AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE -
A SURE CURE FOR DEPRESSION

LIST OF SCRIPTURES
Ezra 3:10-13; (Account of triumph and joy at the destruction of idol worship
6:16-22 and renewed worship of God.)
Prov. 4:23 (Guard your heart - life flows from it.)
Matt. 12:35-36 (You are what flows out of you!)
Prov. 18:21 (Death and life are in your tongue - watch it, man!)
Prov. 12:25 (Anxiety - heavy heart, encouragement, good success.)
Phil. 4:8 help.) Joshua 1:8 (Formula for 4:8 (Think on these things!) Col. you.)
Mark 11:23 3:16 (Let Christ's words live in (Have what you believe and say.) conversation rightly; if
Psalm 50:23 (Order your you say with your lips "yea", but in cancelled!)
II Tim. 3:2 your heart "nay", you just (Ungrateful is high on the list of signs personal life. God told me: of the end times in "Earline, have an 'attitude of of gratitude'".)

WALLS BETWEEN PEOPLE

How can you help yourself and your family members get and keep deliverance? After my deliverance, I was praying and asking God what had happened to the closeness our family always had. I saw a large brick wall. This wall was constructed in such an manner that it kept us from seeing each other and understanding each other. Each of us had placed bricks in the wall.

Because I had asked to understand, one brick called "no understanding" had come out of the wall. I saw names on all the other bricks facing me and I realized these were the names of the things I had done intentionally and unintentionally that had placed invisible barriers between my family members and myself. I repented for my part in building the wall and prayed to obtain knowledge to remove the other bricks I had put in the wall. As I began to remove my bricks, the others began to remove theirs.

We found that, in trying to protect ourselves from being hurt, we had placed invisible barriers around ourselves and cut the other person off from us. I have observed that some of ladies sit in the deliverance meetings like knots on a log but up in the ladies meeting they don't. Why do you act differently in the large meetings when your husband and children are present? Don't look so smug fellows because I believe you are doing the same thing. We do this because we are unable to feel the need of the other family members and share their desire to be free. We have become hateful, gotten behind our wall and do not feel the pain nor desire they have to be free, we're too centered on ourselves. Don't be like the husband who told his wife during deliverance, "You'll never overcome this one". Instead of beating each other down, try helping.

You may need to spend time in prayer and fasting to obtain the information you need to help. In Isa. 58:3-6, vs. 6, (Rather,) is this not the fast I have chosen: to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every (enslaving) yoke? See also Acts 8:23. Study these scriptures and you will see that bitterness enslaves those who give it, those to whom it is aimed and then all those around them. Bitterness is the result of rejection; if it is not destroyed, rebellion will set in.

Parents, if you have rebellious children, search out the place where you dealt them a deadly blow of rejection and undo it. Parents need to know that the demons are present at all times; they take every occasion given them to lie to the children about what you just said or did. If you tell your child by word or action that you do not have time for him right now, the demons will tell him you don't love him or you would like it better if he was not around. As soon as possible, talk with the child and explain why you could not take time at just that moment, and give quality time to him. I have found that children understand if you will just take time to communicate with them.

Just as the bitterness has enslaved all of those around it, so all must be active in undoing it's yoke. As we go through the teaching and the deliverance, think about your family members, not just yourself.

HOW DO YOU KEEP DEMONS OUT?
1. Begin to know your God. He is greater than you think. Study your Bible and use what you have learned. He keeps covenant with you.

2. As your understanding of God grows, your fear of demons will lessen.

3. Know your rights. When demons come to seek entry again, rebuke them in Jesus Christ's name. Immediately, say that you have a few things to tell them. A good place to start is the Lord's Supper, his Death, Resurrection and Ascension. Remind them that it was all done for you. They do not like to stay around to hear of your salvation, etc. Talk out loud when necessary.

4. Seek God to know where you may have given them the right to attack; correct your thinking or actions. REMEMBER, they want the right to try to reenter you. They will try to get you to cooperate with them and give them the right to reenter.

5. Continually rejoice that God loves you, Jesus did all this for you and the Holy Spirit is willing to live in you.

GENERAL
Sometimes to understand what something is, it is good to know what it is not. Let's consult Webster's Dictionary: Ingratitude - n., ungratefulness, lack of gratitude; adj., unthankful, unmindful, thankless. And what it is: Gratitude - n., thanks, thankfulness, appreciation, indebtedness; adj., to be beholding, indebted, in one's debt.

"Thanks", "thanksgiving" and "thankful" are used 137 times in the Bible. If the ingredients of gratitude were counted, it would include praise, joy, rejoicing, etc. If all these were counted, the number of times "gratitude" appears in its many forms would be staggering.

