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Before we dive into this message, I want to share something important with you. As you sing and worship, I want you to think deeply about God's goodness in your life. Begin to meditate on the good things that God has done for you. There's a tendency in all of us to focus more on what we're requesting from God than what we're thanking Him for. The forces of darkness want you to keep asking and asking, never stopping to recognize what He has already provided.
Let me be honest: it's easier to continue asking than to give thanks. But today, I'm calling you to shift that focus. Look at your life. You may not have everything you've prayed for, but look at what you do have. You can breathe. You're not on oxygen. You have eyes to see. You have hands to work with. You have legs to walk on. When you think about just the vital functions of your body alone, there is so much to thank God for.
Some of you are focusing on what you don't have rather than what you do. You have a spouse—yes, maybe they're not perfect, but you have a husband or wife. There are many people wishing they had that person. You have children—yes, they may be challenging at times, but you have them. God will give us the grace to continually give thanks.
I've noticed something in my years of ministry. When you look at the testimonies, when you look at what God is doing, He is doing glorious things in our midst. Just today we are dedicating three children. There are more marriages, more weddings coming. We are in this together. We are flying higher and higher together from glory to glory. Your own testimonies are cooking up even now, in Jesus' name.
I want to do something practical with you. Take a moment and write down—on your phone or on paper—the things that God has done for you. List them. Don't write down what you're asking for; write down what He has already accomplished in your life. What has God done?
When I asked people to do this exercise, I saw something revealing. Most people had far more requests written down than thanksgivings. One person had forty requests and only three thanksgivings. Why is this? Because there's a tendency—a strong tendency—to continue asking without pausing to recognize what has been given.
The devil wants you focused on what's missing. But look at the facts. Look at your kidney working well. Look at the fact that you can breathe freely. In this country, everything is expensive. The cost of electricity alone is high. If you had to pay for oxygen the way you pay for gas and electricity in winter, many would have perished. Yet God gives us the air to breathe freely. There are so many things we get without paying for them, and we barely notice.
Some of you are unhappy because God has not done certain things you've asked for. But here's what I want you to understand: if you are dead, you won't know whether God did it or not. The very fact that you're alive and aware means you can recognize that something hasn't happened. But God sees a bigger picture than you do.
God knows your frame. He knows you are mortal. He knows you are shortsighted. God can see far. He sees that what you have asked for—if He gave it to you right now—might actually harm you. It might destroy you. It's like giving power to someone who isn't mature enough to handle it. God is careful with you because He loves you.
There are so many prayers I've prayed where God said to me, "My son, don't worry. I've done it." Ten minutes later, I find myself praying the same prayer again. It's just our nature to keep requesting without recognizing what He's already accomplished. But the Bible says this clearly.
Ephesians 1:16 – "Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayer, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him."
Notice that word: cease not. Do not stop giving thanks. This is a command, not a suggestion. And here's the promise connected to it—when you give thanks ceaselessly, God gives you the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Knowledge of Him comes through thanksgiving.
Many great men and women of God understand this principle. They know that the more you give thanks, the more you receive. I'm from the western part of Nigeria. In our culture, we have a saying: if a child knows how to be appreciative, his father will give him more things. It works the same way with God.
You thank Him for your hand, He blesses that hand to prosper more. You have a shop, you thank Him for it, He brings customers, and it expands. From a small shop you become a distributor. Anything you give thanks for increases. The Lord will increase you.
Colossians 1:9-14 – "For this cause we also since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for you... being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of him... Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."
Think deeply about this. Look at where God is bringing you from. Look at your past. Look at where He has taken you—from darkness into His marvelous light. That light shines in darkness, and darkness cannot comprehend it. Those powers of darkness cannot do anything against you, as long as you know your position in Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 – "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
Do you hear that? Thanksgiving is God's will for you. It's not optional. It's not a nice thing to do if you feel like it. It is God's will.
Psalm 100:4 – "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise."
