Give Thanks this Thanksgiving

Walking through every circumstance with a thankful heart and speaking the praises of God is vital, because it opens our ears to hear the voice of God, allows us to see as He sees, and imparts crucial Kingdom principles. But do we always walk with thanksgiving in our hearts and on our lips?

Join us below as we discover the power of thanksgiving and how YOU can benefit from it!

Give Thanks

Thanksgiving in the United States means something different for each person. For some, it symbolizes the birth of a nation. For others, it speaks of unity. For still others, it is a time to give…

Some perhaps, hold a negative view of Thanksgiving due to incorrectly portrayed cultures and the eventual mistreatment of those who originally dwelled throughout North America. But it can be more…

Thanksgiving, no matter your view, can serve as a reminder. A reminder to be kind. A reminder of the generosity and love of our God. Of the importance that resides in giving and being thankful.

The simple thing would be to chuck the baby out with the bathwater and say that the Thanksgiving holiday, being imperfect, should be discarded. But the same could be said of any day of remembrance or observance because we are human and we do not always behave perfectly.

We may not be perfect, but God is. Every bit of praise and thanksgiving we hold within us rightfully belongs to Him and to all those He desires us to pass it on to. And Thanksgiving can be a time where we refocus to become people of thankfulness.

Praise and Thanks

Despite knowing that we ought to be thankful, sometimes it is hard for us to remember to give God the praise and thanks He deserves, let alone anyone else. Not every season is as smooth as we like, and even when times are going well, our responsibilities can whisper lies, until praise and thankfulness fall to the bottom of our priorities… but it does not have to be that way.

We can develop a pattern of praise and thanksgiving. We can walk in it all the days of our lives and discover the peace, joy, and God-given perspective that follows!

Thanksgiving is an opportunity to jumpstart that pattern… to give praise to God—to thank Him, those who came before, and the people whose lives interconnect with our own.

Thanksgiving traditions can serve as one means of opening ourselves to being more thankful, but what else?

A few things which help include:

• Giving of our time
• Giving of our finances
• Actively thanking God
• Actively thanking people
• Starting and/or ending the day by writing down one thing we are thankful for
• Putting on praise/worship music
• Changing our thoughts when we realize they are becoming negative or ungrateful
• Praying for God to change our hearts and minds

Beyond these, we can allow God to change our hearts and minds through His Scriptures. We can read them. Write them out. Listen to them. Place them throughout our homes. Memorize them. All of these serve as important tools to impart the truth of God’s Word, teaching us to be a people of praise and thanksgiving!

While the Word holds hundreds of such Scriptures here are a few to get started:

• 1 Peter 2:9 | “…you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;”
• Philippians 4:6-7 | “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
• Psalm 92:1-2 | “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night,”
• Isaiah 25:1 | “O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:18 | “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
• Psalm 50:23 | “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”
• 1 Chronicles 16:8-10 | “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…”
• Hebrews 13:15-16 | “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

Each of these Scriptures remind us of the power of praise and thanksgiving…

It is not from a place of slavery that God desires us to praise Him, but from a place of sonship/daughtership. A place of being kings and priests, according to the order of Melchizedek. What is more, it is not something we ought to do out of ritual or obligation, because it is a freewill offering. It is meant to be a love note from earth to Heaven, and yet, out of God’s great love, it provides blessings for us as well…

“And when you offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, offer it of your own free will.”

—Leviticus 22:29

When we praise God, we are blessed with joy. When we thank God—and those around us—we are blessed with realigned thoughts; putting the heart and perfect will of God in us. They give us strength and help us to see clearly. In fact, praise and thanks could be considered spiritual glass cleaners. Because when we walk in them, the light of God is able to shine in!

Conclusion

Thanksgiving is a great time to jumpstart a habit of walking with praise and thanks on our lips. It is a time where, if we choose, we can begin to see the world through the eyes of our God…

Yet, while Thanksgiving can be starting point, praise and thanksgiving need to become a lifestyle.

We have discussed many ways through which we can develop this lifestyle—from giving, to praying, to time spent in God’s Word—but what is necessary is consistency. One day of praise and being thankful is amazing, but it is more important that it becomes a lifestyle; often through small, attainable goals, we can consistently work toward a lifestyle of praise and thanks.

Praising and giving thanks are two tools that deepen our relationship with God. That bring the light of God to the lost and heavy burdened…

Praise is a weapon of spiritual warfare. Thanksgiving is a healer of our hearts. Therefore, let us be a people of praise! Let us be thankful in all circumstances! Let us use them for the glory of God and the transformation of our hearts! And let us thereby become a light through which the darkness is destroyed and people come to know our God!

“…I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing praises to Your name.”

—2 Samuel 22:50

There is biblical importance in giving thanks and praise to God, but there are also blessings. Yet, to unlock them regularly in our lives, we need to create a lifestyle of thanks and praise. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to jumpstart the habits and patterns needed, but to maintain them, we need to create smaller, obtainable goals. These allow us to go up the mountain of change instead of rising and then crashing like a cork in ocean waves… allowing God’s joy and mindset to rest within us, along with every other blessing that praise and thanks bring!