Thanksgiving is a powerful Kingdom key. Thankfulness is a gateway to the presence of God. Even the word “praise” can be translated as “thanks to God”. We can use the word praise or thanksgiving interchangeably. Therefore, thanksgiving is not something that is simply a good act, it is essential in our journey of maturity and fruitfulness.
We want to mature in our journey of thanksgiving. We want to move from being thankful (singular moments) to being people who at the core, in our hearts, are thankful people – who have a heart of gratitude.
A person with a heart of gratitude does not just have a polite response to good things happening. A heart of gratitude is a spiritual disposition that aligns ourselves under divine law. A heart of gratitude is not a state of mind, it is a state of the heart. And God – He is not after the outward appearance, He is after the heart.
In every situation – especially negative ones– when you are grateful, you are making a declaration of faith. You are telling God that you trust Him, even when you do not see the results. Your thanksgiving is an act that shows your confidence is found in Him, that your hope is found in the one who holds the whole world in the palm of His hands.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
When we turn our thoughts from pain to praise and thanksgiving, we are saying to the King that “You are in control” and “You are working out that which is best”! When you thank God in advance, you are declaring that you believe He will provide and that He will make a way. It is a powerful faith that shifts your focus from the problem to the provider and God is bigger than any problem.
Faith is believing in what you cannot see. Thanking God without an answer is an act of faith. His timing is perfect, His ways better than our ways.
Thanksgiving is a Kingdom key, resulting in a fruitful life.
May we, LifeSpring family, be a people with a heart of gratitude. May we give thanksgiving and praise to the King not as a formula, but simply because we love God and trust that He has the best in mind for us. May our hearts always submit to the Lordship of Christ, even if our minds and our eyes say otherwise.