tears
    • Psalm 69:28 references a book of the living
    • Daniel 7:10 says the books being opened
    • Daniel 12:1 mentions names being written in a book
    • Revelation 13:8 mentions the Book of Life
    • Revelation 20:12 mentions the books being opened
    • Revelation 20:15 The Book of Life and the books are opened

    It is interesting to note that ancient kings, like the kings of Persia, had books to keep track of memorable deeds that needed to be rewarded.

    On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?”

    Esther 6:1-3

    In Malachi, God is dealing with Israel because of their sin. He addresses their empty, hypocritical worship, teaching error, adultery and murmuring. But then as a great encouragement He says that He has been listening to the faithful ones. Of course nothing is hidden from the Lord. He sees our hearts and motives. He knows us better than we know ourselves. But He has apparently directed an angelic scrivener to keep an ongoing Book of Remembrance about the faithful ones and their conversations.

    God is thinking thanks!! What!?

    The Lord states that He remembers. He even says that those who feared the Lord and spoke to each other about God would not only be remembered, but also be His own special and treasured possession, like jewels were in ancient times.

    They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.

    Malachi 3:17

    The Lord God doesn’t need to thank anyone. He is the author of all! He deserves the praise, the gratitude, the worship. That is why it is so fascinating that He, God, would “write down” the names of the faithful ones.

    Searching For My Name

    But … is my name in His journal? If I could do a word search, could I even find my name? If so, what was the quality of my words, and were they unmixed with self-interest? How many times has He listened while I spoke to others about Him with joyful amazement and high esteem?

    Or have my sentiments about the Lord and His works just been private and kept to myself? Private feelings don’t get recorded. A journal entry requires the Lord to hear us talking to each other about Him.

    Your Book

    To be “godly” is to be “god-like.” God keeps a journal of people and conversations He is thankful for. Do you have a book of remembrance? Do you write down things for which you are remembering to think thanks?

    I also wonder if those words in Malachi 3:16-17 were written for us to remember that God will reward righteousness. The Bema Seat is coming. And the beauty in all this is that whatever we thought, said, or did that was pleasing to the Lord we could do only with His help. Yet, He says that we will be spared as a man spares his only son.

    The Lord Jesus exhorted His disciples to rejoice because their names were written in heaven (Luke 10:20). In Colossians 1:12-14 the Lord exhorts us to give thanks because He has delivered us from the domain of darkness.

    “… giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.“

    Delayed

    God’s reward is delayed. It is like the student that works hard all year and then at graduation is granted an award. The Israelites in Malachi had grown weary from waiting on the Lord. They felt like He didn’t see, He didn’t really care. They grew envious of the wicked.

    We, too, can begin to grow weary and feel like it doesn’t really matter. “The Lord doesn’t see what I do, what I think about and treasure in my heart.” But that is a LIE! He does see. He does know all things, and nothing can be hidden from El Roi (the God who sees).

    Be encouraged, you who fear, esteem, and converse! The Lord knows who you are, faithful ones. He will remember and reward. He wants us to keep on keeping on till the end. Even our precious Lord Jesus kept the end in view.

    “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

    Hebrews 12:2

    Start them young!!

    Josh Sullivan’s Miracle

    / thinkfulkarin / 2 Comments

    A Kidnapped Missionary

    When Pastor Josh Sullivan was knocked in the head and kidnapped right from the pulpit in his church, he had no idea of what lay ahead for him.

    Josh and his family came to serve the Xhosa people in South Africa. They learned the language and sought to share the good news of the gospel.

    The township of Motherwell where the Sullivans ministered was a high risk area. The people there were well acquainted with theft and unsafe conditions.

    The Sullivans knowingly came anyway. They loved the people there.

    On April 10, 2025, Josh had just started to speak when four men entered the hall. At first it was not clear why they had come, but it did not take long before their purpose became evident. The men had guns and proceeded to confront Josh. They asked him if this was his wife after grabbing Meagan. They then hit Josh over the head and he fell down almost blacking out. Meagan was also pushed to the floor. Their children and the rest of the church were left alone, just staring eerily.

    Josh was forced up, down the aisle amid the whimpers of his children, and out of the building into his own car and they drove away.

    The Wait

    For 122 hours everyone waited. Josh also waited in a distant house as his captors let the authorities know their demands for money. The news hit social media and then the mainstream media, and people all over the world prayed earnestly for God to protect and free Josh. They prayed for safety for Meagan and the kids. They prayed for God to be glorified through this very difficult, challenging situation.

