This transcript comes from the notes Blaine speaks from, so a few words may differ slightly from the recording.

Opening

Good morning, and welcome back to another episode of our Never Alone Faith Over Cancer podcast. Hi, I'm Blaine Millet, your host, and thank you so much for taking the time to join us today... I really appreciate it.

Today is the second part of our series, Ask Boldly, Thank Deeply. In Part One, we talked about the first half... asking Jesus boldly for exactly what we need, and not praying alone. If you missed it, I'd encourage you to go back and listen to it, because these two really do go together.

And today, as we head into this season of Thanksgiving, I want to talk with you about the second half... thanking deeply. And I'll tell you right up front... I believe this one has the power to change how you feel more than almost anything else you can do on your journey. Not someday. Today.

So here's my big message for today. Thank deeply. Thank Jesus right in the middle of it... not just at the end of your journey, when everything works out. Thank Him all the time, not just for the big things, but for the thousands of little things that happen along the way. And thank the people He puts in your path.

Just like bold prayer, thanking deeply is an action. It's something we actually have to do. And I'll be honest with you... a lot of us aren't doing it right now, especially when we're hurting. I get that. I've been there. But when we do it, something happens. Our attitude changes. The fear starts to lose its grip. And we get a deeper faith... and more hope, more encouragement, and more peace. Without the action, you can't get there. With it... you get all of it.

Now maybe you're sitting there thinking, "Blaine, I'm not feeling very thankful right now." That's okay. Honestly... that's exactly who this episode is for. So stick with me, because by the time we're done today, I think you'll see that you don't have to feel thankful to start thanking. In my experience, the feeling follows the action.

The Scripture

Let me start with a verse I shared when I closed Part Two of my own story, and I keep coming back to it, because I think it holds this whole series in two sentences. It's Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 and 7.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Look at what Paul is telling us there. Present your requests... that's asking. That’s the praying boldly part we just talked about in our last episode. With thanksgiving... that's thanking. Both work together. And when they are done together, I personally believe it just puts you in an incredible spot. Last time, we focused on the asking. Today, I want you to look at those three little words right in the middle... with thanksgiving. Paul doesn't put the thanksgiving at the end, after the answer comes. He puts it right in the middle of the asking.

And look at the result. It doesn't say every request gets the answer we want. It says peace. A peace that doesn't make sense on paper. A peace that stands guard over your heart and your mind... and if you've ever lain awake at two in the morning with your mind racing, you know exactly how much you need a guard there.

Let me say that again... ask, and thank, and His peace will guard your heart and your mind. That's a promise you can hold onto tonight.

That's why I like to say that gratitude is the gateway to peace. Thanksgiving is the door... and peace is what's waiting for you on the other side.

Thank Deeply - My Story

Now let me share something with you that might just surprise you.

I thank God every day for my cancer. I know that might sound strange. But cancer gave me the greatest gift of my life... a close, deep relationship with Jesus. I honestly don't know if I'd have that relationship without getting cancer. When I fell to my knees at Costco, I was in tears... and what I felt was His presence. His warmth. A peace I had never felt before. That was the moment Jesus changed my life forever.

And at the end of Part Two of my story, I said something I didn't fully understand the weight of at the time. I said, “All we have to do is turn to Him and thank Him for being there.” And ask Him, "Please help me through this cancer journey... I need you." Thank Him... and ask Him. I didn't know it back then, but that's what this whole series is all about.

And I know I’m not the only one that thinks this way. My friend Dan Green said almost the exact same thing in Part Five of his story. He told me he once told a lady at church that he was glad God gave him cancer... because of the closer walk with Jesus it gave him. And then Dan said this... "I want to tell you it's a blessing, no matter how it turns out." No matter how it turns out. Did you catch that? That's a thankfulness that doesn't wait for the scan results.

Now, I'm not asking you to thank God for your cancer. That's my story, and Dan's, and it took me a long time to get there. But if we look closely at what Paul wrote... IN every situation, with thanksgiving. Not FOR every situation... IN every situation. There's a big difference. And Paul says it again in First Thessalonians chapter 5, verse 18... "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." In all circumstances. Not for them... in them. You don't have to be thankful for the scan, or the treatment, or the bad night. Heaven knows I wasn’t thanking him for my cancer, but was thanking him for being with me IN my cancer journey. This is a critically important distinction people miss all the time. And the two key words to keep in mind are IN and FOR. We thank him IN the situation, not FOR the situation. But even in the middle of all of it, there's something to thank Him for. And finding it changes you…guaranteed.

