“Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.”   Psalms 140:1

Dwelling in the presence of the Lord is the lifestyle of a Christian and prayer is the only way to maintaining this lifestyle.  Prayer is how we connect to God and giving thanks is the key to keeping that connection.

The apostle Paul thought prayer was so important that he said to pray without ceasing. You may ask “How can I carry out the everyday tasks of my job, my kids, my home and still pray without ceasing?”

The prayer uttered out of a thankful heart is a prayer that will continue all day. “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving…”(Psalm 104).

When you enter into prayer first thing every morning with a prayer of thanksgiving and maintain an attitude of thankfulness, you will find yourself in His presence all day.  It’s all about how you enter in.  If we enter into His presence with a thankful heart, we will find it easer to continue thanking Him for the rest of the day.  When you stay focused on the blessings of God and thanking Him, your spiritual eyes will only see what He wants you to see. Your spiritual eyes see through thanksgiving.

The secret to staying in the presence of the Lord all the time is determined by the condition of your heart. A heart that is thankful is a heart that can see God in everything. That person can truly pray without ceasing because they are continually giving thanks. Ask God to refocus your eyes so you can see His blessings in everything and give thanks.

Refocus: “…What ever things are pure and whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  (1 Thessalonians 5:21)  

 “Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2)