    The authorities were working behind the scenes. The kidnappers were trying to negotiate a ransom for Josh’ life. Some were starting to gather funds.

    This is a very tricky problem in mission work. Most mission organizations don’t pay ransoms. It opens up a whole can of worms. If money can be acquired through this means, every missionary in the country becomes a target, and there’s almost no end to the nightmares that could flow from that. We, as fellow missionaries, were praying for great wisdom for the negotiation team, hoping that law enforcement would find Josh before money was paid.

    Josh’s feet and hands were tied, and he was hooded. He was kept in the back room of the house. They threatened him, but did not harm him. They offered water and food, and allowed Josh to use the bathroom.

    The Miracle

    On Tuesday, April 15th, the kidnappers told Josh that he needed to get to the car.

    Josh had noticed they were cleaning a lot that day, washing and wiping things down. As they moved toward the garage in the darkness, Josh fell two times. One time it took a while for him to get back up. Three of the men got in the car, two in the front and one in the back with Josh. Josh had a hood over his head and had his head down in the lap of the guy in the back seat.

    Josh realized that there were two other guys outside. One opened the garage door. The car pulled out into driveway. Then the car stopped as someone opened the gate at the front wall. At that point, Josh heard the three guys jump out of the vehicle and 20-some shots were fired for about 2-3 minutes. Then everything was quiet.

    Josh heard footsteps approaching the car and he prayed to God that it would be a “good guy.” The door opened and the policeman was shocked to see Josh there. He paused, a bit confused, and then said, “Are you the American pastor?” Josh responded that indeed he was. Josh got out of the car, fell to his knees and prayed and cried thanksgiving to God.

    The miracle is that the four policemen who pulled into that exact driveway were actually lost and trying to turn around. They were following a tip on a vehicle, but had made a wrong turn. When they pulled into the driveway, they were shocked to see three men get out of their vehicle and begin shooting. The other two guys that were in the garage and opened the gate got away, but the three kidnappers were killed.

    The next day when Josh was being debriefed by the South African police and the FBI, that same initial policeman came up to Josh. He wanted to tell Josh that he knew he was a praying man and that it was a work of God that they happened to be there exactly at that time. So, Josh tripping two times on his way to the car, was all part of the perfect timing of our incredible God. This was a fine-tuned rescue by the Sovereign God.

    https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=josh%20sullivan%20kidnapping&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:3df28323,vid:kMr5H-kwNsc,st:0

    Thinkful

    As the world watches this news story and the TV interviews that followed with great interest, both Josh and his wife Meagan want to be very careful to give thanks to God. This was not the FBI or the CIA. This was not even “just a coincidence” as humans might try to call it. This was an answer to the prayers of thousands of people.

    God rescued Josh!

    We thank Him that it was His will for Josh to be released. We know that God is good all the time, and would be good even if there had been a different ending to this story. But this time God chose to free His servant and let him rejoin his wife and children. We thank Him. We praise Him. We rejoice in the gospel message going out all over the world through this event.

    “Bring me out of prison,
    that I may give thanks to your name!
    The righteous will surround me,
    for you will deal bountifully with me.”

    Psalm 142:7

    Let us continue to pray for Josh and his family. Processing trauma takes time.

    • Pray specifically that they will hold their thoughts captive to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)
    • Pray for them to think on truth and not on “what if’s” (Philippians 4:8)
    • Pray for God to receive much glory from this miracle (Psalm 145:3)

    Thankfulness – The Firstborn Child

    / thinkfulkarin / Leave a comment

    A Triple Command

    GOD: “My child, I want you to have joy all the time, pray without stopping, and think thanks for everything!”

    ME: What? Non-stop? Sounds a bit unrealistic, don’t you think? How can you ask that of me? You know how difficult, irritating, and frustrating life can be? How dreary and mundane routines can seep all my strength down to the bones?

    The Lord is kind to us. He knows our frame. He remembers we are dust (Psalm 103:14). He also knows the power of being renewed in our mind to think on truth, so in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, He gave us one of the two most direct commands to be th(i)nkful in all the New Testament.

