THANKSGIVING

“After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”. Matthew 6:9-10. 

The word ‘will’ in verse 10 also means desire, pleasure, choice, purpose.

From this scripture, we can deduce that:

- The only thing God permits to be done on earth is His will. 

- God wants and desires only His will to be done. 

- Only His will ought to be done on the earth. 

The greatest desire a pastor should have towards the people he pastors is that the will of God be done in their lives. What looks like glory becomes a curse when it is not the will of God. This also extends to parents. The heart desire of every parent should be that the will of God be done in their children's lives. The greatest prayer you can pray for yourself and anyone is for the will of God to be done. Do not mistake your ambition and desire for the will of God. Until you fit into the will of God, you will never be fulfilled.

Paul always reiterated the will of God concerning him as an apostle in his letters. The will of God is not something that is abstract, it is liveable. Every time your heart resents the prayer: “let the will of God be done”, it is an indication that what is driving you is not the will of God. God is only committed to His will and in His will, you are protected, preserved and kept.

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you”.1Thess. 5:18.

This is a command and commands are to be obeyed. A command is not given for you to think it over, your reasoning is not required to see whether you will obey or not.  Commands are to be obeyed. You can reason out a counsel and decide whether to take it or not 

#Thanksgiving is the will of God, at all times under any condition. Anyone who is praying and asking for the will of God in any matter, yet, is not walking in thanksgiving or in gratitude to God, is living in self-denial and is simply paying lip service. The specifics about your life will unfold when you give yourself to the general will of God. In anything, you start from the known to the unknown. So, in this case, the known is that we are commanded to give thanks in everything.

Thanksgiving is an expression of faith in God. Every time you are thanking God, you are expressing your faith in Him. When you are grumbling and complaining you are expressing doubts, worries and unbelief towards God.

*Once you are out of Thanksgiving, you are out of order*. Thanksgiving is not tied to experiences. 

*Thanksgiving is regulated from inside*. 

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful … 2 Timothy 3:1-2.

# God commands us to be thankful always,  but the spirit at work in these times forbids men to be thankful to God.

In the natural, it is easy to be unthankful due to the several unpleasantness going on and taking place all around.  We have been given a command to give thanks always in an atmosphere that forbids us to obey the command. However, God gave a counsel in Heb. 13:14-15, “For here have we no continuing city,  but we seek one to come. By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually,  that is the fruit of lips,  giving thanks unto his name”

We are on a journey, here is not our permanent abode, everything happening here and now is temporal and that settles it. One’s interpretation of this goes a long way to show whether you believe it or not, it will also determine your responses and experiences because it is what you see and keep looking at, that will determine your experience. Thanking God is not tied to your experiences. You ought to thank the Lord in spite of what you are going through.

Every time you are murmuring and grumbling, you are creating a conducive atmosphere for demons to show up and operate but the opposite is the case when you walk in thanksgiving. You express your belief by being thankful. Paul and Silas though in prison and in chains kept praising and thanking God.  The three Hebrew boys thrown into the burning fiery furnace were definitely not grumbling and complaining nor cursing their enemies. 

*Whatever you are grateful for will appreciate; whatever you are ungrateful for will depreciate*. 

# Thanksgiving is a sacrifice. Against all odds, we must continually offer up the sacrifice of praise that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. We can do it because we have been given the Holy Ghost to help us. We must keep praising God because our experience does not alter who God is. It is a sacrifice because naturally, that's not what you would want to do. 

SOME THINGS TO NOTE

1)  Thanksgiving is a choice even though it is a command. You can choose to obey the command,  or disobey it You can choose to be grateful or ungrateful. ( Amongst the ten lepers, one chose to return to say thank you . See Lk. 17.

Jesus chose to thank God for the insufficient bread and fish: John 6, and  for Lazarus that had been dead for four days John 11)

2) Thanksgiving is a sacrifice. God is a God of sacrifice. Thanksgiving is a sacrifice that honours God. Psalm 50:5. *As New Testament saints, the greatest sacrifice we can offer to God is the sacrifice of obedience*.  Every time you are thanking God, it is an act of obedience to God.  We should learn to continually thank God. There's no convenient time to offer a sacrifice. As a sacrifice, it has to be what God wants, when He wants it and how He wants it. 

 3) Thanksgiving ought to be a lifestyle. Eph. 5:20. Let's not reduce it to a ceremony. 

4) It brings more of God’s blessing, His presence and it creates a conducive atmosphere for God to work and move. 

Godly wisdom will be lacking in an environment of ingratitude. We can bring God to bear in our day when we learn to give God thanks. When we give God thanks, we have access to more of God, to more of His power and we will see more of God at work in every facet of our lives.

 The basis of thanksgiving is Jesus,  not our circumstances. True thanksgiving is seen in the way we live our lives. 

If this generation is really going to see a fulfillment of prophecies and usher in Jesus,  we must be a people full of Thanksgiving. 

 

Prayer

I have ears and I hear what the Spirit is saying.