Many Christians have never been nor will ever be truly happy in their lives because Satan uses the cheapest opportunity he gets to cheat and rob them of their goodies. He prevents prayers from being answered by using the loopholes in our attitude of ingratitude against us. The devil is able to oppress and prevent the flow of God’s blessings from reaching you by capitalizing on your weakness of ingratitude. God inhabits the praises of His people, but as long as His people do not praise Him, it affords the devil the possibility to sit on their blessings. Do not be cheated anymore; start giving praise to God.

Observations:

It is a pity to report that most Christians are ingrates. We fail to appreciate God for His goodness. We wait till a big thing happens before we say ‘thank you.’ We neglect to be thankful to God for everyday and everything, even though we know that God wants us to thank Him in everything (1 Thess. 5:18). You know, God would have blessed you more than this if you have taken some time out to bless His name for who He is and what He is doing. Our attitude of ungratefulness hurts God; it makes Him feel as if He has not done anything important in our lives. This brings great danger upon us and leaves us exposed to the devices of the devil, but if we turn around today, confess our sins of ingratitude and begin to give thanks, our lives will change.

Let me remind you of three ways of appreciating God:

1.  Prayer. In your prayers, let thanksgiving exceed requests. Let the Lord know that His mercies over you are appreciated. Tell Him that you realize that those who have gotten into one trouble or the other are not worse than you are. You are not holier than those who have died, failed or are prison. You are just enjoying God’s mercy.

Jesus knows the gravity of thanksgiving. No wonder He taught us to always humbly start our prayers with thanksgiving: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, etc. Jesus also gave thanks each time He prayed. Remember at the tomb of Lazarus, He first gave thanks to God before he requested raising Lazarus from death (Jn. 41-42). It is not a normal thing for someone to be thanking God at a burial ground, but Jesus knew what it would take to have God move into action. In the middle of tough situations, give praise to God. He will bring peace beyond your expectations.

Also at the time of scarcity, He thanked God and God multiplied unto Him. There were only five loaves of bread and two fishes available, but as soon as He thanked God for the availability of the few, God multiplied the meal to feed five thousand people. Would you learn to thank God when you have less than enough? Do not wait till you become a millionaire before you begin to appreciate God. Thank Him now for the little you have.  Ephesians 5:20 encourages us to give thanks all the time in everything. Paul and Silas prayed and sang in the prison and the Lord released them. Thanksgiving prayers can release you from any kind of imprisonment. Try it!

2.  Manifest God’s goodness with songs. King David chose Asaph as his choirmaster and assigned him to continue to sing praises in his palace (1 Chronicles 16:7-15). When we give praise to God in songs, our enemies bow. In Exodus 15 the people of God sang unto the Lord who released them from captivity. Do not allow Satan to take away songs of praise from you. Get yourself a CD player. Listen to praise music and bring out new melodies that God has deposited in you. When you sing praises to God, He will smile upon you and you will be highly favored. When you sing praises to God, He will set ambush against your enemies and they will self-destroy. Yes, that’s what happened to the three enemies of Judah. See 2 Chronicles 20:21-26, as the people of God started to sing praises to God, their enemies started to wage war against themselves. Read Psalm 66:1-4 and Psalm 145:1-5 and sing praises to God for His goodness. God is expecting praise and gratitude from you. Begin now and the devil will begin to fail concerning you.

3.  Praise God with your offerings. Many Christians have robbed themselves of their own blessings by saying, ‘God does not take money, He only needs halleluiah.’ What a big lie! Of course, He wants your halleluiah and your offerings. Do not withhold your money from God and expect Him to be happy with you. Some people have asked,

“Is it proper to give offering to God? Does Jesus take offerings?”

Yes, it is absolutely proper. Bright early in Jesus’ life, He received offerings. In Matthew 2:11 we discover that He received presents of Gold, frankincense and myrrh.  In Exodus 23:15, God says ‘no one must come before Him with empty hands.’  Many Christians will sing and dance but bring money that is nowhere measurable to the goodness of God in their lives. Some will shout ten halleluiah but give two dollars. Go and see what Hanna praised God with when she gave birth to Samuel. 1 Samuel 1:23 reveals that she gave 3 cows, 1 epha of flour, 1 bottle of wine, and even the child. Glory be to God, Hanna received seven more children after Samuel because of her gratitude for the first one she had. Consider what you give to God at the time of your thanksgiving. Is it worth it? Do you give thanks and offerings, or do you give complaints and self-righteousness?

What do you put in your pocket or purse for offering on your way to Church? Is it something tangible or not? What do you take to the servants of God when you visit them or when they render a service to you? In 1 Samuel 9:7-8, Saul insisted on bringing something to the man of God from whom they needed to make an inquiry. Hello Christian, please gain knowledge and stop beating down your own blessings with your tight fist. Any time you vow before God, pay it, for God is not mocked (Ps. 76:11 & Lk. 17:15-17). If we fail to present offerings before God, the root of bitterness may spring up in our lives.

God has protected you. Your house has not become somebody else’s. You woke up this morning and you are able to move around. God has averted troubles and blessed you with peace in your surrounding. You and I must praise the Lord. He has redeemed and saved us. He is worthy to be praised. God alone is the King and the Lord.  Instead of praise, people often spend time complaining, accusing God and getting mad at Him for what He has not done. Begin now to consider your ways. If you want the devil to stop cheating you, start to express gratitude to God. This is the best time of the year to start praising God in all things and the devil will let go of your life.

I am Pastor Abraham Obadare, a minister of the gospel at Christ Apostolic Church of America, Inc. You are welcome to worship with us at 108-02 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11435. You may also keep up with us on our 24 hours internet radio at www.eagernessofgod.org Our website address is www.wosem.org where you can demand videos for your enrichment, watch our live streaming or read past messages / articles.

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