THE SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING - PART 2

Thanksgiving lays the foundation for praise and worship. 

1) The Source Of Thanksgiving Is Grace
Thanks is our reaction when we realize that all we have, receive, and are is a gift of God's grace. Thanksgiving is rejoicing at what God gave when we were undeserving. True gratitude registers surprise that God could be so good to us when we deserve nothing. (See Acts 27:35; 28:15; Romans 6:17; 1 Corinthians 1:4; Colossians 1:12 & Revelation 11:17)

2) The Condition Of Thanksgiving Is Agreement
Thanksgiving means that you agree with God. Thus, the Bible encourages you to give thanks in ALL circumstances (see 1 Thessalonians 5:18) and to pray about things that concern you most by making your petitions with thanksgiving (see Philippians 4:6)

3) The Response Of Thanksgiving Is Worship
Thanksgiving responds to God's specific acts. Praise and thanks are thus natural partners in worship (see Psalms 100:4; Hebrews 13:15). Your prayers and your actions worship your Creator. When you thank God, you enter His presence, worship Him, and present an offering to Him.

4) The Occasion For Thanksgiving is Everything
Nothing should escape your thanksgiving. God is active in every area of your life and can show you His direction even in the darkest hour. Thanking God frees Him to work in your life through those circumstances.

5) The Reward Of Thanksgiving 
Is God's blessings, peace, joy, growth, worship, and life in Christ. If you have trouble giving thanks under any circumstances, ask the Spirit to fill you (see Ephesians 5:18-20)
An extract from MasterLife - The Disciple's Victory by Avery T. Willis, Jr.
Blessings - TPWC

ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING - PART 1

Pray, Give Thanks And Let God Worry - Martin Luther

Philippians 4:6 is one of the most straightforward commands in Scripture, but one of the hardest to fulfill. Yet if we believe in the inspiration of Scripture, the originator of this verse is none other than the Holy Spirit.

How can God expect us to be anxiety free? He must have a reason. He wouldn’t tell us to do something that’s impossible to do. No, the rationale for this imperative comes in the words that follow. The reason we can be anxious for nothing is that our prayers, petitions, and requests can be given over to God in the spirit of GRATITUDE. Prayer with thanksgiving gives us rock-solid assurance that our anxieties are unfounded.

It is possible for a worshiper who is practicing the presence of God daily to be able to manage all his fears, anxieties and stresses. How is this possible? The answer is found in the presence of God. When you are in the presence of God, there is JOY and “The Joy of the Lord is your strength”! That is why Paul is able to give us a command in Philippians 4:4 to “REJOICE in the Lord always. I will say it again: REJOICE!” In fact a worshiper who is practicing the presence of God will be able to stay calmed in any situations because “the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5). And the result is having "the peace of God" (Philippians 4:7) in midst of all circumstances.

Can I challenge you further on the spirit of thankfulness, gratitude and rejoicing?

1) Colossians 3:15-17"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."Be thankful - that is not a suggestion; it is a command. In all that we do we need to be guided by two principles: doing it "in the name of the Lord Jesus" and "giving thanks to God through Him"

2) Ephesians 5:19
"... speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."When you are full of the Holy Spirit you will continually give God thanks. In fact, you can measure the fullness of the Spirit within you partly by the spirit of a thankful heart. When you cease to do so, it is one sure indication you are beginning to leak out

3) 1 Thessalonians 5:18
"... in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."What is the will of God in Christ Jesus? To give thanks in everything. So if you are not giving thanks, as we have already seen, you are actually out of the will of God.

GRATITUDE is an attitude that if it isn't flowing naturally now, should be cultivated zealously. Practice it often, and it will soon become as natural as breathing.

Have a joyous and victorious week!
TPWC

PRAISE REVOLUTION: READ

May My Lips Overflow With Praise,

For You Teach Me Your Decrees

Psalm 119:171

PRAISE will revolutinize your life! There's no doubt about it. It will reorient your thinking, taking your mind off of yourself and placing it firmly on GOD, where it belongs. Rehearsing His mercies will open your eyes to them, and confessing His name as the source behind all your blessings will magnify your blessings enormously. PRAISE is a radical step in a life-changing direction.

The problem many believers have with that is where to start. How do you PRAISE Him? Where do you begin? What if you're discouraged and depressed, and your eyes can hardly see the blessings He's given, much less prompt your mouth to PRAISE Him for them? What if you hardly know Who He is and can barely come up with words to say? The psalmist gives us the answer: Begin in His WORD.

