These are relational/spiritual practices that help us cultivate gratitude and appreciation of God. Practicing them regularly (alone or with another person) helps us establish these great spiritual habits that go a long way to deepen our intimacy with God and in the process, make us a more resilient and joy-filled disciples of Christ as we face life challenges in this broken world.

They help us grow to become more…

1. Aware of His presence with us and in us, at all times (Psalm 139:1-6)

2. Attentive to His activity all around us (Psalm 139:7-12)

3. Grateful and appreciative of His work in our lives and in the lives of others (Psalm 139:13-18)

4. Attuned to His guidance and leadership over our lives (Psalm 139:23-24)

5. Filled with resilient joy to face the daily challenges of life from an inner security that is full of faith, hope and love (Psalm 139:5-6,15-18)

Spiritual Practices 

1. Appreciating God From What He Has Done (Apreciando A Dios En Lo Que Ha Hecho)

2. Appreciating A Friend In A Memory (Apreciando A Un Amigo/Amiga En Una Memoria Positiva)

3. A Day's Gratefulness And Appreciation (3 x 3 x 3)

4. Sharing The Peace (Compartiendo La Paz)

5. PDF: Imanuel Journaling Worksheet -  Immanuel Journaling, a prompt-based journaling activity to fosters a greater awareness of God’s care. It’s a great tool for your personal devotions or to share with your small group. In this Journaling Exercise, you WRITE a letter to God, LISTEN for God’s response to you, JOURNAL it down for later recall, and SHARE your letter with others in your group. 

Light Inner Healing Tools - Use these tools when someone in your group is ready and most willing to walk through the steps to break agreement with the lie or promise made in their past that is ungodly in nature. 

1. Forgiveness Prayer - Use this prayer when you or someone in your group has identified someone they need to forgive and are ready and willing to do so. 

2. Prayer to Break An Ungodly Belief - When you have already identified an ungodly belief (a lie you believe), use this prayer to break it off of your life or to help someone else do so to whom you are ministering. 

3. Tending The Heart (Ungodly Belief) - By tracing the bad fruit to the bad root, you can track a negative feeling or emotion to the root motivation. This practice begins with the feeling and emotion and then seeks God's revelation to follow it to its source. 

4. Prayer To Break Off An Inner Vow - Use this prayer when you have already identified an inner vow you have taken in your past and are ready to break it off of you or over someone else to whom you are ministering. 

I want to share some thoughts as I emphasize these and other spiritual practices needed for growing in intimacy with God, and in building up emotional and cognitive capacity to face the challenges of life in this broken world with joy-filled hearts and a valiant resilience: 

Our issues and sense of being stuck in the negative narrative of our lives will never be solved by our own “self-effort” of  thinking, processing and ruminating over the problems. We only sink down deeper into that mire, more and more.  

Elijah saw himself as the “only” one who was representing God faithfully to the people of Israel. That was his “distorted” perception. And God had to speak some truth into this so called, “prophet of God.” God literally says, “Nope, there are actually 7,000 who have not bowed their knees to Baal. You are not the only one. Give up your pity party.”

God has actually blessed us with so much already His Word says. He has given us everything we need for godliness (2 Peter 1:3-8; ) as we are blessed in the heavenly realm with every spirit gift needed (Ephesians 1:3-15). He is basically saying, “All we need is  to take our eyes off of the storms of life and look to Him—to contemplate His beauty, power and glory. He will take care of the rest!”

To Martha of Bethany, He says, “Martha, Martha you are worried and upset about many things but only one thing is necessary.” Of her sister Mary he says, “[she] has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.” What was this one praiseworthy thing that she chose? Sitting at the Lord’s feet and listening to Him undistracted. Yes. But more importantly it is her posture of laying aside any personal worries, concern and tendencies towards people-pleasing, navel-gazing, of hiding behind walls of self-protection and of perseverating in spiraling thoughts of one’s negative life narrative, and instead turning to the Creator and Author of All of Life with eyes and ears fully focused on Him. This is for what she is being extolled. Not trying to impress others to win their approval and favor but of letting Jesus be impressed on her heart. 

“We become what we behold; we imitate what we truly love.”

This is what He calls us to do, as well. Nothing short of it will suffice. Augustine said, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in You.”