Thanksgiving Every Day – Dr. Charles Stanley

[Music] how often in a given day that you say thank you lord thank you thank you thank you I'll tell you one time you do when somebody almost hits you and your car you say oh thank you God well what about when you wake up in the morning when you don't have any motivation except that God is your God Jesus is the lord of your life and he's gonna walk with you all day long [Music] four decades ago we started in touch ministries to lead people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ throughout the years we've seen God's greatness his love and his blessings in such awesome ways that we just want everyone to know him so let's open God's Word and seek Him together today on InTouch Thanksgiving every day [Music] well Thursday morning people all over the country gonna be sitting down this big table when you think of Thanksgiving if you're just really honest now what's the first word comes to your mind now another reason you're laughing because you don't want to answer the question how many of you just to be honest you think of Thanksgiving and think of Turkey now okay I'm gonna ask it again what do you think of personal I just if in day then give turkey eating having a big time and you sit down to a wonderful table that somebody's prepared and you have all these meats and Turkey and all the vegetables and all the pies and cakes and all that and you just sit and have a fantastic time I wonder how many people really ask you sincere blessing lord thank you in jesus name it's wonderful table amen or do you really into the thank God for it and sometimes I think we're not nearly as grateful as we ought to be and we don't express it as often as we ought express it and expressing gratitude toward him is very important to him and I'm going to show you that in a moment very important to him yet on Thanksgiving Day people they'll have the meal and either there's a football game or whatever it's only gonna cut the TV on and as soon as had had dessert Thanksgivings over and so they're into something else every single day when you now wake up we can still see we can still hear we can still walk we can still eat in other words all the function we enjoy every day of their every day so why not wake up every morning saying thank you Jesus and during the day thank you and people say well is that what you do I thank him all the time there was something good comes my way I just say thank you Jesus thank you thank you thank you oh if I'm hurting somewhere in my life I would say thank you Jesus I know that you have a reason to this and I'm gonna trust you to hear me thank you Lord and it's a rebuke the devil thank you Jesus you're the one who's in charge we should live lives of Thanksgiving all the time so I want us to start this message for a few moments and go back to the Old Testament and look at that sacrificial system in the Old Testament so Thanksgiving was a vital part of the sacrificial system and so I want us to turn to Psalm 92 for a moment and read a few verses here he'll turn there for a moment and notice that very first verse how it begins some money to it is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to your name almost high and that's what we've done this morning to declare your loving-kindness in the morning and your faithfulness by night morning and night giving thanks with tents train dilute and with the heart with the resounding music that means loud and sounding music upon their life for you O Lord have made me glad by what you have done I will sing for joy at the work of your hands how great are your works O Lord your thoughts of their deep well why would first of all what's that a lot sacrifice business about so I want listen carefully remember now that Israel it was just Hebrews at that time God had taken them out of Egypt down the Sun they got them to receive the law into the wilderness and then made a big mistake and they spent 40 years in the wilderness but but down the Sun yeah and you think well why did God give all that stuff for example in the Book of Leviticus and I will agree with you that if you don't understand what's going on and they look sort of boring you don't do this through that and such specific detailed detailed descriptions and warnings if they violated them so God used sacrifices and the laws he gave in order to teach them and so one of the things he wanted to teach them was Thanksgiving so what did they do they offered a Thanksgiving sacrifice every morning and every evening what was he doing he wanted them to be reminded first of all that he was God and that they were to honor him as God that they were to depend upon him because he was the source of everything that they had and of course they discovered that pretty quickly and so God had a very specific reason for that Thanksgiving sacrifice so when I look at the Old Testament and see and for example in the 50th Psalm he says in the 23rd verse he who offers a sacrifice of Thanksgiving honors me think about that you may all return to that and underline it Psalm 50 verse 23 he who offers a sacrifice of Thanksgiving honors me a thankful heart still honors God when you say thank you Jesus thank you thank you thank you Lord thank you dear God I praise you and thank you what you're doing is you're honoring him as your Lord you're honoring him is the source of that blessing whatever it might be thank you thank you thank you dear God and so you might just mark that verse down and I would simply ask you this how often in a given day that you say thank you lord thank you thank you thank you I'll tell you one time you do when somebody almost