Thankfulness is Always the Will of God
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).
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT).
“Thanksgiving is not something that you do simply when you feel like it, Thanksgiving is a debt that is owed that must be paid.” - Bishop David Oyedepo
The Bible says to rejoice always. This does not mean sometimes. This means each day, everyday, and all day. The Bible says always be thankful. The opposite of rejoicing is to grieve, weep, lament, to be displeased, to be annoyed, and to be irritable. If you have allowed these emotions to dominate your life, you must understand that you are living outside of the will of God. You must decide today to step into gratitude. Giving thanks to God cannot be something that you do when you simply feel like it. If you wait until the feelings arrive, you will spend your entire life waiting. Your flesh nature will always reject the true joy that comes from the Lord alone. Your flesh nature will never feel like humbling itself to praise God. People wait until they get the breakthrough, until they get the promotion, or until they get the resolution to praise God. What is the result? They live in a perpetual place of misery and doom, never seeing the manifestation of the blessing of God. You must decide that rejoicing is for today, it's not on the other side of the hill where the grass is greener. Thankfulness is the will of God today despite your current situation. You may say “Pastor John, I don't like my job, what should I do?” You should rejoice in the Lord and thank God that you have a job and are not on the street homeless. You might also say, “I have no money, I am sick all the time, nothing goes my way. Where do I start?” You should lift your hands today and say, “Thank you Lord for your abundant provision, thank you Lord that you're my healer, Thank you Lord that goodness and mercy follow after me.” If you are not in gratitude no matter what your situation is, you are resisting the will of God.
Pray this prayer: “Father, I repent for all my complaining. Thank you for all that you have done for me. Thank you for my life. Thank you for sending Jesus. Thank you for my family. I will decide today to keep complaining out of my mouth. From this day forward I will counter every negative thought and emotion with thanksgiving.”