In everything, give thanks

Zion 1st, 11/25/23

P&W

Acknowledgements

Text: 1Thes 5:18

Title: In Everything, give thanks

Prayer

Review last week

Theo. of Rejoice

· Were not pursuing happiness we are pursuit Joy

· The Ps says in His presence there is fullness of Joy

· Rejoicing, is the expression of confidence, that God is the source of your strength

Part of what supports us in our ability to rejoice, is our consistency in Prayer. Prayer is a vital component to our spiritual fitness

And in our text prayer is sandwiched between rejoicing and giving thanks

Not being grateful can hinder our prayers and affect our Christian journey. Just look at the Hebrews journeying to the promise land.

· Theo of complaining

· They were Focusing on what the devil was doing and not what God is doing

· You have a choice keep your eyes on problems or

Some psychologists categorize three types of gratitude:

1. gratitude as an “affective trait” (one’s overall tendency to have a grateful disposition),

2. gratitude as a mood (daily fluctuations in overall gratitude),

3. gratitude as an emotion (a more temporary feeling of gratitude that one may feel after receiving a gift or a favor from someone).

Research has shown that practicing Gratitude regularly has some benefits.

1. Makes you happier, it improves positive emotions

2. Make you likeable, people like happy, grateful people

3. Improve your relationship

4. Makes you more optimistic,( it can increase your faith)

5. Make you feel more connected to God

6. Improve our health: BP, sleep, and reduce depression

Gratitude is a powerful spiritual discipline

Gratitude is spiritual hygiene: we don’t leave the house without dental hygiene, without taking a shower, without dressing ourselves. We shouldn’t leave the house without looking in the mirror speaking gratitude to yourself for the day.

We all have moments of gratitude but we don’t all have a lifestyle of gratitude. When gratitude becomes a spiritual discipline it bears profound fruit

So how can we be more thankful. How can we live a life of gratitude and thanksgiving

I. First, Thanksgiving is remembering and not forgetting the goodness of God

a. Deut 8: 14 Beware that you forget not the Lord God, in not keeping his commandments, his judgements, and his statues, which I command thee this day. 12 lest when you have eaten and are full, and has built good houses, to live in, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your siler and gold multiply, and everything you have multiply, then your heart will be lifted up and you will forget the Lord, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.

b. When God prospers us we have a tendency to forget the source of our blessings

c. When He brings us out of our trials we sometimes forget the source of our deliverance

d. Theo. of remembering

i. You have to keep reminding yourself of the faithfulness of God

ii. You have to keep reminding yourself that it was the kindness of God that blessed me.

II. Thanksgivingis generosity: it’s remembering that you get blessed when you are a blessing

a. Luke 6:38 says give and it shall be given to you, press down, shaken together and running over.

b. When blessing pass thu you, blessing come to you.

c. Theo. generosity and thanksgiving

i. You are saying thank you Lord by being a blessing to someone else

ii. You are saying thank you Lord by being kind to someone

iii. You are saying thank you Lord by taking time give someone a hand

iv. You are saying thank you Lord by sharing what you have with someone

III. But how can we give thanks IN all things?

a. The text says iThes 5;18 IN everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

b. notice that it didn’t say give thanks FOR everything

c. you can be sick, and not be thankful for your sickness but thankful that God is still a healer

d. you can have cancer, and not be thankful for your cancer, but thankful God is still Good

e. you can be homeless and not be thankful FOR your homelessness, but you can thank God in your situation

f. it doesn’t mean you have to be thankful FOR trouble in your home, but you can still be thankful in your situation that God will keep you.

g. Whatever your situations, you don’t have to be thankful FOR it but you can be thankful IN it.

IV. Story of Job

a. Job didn’t give God thanks for loosing his children,

b. Job didn’t give God thanks for loosing his life stock,

c. Job didn’t give God thanks for loosing his health

After all the horrible things that happened to Job and his family, the bible says Job ripped his clothes, shaved his head, fell the ground and worshipped God. And then he said, “ naked I came out of my mothers womb and naked I shall return, the Lord gave and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the lord.

V. Story of Jonah

a. God gave Jonah an assignment he disagreed with so he ran..

b. Ended up on ship heading in the wrong direction

c. Had to jump overboard and ended up in the whale

d. The text says when he was in the belly, he repented and then he said

i. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving

e. And when he gave thanks the whale had to give him up

i. U see your circumstance cant hold you when you give God thanks…

ii. You may not be grateful for the circumstance but you can give thanks in it..

VI. Story of Daniels:

a. Set up by folks that didn’t like him,

b. They convinced the king to create a decree that would entrap Daniel

c. But Daniel is faithful and keeps praying 3x/day and his faithfulness cuses him to end up with lions

d. But Daniel continues to pray and give thanks

e. And his thanksgiving cause the mouth of those that wish to devour you is enemies to be shut.

f. If you want to shut up your enemies, learn to give God thanks

g. If you want to want to spoil the plot have set for you, give God thanks

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