How awesome to live in a nation that has a national holiday designated to be a day of giving thanks to God! Sadly, that original purpose has been lost to many. Might it not be so with us!

I hope you get up a bit earlier than others tomorrow and allocate personal time to communicate to God how thankful you are for His many blessings. Before the parades are shown on TV, before the meal preparations, before all the fun of family being together, before someone turns on a football game — get some time with God!

Sing some hymns of thanksgiving to Him. Praise Him for His goodness! Thank Him for Jesus, your salvation, your family, your church, the Bible, your health, your finances, and your country. Not all of these may be perfect (except, of course, for Jesus, salvation and the Bible), but today is not a day for complaining.

Find things to thank God for and then do so. Verbalize your prayers! Don’t just pray silently in your heart. God loves it when we praise Him with our lips (Hebrews 13:15).

And, if I could be so bold, let me encourage you to make this a DAILY practice rather than only a once-a-year event. You can’t eat a turkey every day, but you can take time to praise our God for His goodness toward you. I’ve found that praise drives the devil away—he can’t stand to hear God’s Name being praised. I’ve found that praise lifts my attitude from destructive worry and discouragement, and I’ve found that praise reminds me of my victory in Christ and helps me walk in that reality.

No matter what’s going on in your life, there’s something to praise God for. Find it! Focus on it! Praise Him! You’ll be a far better Christian for doing so!