SACRIFICE OF THANKS GIVING

Thanking and praising God is not a thinking engagement but a giving engagement. You do not think thanks; you give thanks. Also, thanks should be an every moment engagement. Giving thanks and praising God cannot be separated because both go together. Psalm 92:1 confirms, “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High”. When understanding backs up conviction, it delivers an undeniable miracle. When thanking and praising Him is backed without understanding, it becomes empty emotion. Thanking and praising God should not be rooted in emotion that is not backed with understanding because the Bible declares in Psalm 47:7, “For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.” Whenever giving thanks and praise is not rooted in understanding, it becomes an entertainment. Thanking and praising God is an act of declaring His goodness at all times. The Psalmist buttress, “To declare Your loving kindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night.” (Psalm 92:2) How to thank and praise Him is not relegated to a particular guideline. However, Psalm 92:3 does mention: “On an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound.” The Psalmist went further by declaring why we should thank and praise Him stating, “For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands. O LORD, how great are Your works! Your thoughts are very deep.”(Psalm 92:4-5) God is worthy of thanksgiving and praise worship by declaring His work as the Psalmist did. Evidently, volumes and pages of book will never be enough to identify what thanking and praising God has done or could bring forth. Thanking and praising God gets Heaven’s attention because God inhabits the praises of His people. We do not only give thanks for what God has done or what He is doing but we also give thanks for what He can do or what we expect Him to do. Are you expecting God to move concerning your confronting situation? Regardless of the magnitude of your situation, believe and give thanks to God before manifestation of your expectation. Jesus believed that God was going to bring Lazarus back to life and as a result, Jesus did not wait for Lazarus to rise before He thanked God for Lazarus’ rising from dead. It is written, “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.’” (John 11:41) If you will begin to thank Him prior to the manifestation of your expectation, the Lazarus in your life will rise in Jesus name.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” The Word of God goes further concerning the issue of thanksgiving when it states in Ephesians 5:20-21, “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.” Clearly and evidently, these two Scriptural verses point to the truth that those who give thanks for all things will have all things work together for good on their behalf. As difficult or as challenging situations can be, there is never a reason not to give thanks for all things and in all things.
God, who is a jealous God, desires and deserves our attention and will always expect thanksgiving and praise worship from us. This is evident in the documentation of Jesus and the ten lepers who were healed. When ten lepers were healed, “…one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God.” (Luke 17:15) One leper’s return to give thanks with a loud voice prompted Jesus’ response, “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:18-19) Only God knows how long the returned leper had been trusting God for his healing before Jesus spoke healing into his life. The important point here is that he was able to go back and offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Also, he was not just thinking thanksgiving in his heart but rather gave thanks with a loud voice. Jesus’ response testifies to the fact that He was waiting for the lepers to return for thanksgiving. Just as He waited for the leper to return for thanks giving, so He is waiting for us to return and give thanks. Return and do not wait until the year is out. Give thanks for all year long prayer requests manifestation. Have you been trusting God for any miracle that is not yet in your hand? Provoke the hand of God by thanking Him expressively for the prayers that are not yet manifested. God performs in prayer and perfects in thanksgiving. One leper went back for thanksgiving and Jesus added perfection to his healing deliverance. Consider this month your month of thanksgiving and your coming month will become your month of manifestation. Thanking God before prayer manifestation is exercising faith to provoke God’s hand to move on your behalf.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of giving a reasonable sacrifice of thanksgiving.