If you enter His gate with thanksgiving, you have unfettered access to God's presence. Ceaseless thanksgiving guarantees you continuous entrance into His presence.
Let me outline what thanksgiving does for you:
First, thanksgiving is a divine protocol for accessing God's presence. When you give thanks ceaselessly, you have guaranteed access to Him.
Second, it gets heaven's attention.
Philippians 4:6 – "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
When you give thanks unto God, heaven listens to you. You secure heaven's attention.
Third, when you give thanks unto Him, you obtain His promises.
Hebrews 10:35-36 – "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."
If thanksgiving is the will of God, and you do His will, then you obtain the promises thereof. To obtain God's promises, you must do His will, which is thanksgiving.
Fourth, it shows heaven is monitoring you. Jesus asked about the ten lepers: "Were there not ten lepers cleansed? Where are the nine?" Heaven keeps a record of your thanksgiving. It's a good thing to give thanks, and it's a bad thing if you don't. And if you have bad records in heaven, it's not good for you.
Psalm 92:1 – "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name."
It is a good thing to thank the Lord.
Fifth, thanksgiving is a spiritual yeast—it makes things grow. If you thank God for your marriage, He gives you children. Thank Him for the children, He brings excellence into their lives. Thank God for excellence in their lives, He promotes them and promotes you. As you thank God, He increases you even more.
Sixth, it's a way to have a request-free life. I know a man of God whom God is using mightily. People criticize him for various things, but he stays focused on his calling. By the end of this year, he's going to build what will be the largest mega church in the world, complete with its own power station and everything needed. You know what his secret is? He says 90% of his prayers are thanksgiving. That's why everything flows effortlessly.
When people offered to give him large amounts of money, he said, "Hold on. If it's for the work, just use it for everything that's needed—the chairs, the rock, everything." Why? Because God has already done it through his thanksgiving.
Look at Jesus. He offered thanks unto God for a boy's lunch. One lunch. And it fed 5,000 men. Thanksgiving makes things increase. It's a divine yeast.
So thank God—truly thank Him—for vital things. You may not have your car yet. Your car is coming. But how will you drive that car without your legs? Without your hands? Thank God you have hands. Thank God you can see. Thank God you can move. Thank God for the vital things that make you able to function.
Everything in you should give thanks. In fact, the Bible says:
Psalm 150 – "Every thing that hath breath praise the Lord."
Everything that breathes should praise the Lord. There are many things that make you walk, that make you function, that make you live. God will help you in Jesus' name.
Let me tell you something beautiful. When you thank God for His finger, you see His hand. As you thank Him for His hand, He wraps His arm around you. Thanksgiving opens your eyes to see more and more of what God is doing.
I want to encourage you: reflect very well on things to give thanks for. You're looking at a car you don't have. You're not looking at things you use every day that you do have. You're not looking at the people around you who love you. You're not looking at your health. You're not looking at your opportunities. But these are the things that matter.
Where are you coming from? God has brought you out of darkness. Look at where He's taking you. In everything, give thanks for that is His will concerning you in Christ Jesus.
I want to end with this prayer, and I want you to join me:
Lord, have mercy on me. Give me the grace to give thanks. Give me the power and enablement to continually give thanks unto You. And as I do that, O Lord, let me continue to see You in my situation, in my circumstances, in the name of Jesus.
Now, if you're here today and you are yet to give your life to Jesus, I want to speak to you. It is through Jesus that you have access to God. It is through Jesus that you have divine contact with God. It is through Jesus that you enter into relationship with the Father.
If you want to give your life to Jesus, please signify by raising your hand. You want to say: "Lord Jesus, I acknowledge myself as a sinner. I confess my sin and I repent of my sin. Be the Bishop of my soul. Be the Owner of my soul. Let me continually serve You and love You."
Father, we thank You for those who are taking this decision. Let heaven breathe upon them for good, in the name of Jesus. Glory be to Your holy name. Thank You. We bless You, for in Jesus' precious name we have prayed. Amen.