hits you and your courage say oh thank you God well what about when you wake up in the morning when you don't have any motivation except that God is your God Jesus is the Lord of your life and he's gonna walk with you all day long gratitude Thanksgiving we should teach our children that we should teach them very early in life that the Lord in other words if a person's grateful you know what they're saying I don't recognize him as a source of my blessings I don't recognize him as a source of anything I can make it myself and God can take a person down so instantly gratitude Thanksgiving it should be a part of that thinking a part of our life a part of how we operate so when I look at dick to see for example how they express their Thanksgiving in those days think about it for just a moment they we say they offered sacrifices which and this was an ongoing thing you think'll look at all the animals have what a waste it wasn't waste the eyes of God because they were honoring him so they offered sacrifices the Bible says they sang songs they sang hymns they use instruments for example to express their Thanksgiving they gave to God they prayed in other words Thanksgiving was a major issue with God and a major issue with the people of God in those days some would ask you this I'd ask you this as humble as I know how but I want God to convict you if you have not been thanking God I pray the Lord God in love or convicted of the sin of ingratitude because that's a sin any of us can stop immediately right now change it you can be grateful and so they expressed it in all kind of different ways and they had great big meetings like singing and Thanksgiving and praising God so how do we express Thanksgiving to God today how would you say we sing right we sing hymns we get together we eat we fellowship and once we come to worship service but the truth is that every day at your house every day at your house you should be worshipping God in whatever way you and the Lord see fit to do it now when I think about the many privileges that we enjoy they should evoke continuous Thanksgiving to God every day some putting beans up here so you can write them down then I want us to think about what they are thinking about this and all of these scripture land I don't have time to go through them all but I'll just sort of list them and they'll put them up on a screen I just want you to think about it for a moment of all the expressions of God's grace and mercy number one he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world we are in dwelt by the Holy Spirit we were sealed by the Spirit of God and we are eternally secure he says he sealed us unto the day of redemption we have the gifts of the Spirit whether it's service or giving or administration oh mercy teaching whatever it might be we have an intimate relationship with him that's why you and I can talk to him personally and know that he's listening and that he'll respond to us we have peace we have the peace of God peace with God as we get saved the peace of God is what he allows in our heart day after day after day we have the unconditional love of God you write these down so I'll slow down a little bit okay we have that we have the unconditional love of God for example at no point does God ever say I will love you if now he may bless me if he may work something in my life or heal me if but love me no ifs unconditional think about that this is the sovereign God of the universe saying I love you no matter what even if I'm disobedient his love is there his chastising hand is an expression of his love to me back in line then of course moment by moment you and I live in his presence that's why he sealed us with the Holy Spirit we have the Holy Spirit living within us so you and I are never distant from God you may feel this then you may act this them but at no point are you distant from awesome God that we have then he says my God with all of your needs according this riches you're in Christ Jesus that is he's he's the provider of our needs his divine protection he watches over us and cares for us day after day moment by moment and think about this we have the promise of a bodily resurrection you don't like what you have now it's going to change one of these days a bodily resurrection we have the awesome blessing of God's atonement in the person of Jesus Christ total forgiveness of our sins remember when he forgave you he forgave you past present future if he didn't forgive you that way then your forgiveness is only limited when he went to the cross he paid our sin debt in full forever so that every person who accepts him as Savior all their sins past present future atoned for otherwise watch this otherwise he'd have to be dying all the time though one death of Almighty God and the person of Jesus Christ took care of our forgiveness for ever and ever and ever and then of course we have an eternal home in heaven we have the promise of the Resurrection absent from the body present with the Lord then the last thing I would mention is this we all have one of these let's hold them up this hold of them thank God thank you Jesus amen let's tell him thank you Jesus thank you Jesus for the word of God because therein lies all of the source of all of our knowledge and understanding now a true heartfelt daily Thanksgiving has a powerful impact on our life in other words if we're thanking him daily it's going to impact our life and that is being aware that you are living in the presence of a holy almighty omnipotent omniscient omnipresent God who loves you unconditionally and all he's asking is recognition gratitude and obedience could you give me