THE POWER OF THANKSGIVING

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thess.5:16-18)

What is thanksgiving? –it is an expression of gratefulness especially to God. In Psalm 95:2-3, the Bible says “let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms for He is the great God and the great King above all gods.”

You are to come before God every morning with words expressing gratefulness, gratitude for the success, blessings and all the help you daily receive from Him.

When you cultivate a regular habit of thanksgiving, a lot of miracles will daily attend to you among which are:
i) Thanksgiving brings deliverance when the day of trouble comes. Thanksgiving is an investment credited into your heavenly account against the day of trouble. People who go about grumbling and complaining in the face of troubles and challenges will end up crumbling. “Offer to God thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High, call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver you and you shall glorify me.
ii) Thanksgiving provokes multiplication, praising provokes rising. Be a thank giver and a thanks liver. God will multiply you physically with good health, He will multiply you spiritually, multiply you financially and your joy, peace and rest will increase; your honour will be multiplied and will subtract all indices of shame out of your life and pursuit. The disgrace and disappointment of your enemy will multiply. Praise God despite the delay, you will multiply in due season. “Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving. And the voice of those who make merry. I will multiply them and they shall not diminish. I will also glorify them and they shall not be small” (Jer.30:19) Jesus Christ gave thanks for the provision of two loaves and five pieces of fish made available to feed 5000 men excluding, women and children. Miracle of multiplication took place, all the people were fed and twelve (12) baskets full were gathered as remains.
iii) Thanksgiving provokes healing, well-being and total restoration. In Luke 17:11-19, ten (10) lepers were healed of their leprosy; only one came back to Jesus Christ to give thanks. Because he came back to Jesus to offer thanks, he was made whole, well and totally restored. Jesus Christ at the grave of Lazarus gave thanks to His heavenly Father despite the death of his friend Lazarus; as you go before Him in this season with thanksgiving and praise, every good thing that death, the devil or elements of nature has swallowed up in your life will be vomited to you in Jesus name.

In 1993, my father was bedridden for more than four (4) months, everybody in our family had given up on him, it was said that the witches had divided his body as meat and eaten. By God’s grace, I was called home to see him die in our presence. On arriving home, I told the people my father is not going to die, I took hold of Psalms 136, read it, prayed it and rejoiced over the word concerning my father’s health; three days later, he was completely healed and restored with sound health. He lived another ten (10) years.

You need to thank God not only for what He has done but also for what He has not done but which you are fully persuaded, He is able to perform that which he has promised- this is an expression of absolute faith. Abraham thanked God for Isaac, glorifying Him for his descendants (Rom.4:20-21). Jesus Christ at Lazarus’ grave, said “Father I thank you that you have heard me” (John 11:41)

WHY ARE PEOPLE UNTHANKFUL?

1) Because of delayed miracles or unanswered prayers.
2) Testimony of others that makes them become unhappy.
3) Pride- when you believe you have achieved success because of your smartness, wisdom, hard work, human-connection etc.
Remember it is God who gives you power to create wealth and to eat of your labour. Thanksgiving is an attitude of the heart. If you cultivate that attitude, miracle will be daily occurrence in your life. Change your muddy attitude to that of gratitude and your unanswered prayers will become a thanksgiving. Break the negative disorder in your life by regular thanksgiving for this is the will of God for you.

Do you feel surrounded by dark and confusing circumstances? You can still lift your praise to God for the bright future; you will share with His son. Thanksgiving is not just the greatest virtue but the purest of all virtues. (Heb.13:15)

PRAYER

Lord, help me to stop complaining when things don’t go my way. Instead, give me a thankful heart for all you do each day.

Note: “A complaining Christian is a contradiction in terms.”