A young boy desperately wanted a toy car and he told his dad about his desire. One day after he went to school, his dad took the little money he had and went to the local toy shop to get a toy car for his son. He ended up buying a cute race car for his son. When the boy returned from school, his dad gave him the car. Excitedly, he grabbed the car and ran to his room to play with it. After some minutes, he rushed out to meet his dad with these words, ‘Now that the toy car is out of the way, can I also get a bike?’ If you were his dad, what would you do?
Many people live a life of selective amnesia. Selective amnesia is a state where a person loses only certain parts of his memory. Such a person forgets certain events completely and remembers others poignantly. Many people are quick to forget the benefits of the Lord like the young boy. They remember easily what God has not done and forget quickly what He has done. Living like this will rob us of God’s blessings. It will also make us live with our cups half-empty because we will never enjoy what God has given us when our focus is on what we haven’t yet received.
David, in the 103rd Psalm, implores us not to forget the benefits of the Lord. He was very intentional about remembering what the Lord had done for Him and this kept him humble before God and grateful to Him. When he stood before Goliath, his ability to remember what the Lord had done in the past was his weapon of war. He remembered vividly that God delivered the bear and lion into his hands and based on these past miracles, he knew that Goliath was dead meat.
Since the year began, God has done so much for you. Have you given Him thanks for all He has done or is your focus only on what He hasn’t yet done? Whenever we forget what God has done, we become unthankful complainers. The Israelites were forgetful people. As soon as God did a major miracle for them, they forgot all about it and began to complain about their present need. They murmured incessantly because they forget constantly. As the year comes to an end, don’t close the pages of 2024 as an ungrateful person. Do these things to express your appreciation for all that the Lord has done.
- Get your gratitude journal and read out the things God has done for you during the year. Thank Him again for them. If you didn’t keep a gratitude journal, get a notebook and list out everything that God has done for you during the year. Spend time thanking Him for them.
- Reflect on the miracles you have enjoyed during the year. Think deeply about the numerous times God has saved you from danger and woken you up from sleep. Give Him thanks for His great mercies.
- Don’t forget to thank God for the salvation of your soul. If we keep thanking God for saving us till eternity, our gratitude will still be insufficient.
- List everything that God hasn’t yet done. Then, remember when He has done something similar in the past for you or someone else, and thank Him for what He is yet to do. Remember, the God that gave you victory over the bear and the lion will also give you a great victory over Goliath.
Just as David admonished, don’t forget any of the benefits you have enjoyed from the Lord. Also, don’t believe the lie of the devil that God hasn’t been good to you. If you are reading this article, then, God has been very good to you because He woke you up this morning and gave you the privilege to read this. As you enter the new year, live a life of constant remembrance of all that God has done because whenever we thank God for what He has done, He gives us much more than we can ask or imagine. Remembering what He has done and constantly giving Him thanks are two important keys to enjoying continuous victory in 2025.