one reason for being disobedient to God no what are you asking to do something that would not be for your best interest no and obedience listen obedience is not to keep us from having fun that's the way some people but obedience means that I can have fun with a clear conscience and joy in my heart no matter what's going on so let's think about the impact that Thanksgiving has on our life and the first one is this and these are all gonna be here and I'll give you time to write them down because I want you to think about it number one it keeps us continually aware that we are walking in his presence which contributes to living a godly life Thanksgiving keeps us continually aware that we are walking in his presence which contributes to living a godly life which is his will for every single one of us secondly it motivates us to look for His purposes in everything that he allows in our life he's some things we don't understand what he does or why he does it but here's what I've discovered if I thank him for it even though I don't understand why he's allowing it if I thank him for it eventually you know what happens he lifts the veil and we begin to see well okay now I do you say well you mean you can thank God before you listen if I believe he's sovereign those all thing and loves me unconditionally I can thank him for anything I've had to thank him for some pretty tough things in my life just like you have but it's the Thanksgiving that that's what just brings God into the situation in such a fashion and it's like it just lifts the load a third one is this it helps us bring our will in the submission to his will when we are suffering pain a loss thanking him in the midst of pain thanking him in the midst of loss does what it brings us into a point of submission Lord I don't understand it but I'm gonna thank you for it anyway and saying so Lord I this is not my choice I would I wouldn't have it this way but because you're sovereign and you love me unconditionally you know what you're doing I want to thank you lord thank you thank you thank you Jesus nobody wants to nobody wants to be sick nobody wants to have any kind of terrible disease nobody no nobody wants a car wreck nobody wants the family to be sick nobody wants loss of anything we thank him no matter what's going on we thank him and there's something about expressing Thanksgiving I'll say it again lifts the load in other words what we're saying is God you're smarter than I am I know you know what's the best it was to be my choice but I want to thank you for it anyway the fourth thing is this continually thanking him keeps me continually reminded of who he is and his put in his position as God in my life thanking him keeps me consciously aware that God is in my life and if you will talk to people for example who are not saved who are not Christians and you talk to them about most anything then I gonna bring up God unless they think you gonna bring it up and they said you look don't give me that God stuff well the truth is God could strike them dead in a split second how foolish to talk about God like that and then his mercy lets him live reminds us of our continuing dependence on him what is it in your life you don't depend upon God for absolutely dependent upon him for every single solitary thing he helps us trust him thanking him helps me trust him when I don't understand why it helps me to trust him when I don't understand why something's going on God I don't understand this I'm thanking you for it because you know better than I do and somebody says well that sounds unreasonable unreasonable to you but not to God because he honors that listen I think God honors thing giving most when I may feel like I have beliefs to be grateful for but I'm thanking him anyway and what does he do he responds to that I think Thanksgiving is essential to my rejoicing in the midst of suffering in other words rejoicing that is I want to thank you Father I mean maybe I'm able to sing even though I don't feel like it I don't I don't see the future is brightest but I'm gonna sing when you come to church on Sunday morning and you may feel like the bottoms dropped out of your life and you're walking backwards and nothing's right and they can't be right and we start singing what happens you have to admit that that heaviness it's like a lifting bog because you're singing and what are you doing when you're singing you're confessing something I give thanks to you O Lord I praise your Holy Name I bless you you may not feel that you keep singing and you're gonna feel it why the spirit of gods begins to witness in your heart that something good is going on and that God is still in charge and everybody's probably been I will go through some point in their life you say well it looks so dark God listen watch this carefully when you walking in and the dark place I remember that the light of the world is in you and step by step he's gonna open the door he's gonna show you the way he's gonna guide you he's gonna lift you no matter what's going on so I'm to thinking and thanking him has a powerful impact upon our life and I wonder when's the last time you could say I really rejoiced about that I just want to say hallelujah Jesus praise God when's the last time you ever felt that away I can tell some of you haven't felt that way in a long time I mean that you're so happy about what God's doing in your life that you've got just got to tell him you can walk through your house and just praise God in every room we should thank God and praise him for what he's doing in their life and then of course one other thing it does giving thanks to God removes the