    A Closer Look at the Three

    REJOICE ALWAYS. Rejoicing is the outflow of joy inside. Joy is my calm enthusiastic confidence in the presence of God’s face shining on me, the goodness of God’s character, and the perfection of God’s sovereign plans generally and for me specifically. As part of the fruit of the Spirit, it comes from His help inside my heart and mind no matter what is happening around me (Romans 5:3, 2 Corinthians 6:10, James 1:2).

    Happiness is tied to happenings. Joy comes from the faces of precious people – this is a theme throughout Scripture. When you spend more time on your face seeking His face, you realize that our struggles are for a host of greater goods – developing character and steadfast consistency, drawing us closer to Him and each other, giving us a chance to advance the gospel, etc. There is not one thing that God does to us because He is evil or angry with us. Every good or bad thing – always – is from His love for us and His desire for our Christlikeness.

    PRAY CONSTANTLY. This carries the idea that you practice God’s presence beside you, as though you are in an ongoing conversation with Him throughout the day. Don’t stop praying. Don’t imagine He is not there. See your good health, or your stumbling upon a great sale as gifts from His hand. When the tire goes flat, or the bride abandons the wedding, immediately ask what He wants you to do or say. Your life, your days, must be an ongoing conversation between you and your Creator-Father who doles out enormous wisdom to those who ask for it (James 1:5, Luke 18:1-8).

    GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING. When you have a “big God theology,” believing that God is the author, orchestrator, and fine-tuner of every circumstance of your life – AND you have a calm enthusiastic confidence that His face is shining on you, AND you are talking to Him non-stop as you move through your days – you see things not just as good, but from the One Who is good and defines good. They might be little things like smelling blooms or big things like getting pregnant after a decade of waiting and praying. You are not just “thankful for” these things, you are “thankful to” Him. This thankfulness also loops back around and gives you more joy.

    Thankfulness As A Firstborn Child

    Here is what the Prince of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon wrote:

    “The more we pray, the more we rejoice. Prayer gives a channel to the pent-up sorrows of the soul; they fly away, and in their place, streams of sacred delight pour into the heart. At the same time, the more rejoicing, the more praying. When the heart is in a quiet condition and full of joy in the Lord, then also will it be sure to draw near to the Lord and worship. Holy joy and prayer act and react on each other.

    Observe, however, what immediately follows in the text: ‘give thanks in everything.’ When joy and prayer are married, their firstborn child is gratitude. When we joy in God for what we have, and believingly pray to him for more, then our souls thank him both in the enjoyment of what we have and in the prospect of what is yet to come.”

    Putting It into Practice

    Recently it was discovered that my dear husband needed a three-hour delicate surgery. It was a rare disease that had affected his ear. As we readied ourselves to travel seven hours to the city that offered this operation with an expert in this area, our hearts felt a bit anxious and overwhelmed. There was some warning that this cholesteatoma could break through the lining of the brain.

    What a perfect opportunity for us to put into practice what we know to be truth! We indeed tried to pray without ceasing – a constant awareness of walking with the Lord and talking to him. The rejoicing was a byproduct of realizing that God loves us and is in control, no matter the outcome. We could rejoice in His promise to never leave, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).

    As they wheeled David back into theatre (surgery) I was able to think thanks by beginning to write down things for which I gave praise to God.

    As the hours went on, my list got longer.

    David made it through the surgery and they were able to remove the disease and spare the lining to the brain. As we returned to our little room close to the hospital where we spent 10 days of healing before the follow-up appointment, David wanted to add more the thinkful list. Truly we had so much for which to think thanks.

    Now, let me make it clear, that everything is not a bed of roses. In the past week, we had a precious young mother, age 33, pass away in our church. Difficult and dark times may be the corridors God has for us to walk. But as we walk, step-by-step, we can trust His character and promises – our sins are gone and His face is shining in favor on us. We need to practice His presence and talk with Him about everything. And we need to thank Him because everything in our lives has purposefully come from Him.

    A Knife At Her Throat

    / thinkfulkarin / Leave a comment

    The Attempted Hijacking

    All four ladies were chatting pleasantly as they drove up to the intersection. Adaleen’s window was halfway down due to the hot temperatures outside. Out of nowhere the assailant’s hand reached in through the open window and pulled the keys out of the ignition, stalling the car. Shock gripped all the women. Adaleen crossed her hands on her chest and became completely still.

