Engaging the Mystery of Thanksgiving for fulfilment of Prophecies! By David Oyedepo

Topic: Engaging the Mystery of Thanksgiving for Fulfillment of Prophecies!

Welcome to another exciting week! I hope you were blessed by the last teaching. Today, we shall focus on: Engaging the Mystery of Thanksgiving for Fulfilment of Prophecies!

From scriptures, we understand that thanksgiving is an attitude of appreciation and gratitude to God for something received from Him or for what He has done. As it is written: It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High (Psalm 92:1; see also Psalm 100:4). By heaven’s protocol, thanksgiving precedes praise. Only a thankful heart can be praiseful. Thanksgiving is one of the major secrets of life. It is the cheapest way to live, it makes the devil crazy. Thanksgiving adds colour to our Christian experience and flavour to our Christian nature, as everything around us begins to respond positively. The enemy will then be forced to respect and honour us. Thanksgiving is not an outward show; it must first have its root inside us, before it can bear fruit outward. If you want God to give you any attention when you pray, then, you must be relaxed and show Him that are satisfied by thanking Him for all He has done for you.

Furthermore, there’s an adage in my dialect that says: “If you do not know how to think, you will never know how to thank.” Every time man is in problem, he tends to forget all the benefits he had enjoyed. The Bible says: Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Psalm 103:1-2). To forget God’s benefits is to provoke Him to anger and to grieve Him. If we forget His benefits, He forgets our welfare and our needs remain. Always take stock of God’s blessings and goodness. Our ingratitude is the reason for our undoing. If we cannot see what He has done, we stop Him from doing anything more. The God we insult cannot be the source of our blessings. When we give thanks to God for the things He has done, we remind Him of the things we do not have. When we forget God’s benefits, it makes God forget our needs. What we do to God determines what He does to us, for whatsoever a man sows, that will he reap.

Also, the Bible says: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:3-5). These are daily benefits coming from the throne of God. But unfortunately, people are not aware; they are not conscious of these amazing wonders of grace. Our forgiveness cost Him His only begotten Son. To forget that and to disregard it is to grieve Him. Now, when did we bless Him last for forgiving us? But we have been blaming Him for not giving us a house, a car, children, etc. We have not blessed Him yet for what He has done, but we keep seeing those things He has not done.

How, then, can we Engage the Mystery of Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving for Multiplication: For everything that must increase, God must be gracefully acknowledged. Jesus knew this spiritual technique and used it often during His earthly ministry. Anything we do not thank God for never increases. The Bible says: And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would (John 6:11). As soon as He gave thanks, food came from wherever it was and twelve baskets were gathered as remnants. It is time for our bread to multiply and it will take genuine thanksgiving. Thanksgiving as a lifestyle will establish us in a ceaseless flow of signs and wonders. The reason we are reducing is because we are forgetful.

Thanksgiving for Miracles: In John 11:41-44, at the grave of Lazarus, Jesus repeated the same spiritual principle, showing us how significant this forgotten weapon is in the working of miracles, in effecting signs and wonders. He said “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.” That was what brought Lazarus out of the grave. Those who give thanks do not need to ask, neither do they beg, they simply call. We need the kind of Spirit of thanksgiving that operated in Jesus, so that before every obstacle of life, we operate that anointing that will break the prison gates and also bring the dead out of the grave. If we want our dead position transformed, we should learn to give God thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

In summary, when thanksgiving becomes the order of the day in our lives, our lives will have taste and it will have order. A life of thanksgiving is a life of sweatless and tasteful experience. When we give thanks for what He did yesterday, we will compel Him to act today. Give thanks for what He did last year and compel Him to act this year. However, to offer acceptable thanksgiving, you must be born again. Are you born again? If

you are not, this is an opportunity to do so. Simply say the following prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. Today, I accept You as my Lord and personal Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now I know I am born again!”

For further reading, please get my books: Understanding the Power of Praise and Wonders of Praise. I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. We have four services on Sundays, holding at 6:00 a.m., 7:50 a.m., 9:40 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. respectively. I know this teaching has blessed you.

Write and share your testimony with me through: Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 01-4548070, 01-4548280; or E-mail: feedback@lfcww.org; Facebook: www.facebook.com/davidoyedepoministries/; Twitter: @DavidOyedepoMin

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David O. Oyedepo is a Nigerian Christian author, architect, preacher, and the founder and presiding bishop of the mega church, Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners’ Chapel