BENEFITS OF THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving provides us access to God.
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,” (Psalm 100:4a)
We enter the gate of His palace with thanksgiving. It’s like God is saying before you come through my gate into the court, I want to see your state of heart, if it’s not of gratitude, you can as well remain outside the gate. Is this not the state of many Christians?

Deut 28:47-48
(47) Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
(48) Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

If you will have a close access to God, you must do it the prescribed way – enter with thanksgiving and with this you will have close access to and fellowship with your maker.
To enjoy all His benefits, we must come with thanks.
Read Romans 1:8; Eph. 1:15; Phil. 1:3; Col.1:3; 1 Thess. 11:2; 2 Tim. 1:3

What a life, child of God, let us give Him thanks, it is good to give thanks, let us celebrate our maker.

WHY SHOULD WE GIVE THANKS
“For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
(Psa 100:5)

A. The Lord is good; he is not a bad God.
B. His mercy is everlasting – Anyhow, we need His unending mercy in a crooked and perverse world.
C. His truth endureth to all generation – His truth is favour to our generation, same truth will guide, protect and provide for us.
D. Thanksgiving unlocks the supernatural – John 6:11-12 (John 11:41, 43-44) and John 6: 23 amplified John 6:11-12, pointing the fact that the miracle happened because He gave thanks.

If we do not thank God, we will miss a lot; it is not only by prayers but thanksgiving. We must not allow our feelings or situations to ruin our future by closing our hearts to thanksgiving.

Jesus demonstrated the importance of thanksgiving in Luke 17:17. He was expecting them to thank God but they disappointed Him – may we not disappoint Him in Jesus name.

“There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luk 17:18-19)


Wao, others were healed but not made whole, you may be healed but not saved, have no peace and prosperity but this stranger, because he came with thanksgiving was made whole, saved completely.
Thanksgiving makes us special and grants us close access to God.

UNTHANKFULNESS (Rom. 1:1-20)
Reading Rom.1:1-20, one can see the passion ant pain in Apostle Paul’s heart concerning the called ones in Rome (Rom. 1:6-7) and to us today, why such a level of spiritual degradation of the human race, why must we fall from Grace to grass? I was wondering why the Apostle will write with such pain and a bleeding heart and why the human race should come to such level of degradation till I saw and read verse 21,

“Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” (Rom 1:21)

a. They did not glorify God
b. They were not thankful

Thanks lift a man and gives honour. It makes for joy. Every time a person ceases to be thankful, he/she begins a down slippery path to sorrow, heaviness of heart and all its brothers & sisters in pain and perilous life style.
“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” (2Tim 3:1)

But what is it that brings about perilous times?
“For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,” (2Tim 3:2)

To be unthankful is to be unholy to murmur and complain. If we are not expressing gratitude, we will murmur and complain. Apostle Paul, knowing the gravity of ingratitude warns:

1Cor 10:7-10
(7) Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
(8) Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
(9) Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
(10) Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

Do not allow discouragement or any circumstance to make you murmur. It is destructive. In Numbers 21:4-6, the children of Israel were discouraged and impatient because of the journey. They murmured against God and His servant, Moses (many still do this today). God sent serpent and they began to die – murmuring exposes us to fiery serpents, their bites may not be physical but it will inject all sorts of poison to your spirit and life.

All these things were written for our examples
1Cor 10:11-12
(11) Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
(12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

And in verse 6, it says,
“Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.”
(1Cor 10:6)

The choice is yours (ours), to be thankful which opens you an access to God and His power or murmur.

Are we to thank God for everything? When a friend dies and goes to hell? No! 1 John 3:8b, john 10:10, not for what the devil has done. The bible says in 1 Thess. 5:18, “In”, not for everything. We give thanks in the midst of disease by saying, “… By his stripes I am …”, 1 Pet. 2:24; He took my infirmities Matt. 8:7, give thanks according to Exo. 15: 26.
We give thanks for God’s answer to Satan’s attacks.


Apostle Lawrence Achudume
The General Overseer of Victory Life Bible Church Int'l
With branches spread across the globe
Can be reached on victory2life@yahoo.com
This message can be reproduced but must be duely credited.