Dearest brethren,
1 Cor. 15:57 says: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” NKJV
Our God is not the God of failure. He’s not the God who puts you under. He’s the God who puts you over in life. He’s the God of victory. One of His name is Jehovah Nissi meaning He’s the Lord our Banner – our victorious leader and the Lord our victory. Notice what’s connected with the victory: “Thanksgiving.” And we don’t just thank God for what has happened before but we thank God Who gives us (both present and future) continuous victory.
2 Cor. 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ. . . KJV
I believe as we maintain a lifestyle of thanksgiving, we’ll have a non-stop flood of testimonies. Why? Because we believe that He always causes us triumph in Christ and are thankful for it. Remember that when you cultivate a lifestyle of thanksgiving, you increase your capacity to receive from God.
One of the best ways to cultivate a lifestyle of thanksgiving is to meditate on what you have, what you can do and who you have become in Him. What do you have? You’ll be amazed at all the things you have. First, take a deep breath. You can breath, you have something to be thankful for. Second, you can look around your family and home. Look at the trees, the sun, the moon and stars. I can’t list all the things we have today, but here are some of the most important:
WHAT WE HAVE:
We have been delivered from the power of darkness and been translated into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. We have been accepted in the Beloved. We have passed from death to life. Now we have eternal life. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have redemption through His Blood.
We have obtained an inheritance. We have been made partakers of that inheritance with our Lord Jesus Christ. We have boldness and access to God by faith. We have a great High Priest who has gone into heaven for us: Jesus the Son of God. We have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous. We have been sealed and filled with the Holy Spirit of Promise. We have the mind of Christ.
We have been blessed with all spiritual Blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. You have power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases. You have the fullness of the Godhead inside you. You have the divine nature of God. Wow, do you have anything to thank God for yet? What about what we have been made to be?
We are new creatures with no past history. We’re sanctified, and made HOLY. We’ve been made the righteousness of God in Him. We are the children of God, now. We are the Lord’s. We are members of His body, His flesh and His bones. We are of God. He is not ashamed to call us His brethren. We hail from God we are the God kind. We are His workmanship, His own handiwork, created in Christ Jesus.
We are more than conquerors through Him. We’re ambassadors for Christ. We are not ordinary but extraordinary.
What about what you can do? You can do all things through Christ; Who strengthens you. You can put on the whole armor of God and stand against all the wiles of the devil. You can cast out devils, heal the sick, walk in divine immunity. You can enforce the defeat of the devil in the name of Jesus. You can change nations by going into your world, and preaching the gospel to everyone. You can make disciples of all nations. You can speak with new tongues, edify yourself and pray mysteries that your mind doesn’t even know.
You can follow the leadings of a Greater One that lives on the inside of you. You can flow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and minister to others. Do you have anything to thank God for? We’ve run out of space.
Till next bulletin, meditate on these things and cultivate a
lifestyle of continuous thanksgiving!
