Thanksgiving! (2)

The Benefits of a Thankful Heart !

Hope you had a great thanksgiving with your family and friends!

In 1620, 102 Pilgrims had come to America to build a new world where they would be free to worship God. Soon fifty-six of them died due to starvation, disease and the cold winter. However, they did not give up. In 1621, 46 Pilgrims and 91 Indians met to give thanks to our God for a bountiful harvest and for the preservation of their lives.

Thanksgiving was a choice for the Pilgrims, and is a choice before us today.

They had every reason to be depressed and discouraged, 50% of their church died, 50% of their friends were gone, but they chose to give thanks.

President Lincoln in 1863 during the Civil War declared the 4th Thursday in the month of November, to be Thanksgiving Day, for the whole nation.

The Benefits of a thankful heart

I would like for us to look into some benefits of a thankful heart.

1 A thankful heart pleases God, is His will for you.

I remember asking the Lord, different times what is your will for my life?

Sometimes I hear people asking, what is God ‘s will for my life? Have you ever asked this question, here it is written for you,

1Th 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

1Th 5:18 in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

In every situation, you are not agreeing with the circumstances, or thanking God for trouble or a tragedy , you are worshipping the God that can take you through it and give you victory.

King David called this kind of worship High praises

Psa 149:1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!

Psa 149:4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

Psa 149:5 Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.

Psa 149:6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,

This kind of worship we can only do here on earth, where we can worship before the victory, the healing , the miracle.

Worship is to give God the glory He deserves, what is due to His name!

Honor, respect, Adoration, Thanks giving is not only saying thanks, but having a mind set of a grateful heart, an attitude of always giving thanks.

True worship is to worship Him in Spirit and truth.

Joh 4:23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.

Joh 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Part of worship is gratitude from all hearts.

When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment

Mat 22:37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'

Mat 22:38 This is the first and greatest commandment.

Worship ,thanksgiving, it was created by God,

Psa 96:1 O sing to the LORD a new song; Sing to the LORD, all the earth!

Psa 96:2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name; Proclaim good news of His salvation from day to day.

Psa 96:3 Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works and wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

Psa 96:4 For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.

2 Worship, Thanksgiving will open the gates of Heaven over you.

In the book of 2Chronicals, written by Ezra we read about King Jehosaphat.

2Ch 20:1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.

Jehosaphat was the fourth King of Judah, his father was king Asa, who also followed the ways of the Lord, standing against all Idolatry.

Jehosaphat was not perfect at one point he entered in a friendship with King Ahab who was married to Jezebel, the King of Israel. Israel was divided, North Israel and South Judah. Jehoshaphat's son marry Ahab’s daughter Athaliah.

Ahab requested that Jehosaphat would join him in a Attack against

Ramoth of Gilead.

Jehosaphat asked for them to consult the Lord first.

After they consulted the Lord who told them not to go to battle by the prophet Micha, they disobey Micah because he was the only one telling them not to go and 400 of his prophets encouraging them. They were defeated as Micha prophesied and Ahab killed just as Micha told them.

2Ch 20:2 Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar" (that is, En Gedi).

2Ch 20:3 Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.

After his return to Jerusalem, Jehu the prophet confronted Jehosaphat and told him that the Lord was angry with him. Because he made an alliance with Ahab an evil King, as Jehosaphat hears this alarming news, he proclaim a fast and gathers all the people of Judah.

2Ch 20:4 The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.

Unfortunately the best thing to get our attention is trouble.

Jehoshaphat (Yahweh has judge)

He remind the people of the promises of God, and who He is.

2Ch 20:5 Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard

He worshiped God

2Ch 20:6 and said: "LORD, the God of our ancestors, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.

2Ch 20:7 Our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?

He worshiped God, recounting God’s goodness and favor to His people

Psa 100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psa 100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psa 100:5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

It was our God who created music and worship, is one of the ways he loves to be loved by you.

He wants to hear your voice singing over Him.

I believe in heaven we will hear Him singing over us with great joy, all the time. We don’t hear Him now, but He is singing over you right now.

I believe is one of God’s love language, make sure He can hear your voice.

Zep 3:17 The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing."

In Heaven, you will hear Him singing over you all the time.

I remember when Kim and I would hold our children and now our grandchildren and sing over them, a very sweet moment of intimacy with them.

2Ch 20:8 They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying,

2Ch 20:9 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.'

This was King Solomon’s prayer dedicating the Temple.

Written by Jeremiah

1Ki 8:29 May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, 'My Name shall be there,' so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.

1Ki 8:30 Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

1Ki 8:33 "When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and when they turn back to you and give praise to your name, praying and making supplication to you in this temple,

1Ki 8:34 then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.

1Ki 8:44 "When your people go to war against their enemies, wherever you send them, and when they pray to the LORD toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name,

1Ki 8:45 then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause.

2Ch 20:10 "But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them.

2Ch 20:11 See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance.

2Ch 20:12 Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

2Ch 20:13 All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD.

They were going to be wiped out by this vast army unless God would intervene

3 Worship and thanksgiving are weapons of Victory.

2Ch 20:14 Then the Spirit of the LORD came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.

2Ch 20:15 He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's.

2Ch 20:16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.

2Ch 20:17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.'"

2Ch 20:18 Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD.

2Ch 20:19 Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.

2Ch 20:20 Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful."

2Ch 20:21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever."

2Ch 20:22 As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.

2Ch 20:23 The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

The Lord Delivers Judah

2Ch 20:24 When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped.

2Ch 20:25 So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value—more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it.

You may not be in a desperate situation like Jehosaphat and Israel, but our Heavenly Father wants for you to remember this.

Your Heavenly Father Loves you, and He is for you!

Worship the Lord, and give thanks , in all circumstances, is God’s will for us

Worship will give you the victory you are praying for.

Have you asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior? Let me give you an opportunity to do so.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Joh 3:16

To receive Him we need to accept Him as God’s son, repent from our sins and a life of selfishness, asking Him to be your Lord and savior, not that you deserve it, but is a gift from God.

If this is your desire today, please repeat this prayer after me?

Heavenly Father I’m sinner, I’m sorry for my sins, I’m willing to turn away from my sins.

I receive Christ as my savior,

I confess him as Lord.

from this moment on I want to follow and serve him,

in the fellowship of his church,

In Jesus name. Amen!

1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;

1Co 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke itand said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

1Co 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.

1Co 11:27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks thiscup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

Heb 9:14 dead works, acts, sins

E mau aku ka loko maika’i o ka Haku, Iesu Kristo; me ke aloha a ke Akua, a me ka launa pu ‘ana mai o ka Uhane Hemolele ia ‘olua, a me makou apau. Amene.