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We must constantly remind ourselves of the truth that life is not guaranteed by the strength and struggle of man 1Sam. 2:9; Eccl. 9:11. It is God’s presence, manifestation and help that makes all the difference in the race of life Exo. 33:14-15; Psa. 127:1-2. Therefore, everyone that desires to make the most of his life must know how to secure divine presence and manifestation in life. Praise is a guaranteed way to secure God’s presence and manifestation Psa. 22:3; Exo. 15:11. But it is genuine thanksgiving that results into praise Psa. 100:3. This means that it will take thanksgiving to make the most of life.

What is Thanksgiving?

1. Thanksgiving is acknowledging God as the one behind all the good things around us Jn. 3:27; 1Cor. 4:7.

We must not assume it that God knows we recognize Him as the one behind the good things in our lives. We have to consciously express it to God and men, when this is not done, the individual is not a thanks-giver.

• Thanksgiving is recounting of God’s loving kindness Psa. 103:1-5; 118:23.

We must be deliberate in counting our blessings, else we will forget them. And forgetfulness is a great enemy of thankfulness.

What are We Thanking God for?

Thanksgiving has to be done with understanding for it to profit Psa. 47:7. This is the understanding of what we are thanking God for. There are too many, but we shall limit ourselves to just three basic ones in this teaching.

1. For all the benefits of redemption Rev. 5:12; 2Pet. 1:3.

The death and resurrection of Jesus was not just to make the believer gain access to eternity with Christ, this is the ultimate. But first, it is to give the believer access to all it takes to enjoy life to its fullness on the earth 1Cor. 15:19. We must keep appreciating God for these benefits in order to move God to deliver them in reality.

• For His wondrous works in our lives Psa. 40:5; 2Cor. 2:14.

Every good thing in our lives has no other source than God. These include; provision, protection and preservation, success, triumph, and so on. These are the things we must always thank God for in our lives.

• For change of levels Psa. 75:6-8; 2Cor. 3:18.

Isaac Newton in his First Law of Motion says, “Every object will continue in a state of rest or uniform motion until an external force is applied”. In essence, a man will remain at the same level until a relevant force from outside him is exerted, the force for man is God Psa. 127:1-2. This is why for every change of level we must acknowledge God for it.

Benefits of Thanksgiving.

1. It engenders joyfulness.

Thankfulness is a booster of joy; because it triggers the release of the oil which makes for joy and gladness Psa. 92:1-2,10; 45:7. Therefore, only the thankful can truly be joyful. Remember, joy is the believer gateway to all the benefits in the kingdom Isa. 12:3; Joel 1:11-12.

1. It secures fulfilment of prophecies.

Thankfulness is God’s will for the believer in whatever situation he finds himself 1Ths. 5:18. When the believer has fulfilled God’s will, he is entitled for the delivery of God’s promise Heb. 10:36.

1. It preserves God’s blessings in our lives.

Whatever God does is ordained to be forever, but this is when we meet the covenant demand, which is thankfulness Mal. 2:1-3. In essence, without thanksgiving God’s blessings are short lived or have expiry dates.

In conclusion, until we thanks God for the last, we are not qualified for the next Lk. 17:17-19.

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 saving me.”

Prayer.

Father in the name of Jesus, I receive the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for the lifestyle of thanksgiving that will make me to enjoy a fulfilled life from today Eph. 3:16.