    Her coworker in the front passenger seat quickly locked the doors as the assailant had forced the locks open. The war of unlock – lock went on for a second or two. Then the hijacker put a knife to Adaleen’s neck. She did not see the knife, but the passenger in the back saw it, and proceeded to throw her lunch pail at the man, which caught him off guard. At that very moment, a security guard drove up behind the car being hijacked. When the attackers saw the guard, they ran. The guy who had taken the keys threw them behind him as he ran.

    A Guard’s Witness

    The guard came up and checked on them. After telling him that no one was hurt, he asked them to drive up the road a bit to get out of this dangerous area. He wanted to chat with them. They did so. The guard said, “God protected you. I never come down this way, but for some reason I did today” (thank you, God!).

    Wow! All four of the women were so shaken up. The one lady who had thrown her lunch pail, realized that her ID as well as her brother’s insulin medicine was in the pail that the men had taken. So they needed to go to a chemist (pharmacy) to get more medicine.

    The Test of a Wrong Response

    The first pharmacy was located right next to a liquor store. Adaleen was the only believer in the car. She is a young Christian who was baptized only last December, but before Christ, she struggled with sinful addictions. One of the other ladies said she would run over to the liquor store and buy some alcohol for Adaleen so she could stop shaking, but Adaleen said no, she would instead go home and talk to God to calm her.

    That phamacy didn’t have the insulin needed so they had to go to a second pharmacy which was located right close to where Adaleen used to buy weed (marijuana). She was again tempted, but refused to run to those sources to cope. She dropped off her friends and headed home to her little flat, where she lives alone.

    Th(i)nkful – The Right Response

    That evening was the time that we normally met online for counseling, so a little after 7 pm, I got the whole story. Our church text group lit up with thankfulness and prayers for Adaleen because we were all sure that she wouldn’t sleep so well that night.

    My heart was so touched with all that Adaleen had experienced just a short time earlier. As some of you may remember, I also experienced an attempted hijacking years ago in Johannesburg with my daughter Elly. When you have a traumatic experience like that, it is so easy to go right back to the emotions you experienced when you later hear a similar story. I sought to help Adaleen as much as I could. We read Scripture and we prayed. I shared what had been helpful for me to think about when I went through that test. Adaleen was shaken, but it was amazing to me that somehow this young believer was so fully conscious that the Lord had been with her and helped her.

    I asked her to write down things that she was able to thank God for in the ordeal. I said to please send me screenshots of what she wrote down. Adaleen wrote down twenty different things for which she thanked God. She was able to go to sleep and even slept well. Praise You, Father!!!!

    The next day Adaleen went to work again, and her co-workers could not believe how calm she was. They said she must be in denial or not processing the trauma correctly. Adaleen used the attention she had to give God all the glory. She said that God had saved her. God helped her. God had given her good sleep and was giving her peace.

    The Aftermath

    The aftermath of a very traumatic experience is delicate and important. To choose to take every thought captive is extremely difficult.

    “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

    2 Corinthians 10:5

    It involves thousands of decisions. We can do the right thing initially – the first big decision is usually the hardest, but then the reinforcing echo-decisions are of critical importance.

    I have found that having a friend to walk through that pivotal time is so helpful. Just touching base with a daily text on how things are going can be the thing needed to stay on track with choosing to think thanks.

    Ataraxis, Not Anxiety

    Ataraxis: (Ancient Greek), a state of tranquility, freedom from anxiety and mental disturbance

    Ataraxis was a new word for me. I love the meaning. However, true tranquility can only come from one source! When Paul exhorts the Philippian believers to not be anxious, he wrote that they should instead pour out their specific burdens to the Lord with thanksgiving, and then the ataraxis of the Lord, which defies understanding (as it did with Adaleen’s coworkers) would keep, hem in, shield and protect them (Philippians 4:7).

    I wonder if you have ever taken God up on His challenge in Philippians 4:6-7. When a new challenge comes your way, I urge you to try. It may not be an attempted hijacking with a knife at your throat, but whatever is trying to hijack your thoughts and lead you to despair, arrest it! Emotions are real but they are not reality. Still, they can be wild animals that continuously claw and bite at your soul.

    Choose to take those thoughts captive. With strength and clarity, think thanks for God never leaving or forsaking you during the incident He chose in order to build your proven character. Thank Him for using every and all things to conform you to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-29). It may be a wresting match in your mind, but as you win with the Lord’s help, ataraxis comes. It may seem illusive at first through the fire and fog of the trial, but it will eventually come into focus.

    And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

    Adaleen gave me permission to share her story