We often think of spiritual warfare as powerful prayers, authoritative declarations, or encounters with the demonic through deliverance.  That is part of the equation, but building proactive walls of defense is a better strategy, in the same way as keeping burglars away from  your property with great security measures is far superior to a confrontation with a stranger in your home in the middle of the night.

Scripture often calls on us to guard our hearts and minds because those are most often the entry points of the enemy.  The most comprehensive statement about this may be found in Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Phil. 4:4-9, emphasis added).

One of the most common and yet undetected strategies of the enemy is to create dissatisfaction in our hearts and minds. In some ways, that was his first ploy recorded in scripture.  Satan spoke to Eve and said, “Did God really say ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’” (Gen. 3:1)?  With these words he slyly implied that God was stingy…that he was the kind of God who would withhold good things from his children.  Eve went on to say that they could eat from any tree in the garden except one – the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Satan countered by implying that the forbidden tree was actually the best tree in the garden and the only one that really mattered. Instead of being grateful for the abundance God had provided, Eve suddenly focused on the one thing God had withheld.  Suddenly, she thought that all her happiness and significance was to be found in the one tree that was out of her reach, even though the Tree of Life was always available.

In the same way, when God led the Hebrews out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery, they quickly stopped being thankful for their new found freedom and the miraculous deliverance God had provided.  They quickly stopped being grateful for the land God had promised them that was actually only a few days away and began to focus on their immediate desires.  Within days they began to complain about their lack of meat, their lack of water on demand, and the “boring manna” they ate each day, and so forth.  Through their complaints, they immediately cast God as a God who did not care about  their needs, who only had catastrophe planned for their future, and who brought them out of slavery only to abandon them in the desert.

Once we begin to focus on “the one thing” we desire that God has yet to provide and forget about all the other blessings he has given us, we begin to see God though the eyes of Eve and the Israelites who questioned God’s goodness, his intentions, and his provision for his people.  Through our own accusations, our trust begins to diminish and we come into agreement with the enemy.  Unfortunately, this focus on what I don’t have rather than on what I do have is human nature and a tendency we must guard against.  Madison Avenue preys on this idea that my happiness is always found in one more thing.

Intentional prayer with thanksgiving is the weapon against this universal scheme of Satan.  As Thanksgiving approaches, we are reminded of this principal but would do well to practice it year-round.  To rehearse all that God has done for me in the past, all that he is doing in the present, and his promises for my future is a form of worship and keeps my heart and mind fixed on him as good, as my provider, as my savior, and my deliverer…even when I might be facing extraordinary challenges. 

Unfortunately, I keep running into people in counseling who have come to define love as someone giving them whatever they want, whenever they want it.  No matter how much they have been given, the minute one desire is withheld, they declare they are not loved. They feel abandoned and betrayed at the first “no,” no matter how much has been given and how many needs have been met before.  A good father says “no” or “not yet” to many desires of his young children as they grow and mature.  Our Father has not lied about the pain that will inevitably come our way in a fallen world.  These responses to our prayers and hardships that come are not evidence that he doesn’t love us, but his presence and his grace to face these hardships is the evidence of his love.

Satan loves to bait us with that attitude whenever God says “no” or “not now” to any request or any longing we have in our lives.  The key to overcoming Satan in these situations is to have an unbreakable confidence in the nature of God that he is good, he is love, he hears our prayers, and he always is working in our best interest.  The practice of thankfulness continually reinforces our faith in his character and the belief that he is good, even when a longing or a need seems to go unanswered for the moment.

If Eve had believed with rock solid certainty before her sin that God was a generous God who met her every need and protected her from things her flesh desired but that would destroy her in the end, she would not have taken and eaten.  We need that same certainty before Satan whispers again that God is holding out on us and keeping from us some singular source of our happiness apart from him.

A journal with all the things we are thankful for in our past and in our present would be a great Thanksgiving project (singularly or as a family) that would be a helpful reminder when Satan comes to tempt our mind and our hearts. Adding to it daily through the year, would also be a strong testimony against his lies.  The testimonies of thanks would be a great tradition to be read and added to each Thanksgiving.

The Bible is full of moments when monuments were created (piles of stone) as a reminder of what God had done for his people in a certain circumstance, traditions such as Passover and the other feast days, and the Lord’s Supper.  These are all testimonies of the love and care of God for his people. Some personal reminders (testimonies) of God’s goodness to you, would also be a blessing and a powerful weapon when the devil comes calling.

