Gratitude, Praise and Worship defined Pt.1

Messages for November 2018: Our Month of Gratitude and Praise

Message for Sunday 4^th November, 2018

Theme: understanding the Mystery of thanksgiving, Praise and Worship

Topic: Gratitude, Praise and Worship defined Pt.1

Introduction: The first step to taking real advantage of any good thing like, in this case of this great key of the Kingdom of God known as Gratitude, praise and worship; considering the purpose they serve in the kingdom, is to be able to clearly define them. The reason for this is so that we can really put them to work and be really blessed by using them just the way the Father wants us to. Please understand that these three are integral parts of prayer. You cannot get near to God without gratitude and praise. They will help you enjoy a fruitful prayer life.

Gratitude relates us to the goodness of God; Praise relates us to the greatness of God and worship which is the highest experience of the human soul relates us to the Holiness of God. Today, we shall start by looking comprehensively at gratitude, also known as thanksgiving; the best we can.

What is Gratitude? Gratitude is defined in the English Dictionary as the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Synonyms for gratitude include the following: thanks, appreciation, recognition, acknowledgement, credit, respect, regard and more.

By thanksgiving we acknowledge God’s goodness. There is a direct connection between grace and thankfulness. An unthankful person is out of the grace of God. You cannot be unthankful and be in the grace of God. You cannot be in the grace of God and be unthankful. To have grace is to say thank you. This is why we can say let us be thankful or let us have grace. Heb.12:28 – NKJV & NIV –  Please note that in Greek to have grace is the key word Charis which means to say thank you. The three languages that brings this out clearly are Spanish, Italian and French. All their words for thanks is the same as grace.

Why thanksgiving?

1.     It is the kingdom means of access through God’s gates. The two ways we are to approach God is through the name of Jesus Christ, and being thankful. 2Cor.3:15-17 and Ps.100:4.

2.     It proves the infilling of the Spirit in the life of a saint. To be thankful is what it means to be continually filled with the Spirit. You can measure the fullness of the spirit within you with your level of thankfulness. 2Cor.3:15-17 1Thess.5:18

3.     We do the will of God thereby. In everything give thanks because this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. If you are not giving thanks, you are out of the will of God. Not necessarily because of what you are doing but because you are not responding to God. See Philp.4:6-7. God does everything by prayer and does nothing without prayer. Thanksgiving is the beginning of prayer that would get God’s attention. 2Cor.3:15-17

4.     There are two places of access to God, His gates and His Courts. The first step of access to God is thanksgiving and the next step is praise. Ps.100:4 – see the story of the ten lepers in Lk.17:17-19, 23 – this is a key that unlocks the miraculous working power of God. In Jn.6, we learn from this story of the feeding of the 5,000 after the Lord Jesus Christ applied this key of gratitude to God in verse 11.

5.     Be thankful to Him and bless His name because the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations. Ps.100:4-5

By God’s grace, we shall continue this discourse on Wednesday looking at the mysteries of praise and worship. Meanwhile we can note that praise is the art of acknowledging God for who He is while worship is acknowledging the Holiness of God.

For want of space and time, we shall draw the curtain here today. Meanwhile, someone may be reading this blog that is yet to belong to God’s family. Please understand that before your prayer can be accepted, your sin must first be forgiven. To get to this point, you need to receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord first so that His Holy Spirit can wash you clean of your sin and make you a new creation. If you desire this experience, please say the following prayer out loud in faith and you will be born again:

Heavenly Father,

Have mercy on me a sinner. Today, I believe that Jesus died for me and you raised Him from the dead for my Justification. I therefore declare that Jesus Christ is my Saviour and Lord and from today, I renounce the fatherhood of Satan and embrace Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for this father in Jesus’ name! Amen.

Congratulations! For more information and resources that would help you grow in this new life, please visit our website at www.kingdomheirsministries.org and our blogs at www.flourishinggirl.blogspot.com and follow us on twitter at alero_nanna and on face book on www.facebook.com/flourishinggirl www.facebook.com/khmii2015; www.facebook.com/thewellbeingcenter. Or www.facebook.com/kingdomjointheirsfamily email:  jointheirsfamily@gmail.com.