Thankful
I Thessalonians 5:16-22) nkjv16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
❓What hardship have you had to endure and are now grateful for having endured through it❓ How has God transformed something Satan intended for evil into something good?
➤ In the book “Unbroken,” there is a story about when Louis Zamperini’s plane was shot down over the Pacific Ocean during World War 2. ............................
➤ Cory ten Boom. Corey and her sister were transferred to the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp and found their conditions were no better than before. ..................................
💥 Many of the women survived simply because they found hope through being thankful in a very bad situation and place.
➤ According to our verses this morning, what can happen when we lose our thankfulness? 1. v16) We lose our joy! The joy of the lord is our strength! Nehemiah 8:10 do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. "Psalm 28:7) – “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.” We murmur and complain. We lose our light and begin to stumble in darkness 2. v17) It becomes difficult to pray! We stop listening to God and lose our hope. Luke 18:1) Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
3. v18) We can walk away from God’s will! v18) 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 4. v19) We can quench the Spirit! Start living by our flesh and our own understanding! Galatians 5:16-17) 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would 5. v20) Despise prophecies (teachings) Resent God’s will and what God’s will is for us. We can despise His leadership. Romans 9:20-21)But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? vPhilippians 2:14) Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 6. v21) We stop testing things. We become foolish in what we allow to be around us and influence us. We allow and embrace things in our heart and mind and believe what is NOT good. Attitudes and double mindedness. V James 1:2) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 7. v22) We invite temptations into our life! Setting us up to fall. The things we should avoid, we embrace. The ideas that once seemed wrong look good.
➤ Being thankful is a very powerful weapon in our warfare to use against the flaming arrows of Satan.
What does this teach about being thankful?
I. Quench not the Spirit! v19) It’s not just forcing yourself to be thankful! Galatians 5:16) say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
- If we want to be truly thankful “Like Bestie”, it starts by first trusting God when you don’t understand! Proverbs 3:5,6)
- You don’t have to be thankful for the fleas but in all things find a reason to be thankful for God!
II. Open the doors for God’s Spirit to come in and empower you. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
- To rejoice! When we do, we can find a joy that passes all understanding.
- Listen to God’s instructions. Not despise God’s teachings.
- Changes our course
- v22) Guides us away from the things that will bring us down. Remove harmful, deadly, and defeating attitudes.
III. Pray without ceasing! vLuke 18:1) Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
- vPhilippians 4:6-7) 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
⭐ The more we give thanks, the more thankful we will become in all things!
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