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.  Numbers 21:4-7

This text regarding the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites is well known and, to many. it seems excessively harsh.  After all, we all complain from time to time.  In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul pens a warning to the church and reminds them of the sins of Israel that cost them lives and the first generation’s entrance into the promised land. He reminds them that some of the Hebrews died as a result of idolatry, sexual immorality, and complaining (grumbling) about their circumstances.  Perhaps, we can understand the seriousness of idolatry and sexual immorality, but why would complaining stir up the wrath of God?

Remember, the tongue has the power of life and death (Prov. 18:21).  Our words matter because they have spiritual implications.  One of the most subtle, but effective strategies of the enemy is to prompt us to speak words that invite destruction.  The complaining of the Jews was not a one-time event that stirred up God’s anger.  They often complained about their circumstances in the desert, grumbling that they would have been better off in Egypt as slaves.  

The complaining constituted an accusation against God. The first recorded temptation was an accusation against God.  Satan’s subtle questions to Eve in the Garden of Eden planted seeds of belief that God wasn’t all loving, all kind, and generous after all, but withheld the best things because he did not want Adam and Eve to achieve their full potential…to be like God.
When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they came in to agreement with Satan and accepted his accusation against God in their hearts.

Israel had cried out for centuries against their enslavement in Egypt.  God heard their cries and delivered them with plagues against Pharoah, led them through the Red Sea, and revealed himself to them at Sinai. He provided manna and water in the desert and led them to the land he had promised them through Abraham. The journey from Mt. Sinai to Canaan was actually only a few weeks.  That is all the time they had to live off manna and water, but their unbelief that God would give them victory over their enemies bought them forty years of wandering in the wilderness and forty years of manna

Their incessant complaints about their circumstances were actually accusations against God…his goodness, his provision, his protection, and his generosity. You can hear the accusations of Satan in their words.  It is not enough to believe that Gods exists.  Demons believe that. Faith believes that God is good.  He is faithful.  He is mindful of our circumstances, wants what is best for us, and is always working in that direction.

When we complain, we are subtly accusing God of not caring for us, not providing what we need, not meeting our deepest wants, being unjust in allowing our circumstances, or of not being involved in our iives at all. Our complaints shape our view of God and undermine out faith. Our complaints bring us into agreement with Satan.  That agreement invites him into our home and our families. 

This prohibition of complaining does not mean I cannot acknowledge hard circumstances or suffering in my life.  The Psalms are full of laments and cries for deliverance from persecution, but the prayers were based on the belief that God did care about their circumstance and because he was loving, merciful and faithful, the answers to their cries were in the pipeline headed their way.  

Paul suffered a great deal for his faith and yet he wrote, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength: (Phil. 4:11-13). 

Paul’s contentment rested in his belief that God was always mindful of his circumstances and was working in them to bring about good. Sometimes he was perfecting something in Paul’s spirit and character. At other times he was using Paul’s circumstances to reach others, such as the Roman guards who stood by him day and night with whom he shared the gospel.  

The art of contentment is a great weapon in spiritual warfare as we focus on what we do have rather that what we don’t have.  Thank offerings were part of the Temple sacrificial system where men and women offered a sacrifice as an expression of thanksgiving to God.  Our thanksgiving, even in hard circumstances, keeps the enemy at bay and prevents us from coming into agreement with Satan about the character of our God.  

A life of thanksgiving keeps us positive and expectant. We don’t have to thank God for our suffering but we can thank him for his grace to sustain us in that season and the promise that joy comes in the morning.  We can thank him that he has solutions to our crisis and that he will bring good out of every circumstance.  We can thank him that he cares for us and has compassion for what we are going through.  We can thank him that he loves us enough to die for us.We need to be cautious about our complaints.  We must be sure that we are not, in some passive-aggressive way, accusing God of not caring or keeping his promises.

Our salvation lies in a conviction that God is good all the time, not just sometimes.  Feel free to honestly present your pain and your fears to God, but do so because you believe God cares and can help rather than as an accusation against his love for you.  Satan loves to inch into your view of God, so don’t give him an inch.  Follow Paul’s counsel: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6t-7).

Well…it’s nearly Thanksgiving so it seems appropriate to say a little about giving thanks. As children, some of us were taught to always say “thank you” for any gift or courtesy. Apparently, not everyone was taught that bit of etiquette, but God certainly wants his children to say, “Thank you.”

Paul wrote. “Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Th 5:16–19). Three directives are set out here for God’s people – rejoice, pray, and give thanks. The directives point to a lifestyle, not just an occasional moment of rejoicing, praying, or being thankful. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances.