anxiety you can be anxious and worried about anything you start thanking him praise him focusing on him and that is amazing at the anxiety that disappears next thing you know you think what am I worried about I've got holy almighty sovereign God on my side taking care of me why am i down in the dumps listen living in the dumps it in God's plan and he can get you out real fast you start thanking him and praising him the devil runs and God gets you out you're exhausting and praising the Lord before you know it because anxiety and fretting over things is not the will of God then I'll get cause it keeps my focus on him other than my circumstances if I'm going through situations you say yeah well you don't know what I've been through it may be you don't know what I've been through I can tell you this I've been through enough deeply enough painful enough that I know that when you think you can't handle any more you start thanking God and praising him God I want to thank you thank you thank you I don't like it I don't want it this wouldn't be my plan but I want to thank you said thank you I'm thanking you thank you thank you thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus you say well you mean to tell me that'll change your circumstance no it'll change your attitude about your circumstance and your attitude toward God and that makes all the difference in the world then one thing I would say this said last thing and that is you get up tomorrow morning you think oh it's cold to send the other I'm gonna tell you how to get over that right now you want to though say Amen when you're lying there moaning and groaning about your job and the weather and the traffic you just start saying thank you Jesus thank you thank you thank you Jesus thank you Jesus I guarantee you you'll have energy to hop out of the bed and do what you need to do what because praise and thanksgiving but it's very nature energizes us now what you've done you've got your mind off the traffic and that's on God and it's under the blessing that he has for you during the day it energizes us today mentally emotionally spiritually in every single way so when I think about Thanksgiving I don't think about turkey I think about Almighty God and think about all the things that you and I have to be grateful for in our life so I want to say this to you whoever you are and wherever you are for you to reject Jesus Christ the Son of God sent into this world virgin born for the primary purpose of revealing God to us and going to the cross and our behalf in the shedding of his blood he paid our sin debt in full he was the fulfillment of all those sacrifices back yonder so God governed time and eternity and events they get Jesus to the cross a Roman cross to die in our place so that we wouldn't have to die in our sins and be lost forever for you to reject Jesus the Son of God who came into this world in order to deliver you from sin deliver you from its power filled you with His Holy Spirit serve through you and bring you to heaven for you to reject him is the greatest expression of ingratitude of anything you could ever do therefore I want to encourage you to acknowledge that God I've been ungrateful for my a lot of loving years of my life I'm asking you to forgive me of my sin I'm really ashamed God that I've lived this long without trusting as my Savior but today I'm trusting you as my savior and thanking you for your forgiveness and from this moment on the Lord I'm yours and I want to live for you if you will pray that simple prayer asking him to forgive you of your sins remember me you don't have to beg him he's been waiting to save you waiting the Savior there's a song we sing the Savior is way waiting for you to come to your senses open your eyes hear the truth believe the truth and let God change your life here and for all eternity and he'll do it if you let him father how grateful we are oh how grateful we are that you're patient whether you put up with us you forgive us again and again and again and again and when we just humble ourselves before your date afraid that every person who hears this message will not only hear it but heed the admonitions the trust she was saving Lord master of their life I pray for every Christian who hears it today Lord there would be some big time confession of ingratitude disobedience lawlessness in their life asking for forgiveness and make a fresh new recommitment of their life to you as their Savior we love you dear Lord and praise you for the wonderful privilege of knowing you sharing you there walking in obedience to you every day father I prayed the very best of your blessings but rest upon all those who listened and those who watch who know years they're safe in Lourdes and those who listen or watch and do not know you're saving Lourdes that today right now wherever they may be whatever time they'd stop and make this decision which we know will change their eternal destiny in Jesus name Amen if you've been blessed by today's program please visit us at intouch.org e in touch leading people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and strengthening the local church this program is sponsored by in touch ministries and is made possible by the grace of God and your faithful prayers and gifts you

Channel: In Touch Ministries

Views: 179,833

Rating: 4.8550038 out of 5

Keywords: Charles F. Stanley, Charles Stanley, In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley, In Touch Ministries, Preaching, Bible teaching, Dr. Stanley, Intouch ministries, intouch

Id: lfTQX0OWR6E

Length: 27min 1sec (1621 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 19 2017