There are about 400 passages mentioning gratitude and thanksgiving. Here are some of the benefits of gratitude:
Gratitude defeats toxic emotions
Gratitude reduces pain
Gratitude improves physical and mental health
Gratitude improves sleep quality
Gratitude aids in stress regulation
Gratitude reduces anxiety and depression
Gratitude improves relationships and opens the door to people and opportunities
Gratitude IS THE EVIDENCE OF MATURITY
Gratitude pleases God and brings His blessing
Gratitude is the fulcrum.
Fulcrum Def: the point on which a lever rests or is supported and on which it pivots.
a thing that plays a central or essential role in an activity, event, or situation.
- Your leverage is only as good as your fulcrum.
Leverage on soft ground requires something stable and firm
Any situation (lever) plus Gratitude (fulcrum) = the best result possible.
In 2022 we are called to Adopt an attitude of gratitude
Col 2:6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
Col 2:7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. NKJV
Col 3:17 Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks through him to God the Father. GNB
1. The lifestyle of Gratitude is a lifestyle of
and you can not be faithful without acting in
.
Deu 7:9 Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. —NLT
- Faith requires us to be thankful for what God is
- Gratitude helps us to
Mat 15:34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
Mat 15:35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
Mat 15:36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.
Mat 15:37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. —(NKJV)
- He didn’t murmur - He blessed.
- He didn’t curse - He thanked His Father.
- Pity doesn’t move God Praise moves God
- Gratitude is the seed when you are in need.
2. Gratitude is the
of murmuring and complaining.
- Complaining empowers the inferior to undermine your faith.
- Complaining can only happen when you are focused on the problem more than the goodness of God.
When Jesus needed provision for thousand of people He didn’t say a bunch of magic words He didn’t yell and shout. He didn’t murmur and list off what He could not see. He simply said Thank you, Father.
3. Thanksgiving is the on-ramp to
and the prayer of
.
Joh 11:38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.
Joh 11:39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
Joh 11:40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”
Joh 11:41 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.
Joh 11:42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”
Joh 11:43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”
Joh 11:44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” —(NKJV)
4. Gratitude and
in Faith walk hand in hand and are divinely
.
- Building a
Neh 12:27 For the dedication of the new wall of Jerusalem, the Levites throughout the land were asked to come to Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies. They were to take part in the joyous occasion with their songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps, and lyres.
Neh 12:28 The singers were brought together from the region around Jerusalem and from the villages of the Netophathites.
Neh 12:29 They also came from Beth-gilgal and the rural areas near Geba and Azmaveth, for the singers had built their own settlements around Jerusalem.
Neh 12:30 The priests and Levites first purified themselves; then they purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
Neh 12:31 I led the leaders of Judah to the top of the wall and organized two large choirs to give thanks. One of the choirs proceeded southward along the top of the wall to the Dung Gate.
Neh 12:32 Hoshaiah and half the leaders of Judah followed them,
Neh 12:33 along with Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam,
Neh 12:34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, and Jeremiah.
Neh 12:35 Then came some priests who played trumpets, including Zechariah son of Jonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, a descendant of Asaph.
Neh 12:36 And Zechariah’s colleagues were Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani. They used the musical instruments prescribed by David, the man of God. Ezra the scribe led this procession.
Neh 12:37 At the Fountain Gate they went straight up the steps on the ascent of the city wall toward the City of David. They passed the house of David and then proceeded to the Water Gate on the east.
Neh 12:38 The second choir giving thanks went northward around the other way to meet them. I followed them, together with the other half of the people, along the top of the wall past the Tower of the Ovens to the Broad Wall,
Neh 12:39 then past the Ephraim Gate to the Old City Gate, past the Fish Gate and the Tower of Hananel, and on to the Tower of the Hundred. Then we continued on to the Sheep Gate and stopped at the Guard Gate.
Neh 12:40 The two choirs that were giving thanks then proceeded to the Temple of God, where they took their places. So did I, together with the group of leaders who were with me.
