We have heard it said that; when we are thankful, we will be joyful Psa. 100:4; 16:11; when we are joyful, we will be praiseful Jms. 5:13; and when we are praiseful, we will be wonderful Exo. 15:11. In essence, when the believer adopts thanksgiving as his lifestyle, he has signed-in for a life that will be full of wonders! Remember, the believer by reason of new birth is ordained to be a wonder Isa. 8:18; Zch. 3:8. But this can only be the reality when the believer makes thanksgiving his lifestyle. But one thing, among others, which will help the believer for a lifestyle of thanksgiving, is the understanding of why we give thanks.

Why do we Give Thanks?

1. It is a debt we owe God.

We owe God thanks, both as individuals and as a church 2Ths. 2:13. When we fail to thank God we make the debt to pile up, which at a point may cause the believer a disconnection from God Lk. 17:17-19. A disconnection from God is disconnection from the source of life; it makes the believer to experience drying and the wilderness.

2. For every good thing He has done.

We owe God thanks for every good thing He has done for us Eph. 5:20. Every good thing that we see in our lives can only be from one source, and that is God Jms. 1:17. We must be intentional in thanking God for them, and express it the appropriate way that God will know we are truly thanking Him.

3. To have our blessings preserved.

We must understand that blessing received is not the same as blessing preserved Mal. 2:2-3. It is blessing preserved that enriches life Pro. 10:22. Thanksgiving is the spiritual preservative that the believer must engage to have God’s blessing in his life preserved Jer. 13:15-17. For example, God blessed Saul with the throne but his stay on the throne was short-lived for lack of preservation, while David has made his throne to endure till eternity 1Sam. 10:1; 16:1,13; Jer. 33:20-21. The difference between them is thanksgiving; we never saw anywhere that Saul was engaged in thanksgiving, while David was an addicted man of thanksgiving 2Sam. 6:14,20-22.

4. For supernatural multiplication.

We serve the God of supernatural multiplication Deu. 1:11. God’s blessing must be multiplied in man for him to experience the life of satisfaction and fulfilment Gen. 1:28. Many believers have dwelt in the realm of blessing, but yet to experience multiplied blessing, so they are yet to be fulfilled in life. For example, Lot was blessed but didn’t experience multiplied blessing Gen. 13:5,11-12; 14:1-16. This made Lot not to experience a truly fulfilled life, while in the case of Abraham is still celebrated till today for multiplied blessing Gen. 24:1. Thanksgiving is the kingdom mystery for the multiplication of God’s blessing in the believer’s life Jer. 30:19; Jn. 6:3-11.

5. To acknowledge the source of our breakthrough.

Breakthrough simply means advancing no matter the opposition and obstacles on one’s path. Every life is faced with oppositions and obstacles, irrespective of status, credential and how religious Mat. 7:24-27. From scriptures, we understand that God is the source of every breakthrough we experience Psa. 114:1-8; Rms. 8:31; 1Cor. 4:7; 2Cor. 4:7. We must therefore be intentional in acknowledging God for the advancement we enjoyed in spite of the oppositions, so that we don’t stop the way to further progress.

6. To secure fulfilment of prophecies.

Prophecies are ordained for fulfilment in the life of the believer Isa. 55:10-11. But the believer has the responsibility for every prophecy that will be fulfilled in his life 1Tim. 1:18. Thanksgiving for the prophecy that has gone forth is the guarantee for the fulfilment of prophecy 1Ths. 5:18; Heb. 10:36. In essence, the believer that will thank God for what He has said is sure to see them come to pass in his life as God has spoken.

The Dangers in Lack of Thanksgiving.

1. Lack of thanksgiving destroys.

Lack of thanksgiving makes the believer a victim of the forces of destruction Psa. 28:5. Every believer that desires to escape everything that can destroy must embrace the lifestyle of thanksgiving.

In conclusion, God repackaged the whole earth in only six (6) days, and rested on the seventh (7) day. So one week left for the year to end is more than enough for great things to still happen in anyone’s life. Remember, the end is ordained for great things Job 8:7. As we engage in thanksgiving, we move God to do what He does at the end in our lives this week, which are GREAT things.

To anyone reading this that will love to give his/her life to Christ, pray this prayer out loud with me from your heart: “Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you today. Forgive me my sins; wash me with your blood. I believe you died for me, on the third day you rose again that I may be justified. Right now, I believe that my sins are forgiven; I’m justified by your blood; I’m born-again; I’m saved; I’m a child of God; I’m free from the power of sin to serve the living God. Thank you Jesus for receiving me; thank you Jesus for restoring me; thank you Jesus for

Prayer.

Father in the name of Jesus, empower me by the Holy Spirit for the life of thanksgiving from today Isa. 61:3.