Always Thankful

Always Thankful

Focus Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Declaration: I end this month with gratitude. Thanksgiving multiplies miracles in my life.

Thoughts on Thanksgiving:
Thanksgiving is God's will for every believer.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Thanksgiving is not based on circumstances, it is based on Christ’s lordship on us. We should be filled with gratitude and thanksgiving in all seasons and situations of our life. Sometimes, we give thanksgiving when we are in a good situation; moments where we have money, we have no sickness, and situations where everything is going well in our life but when we have to face sickness and diseases, we grumble.
Circumstances will keep on changing!
You might be in a bad period now but there is a possibility that it will change for the better tomorrow. The same way something good can also turn bad in your life. Regardless of this, our thanksgiving should not depend on this.
God’s will is not that everything be perfect but that His people remain grateful in everything.
Ephesians 5:20 says always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving protects the heart from complaining.
What should we as children of God do?
We need to fill ourselves with thanksgiving. We should always be thanking God for everything in our hearts, even the smallest of things.
Philippians 2:14 says  Do everything without grumbling or arguing,
Philippians 4:6 says Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
A thankful heart sees blessings where a complaining heart sees burdens.

Thanksgiving unlocks God’s peace.
Philippians 4:7 says And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Thanksgiving builds a spiritual shield around the mind.

Thanksgiving honours God.
Psalms 50:23 says "Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless[a] I will show my salvation.”
Gratitude glorifies God more than gifts. People tend to be thankless, especially in our culture.

Thanksgiving multiplies God’s blessings.
John 6:11 says “Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”
We can see the supernatural work of God when He multiplied the loaves of bread. He broke the bread after giving thanks. From this, Jesus set us an example to follow. He is our role model, who has shown us the importance of giving thanks.
This is a life application to the relationship between God and man. We often receive all good things into our life and many times, we do not give thanks but at the same time, if there is a small mistake or problem, we complain and grumble immediately.

Thanksgiving prepares us for God’s presence.
Where thanksgiving starts, we will also see the presence of God also start.
Psalms 100:4 says “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
Gestures are also considered as prayers in God’s presence, this can be in the form of tears, cries, shouts, etc. words are not always needed. These gestures are our expressions of joy for Him, this is the sound of our celebration for Him in the form of clapping hands, rejoicing, dancing out of joy and gratefulness to God.
We should worship the Lord with gladness by singing songs of praise and thanks, songs of shouting and crying which will even drive away the spirit of depression from our life!