Interestingly, these are also keys for mental health. At a recent conference in South Africa, a breakout session on mental health emphasized that the practice of “intentional gratitude” was a bedrock of mental health. The idea of intentional gratitude is the art of learning to look for things in your life for which you can be grateful and then expressing gratitude for those things on a daily or even hourly basis.

I have met with many, many people through the years who, at least from my perspective, had significant things to be thankful for, but had become focused on one issue in their life that was not what they wanted it to be. That negative focus on the “one thing” created a kind of tunnel vision that kept them from recognizing all the other good things in their life. As a result of their constantly negative focus, they became depressed, bitter and resentful. They typically took offense at God for not answering that one prayer and took no notice of the thousands of others prayers he had answered.

Without doubt, some of the “unanswered prayers ” were related to real tragedies – the death of a child, a divorce, a longing for marriage that had never been fulfilled, the loss of a business, a crippling disease that had yet to be healed, and so forth. These are real things that impact individuals and families. But God has never promised us passage through this life that does not include loss, pain, and trouble. He simply says that he will walk with us through the valley of the shadow of death.

The truth is that we must accept that we may experience deep pain and disappointment in this world. The promise that God will wipe away all tears is for the next world. But intentional gratitude will alleviate much of the pain in this world that may be self-imposed. Thanksgiving is a spiritual discipline that keeps us from losing our balance and that keeps us from forgetting that we are loved by God. If we practice that discipline between the hard seasons, we can remember to look for his love and blessing even as we stand beside a grave. That is what gives us hope.

I have heard this verse misquoted and, I believe, misunderstood. Some say we should thank God for all circumstances. But, he says in all circumstances. The difference is significant. If I thank God for my cancer or for the death of my child, I am saying these things come from him. If I thank him in that circumstance, I am thanking him that he is with me, shall sustain me, and will bring me into a place of comfort once again. That is my hope. Because of Jesus, he shall turn my mourning into dancing.

I believe our ultimate question is whether God loves us or not. Every blessing, every encouragement, every meal, every healing, every person who cares about us is an expression of God’s love. If we evaluate his love on the basis of one tragedy, disappointment, or loss, then we miss the reality that he is still loving us and caring for us in a myriad other ways.

Giving thanks in all circumstances is a key to mental, spiritual, and relational health. As we come into this season of Thanksgiving, we may want to begin to be more intentional about perceiving his love and acknowledging it through prayers of thanksgiving to him…for the big things and well as the smaller things of life. It is his will for us in Christ Jesus and his will always brings a blessing.

I’m amazed how often great men of the kingdom finish poorly or even badly. Hezekiah was one of the great kings of Judah, but in 2 Chronicles the text says, “In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign. But Hezekiah’s heart was proud and he did not respond to the kindness shown him; therefore the Lord’s wrath was on him and on Judah and Jerusalem. Then Hezekiah repented of the pride of his heart, as did the people of Jerusalem; therefore the Lord’s wrath did not come upon them during the days of Hezekiah” (2 Chron. 32:24-26).

The important phrase in this text is, “he did not respond to the kindness of the Lord.” As humans, we clearly have a propensity to forget the Lord by forgetting the good things he has done for us. That seems to come in two forms. One is that we forget all the good God has done for us because we are disappointed in the outcome of one thing. The second is that we forget that God has been the source of our blessings and success and start to believe that we are successful because of how amazing we are.

I was visiting with a Free Indeed leader in another state last night who shared that a woman in her church who had lost a six-day-old child, no longer trusts the Lord. She has two other children who are healthy and happy, but she has measured God’s goodness and faithfulness based on one circumstance that did not turn out as she had hoped. Obviously, her loss no small thing, but to decide that God cannot be trusted is even a bigger thing. I have seen numerous others do that as well because they faced some hardship or disappointment and believed that a good God or a faithful God would not have let them experience that loss or hardship. In difficult moments we must remember that the absence of pain is reserved for heaven not for our time on this earth.

In addition, we need to remember that God is also the source of our success. Certainly, our abilities and hard work can bring some level of success, but our abilities and capacity to work are from God. I have also seen talented and hardworking people that never seemed to reap the rewards of their efforts. The Bible tells us in numerous places that wealth and blessings come from God. We are also told that stewarding that wealth in a godly way can be a huge challenge. Remembering that our wealth is a blessing from God is essential to stewarding it well and not ending up in the ditch because of our pride.

Hezekiah had brought revival to Judah and had served God in may ways, but in his later years he apparently took credit for all of that in his own heart and, perhaps, even believed that God had healed him of a terminal illness because he had earned the blessing, Pride became a huge stumbling block for a man who had once honored God with all of his heart.