My first encounter with God's "attitude about gratitude" came one day when I was doing a "duty" reading of the Bible. These verses, Deut. 28:47-48, seemed to jump out at me almost as though it were being thrown at me. I read it over and over. The Holy Spirit began to deal with me immediately. You see, I had just been complaining about my house (it was not big enough), my daughter (she was fighting and beating up all the boys in the neighborhood), and my husband (he wasn't giving me enough - you name it, I didn't think he was doing enough). After all, it's a little embarrassing to have your friends see that you only have three bedrooms, your daughter whips all the boys her age, and your husband suddenly has changed.

In II Cor. 10:5, we are told to bring all our thoughts into subjection to Jesus Christ. This means we have to control our thoughts. Isa. 55:8 tells us that God's thoughts are not ours. As I saw my thoughts as God looks at them, I didn't feel so holy anymore. The truth was getting through. I was the one failing, more so than them. But most of all, I failed to be thankful to God for His blessings and provisions. As I was so thinking, I remembered that the Bible says I am the best reward Gene will have on earth (Ecc. 9:9, Living Bible). Question: What kind of reward are you, Earline? I was very grieved at my answer for I had made his life a grief to him in the past one and a half years.

Then, God reminded me that He supplieth all my needs. Since I was not thankful for them, He could remove all of them instantly. In my mind, I saw Gene and Marie as gone. That was enough, I didn't even get to possessions; I was much grieved. I repented as fast as I saw my mistakes and was cleansed. Then I began a study about gratitude to God. This is what I found: I Chron. 16:4, The first account of God's people (Levities) 7-11 appointed to give praise and thanks to God continually. II Chron. 20:21 Shows praises go before the people for victory & 22 against overwhelming odds. Acts 16:25 Says Paul and Silas were delivered out of prison after they continually sang praises to God.

Read these accounts for realization of the value of gratitude to God: Deut. 28:47-48, Amplified Bible, "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness of mind and heart in gratitude for the abundance of all with which He both blessed you, therefore, you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord shall send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the want of all things: and He will put a yoke of iron upon your neck until He has destroyed you."

See James 4:7-8 and Hab. 3:17-18. The Devil does not flee from you because you have not submitted yourself to God. You should rejoice in your salvation even if all else fails.

It is very important to serve the Lord with joy; joy being a large part of gratitude: Eph. 5:20, Amplified Bible, "At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father." I Thes. 5:18, "Thank God in everything no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Here thankfulness is emphasized by its double usage. Many times the entrance of demon activity may come about by so small a thing as ungratefulness. It was so for me.

Study these examples: Deut. 1:26-28, vs. 26 - brought rebellion against God; vs. 27 - punishment, discontentment with God, lying to self; and vs. 28 - cringing fear, ineptness, fear of failure. Romans 1:19-32; vs. 27 - knowing God yet not honoring or glorifying Him or giving thanks becomes futile, godless, vain, foolish, stupid; vs. 22 - claiming wisdom but becoming fools and simpletons; vs. 23 - worshipping demons; vs. 24 - God gave them up; and vs. 24- 32 - a listing which is shocking in its reality of what happens to people who have known and recognized God but do not truly obey and have gratitude towards God.

In this account in Romans, we are treated to an example of how the Devil gradually draws us away from God until we reach a point where God gives us up. I have witnessed this in many Christian lives and Spirit-filled Christians as well. This trick or wile of the Devil is called gradualism. It is used on us in our spiritual life as well as our political and financial life. We have lost much of our personal freedom and purchasing power, not to mention our spiritual power by just this trick.

Joy, praise, gladness, thankfulness and reverence for God are all a part of gratitude. As soon as I began to be grateful in my mind and heart for all God's goodness to me, I felt joy, peace, praise, gladness, reverence and honor for God spring up inside of me. I began to look at each problem I faced with excitement. It's such an opportunity to watch God work. You will never escape the fact that you are in charge of your attitudes. Attitudes reside in the mind. You are in charge of that mind in your head (II Cor. 10:5). The way you allow your mind to think will eventually become YOU (Matt. 12:35-37)!

LIST OF DEMONS TO CAST OUT IN THE NAME OF JESUS you may recognize. They are partners with ingratitude. These are Godward (repentance is an absolute necessity):

INGRATITUDE TO GOD, DISHONOR OF GOD, REJECTION OF GOD & HIS DEALINGS WITH YOU, THANKLESSNESS, HATRED TOWARDS GOD, ANGER TOWARDS GOD,

THESE ARE TOWARDS OTHERS (THESE NEED REPENTANCE ALSO):