MIDWEEK WORD: Power of Thanksgiving!

Power of Thanksgiving

'Let everything that has breath praise the Lord'. Psalms 150:6

Let us begin by apologising for the two months break, our Ministry has been very busy with a lot of things. Please accept our apologises. 

Today we'll be looking at the Power that comes from giving thanks to the Lord. If we look at the Oxford dictionary we will see that Thanksgiving is defined as the expression of gratitude, especially to God. 

As Christians we are instructed to give thanks in everything as 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says 'in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.' Some people seem to only give thanks to God when things are going great instead of praising Him all the time, through the hardships, happiness, challenges or joy etc... 1 Thessalonians 5:18 simply demonstrates to us that when we give thanks in all things, it provides us with the opportunity to prove our faith in God. Giving thanks to God will draw us nearer to Him and helps us to be engaged with Him, it also allows us to remove the focus from ourselves and place it on God which then provides room for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. 

These are some of the powerful things that Thanksgiving does: 

1. When we give thanks to the Lord, it opens doors of opportunities to us. 

2. It strengthens our faith and our dependence on God for provision, as it is written in Philippians 4:19 which says 'And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus'. Philippians 4:6 also let us know that we shouldn't 'Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.' 

3. Giving thanks helps us in keeping our lives clear of darkness, deception etc, if we look at Romans 1:21 which says 'Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened'. 

4. Brings us closer to God.

5. Thanksgiving has the power to bring great joy and break the power of the enemy. We can see this in John 11: 41 when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead by giving thanks. This brought joy and also broke the power of death (enemy) over Lazarus.

Brethren examine yourself, are you giving thanks to the Most High? Does he alone get all your praises? Is he your main focus? Do you praise Him in the good and the bad? We encourage you to reflect on your lives and to begin to make changes where changes are due. May God help you as you begin to do so. Amen. 

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HOW TO LIVE A FULFILLED LIFE

TIPS FOR FULFILLED LIFE

You'll find below some tips on how to live a fulfilled life. These were shared by our Pastor to the Youths of the Church. We pray that as you begin to read these tips may you begin to see a difference in your life. Amen.

1. Don't complicate life. We won't be here forever. Once this day is over, it's gone forever. Your time is too valuable to waste on nonsense.

2. No matter what knocks you down in life, get up and keep going. NEVER GIVE UP. Great blessings come as a result of great perseverance.

3. Talking about our problems is our greatest addiction. Break the habit. Talk about your joys.

4. Good things come to those who believe, better things come to those who are patient, and the best things come to those who don't give up.

6. Disappointments were not meant to destroy you. They were meant to strengthen you and give you fortitude to accomplish your God-given destiny.

7. We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but by appreciating what we do have.

8. Your child will follow your example, not your advice.

9. One day, you'll be just a memory for some people. Do your best to be a good one.

10. Associate yourself with people of good quality. For it is better to be alone than in bad company.

11.  Don't fear change. You may lose something good, but you may also gain something great.

12.  When you love what you have, you have everything you need.

13. The greatest act of faith some days is to simply get up and face another day.

14. Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have - GRATITUDE.

15. When you choose to forgive those who have hurt you, you take away their power.

16. Patience is not the ability to wait, but how you act while you are waiting.

17. Isn't it ironic:
- We ignore those who adore us, but adore the ones that ignore us.
- We love those who hurt us, but hurt the ones that love us.

18. Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together. Every story has an end, but in life every end is just a new beginning.

19. You were born to win. Although to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.

20. Every day is a NEW beginning, take a deep breath and START AGAIN.

22. Know that you are loved. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are beautiful. You have purpose. You are a masterpiece.

22. Don't compare your progress with that of others. We all need our own time to travel our own distance.

23. Surround yourself only with people who are going to lift you higher.

24. Bad things happen everyday to everyone. The difference is in how people deal with it.

25. When you make a commitment, you build hope. When you keep it, you build trust.

26. Two things define you: Your PATIENCE when you have NOTHING, and your ATTITUDE when you have EVERYTHING.

27. Being honest may not get you a lot of FRIENDS but it will always get you the RIGHT ONES.

28. Working on yourself is the hardest part c c  life. Keep growing up, no matter where you are.

29. Be selective in your battles. Sometimes peace is better than being right.

30. Keep people in your life who truly love you, motivate you and make you happy. If you know people who do none of these things, let them go.

31. Be happy not because everything is good, but because you can see the good side of everything.

32. OPTIMISM
NO ➔ Shortcuts
NO ➔ Quick fixes
NO ➔ Blaming others
NO ➔ I'll do tomorrows
NO ➔ EXCUSES!!

33. Surround yourself with positive people who will support you when it rains, not just when it shines.

34. Being defeated is often a temporary condition; giving up is what makes it permanent.

God bless you as you begin to enjoy God's grace on this journey we call LIFE.

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Running The Race With God

Run With God

As believers in Christ, we run a race. It's not just any race though, it is the race of a lifetime. It dominates our mind, it occupies us, the race pretty much becomes our main focus as Christians.

Hebrews 12:1 says Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. We are to put our sins behind us and leave them there while we run the race with God, with no distractions.

As believers we have been chosen for the race, God has picked us individually for the race. Although the destination is the same for us all, the race God has prepared before us is different, the race is unique to individuals. It's important to realise that everybody's race is different, no one can have the same path as you. Never compare your race track to someone else's track.

Just like in the marathon, our race has no time outs, there are no breaks, no halftimes. We have been instructed to keep on running till we get to the finish line. Philippians 3:13-14 says Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Here Paul was telling us to press on in the race even though the race might become difficult, we are encourage to press on for the prize. While unlike the marathon there are obstacles, hurdles and barriers that cannot be avoided in our race with God. These barriers and obstacles can come in different shapes and sizes, and the only way to overcome them is staying on the track and running, making sure to not fall to our old ways just because barriers have presented themselves in our race with God. Remember its says For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope - Jeremiah 29:11. So we have no reason to be fearful about the barriers on the way, for God has plans for peace and not evil towards us.

We are to run to win the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24 says Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run so you may obtain it. We should know that we are not talking about physical prize here, we are talking about the Spiritual prize. Winning this type of race requires great endurance remember it says let us run with endurance. It also requires perseverance and patience.

Let us examine ourselves of the things that might hinder us in this race with God. Let us present our sins before the Lord and ask for forgiveness so that we may run the race. I pray that the Lord God Almighty will help each and everyone of us to run the race without turning back and to help us press forward towards the end goal. Amen

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