Experiencing Victory on every side – Thanksgiving in trials – Part 4 – Pastor Odim Awa Odim: Challenges, is for a child of God, like a step whereby he climbs up in destiny to a fulfilled life, but at every stage or phase of his life, he experiences challenges.
Experiencing Victory on every side – Thanksgiving in trials (Part IV)
1 Corinthians 15:57
[57]But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Child of God, as long as, we are still in this earth realm, we can not remove challenging times from life.
Challenges, is for a child of God, like a step whereby he climbs up in destiny to a fulfilled life, but at every stage or phase of his life, he experiences challenges.
These challenges can be sickness, lack , marital crisis, pain, betrayal, disappointment, rejection and so on.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
[18]in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
But the will of God for His children is to give thanks in every situation, we practice this spiritual way of living not because there is no challenges facing us or such that we are going through at the moment, but because, Christ conquered these trying times for us and He justified the claims of justice for us, when He handed victory to us. Praise God!
Hebrews 4:15
[15]For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus also as God, but during His earthly ministry experienced everything that is also possible to man, but He maintained the attitude of Thanksgiving to the Father.
Child of God, it is Noble to know, that by maintaining this act of Thanksgiving in every situation, just like Christ, shows that we can transform our perspective and circumstances.
The benefit of Thanksgiving
Shift in Perspective:
Thanksgiving can shift our focus from the situation to God’s sovereignty and goodness.
Psalms 118:1
[1]Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Increased faith:
Choosing to give thanks in every situation can strengthen faith and trust in God’s plan.
Colossians 3:17
[17]And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Peace and comfort:
Thanksgiving can bring peace and comfort in the midst of uncertainty.
Philippians 4:6
[6]Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Leads to spiritual growth :
Maintaining the act of Thanksgiving in the midst of challenges can refine and mature us, leading to spiritual growth and maturity.
Psalm 50:23
“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice of praise honors me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God.”
Declaring God’s goodness:
Thanksgiving in trying times can be a powerful tool to proclaim God’s goodness to others.
Psalms 107:1-2
[1]Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
[2]Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
The Reasons for thanksgiving
God’s love and salvation:
He saved us through Jesus Christ, by His grace we received eternal life.
John 3:16
[16]For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Ephesians 2:8-9
[8]For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
[9]not of works, lest anyone should boast.
His goodness and mercy:
God’s steadfast love endures forever. This compassion for us never fails.
Psalms 136:1
[1]Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
Provision and care:
He gives us everything we need, and He does not waver in His support.
Philippians 4:19
[19]And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Forgiveness and Redemption:
He has forgiven our sins through Jesus. This was an everlasting sacrifice for His children.
Romans 5:8
[8]But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Examples of Men that gave Thanksgiving in scriptures in the midst of challenges
Job:
He declared his stand in Thanksgiving to God in the midst of the situation, when he lost everything.
Job 1:21
[21]And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Paul and Silas:
They worshiped the Lord in thanksgiving, counting their selves worthy to suffer affliction, glorifying God while imprisoned.
Acts 16:25
[25]But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
Jesus:
He gave thanks before breaking bread, knowing He will be betrayed the same night by one of His disciples, Judas, to be denied and rejected by the others.
And that He will drink the cup of affliction and go through the baptism of death. Hallelujah!
Matthew 26:26-30
[26]And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
[27]Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
[28]For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
[29]But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”
[30]And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Conclusion:
Thanksgiving is a powerful supernatural way of living, God in His human nature, as Jesus Christ, Practiced it as a way of life during His earthly cause.
It is of necessity for us in this kingdom to establish our victory through the force of Thanksgiving, this is so, because, through this practice, we humble ourselves and shift our focus to the mighty hand of the Lord.
Our Exaltation comes, our uplifting happens and definitely, we confirm our testimony, when we maintain, Thanksgiving as a practice. Praise God!
