Godliness with contentment is great gain!

 Being thankful isn’t just for the Thanksgiving holiday. Scripture tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). When we find ourselves overwhelmed with burdens and worried about tomorrow, we can praise God for who He is and His promise to never leave us or forsake us (Deut. 31:6). We have been blessed with the free gift of salvation and eternal life!

It is God’s will that we give thanks in ALL circumstances. No matter how much we have, or how little, we are to thank God for all that He provides; even our trials. “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:7)

Those words can be difficult to live up to when we are in the midst of a trial. It’s human nature to think on our circumstances, and when things aren’t going well it’s difficult to give thanks. The Lord’s Word gives us the “how to”: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (Col. 3:15)

How do we let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts? We keep our eyes on the Lord, count our blessings, and praise His name. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” (Ps. 100:4)

Have you ever considered thanksgiving a weapon for spiritual warfare? It sounds a bit strange, but I believe that the discipline of giving thanks is one of the greatest assets we have in our spiritual lives.

One of the easiest ways to apply this truth is to consider Paul’s command in 1 Thessalonians 5:18: “Give thanks in everything.” Paul cannot possibly mean “in everything,” can he? What about the times in life when we lack peace? What about the times in our lives when our weaknesses are painfully exposed? What about the times when someone causes us to suffer? Really, Paul? Are we to rejoice under those circumstances too? Are we to do good to others, even when they have done harm to us?

The apostle Paul is perfectly clear in his command to give thanks in everything. In fact, he says, “This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (v.18). It is God’s will for us to give thanks, even in situations where we might be tempted to do otherwise. I believe the key to this God-honoring mindset of thanksgiving is found at the end of 1 Thessalonians 5:21: “Hold on to what is good.” This is not a baptized motivational speech, but rather a call to consider the work of God in the midst of our trials.

When we lack peace, the only one to whom we can turn is the God of peace. When our weaknesses are exposed, we can rejoice that God’s grace is sufficient for us. When others cause us to suffer, we have the opportunity to offer forgiveness and grace. In responding in these ways, we not only glorify God, but we also make His goodness known among the people around us.

The weapon of thanksgiving is a powerful tool for maintaining a godly, overcoming perspective. It shows we trust in God’s providential care. To me, a spiritual giant is someone whose heart is ruled by the peace of Christ. In life’s darkest moments, the thanksgiving they’ve cultivated in their hearts can pierce through discouragement and despair.

With Thanksgiving

We looked at the importance of giving thanks in a previous post. We are to give thanks in all circumstances including in our trials and sufferings. For this reason, giving thanks is a crucial part of fighting for a breakthrough because praise and thanksgiving are the keys unlocking heaven. 

Giving thanks can be hard. Finding things to be grateful for can be especially difficult when we are in the middle of struggles and trials. It isn’t easy to deal with a sick loved one, a wayward family member, the loss of a job or any other negative and be glad for it. And yet, we are to do just that. 

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials… James 1:2

The hardest part is the most important

Giving thanks is often the hardest step of fighting for a breakthrough for me yet it also tends to be my most important one.  

The act of giving thanks is not optional.  The bible says we are to give thanks in all things (Colossians 4:22).  This means even in the storms and trials.  More so, it means being thankful for the storms and trials. 

Personally, when I get to the point of being able to thank God for the storm, my perspective has finally changed enough that my eyes are off of myself and fully on God.  It takes a lot of prayer, a lot of exposing lies and even more transformation of my heart, as we’ve looked at in previous posts. It’s usually a painful and messy process but when I finally reach the point of being grateful for the storm and lessons learned, I’ve reached a place of peace no matter how much everything around me continues to rage.  Its gratefulness for the problem that shows I have learned something valuable and matured enough to see God’s goodness in the middle of the mess.

Giving Thanks is for Our Benefit, Not God’s

Giving thanks isn’t for God’s benefit. God knows who He is. God knows what He has done. Giving thanks is for our benefit. 

We are so quick to forget what God has already done for us. We tend to loose track and focus on the negatives instead of the positives. The Old Testament is full of stories of Israel forgetting what God has done for them, turning away and Him calling them back. But the truth of the situation is we all do the same thing; We all forget, fall away and need to be led back. We like to pretend we can do things in our own right and power until it all blows up around us. 

Giving thanks isn’t to remind God of what he has done. It is to remind us. It is to remember that He is good, that he loves us, takes care of us and has done great things for us. We give thanks to remember that if he has done something in the past, he can and will do it again. We give thanks to remember that he is greater than our circumstances, in control and has a plan. 

And believe me, it’s enough to be grateful for only that: that God is in control and has a plan for our good even if we can’t see it in the present. Sometimes, in the middle of the mess, we can’t see how it can possibly be for our good. Peace can be found in simply saying “God, I know you have promised to work all things for my good. I don’t know how you are going to turn this around but I am thankful that You will.”

