This month is Thanksgiving month, friends!!!!! I love Thanksgiving, it's my favorite holiday!!! You have the perfect balance of getting to enjoy a special day with the family, but not being sad when it's over because Christmas is coming. And you get to watch NFL games, if you like to do that like I do. lol!
For this month, we're really going to be focusing on giving thanks, being grateful, and having a heart of praise toward God. Our key verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:18, which says, "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." What I love about this verse and what we're really going to focus on for this month is that God calls us to be thankful at all times and in all situations.
We're going to look at different types of circumstances and situations, where people from the Bible were praising God and giving thanks. Because when we praise God, it's hard to not be thankful and grateful.
So, the first one is Moses, Mariam, and Hannah. They gave thanks and praised God over the breakthrough and blessings in their lives. Then we'll skip over to Paul and Silas, who praised God when they were in captivity and experiencing oppression. Then we'll look at Mary, who heard this unexpected news that she was going to be the mother of Jesus and who had so much unknown surrounding her - yet she was praising God. And lastly, we're going to end with David. David is such a grateful person and he's just always praising God, no matter what's going on in his life. And he went through a lot of things in his life, but we're going to get into that deeper soon.
I'm excited for this series! I hope you join me and prepare your heart for praise and worship!
The Bible encourages us to give thanks in all circumstances, while also providing examples of how men and women have done it.
At the point of the story we’re joining, Moses is leading the Israelites away from Egypt from where God had just freed them from slavery. However, the Pharoah decides to chase them to bring them back as slaves. To save the Israelites, God parts a sea, brings them through on dry ground, and then destroys the Egyptian army by moving the sea back into place while they were crossing. Moses sang a song to God. The song retold the story of everything that had happened. Moses’ sister, Miriam, led others in continuing the song – giving God all the praise for the breakthrough.
Many years later, there was a lady named Hannah who really wanted to have kids. She went to the Lord’s temple and prayed there. Hannah became pregnant and had a son. In her prayer at the temple, she had told God that if He blessed her with a kid that she’d give them back to the Lord, so Hannah took Samuel and presented him to Eli, a priest, to serve at the temple. Hannah prayed again – this time with gratefulness to God.
Four truths from these stories about how to be grateful are: One, share your story. A great way to show your appreciation to God is to share the good things He’s done for you. Two, encourage others to praise God. Set an example for others by always giving God praise, you never know who might join you. Three, spend time singing or praying to God with thankfulness. This creates a joyful atmosphere and trains us for when times aren’t good. Lastly, give back to God. We can use the blessings and breakthroughs we receive as ways to give back to God.
Here’s how not to be grateful: Take the credit – When someone asks how you got through something or when you’re sharing about a blessing or breakthrough, make sure you focus on talking about who God is and His provision. Think that you deserve good things – God doesn’t owe you, He has already given us more than we deserve, His provision of blessings and breakthroughs are out of His goodness. Forget to be grateful to God – When receiving blessings and breakthroughs, show God reverence and thankfulness before doing anything else.
God’s Guidance:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) – “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Exodus 14:29-30 (NIV) – “But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore.”
1 Samuel 1:25-28 (NIV) – “When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.”
Exodus 15:3-10 (NIV) – “The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name. Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone. Your right hand, Lord, was majestic in power. Your right hand, Lord, shattered the enemy. “In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble. By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood up like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy boasted, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.’ But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters.”
Exodus 15:19-21 (NIV) – “When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.””
Exodus 15:1 (NIV) – “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.”
1 Samuel 2:1 (NIV) – “Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.”
1 Samuel 2:3-8 (NIV) – ““Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. “The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world.”
Exodus 14-15:21
1 Samuel 1-2:11
Application:
1. Read Exodus 14-15:21 and 1 Samuel 1-2:11 this week, which is about 16 verses a day
3. Spend time each day this week to sing a song of gratefulness to God or in prayer for the sole purpose of thanking Him for all He is and does
Strength Point:
God provides us countless breakthroughs and blessings out of His merciful and good Spirit.
Prayer Prompt:
Hi Jesus! Thank You for all the breakthroughs you’ve provided in my life and the countless blessings You pour onto me every day. Your gifts of eternal life and a secure relationship with You are the greatest blessings and breakthroughs You could ever offer me. I’m sorry for not giving You praise and glory for all the blessings and breakthroughs in my life. Teach me to run straight to You and give You thanks whenever I hear great news, make it through a hard time, or __. Even when I can’t see the beauty in life or light at the end of the tunnel, help me to be grateful and to praise You. I pray that I’d see Your hand in the common everyday things of sunsets, deep breaths, and __; yet also in the big miracles I get to experience. I want my life – what I say, think, and do – to show how much I appreciate Your presence in my life. Thank You for always knowing and doing what’s best for me. You deserve all praise! I love You, Lord! In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen.
A Prayer to Pray over Others:
Hi Jesus! Thank You for all the breakthroughs you’ve provided for us and the countless blessings You pour onto us every day. Your gifts of eternal life and a secure relationship with You are the greatest blessings and breakthroughs You could ever offer. Help my friend to give You praise and glory for the blessings and breakthroughs in their life. Teach them to run straight to You and give You thanks whenever they hear great news, make it through a hard time, or accomplish something. Even when my friend can’t see the beauty in life or light at the end of the tunnel, help them to be grateful and to praise You. I pray that they’d see Your hand in the common everyday things of sunsets, deep breaths, and hugs; yet also in the big miracles they get to experience. Create a desire in my friend to want their life – what they say, think, and do – to show how much they appreciate Your presence in their life. Thank You for always knowing and doing what’s best for us. You deserve all praise! I love You, Lord! In Your Name, Jesus, I pray, amen.
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