Understanding Thanksgiving: Two words make up the word THANKSGIVING; they are THANKS and GIVING. Let’s take a look at each of these words to get a better understanding.
THANKS: Thankfulness is a force, a spiritual force and it is a vital key in the release of the supernatural in one’s life. Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus engaged this spiritual force and it turned around a death situation. They took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me”1 – then He spoke to Lazarus to come out and Lazarus that was dead previously, came out. Thankfulness was the force behind that supernatural outcome.
Also Jesus fed 5000 people with just Five loaves and two fish. The spiritual force of thankfulness turn what was not enough into more than enough. “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven and [praising God] gave thanks and asked Him to bless them [to their use]. Then He broke them and gave them to the disciples to place before the multitude. And they had twelve baskets left over!2
Thankfulness is a vital key in the release of the supernatural. It is more than an attitude of gratitude. It is not the spontaneous acknowledgement of a good deed but it is a way of life. Thankfulness is a lifestyle! Thankfulness is a practical orientation to a lifestyle of genuine and continual appreciation of the goodness of God in your life. It is tapping into power to become what God has said that is why the Bible says “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”. Unfortunately, there are so many unthankful people today. How do you know them? They are the complainers and murmurers. Unthankful people are complainers and they are murmurers. Unthankful people are powerless people and they lack focus because of their unthankfulness. Whatever affects your focus, affects your faith; and whatever affects your faith affects your harvest! Unthankfulness is a deadly plague that removes God’s hand from one’s life.
Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness of [mind and] heart [in gratitude] for the abundance of all [with which He had blessed you], Therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord shall send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and in want of all things; and He will put a yoke of iron upon your neck until He has destroyed you.3
Therefore, if you ever find yourself in want or in need pretty often, check the issue of unthankfulness in your life. You need to fan the flame of your thankfulness! The expression of your thankfulness is in your GIVING!
Next : The ‘Giving’ of Thanks