Every year, around this time, I stop and count my blessings. 

I think about the many things that God has given to me: a beautiful wife, two loving children, a wonderful son-in-law, a rambunctious grandson, and so much more. 

Yes, I have been truly blessed! 

I have often heard people say that God can do anything… but I have found six things that God cannot do. 

And it is for these six things that I am truly thankful:

1. God cannot lie. 

In John 14:2, Jesus told His disciples: “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not true, I would have told you.” 

There is a battle raging in America over who determines what is right and what is true. 

We need to understand that truth comes from God. 

It’s not that God won’t lie, 

He CAN’T lie—it’s totally against His nature and ability. 

I know I can believe Him to tell me the truth and that’s something I’m thankful for!

2. God cannot fail. When you are faced with problems that seem too hard to bear– remember the promise in Mark 10:27, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” 

Friends may forsake you… people will let you down… but God will never fail you. 

The stock market may crash, you may lose all your investments, but God cannot fail!

3. God cannot tempt you with evil. 

Look at what James (the half-brother of Jesus) wrote in James 1:13, “Let no man say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted of God;’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither does He tempt any man.” 

God won’t tempt us to do evil… but He will test us. 

You see, faith is like a muscle that must be exercised periodically or else it will deteriorate. 

And God knows that strong faith is often exercised by strong trials. 

But in the end, He will bring you through every trial.

4. God cannot look upon sin.

 The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

While dying on the cross, Jesus held the weight of sin for the entire world on His shoulders and His Father turned away because He cannot look upon sin. 

But God did not abandon His Son because He raised Jesus from the dead on the third day. 

Jesus made a way for everyone to escape the horrendous death penalty of sin if they will believe on His death and resurrection. 

And I am so thankful He did!

5. God cannot save us against our will. 

John 3:16 is a familiar scripture to many people: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” 

It is true that we live in a world full of sin and wickedness. 

However, God has left the choice up to each individual– whether to believe on His Son and be forgiven or not. 

That is a choice I’m thankful I made many years ago.

6. God cannot stop loving us. 

Paul gives us this promise in Romans 8:39, “Neither height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

These are the six things for which I am most thankful.

What are you thankful for? 

On Thanksgiving Day, take some time with your family to count your blessings. 

And let us not forget to give thanks to the One who has given us all good things!

Rev. Doug Johnson is the senior pastor at Raven Assembly of God in Raven, Virginia.