The question is how do we guard against taking offense with God because he failed to respond to one situation as we wanted him too and how do we guard against forgetting that our accomplishments and successes are also gifts from God?

One essential way to guard against failing to “respond to the kindness of God” is to develop the habit off giving thanks not only for all the big blessings but for the very small blessings of life and seeing those blessings as gifts from God that we don’t deserve any more that we deserve salvation. David declared, “Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name” (Ps 100:3–4).

Thanksgiving opens the gate that lets us into the presence of God and prompts our praise. When I am disappointed in one outcome, I must remember how often God has been good to me in other circumstances. A practice of thanksgiving reminds me of his goodness in every other part of my life so that I don’t judge him to be unkind or unfaithful when I am disappointed.

Thanksgiving also reminds me of the source of my blessings, my wealth, and my success. It guards against pride because it is a constant reminder that every good thing in my life has come to me by the grace of God. Men and women in the kingdom of God who have been great servants at one time can begin to take credit for all they have accomplished and become proud. It seems that in our later years, we are especially vulnerable to that temptation. Solomon forgot God in his later years and became an idolator. Hezekiah became proud and invited the discipline of God on himself and his nation. Through the years, amazing church leaders and evangelists have also fallen prey to spiritual pride and sexual temptation and have forgotten that the God they had been preaching was the source of their gifts and the source of their accomplishments in the kingdom.

A life of thanksgiving for the little blessings and the big, is one practice that can help us stay on track. Thank God for a beautiful morning, for the capacity to get out of bed and go to work, and for seasons in your life when you are not facing a crisis. Thank God for the handy parking spot and for the blessing of friends. Thank God for a night’s rest and for everything that makes you smile. When trouble comes, thank him for his promises and when disappointment comes, thank God that he has promised to bring good out of every hard circumstance.

I attended a funeral of a church leader in our area yesterday who had just died of cancer. The preacher said, “When you can’t understand what God is doing with his hands, you can always trust his heart.” I thought that was a good word. Constant thanksgiving can train our hearts to trust in him and in his heart. May we all be known in heaven for our thanksgiving because God is good…all the time and his goodness drips on us in many, many ways large and small. To forget that is to invite failure.

Well…Thanksgiving will be upon us in just a few days. It is one of my favorite family holidays and is traditionally intended to be a day of thankfulness for the blessings that we enjoy.  Hopefully, that is not the only day we express thanks for the good things in our lives.  What I want to suggest in this blog is that Thanksgiving should not be merely a day, but a lifestyle. In fact, I think it is a very powerful form of spiritual warfare.

The apostle Paul told us that we should not be unaware of Satan’s schemes.  He should never be our main focus, but we do need to be wise in his ways.  Satan doesn’t seem to have many strategies, but only a few which are expressed in many ways.  The first encounter with him is recorded in Genesis where the “serpent” tempted Adam and Eve.  This strategy is a primary strategy that he uses over and over. Basically, he did what every successful salesperson does…he created a sense of discontentment  with their circumstance so that they began to feel a desire for something different or something more in their lives. 

Satan planted a seed of distrust in Adam and Eve when he said, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the Garden?’”  With that question, which was more of a statement, he implied that God had a stingy side that might be withholding good things from them.  He was hinting that he knew Yaweh was the kind of god that would surround people with abundance, but then refuse to share it with them. He knew there was only one tree from which they were not to eat, but his question suggested that there was something spectacular and good to be gained from that tree, that God did not want them to have.  

Suddenly, instead of being thankful for all that they did have – every tree in the Garden, including the Tree of Life – they suddenly felt a lack in their life and began to resent God for withholding the “one thing they really needed for happiness.” As soon as they accepted the premiss that God withholds good things from his people, they came into agreement with the enemy which gave him open access to their lives.  Within a few years, they were not only living outside the Garden,  scratching a living out of a hostile earth, but one son murdered the other.  

Satan loves to get us to define God by something he hasn’t done for us that we think is the key to our happiness, rather than defining him by all the things he has done for us. If God has answered ten thousand prayers for us, we are prone to only think about one prayer that has not yet been answered or was not answered in the way we wanted. We then begin to believe that God doesn’t hear our prayers or that he doesn’t care about us.  That view of God makes us very susceptible to the schemes of Satan.

A lifestyle of thanksgiving is a very effective way to push back against the lies of the enemy.  We need a lifestyle of thanking God for every blessing we encounter…large or small.  If it blesses us, thank God for it.  Thank him for Jesus, your salvation, his grace, his patience, his Spirit, but also a beautiful morning, a parking spot, hot water, an old car that still gets you where you need to go, an amusing squirrel, friends, purpose, a job, health, four inflated tires in the morning, etc.  These are things we don’t always pray for, but they are gifts from God none the less and we should thank him for each of those as we go through our day.  

