Welcome to 2013, Give Thanks

Happy New Year guys!

Welcome to year 2013. How you start a year is very important both God and yourself. Psalm 100:4 says: “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him,             

  and bless his name.”

If you start with thanks, you will likely end with praise; but if you start with ingratitude or complaints, don’t be surprised if you end with regrets. One way to forestall regret is to be actively engaged in thanksgiving.

In the Bible, we have several situations where thanksgiving was given first place and eventually it gave birth to a glorious outcome. Why? It is because thanksgiving is capable of delivering miracles to thank givers. Let us take Jesus Christ as our example here. After feeding a crowd that thronged Him for three days with the Word of life, the need arose to feed them physically. All that was available were seven loaves of bread and a few little fishes. This was nothing compared to the thousands present. They were no way close to the city where they could buy food, even if they were, it could have cost them so much. So in the midst of lack and gross insufficiency, the lord gave thanks. At the end, everybody was filled and lots of extras remained(Matthew 15:32-38).

Similarly, after Lazarus died and was buried, the lord Jesus was brought to the scene. Four days after his burial, he was already stinking and all hope was lost. Bot on getting to Lazarus’ grave, the Lord engaged in thanksgiving and thereafter, His desired miracle of life was delivered(John 11:38-40). If you can begin each day of this New Year with robust thanksgiving, it will deliver to you your desired miracles. When all efforts fail and when you have a hopeless situation, immediately engage in thanksgiving. When facing a period of inadequacy, try giving thanks to God. Thank God for keeping you from your birth till this day. Thank Him for watching over you and your family. Thank Him for His miraculous interventions in your life. In lack, thank Him for all previous provisions and thank Him for the little you have. Take time to pray and seek His face not asking anything but just thanking Him. He deserves your thanks, and expects it too!

Culled from: Open Heavens by Pastor E.A.Adeboye