Very practically, here's a good way to learn to PRAISE the Lord. Begin reading. Open your Bible to any page in any section - it doesn't matter where, although Psalms or the New Testament ase good places to start. Begin reading a passage. When you get to a verse that speaks of God's faithfulness, PRAISE Him for His faithfulness. Think of ways He's been faithful to you. When the WORD speaks of His sacrifice or His love or His promises, PRAISE Him for His sacrifice, love or promises. As often as His WORD reveals some aspect of His character or His works, thank Him for that character and those works. Voice your gratitude for the way He is and the things He does. Before long, you will be an endless fountain of PRAISE.

MAN'S CHIEF WORK IS THE PRAISE OF GOD

- AUGUSTINE -

Can you think of a better use for your life than being an endless fountain of PRAISE? God uses such fountains mightily. He changes hearts and redeems souls for just such purposes. You might have always thought that He is focused on your behavior - and certainly He cares about it - but behavior begins in the HEART. PRAISE reorient the HEART. Focus there, and let your fountain flow.
(an extract from Worship The King - by Chris Tiegreen)

ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING - PART 1

Pray, Give Thanks And Let God Worry - Martin Luther

Philippians 4:6 is one of the most straightforward commands in Scripture, but one of the hardest to fulfill. Yet if we believe in the inspiration of Scripture, the originator of this verse is none other than the Holy Spirit.

How can God expect us to be anxiety free? He must have a reason. He wouldn’t tell us to do something that’s impossible to do. No, the rationale for this imperative comes in the words that follow. The reason we can be anxious for nothing is that our prayers, petitions, and requests can be given over to God in the spirit of GRATITUDE. Prayer with thanksgiving gives us rock-solid assurance that our anxieties are unfounded.

It is possible for a worshiper who is practicing the presence of God daily to be able to manage all his fears, anxieties and stresses. How is this possible? The answer is found in the presence of God. When you are in the presence of God, there is JOY and “The Joy of the Lord is your strength”! That is why Paul is able to give us a command in Philippians 4:4 to “REJOICE in the Lord always. I will say it again: REJOICE!” In fact a worshiper who is practicing the presence of God will be able to stay calmed in any situations because “the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5). And the result is having "the peace of God" (Philippians 4:7) in midst of all circumstances.

Can I challenge you further on the spirit of thankfulness, gratitude and rejoicing?

1) Colossians 3:15-17
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
Be thankful - that is not a suggestion; it is a command. In all that we do we need to be guided by two principles: doing it "in the name of the Lord Jesus" and "giving thanks to God through Him"

2) Ephesians 5:19
"... speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
When you are full of the Holy Spirit you will continually give God thanks. In fact, you can measure the fullness of the Spirit within you partly by the spirit of a thankful heart. When you cease to do so, it is one sure indication you are beginning to leak out

3) 1 Thessalonians 5:18
"... in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
What is the will of God in Christ Jesus? To give thanks in everything. So if you are not giving thanks, as we have already seen, you are actually out of the will of God.

GRATITUDE is an attitude that if it isn't flowing naturally now, should be cultivated zealously. Practice it often, and it will soon become as natural as breathing.

Have a joyous and victorious week!
TPWC

THE GATEWAY TO WORSHIP

God has two dwellings:

one in heaven, and

the other in a meek

and thankful heart

Izaak Walton

How do we become a lifestyle worshiper? Where is the starting point? Worship begins with saying, "THANK YOU." Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter His gates with thanksgiving ..." In other words, GRATITUDE is the gateway to worship. We enter the gates with thanksgiving, then we cross the courts with praise. Hebrews 12:28 says, "Be thankful, and so worship God acceptably." It all starts with saying THANKS.

"Thank you." Two simple words that can be, at times, oh so difficult to say. THANKFULNESS IS A DISCIPLINE. It is a learned BEHAVIOUR. Giving thanks is a way for us to declare the glory of God. It keeps us in a heart-posture of surrender and humility. It reminds us that our lives are in someone else's hands. THANKFULNESS helps us recall God's wonderful acts of mercy and grace, and to recognize that these very acts are born out of His unchanging nature.

