Victory Life KY

Thankful

Episode Summary

What if Thanksgiving for the born again was a lifestyle? Throughout the scriptures one common characteristic associated with thankfulness is humility. You won’t see one without the other.

Episode Notes

• Hebrews 12:28,NIV- “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”

• Throughout the scriptures one common characteristic associated with thankfulness is humility. You won’t see one without the other.

• Psalm 25, He leads the humble in justice, and teaches them His way.

• There’s a beautiful story in Luke 7 about the alabaster box.

• As we follow Jesus through the chapter, He makes one of His many bold, in your face statements: “The children of this generation are like spoiled children complaining.”
• Then one of the Pharisees invites Jesus to his house. A prostitute shows up to worship Jesus.

• Luke 7,MSG- She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful.
• If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.

• Maybe this is why Jesus made statements like, I desire mercy, not sacrifice.

• Here’s something else we should consider, the prostitute saw something in Jesus the Pharisee couldn’t see. Could it be a heart issue?
• Remember, He teaches the humble His ways.

• This week as we gather and celebrate our blessed holiday, lets remember, like the young lady worshiping Jesus, what He’s actually done for us.

• Hebrews 12:28,NIV- “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”

• We should also be grateful, that we live in the most blessed place on the planet.

• Living in a nation where we actually have a day set aside to acknowledge, reflect, and honor the God who made us this great people, we should absolutely express our deepest thanks with honor and humility.

• President George Washington made this statement to our nation, “It is our duty as a nation to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God,
• to be humbly grateful for His protection and favor. And to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks.”

• As we enter another holiday season, for me personally, Thanksgiving is the kick off of the season, but at the heart of thanksgiving, it’s so much more than a holiday, it’s an attitude of our heart. It’s part of the nature of the born again.

• What if Thanksgiving for the born again was a lifestyle?

• What if we lived like the holiday was everyday?

• I can tell you with absolute certainty that a humble, thankful heart is a game changer in our life of faith. Remember, thankfulness and humility are eternally connected.
• God gives grace to the humble and exalts the humble.

• Unfortunately, in todays society we see way too much of the opposite. So much entitlement, complaining, ungratefulness, more focused on self, focused on what we don’t have.

• Thank God for His word, He provides us one of His most inspiring letters to help us not only navigate challenging times, but right in the middle of them, maintain our God imparted nature of thankfulness and joy.

• Paul’s letter to the Philippians is one of encouragement and thankfulness for their generous giving and ministry support.

• That being said, he still takes the opportunity to pastor them concerning some of their current issues.

• And obviously, this letters primary theme is joy, regardless of situations.
• Paul makes it pretty clear that this kind of joy cannot be found in favorable circumstances, but in a growing relationship with Jesus.

• Philippians 4 would be a wonderful devotion and meditation for all of us through the Thanksgiving holiday.

• Philippians 4:4-7,NLKV- Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
• Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
• Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
• and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

• Here’s a key take home for today, a thankful, reverent heart is truly the threshold for the supernatural. This is why so many Hebrew words connected to thankfulness are the same as worship. And a thankful heart of worship connects us on a more authentic level with God’s presence.

• At the end of the day, the closer we grow in our relationship with Jesus, our natural response will be a more authentic worship.

• Psalm 34, “I worship GOD every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. I live and breathe GOD;

• King David said, “Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore.
• From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”
• Psalm 95, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, and the great King above all gods.”

• Psalm 100, “Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”

• God's word is very clear that His blessing, His breakthrough, His victory, was always preceded by the praise of His people. Because faith already knows what God has promised He will fulfill.

• We have to realize that a humble, thankful heart, offered to God through our worship, is something our Father loves, but knows that ultimately it’s more for us than Him.

• You see, it's in those times that we take a step of faith and offer our sacrifice of worship to God that we experience Him in new light.

• AW Tozer said, "When we worship in those times when we don't feel like it, it's even more treasured."

• This is why one of the very first thing we have to acknowledge is that thankful heart of worship will absolutely connect us on a more authentic level with God’s presence.

• This is why as Christians,  thanksgiving is so much more than a holiday. Thanksgiving should be at the heart of ever believer confessing Jesus as their savior.

• Giving thanks to God is really a declaration of our trust and reliance to the goodness of God no matter the circumstances.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,NKJV- “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

• And always remember this, a consistent life of thanksgiving is a faith inspired acknowledgement of all God has done for us.

• Cultivating a lifestyle of thanksgiving is the doorway to receiving more from the Lord.

• This righteous response of thanksgiving is truly an exercise of humility, and what’s comforting is that God gives more grace to the humble.

• King David said, “Let’s give thanks at the remembrance of His name.”

• Remember the 10 lepers that Jesus healed, the thing I love about the one that came back, was that he stopped right away and went back to thank Jesus.

• Remember, being thankful is a declaration that God is faithful and good.

• But unthankfulness is directly connected with unbelief. Psalm 78 actually gives us some clear insight into just how destructive ungratefulness can be. “They limited the Holy One of Israel.”

• And this is why I’m convinced that a major key to receiving more from God is simply being more thankful. Acknowledging what He’s already done.

• 1 Corinthians 15:57-58,NKJV-  “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

• A big take away from Paul is that thanksgiving is connected to victory. And giving thanks before we see the victory is faith, and faith is what connects us to God’s grace.

• My prayer today is to remind all,of us that Jesus is leading us in these victorious, over coming lives. We’re just regular people, with humble, thankful hearts, willing to trust Him.

• Hebrews 12:28,NIV- “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”

• The longer I pastor, the more I realize that anyone willing to embrace this humble thankful approach to a life in Jesus will have a recognizable difference in their life.

• It’s humble, thankful believers that recognize even one touch of God’s immeasurable love is bigger than anything we’re going thorough.

• Listen to president Lincoln’s words as he addressed our nation, “We often forget the source from which the blessings of our fruitful years come.
• No human wisdom or mortal hand has devised these things.
• They are the gracious gift from the Most High God,
• I therefore invite my fellow citizens to observe this day of thanksgiving and praise to our Father who dwells in Heaven.”

• Psalm 9:1,AMP- I will give thanks and praise the LORD, with all my heart.