Neh 12:41 We went together with the trumpet-playing priests—Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah—
Neh 12:42 and the singers—Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. They played and sang loudly under the direction of Jezrahiah the choir director.
Neh 12:43 Many sacrifices were offered on that joyous day, for God had given the people cause for great joy. The women and children also participated in the celebration, and the joy of the people of Jerusalem could be heard far away.Neh 12:44 On that day men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the offerings, the first part of the harvest, and the tithes. They were responsible to collect from the fields outside the towns the portions required by the Law for the priests and Levites. For all the people of Judah took joy in the priests and Levites and their work.
Neh 12:45 They performed the service of their God and the service of purification, as commanded by David and his son Solomon, and so did the singers and the gatekeepers.
Neh 12:46 The custom of having choir directors to lead the choirs in hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God began long ago in the days of David and Asaph.
Neh 12:47 So now, in the days of Zerubbabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel brought a daily supply of food for the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Levites. The Levites, in turn, gave a portion of what they received to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. —NLT
Faithfulness and Gratitude go hand in hand.
- There is a secret in this routine of establishing a process for thanksgiving that keeps us living by faith.
- corporate worship at scheduled times
- giving thanks before meals etc.
- giving offerings and tithes from a heart of gratitude.
*When our culture of active faith is replaced by complacency repentance is required and repentance requires a course correction. Change your mind and habits. *
Neh 13:6 I was not in Jerusalem at that time, for I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign, though I later asked his permission to return.
Neh 13:7 When I arrived back in Jerusalem, I learned about Eliashib’s evil deed in providing Tobiah with a room in the courtyards of the Temple of God.
Neh 13:8 I became very upset and threw all of Tobiah’s belongings out of the room.
Neh 13:9 Then I demanded that the rooms be purified, and I brought back the articles for God’s Temple, the grain offerings, and the frankincense.
Neh 13:10 I also discovered that the Levites had not been given their prescribed portions of food, so they and the singers who were to conduct the worship services had all returned to work their fields.
Neh 13:11 I immediately confronted the leaders and demanded, “Why has the Temple of God been neglected?” Then I called all the Levites back again and restored them to their proper duties.
Neh 13:12 And once more all the people of Judah began bringing their tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil to the Temple storerooms.
5. Gratitude is the most, high tech
warfare
in the believer’s life.
2Ch 20:1 After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat.
2Ch 20:2 Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.)
2Ch 20:3 **Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the LORD for guidance. **He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting.2Ch 20:13 As all the men of Judah stood before the LORD with their little ones, wives, and children,
2Ch 20:14 the Spirit of the LORD came upon one of the men standing there. His name was Jahaziel son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph.
2Ch 20:15 He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
2Ch 20:16 Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.
2Ch 20:17 But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the LORD is with you!”
2Ch 20:18 Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the LORD.
2Ch 20:19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.
2Ch 20:20 Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”
2Ch 20:21 After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!”
2Ch 20:22 At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.
2Ch 20:23 The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other.2Ch 20:24 So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.
2Ch 20:25 King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all!
2Ch 20:26 ** On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the LORD there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.**
2Ch 20:27 Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the LORD had given them victory over their enemies.
2Ch 20:28 They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the LORD.
2Ch 20:29 When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the LORD himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them.
2Ch 20:30 So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side. —NLT
6. You will not receive the
of salvation without gratitude.
- The proper response to the gospel is Gratitude.
- The proper response to salvation is Gratitude.
- When we are thankful for the gospel we will tell others all about it. (freely you have received freely give)
- Gratitude is a reflex when you receive the inner witness that you are saved.
Thank you Jesus for coming to earth, showing us by example how to live. Thank you for dying on the cross and rising again! Thank you for this free gift of salvation. Thank you for making me alive on the inside. Thank you for forgiving my sins. Thank you that I am born again!
Rom 10:9 And what is God’s “living message”? It is the revelation of faith for salvation, which is the message that we preach. For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will experience salvation.
Rom 10:10 The heart that believes in him receives the gift of the righteousness of God—and then the mouth gives thanks to salvation. —TPTRom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. —NKJV