God's actions are demonstrations of His character. He does what He does because of Who He is. He saves because He is the Saviour. He creates because He is the Creator. He heals because He is the Healer ... As we thank God for what he does, we soon begin to worship God for Who He is.

The are 137 verses of Scripture about offering thanks to God. THANKFULNESS is important to Him. It should be important to us. Even worship of heaven as described by John in Revelation includes expressions of thanksgiving:
And the twenty-four elders, who were on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: "We give THANKS to you, Lord God Almighty, the One Who is and was, because you have taken Your great power and have begun to reign." (Revelation 11:16)
If worship in heaven includes THANKSGIVING, so should the worship on earth.

So here is a question that we must prayerfully ask ourselves everyday: Are we thankful? Are our hearts full of gratitude or resentment? Gratitude and resentment cannot co-exist. Resentment is indignation toward God. It takes offense at apparent mistreatment. Resentment is the attitude that I did not get what I deserve - that I have somehow been unfairly injured or mistreated.

Resentment is rooted in pride;
it is watered with tears of self-pity;
it bears the fruit of bitterness;
and it scatters seeds of envy.

The resentful heart cannot say thank you for what it has been given, because it can only look at what it does not have. And therefore, the resentful heart cannot be a place of worship, because thanksgiving is the beginning of worship (Psalm 100:4). In order to be a worshiper, we must learn to say thank you. Even in hard times.

Especially in the hard times. If we have truly surrendered our lives to God, then who are we to say anything but thank you for what comes to us from the Father's hand? As Job said, "Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" (Job 2:10). I have walked with the Lord long enough to know that many things I call "trouble" turn out for my good, and many things I perceived to be "good" have proven otherwise. If we truly believe that "In all things God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28), then we can say thank you in every joy or sorrow, every success or failure, every gain or loss. It isn't always easy. Sometimes it really is a sacrifice. But it is necessary.

The prophet Jonah, from inside the belly of the fish, said:
"But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes form the Lord." (Jonah 2:9)
Jonah's sacrifice in the midst of his trial was a simple song of thanksgiving. He said thank you before he was set free. But it was not until Joanh said thank you that God brought about his deliverance

The Apostle Paul wrote, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). God's will is that we give thanks in ALL circumstances

In the Gospel of Luke we read an encounter Jesus had with ten lepers (see Luke 17:12-10). Ten men called out to Jesus. Ten men were healed. Only one of them said thank you - and he was a Samaritan, the least likely of the bunch. Did it matter to Jesus? Yes. He asked, "Where are the other nine?" Apparently, there is a 90% chance that we will forget to say thank you. Surely there is something we can be thankful for today - And yet, how much do we take for granted.

Worship begins with two simple words: Thank you.
(An extract from - The Way of a Worshiper by Buddy Owens)
You may wish to see related blog post - January 16 & 23 - A Deeper Gratitude and Goodbye Grumblings)

Be Thankful! (Colossians 3:15)
TPWC

GOODBYE GRUMBLINGS!

He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,

and he prepares the way so that I may show him

the salvation of God.

Psalm 50:23

Continuing from last week's post on - "A Deeper Gratitude", this week a TPWC's member posted an interesting question on her Facebook's status:"How do we know the will of God for us so that we can be in the centre of it?" There were many enlightening and inspiring answers .....
I gave my input with a perspective of a worshiper and thought it would be good for us to know that the easiest & fastest way to be in the centre of God's will is to walk in the spirit of THANKFULNESS! 1 Thessalonians 5:18 speaks so clearly "IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD!"

There is something very powerful and transforming if we dare live a life of walking in the spirit of thankfulness. God's will easily fall in place in everything we do. On the contary we will struggle like the Israelite in the "wilderness of God's will" if we choose a life of complaining, grumbling or murmuring. In 1 Corinthians 10:10-11, the apostle Paul was speaking about the behaviour of the Israelites in their wanderings from Egypt to the Promised Land ... "And don't MURMUR against God and His dealings with you, as some of them did for that is why God sent His Angel (of death) to destroy them. All these happended to them as examples to warn us against doing the same things; they were written down so that we could read about them and learn from them."

In spite of the many miracles God had performed to deliver them from slavery, the Israelites didn't trust God. Everytime something went wrong, they COMPLAINED bitterly and wanted to go back to Egypt. Why did it take them forty years to cover less than two hundred miles? Even with women and children and cattle, they could have covered the distance in a few weeks. They were delayed because they MURMURED and refuse to trust that God would keep His promise to take care of their every need.