The One Who Came Back

There's a story in the Gospel of Luke that I just love, and it ties both of these episodes of praying boldly and thanking deeply together really well in my opinion. In Luke chapter 17, Jesus is walking into a village, and ten men with leprosy see Him coming. Now, back then, leprosy meant you were an outcast. You had to keep your distance from everyone... your family, your friends, your whole town. So these ten men stand off at a distance, and they call out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

That's a bold prayer, isn't it? They didn't whisper. They didn't ask for a little help. They shouted for exactly what they needed.

And Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priests... and as they went, they were healed. All ten of them.

But here's the part I want you to catch. Luke tells us, "One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him." And Jesus asks, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?"

Where are the other nine? All ten asked boldly. All ten were healed. But only one came back to say thank you. And look at what Jesus says to that one man... "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

The other nine got their healing. But I believe the one who came back got something even more. He got to fall at the feet of Jesus... and hear Jesus speak to him, personally, face to face. That's what thanking deeply does. It brings you right back to Jesus. And you don't have to wait for your healing to come back and thank Him. You can fall at His feet today... and thank Him for being right here with you, in the middle of it. Because we know, we are NEVER ALONE.

So here's my question for you today... and for me. Which one are we? Are we one of the nine... or are we the one who comes back?

Why Thanking Changes How You Feel

So why does thanking deeply make such a big difference in how we feel? Let me share what I've learned, and what so many of our guests have shown me.

Here's what I believe. When you thank Jesus for what He's already done, you're reminding yourself of His track record. Every time you remember how He showed up before... the friend who called at just the right time, the good day, the doctor who listened, the strength to get through one more treatment... it gets a little easier to trust Him with what comes next. Gratitude is how hope gets built... one brick at a time…one step at a time…one thank you at a time.

Brittany Plourde said something about this I've never forgotten. Looking back on her early days with cancer, she said she just couldn't see God at work at the time. And then she said, "Thankfully it doesn't matter if I can see it at that time. Thankfully he was still there." When you start thanking Him, you start seeing Him. First looking back... and then more and more, right in the moment.

I have an acronym I want to share with you today that I use all the time when I’m doing consulting. That acronym is FUD, which stands for Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. Everyone has it, even strong believers have FUD... I certainly did. But I've found that prayer is the best FUD killer I’ve ever found. And when I start a prayer with thanks, the FUD loses its grip even faster. It's really hard to stay afraid while you're counting the ways He's already carried you.

And there's a verse I love for the mornings that are hard. Lamentations chapter 3, verses 22 and 23... "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." New every morning. Every single day, there's something new to thank Him for... even on the hard ones.

And here's what happens to your attitude when you make this a habit. You start your day looking for what Jesus is doing, instead of what's going wrong. You notice the nurse who was extra kind. The friend who texted at just the right time. The sunrise. The good cup of coffee. And slowly... your heart starts to lift. I wish I could tell you it makes the cancer go away, but it doesn’t. But what I can tell you is that it changes how you carry it. And while I can only speak for myself, it absolutely did for me.

The Guests Who Thank Deeply

And here's something else I noticed when I went back through our guests' stories. The people who ask boldly are the same people who thank deeply. Dan Green told me the first thing he does every morning... coffee, pajamas, study Bible right there in his chair... is thank the Lord for another day, and for getting him through the night. And this is the man who told me he doesn't consider himself a prayer warrior! I told him right then... I'd call that a prayer warrior. Doug told me that even when his prayers are short, it's "just giving thanks for everything that I have." And my friend Greg starts every single day with a prayer of thanks... for this wonderful life, and for the family standing behind him. Bold askers... and deep thankers. Every one of them.

And Doug added something I think is so important. He said, "be appreciative and live every day thanking God for what you have." And he said most people who get to the other side of cancer "don't take things for granted anymore." I can absolutely relate to that. I look at the world in a completely different way today than I did before cancer.

And my friend David Carpenter... a man who was told his odds were under fourteen percent... looks at his two grandsons, with a third grandbaby on the way, and says being able to experience this part of life "is such a blessing." I love that.

