UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF THANKSGIVING

 

We discover from scriptures that thanksgiving is a commandment of God – Psalm 92:1-2
Thanksgiving is a commandment and it is a commandment that is demanded to be continuous. But we discover that thanksgiving is in 2 categories:
1. We thank God in order to appreciate Him for what He has done – Psalm 103:1-2
In other words, thanksgiving is the offering of appreciation unto God for what He has done. God demands we recognize every act of His hand in our lives and the only evidence of our recognition is appreciation. Until thanksgiving is offered, the doings of God in our lives have not been duly recognized.
Psalm 28:5
If we are going to continue enjoying the building up of the hand of God, we have the responsibility to keep ensuring our thanksgiving goes up. It is thanking up that results in building up.

Thanksgiving is appreciation for what God has done.

2. Secondly, we discover that thanksgiving is also reminding God of what is to be done.
In other words, we don’t only thank for the benefits received, but we thank in order to receive thanksgiving. Thanksgiving reminds God of what is to be done.
Luke 17:17-19

In other words, there was something left to be done, but this individual came back with thanks. So thanksgiving is not just recognizing what God has done, it is activating God to do. It is in thanksgiving that we position ourselves for the perfecting hand of God.

Thanksgiving is two-fold: What has been done and What is to be done. Thanking Him positions us to experience His hand.

Examining this subject even closer this morning, it is important that we recognize that we serve a covenant keeping God.
Deuteronomy 7:9

He is God, He is the faithful God and He demonstrates it by keeping covenants. Our God is a covenant keeping God. When we look into the scriptures, we are looking into a Book of covenants. In God’s Word, there are requirements that are made of us and then there are responsibilities that God places on Himself.
Jeremiah 33:3
“Call unto me and I will answer you”: Prayer is a covenant. God says, “when you come to Me, calling to Me, I have a responsibility to answer you.”
Matthew 7:7
“Ask and you shall receive”: So prayer is a spiritual covenant.
Psalm 89:34, 1 John 5:14-15
He said if we ask anything according to His will, following His pattern, following His structure, then we can be sure that we will get the petitions that we have asked of Him. Prayer is a covenant provision that is made by God where God tells you if you and I can come to Him then we are sure to return from Him with what we have asked of Him.
Mark 11:24 – It is a covenant that covers whatsoever. That is why you have the opportunity to pray about anything because it is a covenant that covers everything. You can make demands concerning anything.

 

But we must understand this very importantly this morning, that it is not enough just to know that prayer is a covenant, but we must know how to make the covenant deliver.

How does the prayer covenant deliver? We must understand that it takes thanksgiving to secure answers to our prayers. Praying is requesting, thanksgiving is receiving. Until thanksgiving is offered, if you have not switched from requesting to receiving.

As far as God is concerned, the conclusion of your request is only validated by your thanksgiving. Until thanksgiving is offered, you cannot position yourself to receive that request you have made of the Lord.

Philippians 4:6 – everything can be prayed for. Until thanksgiving is offered, your request is not made known unto God. The conclusion of your request is appreciation. Like I would say, imagine typing a text message on your phone, but forgetting to press Send. Yes, you have typed a message, but only you know it, the person to whom you are to send the message does not know. So you can be harassing the person, “but I sent you a message” and he says, “I didn’t receive it.” You bring out your phone and discover truly the message is there but the message has not been sent.
What sent is to your text message is what thanks is to your prayers.

 

Until thanksgiving is offered, your prayer is not known unto God. He said, “by thanksgiving, you make your request known unto God.” There are many people who know their request, but their request is not known by God because it has not been perfected by thanks.

Thanksgiving is a vital necessity – 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray without ceasing, let prayers be a lifestyle, then He said in verse 18, in everything give thanks. He is telling us, pray for everything and then thank for everything because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.

 

According to the Word of God, everything you pray for, demands that You thank for.
If you look at the testimonies that we have been receiving from the Pre Shiloh Encounter season, what has it been predicated on? It has been predicated on making request and then sustaining gratitude.

People will go before God with one thing on Sunday and then keep thanking God for that one thing. Many times: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, before you know it the miracle is delivered. Sustaining gratitude. There are many people who begin gratitude and then they return to ingratitude. But sustaining gratitude is the key, that is the vital avenue to ensuring that our answers have been delivered.
Many of us today are familiar with WhatsApp messages, you know you can send a message and you can delete a message. The person who is on the other side, will only see ‘message deleted’, he will not know what you sent. That is what happens when you give thanks and withdraw thanks. You sent your message, then you deleted, on God’s side, all He sees is deleted message. He can only tell that you offered a prayer, but the content of the prayer is not known.

There is no record.  That is why it is sustaining thanks that makes you effective on the altar of prayer.
-May your prayers be no more barren in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 4:2
It is thanksgiving that changes you from the side of as it were, requesting to the path of receiving. It is thanksgiving that places you on the watch for an answer from the Lord.

Is somebody getting what God is saying this morning? Don’t just start thanking, stay thanking. If you have gone to God with prayers, if you have prayed that prayers from your heart, remain on the watch with thanksgiving and when that is the case, God will begin to deliver the answers in your direction.

 

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