Thanksgiving has been observed as a federal holiday in The United States of America since the year 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens” to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November. Such a wise and humble man he was…

As we left Raleigh and touched down in Dallas last night, the airport was FULL of families traveling together and college students trying to get home to their parents. I observed their smiling faces, much laughter and joy. Statistics claim Thanksgiving to be the most heavily traveled holiday of all – beating out Christmas. We all love the spread of food upon the dining room table, the mound of desserts, the long naps, and of course the football.

It is a Thanksgiving tradition in our home to have what we call a BLESSING BOWL. This is a pretty bowl, complete with pen and paper, set to the side where each member of our family can steal away at some point on Thanksgiving Day to record  the personal blessings of their own heart. No one actually reads the words written on each slip of paper. It is merely a private moment to reflect and an act of worship to our provisional Lord.

I dare say that most who gather on this wonderful holiday feel some sort of gratitude in their hearts for the blessed meal and those who sit around their tables, but are they mindful to express gratitude to God above?

In Luke Chapter 17, we read the story of Jesus traveling to Jerusalem when suddenly He is met on the road by 10 lepers.  These men recognize Jesus and cry out to Him for mercy in their desperate situation. Have you ever done that? Have you ever cried out to Jesus in desperation?

Right then and there, Jesus proclaims, “Go, show yourselves to the priests – and as they begin to walk all 10 men are cleansed from their leprosy! Totally cleansed! Just think – if you suffered from an illness or a disease for most of your life and one day Jesus suddenly heals you from head to toe – would YOU be thankful? It seems like an automatic appropriate response if you ask me.

But, it was not.

The Bible records that only 1 of the 10 men returned to give thanks to Jesus. This man was most gracious, falling at the feet of Jesus with humble praise. But, where were the other 9? Were they like the many today who cry out to God for help in their difficult moments, but then totally disregard Him any other time? Were they truly unthankful or simply remiss in conveying their feelings?

Being thankful is more than an emotion we feel from time to time. Genuine gratitude is an attitude of the heart that must be expressed in action.  To be truly grateful is to raise your voice to heaven – it is taking time to call that special person – it is writing that Thank You card, it is giving honor to those whom it is due. Thanksgiving is just that – the “giving” of thanks for the gratitude you feel in your heart.

Special heavenly provision is reserved for those who are truly thankful and not forgetful to convey their feelings of gratitude. As I read this portion of scripture from Luke 17 this morning a revelation suddenly jumped out at me – we already know that all 10 men were cleansed of their disease but this scripture tells us that the 1 man who returned to GIVE THANKS  to Jesus was actually MADE WHOLE.  You see, THIS man received more than his healing. THIS man was MADE WHOLE in every area of his life.  

His IDENTITY was made whole.

His MIND was made whole.

His EMOTIONS were made whole.

His SPIRIT was made whole.

His PAST was made whole.

His PROVISION was made whole.

His LIFE was made whole.

This is Huge. We must catch this! Thanksgiving opens the door to a whole and blessed life.

With this wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday upon us, ponder this question - Are you the 1 who lavishes thanksgiving and praise upon God or are you merely one of the 9 – self focused and forgetful? Determine to become the one who daily expresses gratitude and watch a brand new, whole life unfold around you.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and yours. Love, Jeneen.

Obedience IS better than sacrifice but it probably won’t win you any popularity contests.

Obedience positions you in the perfect will of God – under the hedge of His protective covering – and is the navigator toward personal destiny.

Your next season is dependent upon the steps of obedience you choose to take right now and your ability to obey will be dependent upon your ability to hear God’s voice.

However, those closest to you and the onlookers peering through the circle of your life will not always support your decision to follow God. Nowadays, the general population thinks you’re crazy if you admit to hearing the voice of God, much less following that same voice in obedience.

The naysayers and others around you often reduce your obedience to their own level of natural understanding. For example: resigning from your well-paying job right in the middle of a great recession and selling the dream house you recently built just because God asked you to can be misconstrued as “You were let go by your boss because the company downsized and were forced to sell your house before it went into foreclosure.”

The judgment can be painful even though there is no truth in it but I have learned that I am not responsible to make sure everyone understands my obedience. I am merely called to obey. During these times, I didn't need to refute their misguided statements.  What looked like the death of our dreams to others was ultimately the road less traveled to our next level of blessing.

We can also see this truth displayed through the life of Jesus as He suffered on the cross for the sins of all mankind. The onlookers reduced His death to punishment for disobedience to the Law. The crowd boasted that Jesus was finally getting what He deserved.

It is important to realize, the reason Jesus hung on the cross was not because He was DISobedient but because He was acting in perfect obedience to His Father in heaven. Trust me…it wasn’t the soldiers and and the guards that held Him on the cross! Jesus could have called an entire protective legion of angels and the Roman soldiers could have never touched Him. What looked like the death of Jesus was simply His obedience on display.

The crowd begged Him for an explanation: “If you really are the Son of God then open your mouth and say something! Save Yourself!” But, Jesus trusted the explanation to the outcome…Oh, did you hear that? Jesus trusted the explanation of His obedience to the outcome!  And, soon everyone witnessed the outcome of His obedience.

So it is with your life. You are commanded to obey the voice and direction of God. You are not responsible to explain your actions to the crowd. Trust the explanation of your obedience to the outcome. Your obedience will always reap blessing and when the glory and honor of God hovers over your life like a thick cloud everyone will notice. 

Did you know that nothing can unlock the potential inside a man like his wife can!

