With Thanksgiving just around the corner, as we have been reflecting on God’s will, here is a devotion that helps us understand how gratitude transforms our prayers:

IN WORD – A profound change occurs in a believer when he or she stops seeking the gifts of God as something to be gained and starts seeing them as something already obtained. It isn’t very biblical to ask God for blessings in Christ; it’s much more consistent with Scripture to thank Him that those blessings have been given.
When we do that, we notice a shift in our thinking; we begin to act on those gifts. Those gifts then become more concrete to us—and more useful. It may feel presumptuous to claim the gifts of Christ, but it isn’t. It’s simply a matter of accepting the reality that we don’t yet see very clearly. Whenever Paul speaks of the blessings of salvation, they are generally past tense. This passage in Ephesians is a prime example. God has blessed us in Christ; He has already redeemed us, forgiven us, and lavished His grace on us. We have already been sealed with the Holy Spirit (v. 13). We have already been raised up and seated with Christ in heavenly places (2:6). Paul validates the well-known saying that where other religions say “do,” Christianity says “done.” All that we need in Christ is ours—right now, already, forever. We are in Him, and He is in us.
That should radically change our prayers. We can pray from a position of triumph and authority, not from a position of defeat and lack. We can apply the victory Jesus has already won, not having to ask that He win it again in our particular situations. We can pray to understand what we have rather than to acquire what we need. We can stop seeking treasure in other fields, because the treasure is within our borders already. We need only to see it.
IN DEED – The Christian truly lives where Christ is, in heavenly places at the right hand of God. It doesn’t always seem like it because we’re too used to seeing with our eyes and not with our spirit. Ask God to open your eyes to the reality of your position in Christ. Ask Him to give you a vision of His power in you. Then pray from where you sit. “In the spiritual world, there is nothing but Christ, since He is God’s everything.” – Watchman Nee (in “Walk with God” by Chris Tiegreen)

Do you need to be reminded of all that we have in Jesus? Take time this week and reflect on Hebrews 10 – 13. As you give thanks for what you have already received, consider how it transforms your view of life and your place in the world. Have a blessed week! – from Singapore, Pastor Sam