When we recognize and verbalize the abundance of small blessings from God that make up our lives, it creates a belief in us that God is, indeed, good and faithful.  

When we have that view of God, it is much more difficult for the enemy to suggest to us that God may not have our best interests at heart after all, and is keeping from us the very thing that would give us happiness.  Remember, Satan is the ultimate salesman and he has been selling lies for thousands of years.  He is always highlighting what we don’t have and convincing us that there is something or someone out there that would make our life complete and worth living, if God were not standing in our way.  

Paul believed that God would always give us what we needed for life, love, joy and peace. He stated in his letter to the church at Philippi, “for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil.4:11-13).

Paul believed that God is a good father who always gives us what we need in every season and, in his wisdom, sometimes says “no” to what we want.  A lifestyle of thanksgiving helps us walk in the same contentment because it keeps is focused on what we have, rather than what we don’t have.

So,  this Thanksgiving, give thanks for all the big things, but all the small things as well….then keep it up for the next twelve months.  You will find that a heart of thanksgiving slams the door on Satan in many, many ways. 

How often do we hear the word “deserve” used in our culture and, especially, on television ad campaigns?  “Get all the benefits you deserve.”  “Find all the happiness you deserve.” “Finally, you can live in that dream house you deserve!”  There are times when we definitely deserve some things because we have earned them.  If you put in the hours at work and do the job, you deserve to be paid.  If you have poured out the sweat to learn a craft, develop a skill, or become the best in a certain field you merit some recognition.  However, in our entitlement culture of participation trophies and no criticisms or rebukes, too many of us feel we deserve only good things and positive outcomes,  simply because we exist.

There are numerous dangers attached to that mindset, but the spiritual dangers are immense.  The moment I begin to believe that I am simply entitled to everything that others have, I feel cheated and victimized when I don’t have the possessions, the position, or the recognition of those around me.  Any rebuke, criticism, or discipline that comes my way is met with my anger and my demands that you or life has been unfair to me. What I am finding is that the entitlement mindset in our culture is creating an anger towards God because we think he hasn’t given us everything we desire and deserve.

That mindset eventually robs us of a heart of thankfulness and gratitude, which is a key to spiritual life and even spiritual warfare.  Paul taught the Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil.4:6-7).  Peace in our hearts is a quality that keeps Satan at bay. 

Thanksgiving places the emphasis on the goodness and generosity of God rather my own entitlement. My assurance in the goodness of God, despite my circumstances, leads to peace and peace guards my heart. The belief that I should always have what others have, with no effort on my part, and that I am not loved unless I get everything I want, breeds a life of envy and jealousy.  It robs a man or woman of contentment and is an open door for the enemy.

One of the key lessons to life and maturity is to understand Paul’s admonition to the Galatians. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest” (Gal.6:7). God has established a principle that we harvest what we plant in this life…both in the natural realm and the spiritual realm.  A harvest requires personal investment, work, effort, patience, and faith.   Any other view is deception. Certainly, gifts come to us that we did not earn, but those are the exception in life rather than the rule.  Our salvation is a gift from God, not something we could earn, but kingdom rewards come as a result of our faithful service to the King and our patient pursuit of His kingdom.  

For our children who have developed an entitlement mentality through our desire to give them everything they want when they want it, along with status and recognition they have not earned through effort, life is going to be a series of disappointments that they blame on everyone but themselves – including God.  The belief that they deserve all the perks of life and the blessings of the Kingdom without real effort on their part, is going to shortchange them in the long run and leave them empty and bitter. They will eventually feel cheated by life and eventually feel victimized by everyone and every circumstance. 

What we need to understand is that the only thing any of us truly deserve is eternity in hell.  Everything else should be considered a gift for which we are truly thankful even when it took effort on our part to receive it. Our focus must remain on what we have rather than what we don’t have.  What God has done for us, rather than something he hasn’t yet done for us. 

Paul spoke about the fact that he had learned the secret of contentment in every circumstance – when he had plenty and when he had little. The secret was his faith in the goodness and sovereignty of God.  He believed in every circumstance, what he had was designed by God to bring out the best in him and to produce the greatest harvest through him.  Even when he suffered, he believed there was some significant purpose that redeemed the suffering.  He never questioned God’s love when he didn’t have the position, possessions, or recognition “he deserved.”  He was simply thankful for what he did have – especially eternal life.  That needs to be our perspective on life and entitlement as well, and we need to teach that to our children.