It is why we were created. 

God brought us out of man in order to stand us beside him. We were not created to compete with him, but to complete him. We are his helpmate and the completion of his potential.  My greatest privilege upon this earth is to stand beside Stephen Edward Kohler – to pour into his life – being assured that when he succeeds, I also succeed.

A good woman is hard to find and worth far more than diamonds! Her husband trusts her without reserve and never has reason to regret it. Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long. Proverbs 31:10-11 MSG

One of the practical ways that I draw out the fullness of my husband’s potential is through prayer. Every Monday thru Friday that I am in town I drive to his work place, park in the parking lot and cover him in prayer.  Yes, I realize that I could simply pray from home, but something powerful takes place when I pray upon the soil that God has given him jurisdiction over.

Prayer is a partnership with God. It is my joy to hear what God’s will is in heaven for my husband and then partner with God in pulling this plan down to earth through prayer. In order to do so I must remain in tune with Holy Spirit . When I do, I no longer see circumstances as they appear. My eyes are opened to the lies and strategies of the enemy and I begin to view our circumstances from heaven’s perspective.

Once my vision is clear, I then devise a combative strategy of my own:

I begin with a Blessing. With the authority I have been given as a child of God I bless my husband from the top of his head to the soles of his feet – I bless his body that he may be well and operate with a sound mind – I bless his spirit that he would be whole and lacking nothing in his spirit man – I bless everything he places his hands to – the 500+ employees that he leads at Thalle Construction Co, and ask God to favor and prosper the works of his hands - I declare Jesus Christ to be his strong portion!

Secondly, I ask for grace upon his life. Grace is the unmerited favor and help of the Lord. When we ask for the grace of God to envelop our lives, God adds His “super” to our natural abilities and equips us to do things we otherwise would not have the ability or the credentials to do. Grace makes the impossible possible! When I first married Steve he was a gorgeous athlete who idolized sports, and although his work ethic has always been unmatched he knew absolutely nothing about providing for a family. In the 28 years that we have been married, I have seen God grace my husband with opportunities that do not present themselves to just anyone. God has truly added His grace to Steve’s sacrifice, hard work and diligence and ushered us into the land of impossibility.

Thirdly, I make declarations over my husband’s life! So often, we underestimate the power of words! Words carry tremendous power. More power than any man-made weapon. Words have the ability to shift entire atmospheres. With my words I have the ability to build up or tear down. I make a conscious decision to use my words to lift my husband to incredible heights. I declare the promises of God over his life. I remind him that he is a King! I call those things that “are not” as though they were and I rejoice as I witness the decrees established in his life. (Job 22:28)

Do you desire to see your husband succeed and take new territory? You have the ability and the responsibility to unlock that potential inside your man. You are his God-given helpmate - the completion of his purpose. Start praying you powerful woman!

Recently, I have been sharing this message everywhere I teach. Why? Because it is so very crucial to our existence. The true definition of prosperity has been skewed by many and set aside as some selfish, excessive goal. Yet, prosperity is a very real and attainable position

3 John 1:2 tells us that above all things GOD desires for His children to PROSPER and BE IN GOOD HEALTH according to the condition of their soul.

Despite the many definitions people use for the word Prosper, God recently gave me a deeper understanding of this word. I now define prosperity as “steady forward progression.” In order to succeed, grow, and flourish in life, we must remain in a steady forward progression – always learning, always focused forward, and never getting stuck in one place.

 The word soul is defined as a person’s Mind – Will – and Emotions.  We all have one and it is controlling what we think, what we do, and what we say. 

Because personal prosperity and good health are directly linked to the condition of ones soul the next important set of questions we must ask ourselves is:

• What am I thinking?
• What am I doing?
• What am I saying?

Psalm 19:7 declares that the Word of the Lord (The Bible) is perfect and flawless, restoring and refreshing the SOUL. When we abide in the Word of God and allow it to impact our thinking – saying – and doing we will witness a vast change in our personal prosperity and good health.

A longtime friend of mine recently surprised me and attended an engagement I was teaching at in Tennessee. Three months before the meeting, she had randomly started having seizures – at times up to 5 per week. After much testing, her physician was unable to determine the origin of the seizure activity. He prescribed her a general seizure medication and recommended that she see a neurologist.

The neurologist performed further testing and changed her medication once more. However the seizures continued. Unbeknown to me, the neurologist counseled with my friend and concluded that he believed the seizures were actually pseudoseizures – nonepileptic episodes masquerading as seizures, brought on by emotionally stressful psychological thoughts.

You see, my friend had a very traumatic childhood and the memories of her torture had been suppressed within her mind for 50 years. Suddenly, as my friend began to think upon her past and relive the trauma it greatly affected her personal prosperity and good health. For weeks, she was unable to work and lived with never knowing just when another pseudoepileptic seizure would occur. It affected her life and the life of her family.

Upon attending the meeting and learning from my teaching that we have the ability to take control of our SOUL, my friend returned home and immediately began to implement 3 John 1:2 into her life. She began to align her thoughts, actions, and words to the perfect Word of the Lord.  Since the meeting on May 14, 2016, my friend has not had even one seizure or episode. The Word of the Lord is alive and possesses creative power to change your life and circumstances.

YOU are in control of your own prosperity (steady forward progression) and good health. It matters what you think – what you say – and what you do. May we all perform a little self-evaluation this day and may the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart be acceptable to God, your Rock and our Redeemer.

Love and Blessings,

​Jeneen