How to develop a heart of gratitude

“Thanking and worshipping God is not for His benefit. It’s for yours!”

Thanksgiving is an important aspect of worship. It leads to worship.

Psalm 119:62: At midnight I will rise to GIVE THANKS unto thee because
of thy righteous judgments.

Protocol: There is no one who can just enter into the president’s
office and inquire of him. There is a protocol for that. If God is the
King of kings and Lord of lords, then there is a protocol for getting
into His presence too. This is it:
Psalm 100:4: Enter His gates with THANKSGIVING; go into His courts
with praise. GIVE THANKS to Him and praise His name (scripture
couldn’t be more clear!)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In
everything GIVE THANKS: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you.

NB: it says give thanks IN everything not FOR everything. It means if
you have a broken leg, you don’t thank God for your broken leg. You
thank Him for healing it as Jehovah Rapha. See How to increase your prayer life.

Psalm 69:30: Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will
honour Him with THANKSGIVING (there’s the protocol again!)

Acts 16:25: Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and SINGING
HYMNS to God and the other prisoners were listening.

Sacrifice of thanksgiving.
This means to give thanks in those moments when you shouldn’t. When it
is most difficult to give thanks.

Psalm 107:22: Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving AND sing
joyfully about His glorious acts (the protocol, yet again!).

Psalm 116:17: I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on
the name of the Lord.

Leviticus 22:29: When you bring a thanksgiving offering to the Lord,
sacrifice it properly so you will be accepted.

Jonah 2:9: But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of
thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the
Lord.
Jonah being inside the belly of the whale was the equivalent of being
in Hell. To capture the heart of Jonah, read Chapter 1:17-2:9.

Hebrew words linked to thanksgiving
Towdah: lifting or raising hands in giving thanks to God
Yadah: wave the hands in gratitude of worship.

John 6:11: Then Jesus took the loaves, GAVE THANKS to God, and
distributed them to the people. Afterward He did the same with the
fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted.

The revelation: Jesus gave thanks and there was multiplication!
NB: Jesus gave thanks with the LITTLE He had and it grew.

Motivation
Pastor Nikki’s view of Bunker Busting prayer:
This is when you thank God for SPECIFIC things or needs you may have.
She gave this real life example:
There were a group of women that needed to go to SA. They did not have
a ticket, money, visa, absolutely nothing. They came for early morning
prayers and Pastor Nikki (our prayer pastor) was leading it, she gave
an altar call for those who had specific needs and asked them to give thanks instead of
making requests. One woman came up and said:
Lord I thank you that I am in the passport office. I see myself going
up in the line and I’m in the front. I see the passport lady with my
passport, and she’s stamping my passport with the visa. I see myself
getting the ticket and I’m in the plane. I see myself in Joburg with
the person I’m supposed to meet.

Guess what happened? Later that evening, the WHOLE GROUP left for SA.

Begin to thank Him, not only for or because of today, but do it all the time.