Thank the People, Too

And if you remember the second half of our last episode, Ask Boldly... getting others to pray with you and for you... please, please, please remember to thank them, too. When someone prays for you and God answers, go back and tell them. In Part One, I told you how Lorrie rallied our churches to pray that my cancer hadn't reached the muscle wall of my bladder... and it hadn't. That's exactly what Lorrie and I did after Dr. Lin gave us the news about my bladder. We let everyone know what happened, and how thankful we were for every one of their prayers. And then we asked them to keep praying for my healing... because we weren't done yet. There was still a long road ahead. Tell them what happened. You'll be amazed what it does for their faith... and for yours.

David did the same thing. Years after his surgery, he went to a cancer event mostly so he could see his original surgeon again... and thank him.

So be the one who comes back. Just like that one man in Luke 17. Go back to the people who prayed for you... the nurse, the doctor, the friend who drove you to treatment, the neighbor who brought dinner... and tell them thank you. Tell them what God has done. It will lift them up... and I believe it will lift you up even more.

How to Thank Deeply, Even When You Don't Feel Like It

So let’s get down in the weeds for a minute and talk about how you actually do this... especially on the days when you don't feel thankful at all. Let me give you a few simple ways that have helped many of our guests and me.

Start with giving thanks, before you ask for anything. Psalm 100, verse 4 says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." Thanksgiving is how we walk through the door. So before you bring Him your list, thank Him for just one thing. You can always add more later, but always start with just one thing. That's exactly what Dan does every morning in his chair. And in Part Five of his story, Dan put it this way... "just wake up every day, praise him, thank him for who he is." And then ask Him, "what do you want me to do today, Lord? 'Cause I'm ready to do it."

Thank Him for the little things. Not just the big answers. The parking spot close to the door on treatment day. A good night's sleep. A phone call from your grandkids. There are thousands of little things every single day... and once you start looking, you'll be amazed how many you find.

Thank Him right in the middle of the hard moment. In the infusion chair. In the waiting room. At two in the morning. You don't have to thank Him for the hard thing... just find one thing in it. "Jesus, thank You that I'm not alone in this room. Thank You that You're right here with me." That's a thank-you prayer that works every single time... because it's always true. We are NEVER ALONE.

Say it out loud, and write it down. There's something about hearing yourself say thank you... and watching that list grow over the weeks... that changes your heart. And on the hard days, go back and read it. That's His track record, in your own handwriting.

And when you don't feel thankful... thank Him anyway. You don't have to wait to feel grateful to start thanking. You start thanking... and the gratitude comes. I can tell you from my own journey... once you pray and give thanks, you feel so much more hope, encouragement, and peace.

The Challenge

So as I close out this episode with you, and as we head into this season of Thanksgiving, let me give you three simple things to try this week. Nothing complicated.

First... every night before you go to sleep, before you ask for anything, thank Jesus for one thing from that day. Just one. Even on the hard days... especially on the hard days.

Second... start every prayer with thanks. Before you ask, thank. Even if it's just, "Thank You, Jesus, for being right here with me."

And third... just like when Jesus healed the lepers, be the one who comes back. Pick one person who prayed for you, helped you, or just showed up for you... and thank them this week. A call, a text, a card. And tell them what God has done.

If you do those three things, I guarantee you'll find what I found, and what so many of our guests found. More hope. More encouragement. More peace. And a stronger faith.

And one more thing. Think about who you know who could use some encouragement right now... and it doesn't have to be cancer. You probably just thought of someone, didn't you? Please send them this episode. And then tell them one thing you're thankful for about them. You might be just that thank-you they've been waiting for.

Closing

So the main message I want to leave with you today is this... thank deeply. Thank Jesus right in the middle of it, for the big things and the little things, and thank the people He puts in your path. Ask boldly... thank deeply... and His peace will guard your heart and your mind.

And if you don't have a relationship with Jesus yet... or if yours has grown stale or weak, or you're just plain angry with Him right now... start right here. You don't need fancy words. Just tell Him one thing you're thankful for, and ask Him to come into your life... like you'd talk to a friend sitting right next to you. And I would encourage you to visit our Accepting Jesus page on our website. It's the most important page we have.

Remember... wherever you are on your journey today, you are NEVER ALONE. Never. Just turn your head 90 degrees... and Jesus is right there beside you, listening to every word.

Thank you so much for spending this time with me today... I really appreciate it. I hope I was able to inspire you to thank deeply, in every situation. I can't wait to share our next episode with you. Thank you again, and I hope you have an incredible rest of your day. Until next time, may God bless you.