• “… the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23)
• “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)
• “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:2)
• “The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; let the earth be moved! The Lord is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name – He is holy …. Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is holy.” (Psalm 99:1,5)
• “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two.” (Psalm 107:14-16)
• “You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 118:28)
• “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord … Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.” (Psalm 34:1,3)
• “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:3)
• “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving.” (Psalm 69:30)
• “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.” (Psalm 104:33)
• “Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with high sounding cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:1-6)
• “Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.” (Psalm 98:1)
• “But I will sing of Your power; yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; for God is my defense, the God of my mercy.” (Psalm 59:16)
• “Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to the Lord with the voice of triumph! For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth … Sing praises to God, sing praises! … For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding.” (Psalm 47:1,6)
• “Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works. Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face evermore. Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth …” (Psalm 105:1-5)
• “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness, come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” (Psalm 100:1-5)
• “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods … Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” (Psalm 95:1,6)
• “Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious. Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name.” (Psalm 66:1-4)
• “Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods … Give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.” (Psalm 96:1,7)
• “Let them praise His name with dance; let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp. For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth … (Psalm 149:3)
• Then David danced before the Lord with all his might … “Therefore I will play music before the Lord. And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight.” (2 Samuel 6:14, 21)

As you can see from the very intense wording of some of these verses, God does want us to be able to worship and praise Him. And nothing will touch the heart of God more than if you start to worship and praise Him right in the middle of a severe storm cloud.

PRAISE is a weapon. Praise confuses the enemy. In the Bible there are various examples of how praise was used in battles to help secure victories. Worship and praise breaks the oppression of the enemy. Praise is a weapon that we should use to help us to win spiritual battles and to further God’s kingdom.

PRAISE comes from the Latin word “pretium”, meaning price. Prize is a variation of this word. Originally it meant “to set a great price on”. So when we praise God, we are placing a great value on Him and His acts. Praise is a great weapon for spiritual warfare.

God sees us as His “treasured possession”

“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” – Deuteronomy 7:6

“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.” – Exodus 19:5

Now God wants to be our Treasure and our First Love.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:21

“Jesus replied: “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” – Matthew 22:37

“But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place- unless you repent.” – Revelation 2:4-5

PRAISING GOD IS COMMUNICATING WHO GOD IS, WHAT HE HAS DONE, AND WHAT HE CAN DO. PRAISE IS A WEAPON AGAINST EVIL & THE ENEMIES OF GOD

1. PRAISE HONORS GOD 

In Luke 11 Jesus taught us to begin prayer with praise in order to honor and glorify God. Psalm 29:1-2 tells us to give God the glory that is due Him. Praise helps us to focus on God, and who He is, and His greatness.

“And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.” – Luke 11:2

“Ascribe to the LORD, O sons of the mighty, Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in holy array.” – Psalm 29:1-2

2. PRAISE HELPS US FOCUS ON GOD 

Psalm 22:3 says that God inhabits the praises of His people. As we praise Him we raise up a throne or structure for Him to fill (2 Chronicles 5:13). Praise sensitizes us to God’s presence, and helps us take our focus off of ourselves and onto Him.

“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” – Psalm 22:3

“in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the LORD saying, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud.” – 2 Chronicles 5:13

3. PRAISE HELPS US TO KNOW GOD 

It helps us to focus on His character and His attributes. As we praise Him we rehearse our knowledge of Him, and we come to know Him as what we praise Him to be.

4. PRAISE BREAKS THE ENEMY’S OPPRESSION 

In Acts 16:25-26 Paul and Silas praised God and the doors in the prison they were in were opened and they escaped. Praise lifts us out of oppression, and praising God also helps us out of our self-centered ways.

“But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. – Acts 16:25-26

5. PRAISE CONFUSES THE ENEMY & FORCES OF EVIL 

Praise is a spiritual weapon. The power of praise in battles is shown in 2 Chronicles 20, Psalm 8:2, and Psalm 149:5-9. Praise helps us to focus on God and realize our need for Him, and thus turn the battle over to Him. When we do this, God will then bring Victory. This makes Praise and Prayer and Dependence on God great weapons in spiritual warfare.

“Now it came about after this that the sons of Moab and the sons of Ammon, together with some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. Then some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, “A great multitude is coming against you from beyond the sea, out of Aram and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is Engedi).” Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to seek help from the LORD; they even came from all the cities of Judah to seek the LORD.” – 2 Chronicles 20:1-4

“O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” – 2 Chronicles 20:12

Do Not Be Afraid – The Battle Is The Lord’s

“Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” – 2 Chronicles 20:15

“When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 22When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.” – 2 Chronicles 20:21-22

Praise Is A Weapon

Praise is a weapon that is very effective in pushing back the forces of evil. It is also very effective in helping us to better focus on God in our quiet time with Him and in our daily lives. Praise helps us to focus on God and thus have better intimate communication with Him and to hear God’s voice. Hearing God’s voice is the most important part of our fellowship time with God. Praise also helps us to know God in real and personal ways, rather than just know about God.

“And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me; and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord” – Psalm 27:6