3 Categories of Praise
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV)
According to the scripture we are to live our lives filled with rejoicing and gratitude everyday. This is the will of God without exception. If you're new to the faith you might ask, “how am I supposed to thank God everyday? Will I not run out of things to thank God for?” Today I will give you three categories that you can use to consume your time of giving thanks to God.
One, Praise God for who He is. “I will thank the Lord because he is just; I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High” (Psalm 7:17 NLT). If God never did one thing for you, He is worthy of Praise simply because of who He is. You might say, “Pastor John, I've had a hard life and I have nothing to be thankful for.” This is simply not true, there are always many things to be thankful for, but if you find yourself truly believing this then you can focus your time thanking God for who He is. Lift your hands to the Lord and say, “You are the Author, the Creator, the Beginning, the End, the Finisher, the Perfector, the Alpha, the Omega, the First, the Last, you are Good, you are Righteous, you are Holy, you are Perfect, and you are Wonderful.” These are a few things the Bible has to say about God. Enter into praise and thanksgiving by simply echoing the Word back to the Lord.
Two, give Him thanks for all He has done. People say, “I don't care about the blessing, I just want His presence.” Why not care about both? Don't be a spiritual weirdo. Can you imagine being a parent and saving your money to buy your child a new car for their sixteenth birthday? You plan it all out for months with the intentions of your child receiving a glorious surprise. When you go to hand your child the key they look you in the eyes with no joy or smile and say, “I don't care about the car, I just want your presence.” You would tell them, “Stop being weird and act excited.” You are not being carnal by thanking God for all He has done for you. “Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. 2 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” (Psalms 103:1-2 NLT). Thank God for your high paying Job, thank God for your car, thank God for your ability to go on a nice vacation. You are not being carnal, you are being biblical.
Three, give Him thanks for what you’re believing for. The Bible says, “all of the promises of God have been fulfilled in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20). The Bible says, “Therefore I say to you,whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24). Many Christians don't receive because they never enter into the realm of faith. If something has already been given to you, you don't keep asking for it, you say thank you. Salvation belongs to you. Healing belongs to you. Prosperity belongs to you. Deliverance belongs to you. Stop asking for these things and begin to pick them up today by your thanksgiving.
Pray this prayer: “Father, I praise you today because you are the one true God. You are the only way and I Pledge my life to you. (Now take a moment and thank God for everything He has done and given you in your life). Finally, Take a moment and begin to thank God for the things you require or desire at this time. Don't ask, thank Him that they belong to you. Finish the prayer in Jesus name.