So what's wrong with a little complaining? What difference does it make? It does make all the difference in the world. Everything depends on how we respond to the little things in life. A marriage counselor will tell you that a marriage usually breaks up over little things. It takes only a small nail to puncture a tire. A small mistake by a mechanic can cause the crash of a giant airliner. A small misunderstanding can start a war. Little things mean a lot, because this is the level where we live, down at the nitty-gritty of our attitude at breakfast table, or in the long checkout line at the supermarket.
Grumbling comes so easily to all of us that we often don't even realise what we are doing. But grumbling is the very opposite of thanksgiving; a complaint is the opposite of trust; a murmur against your wife when she burns your toast is the opposite of a loving acceptance. The dictionary defines a complaint as an accusation. You know what? By complaining and grumbling you are actually accusing God of mismanaging the details of your life. The attiutde of thanksgiving and praise releases the power of God into our lives, but the attitude of murmuring and complaining blocks that power.

Our compliants and murmurings against God in the little things can keep us from entering into the perfect plan He has for our lives. The cause of the Israelites' murmuring was UNBELIEF, and UNBELIEF is the root of every one of our complaints. Unbelief, like all sin is a deliberate act of rebellion against God. We can choose whether or not to believe. The first step in dealing with any sin is confession ... admitting to the Lord that we are habitual grumblers, and confessing and asking God for forgiveness. Then we make an agreement with God not to grumble and promise instead to thank Him for every little thing that used to make us grumble. In practice, we will find that the Lord will bring into our lives the very kinds of circumstances that used to trigger our grumbling. When we see them coming, we can thank and praise God, because He is using those very incidents to bring about change in us. Once they made us stumlbe; now they will show us God's strength. Accepting every little thing that happens with joy and thanksgiving will release the power of God in and through us.

To be a worshiper, we need to begin disciplining our lives daily with the spirit of thanksgiving. The benefits of a thankful heart are many ... by giving thanks:
- We are in His divine will (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
- We have immediate access into His presence (Psalm 100:4, 16:11)
- The joy of the Lord will be our strength (Nehemiah 8:10)

Rejoice in the Lord, Always! (Philippians 4:4)
TPWC

A DEEPER GRATITUDE

Be Thankful
Colossians 3:15

Does joyful gratitude characterize our life? Does our hearts dwell in a culture of thankfulness? It should. When was the last time we were so overjoyed with God's work in our life that our praise began flowing spontaneously?If we have a hard time answering that question, ask ourself why? Is it because God has not blessed us enough? Or is it because we have failed to thank Him for His blessings?
Hebrew 12:28 says that gratitude is an acceptable offering to God. Why? Because it acknowledges Who He is better than any other attitude. It recognizes that He is a Blesser, a Giver, a Redeemer of incomparable worth. Gratitude sees God as He is. Here are four statements about thankfulness - requirement, really - from four different Epistles of apostle Paul:

1) Colossians 3:15-17

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

Be thankful - that is not a suggestion; it is a command. In ALL that we do we need to be guided by two principles: doing it "in the name of the Lord Jesus" and "giving thanks to God through Him"
2) Ephesians 5:19
"... speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
When you are full of the Holy Spirit you will continually give God thanks. In fact, you can measure the fullness of the Spirit within you partly by the spirit of a thankful heart. When you cease to do so, it is one sure indication you are beginning to leak out
3) 1 Thessalonians 5:18
"... in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
What is the will of God in Christ Jesus? To give thanks in everything. So if you are not giving thanks, as we have already see, you are actually out of the will of God.
4) Philippians 4:6
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
Never bring a request to God without thanksgiving. There is nothing wrong with petitioning God for His help, but there is something tragically wrong with failing to thank Him often. Cultivate in your life a culture of gratitude.

The essentials of a Grateful Heart:
- It provides access to God's presence (Psalm 100:4)
- It unlocks the supernatural miracle power of God (John 6:11-12 the feeding of the five thousand)
- It ascribes glory to God by acknowledging His goodness (Psalm 107:1)
- It testifies to His character in the eyes of the world (Exodus 34:6-7; Colossians 3:17)
- It keeps us in His will (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Gratitude is an attitude that if it isn't flowing naturally now, should be cultivated zealously. Practice it often, and it will soon become as natural as breathing.

Give Thanks!
TPWC