Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלוהים) says:
In your preparation for eternity there is only one way you will be prepared to enter the glorious gates, each formed from a single pearl of great price.
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Revelation 12:12.
You enter My gates with thanksgiving.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:4-5.
There is no other way you come in, and I will tell you a secret, when the Heavenly roll call is read from the Lamb’s Book of Life and the Gate to the Heavenly City is wide open to you, your heart can do nothing but be filled with joyful shouts of thanksgiving, praise, and honor for the One who opened that Gate for you, but above all overwhelming gratitude that you had the great and glorious opportunity to receive Jesus as your Lord and that you did! Overwhelmed with awe you will throw yourself face down before Me and shout your thankful praise in lovely melody. Keep that in mind, for I will tell you more about this.
Open to me the gates of righteousness; I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD, the righteous will enter through it. I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me, and You have become my salvation. Psalm 118:19-21.
As you look on and see the punishment and banishment of the wicked from the Kingdom you will be in such awe that somehow you did not go that way. There is no pride in Heaven, everyone there knows how easily they could have gone the wrong way and that they never could have obtained, on their own merits and works, such a beautiful, amazing, awesome place beyond all you can ask or imagine that I have prepared for you who love Me with all your heart. It took the blood of the Lamb, the One who loved you and gave Himself for you, to open the new and living way in His blood to come there.
“Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10.
It has pleased Me to give you who have loved His appearing the Kingdom and the glorious crown of righteousness.
In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8.
But it is not just when the Holy City is before you as you enter that you can have joy unspeakable filled with glory, it is not just then that you begin to sing the song of the redeemed, it is not just then that you begin to give thanks, it is even now in this life with eternity in your heart that you begin to rejoice in your salvation!
And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy unspeakable filled with glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9.
With joy you will draw waters at the springs of Yeshuah! Your Yeshuah! And when you begin a lifestyle of constant heartfelt thanks you will find that the voice of thanksgiving works wonders!
And I will go about Your altar, O LORD, that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and declare all Your wonders. Psalm 26:6-7.
Thanksgiving is the catalyst for miracles, it makes what you are hoping for in faith manifest. My Word comes to pass in the atmosphere of thanksgiving. That is the atmosphere of miracles.
You will find that those who had great wonders and miracles in their lives were people of thanksgiving, people who honored Me with gratitude for what I had done and was doing in their lives. They attributed their excellence and success to Me with no shame to proclaim My goodness.
Think of My servant Jacob, whom I renamed Israel and made him the father of a great nation. As he returned from his work for Laban, he knelt down and thanked Me for all the increase I had given him.
I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies.” Genesis 32:10.
And think of Joseph, sold as a slave into Egypt. He continually thanked Me, being aware of My presence and guidance. When he interpreted Pharaoh’s dream he could have attributed supernatural powers to himself but he did not. He was grateful to Me.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” Genesis 40:15-16.
Joseph was so thankful for all I had done for him in Egypt that he even ended up being thankful to his brothers for sending him there. He never would have gone to Egypt otherwise. He took his captors captive and set all free by thanksgiving joy.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come closer to me.” And they came closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance. Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.” Genesis 45:4-9.
And I could go on, Daniel and his countrymen, Shadrack, Misrach, and Abednego, thanked Me for revelation for Daniel concerning Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and he received it and saved all the wisemen’s lives. And his three friends, who refused to bow to the king’s idol came out of a fiery furnace, heated seven times hotter than normal, unharmed and not even smelling like smoke by walking amidst the flames singing praise and thanksgiving, and their songs and praise reached My altar of incense and Jesus came down to walk in the flames with them so that there was no harm. And Daniel, thanking Me and resting comfortably all night in a den of hungry lions where he had been thrown for breaking the law by praying to Me.
And think of David, his praise and thanksgiving amidst severe trials took him from running as a fugitive hiding in dark caves to ruling all of Israel and Judah in a beautiful palace filled with light. And there he instituted worship before Me 24/7 in front of the Ark of the Covenant with 288 Levites drawing lots to sing thanksgiving and praise round the clock. And during those years, Israel never lost a battle.
And how about Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah when three enemy armies banded together to fight Jerusalem that so far outnumbered them Jehoshaphat’s first reaction was fear, but not for more than a few moments for Jehoshaphat, a descendant of the sweet psalmist of Israel know what to do. Yes, the voice of thanksgiving works wonders.
First, Jehoshaphat, aware of the grave danger marching against the city to lay siege, called all the people of Judah to come join him in My house, the Temple, to cast their cares on Me and seek My help, and they came. Jehoshaphat was mindful of Solomon’s prayer that My eyes would constantly be on that house to hear the people’s prayers and to give them new life. They all looked to Me and were not disappointed.
“O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” 2 Chronicles 20:12.
They had put their eyes in the right place, on Me and not on the problem. What you are looking at, you will magnify in your life. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith and you will never go wrong.
When they had cast the care on Me and authorized Me to work with them on their behalf, I answered. I am ever present as your helper and when you call on Me I answer. I rend the heavens and come down to bring Salvation. And that is what I did for Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. I spoke to one of My prophets, a singer in My house of the line of Asaph.
Then in the midst of the assembly the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph; and he said, “Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel. You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the SALVATION (Yeshuah) of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:14-17.
And when I am with you, who can be against you? No one and nothing. But do you see, I told them not to fear or be dismayed at such a vast and numerous enemy because the battle is Mine. When you cast your care on Me and ask Me in with loving trust, I fight for you. But you will note I did not let them hide in their homes in fear, they had to go out and face the problem with boldness with Me for I made them the promise that I was with them. They did not do the fighting but they had to station themselves in the battle stance. Take your stance against Satan and NEVER give in. He will flee from you if he sees you mean business.
Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore. Ephesians 6:13-14.
But how do you stand firm when you are facing an attack of three enemy armies united together that far outnumber you? With the voice of thanksgiving. Release the atomic bomb of praise. And now learn the exact procedure for the voice of thanksgiving, if you remember man healed of leprosy came back and did this in front of Jesus and he was not only cleansed of the leprosy, he was made whole, completely restored of all the devil had stolen from him over the painful years. The voice of thanksgiving works wonders. Remember all Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah had was My promise, the three enemy armies were camped outside the city ready to strike. But in the midst of that impossible situation they had been given My Word of victory. And so have you! All My magnificent promises, as many as they be, in My written Word are “yes” to you in Christ Jesus your Lord (Yeshuah, your Salvation), there will always be one that applies perfectly to your problem. So once you have the Word take it by faith and receive it in your spirit. But for it to manifest, it takes the catalyst of thanksgiving. And this is what the voice of thanksgivng looks like and sounds like:
Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD. The Levites, from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel, with a VERY LOUD voice. 2 Chronicles 20:18-19.
Overcome with awe at My Word to them they fell down with joy at My feet and worshipped. They honored My Word of victory by receiving it with joy-filled faith convinced of the good result even though at the point they only had My Word. And they worshipped by LOUD songs of praise and thanksgiving.
But as yet the enemy was still very much there ready to attack. But I had told them to go out and face them and so early the next morning they eagerly prepared. And consulting among themselves they decided how they would march out to face the enemy. They put the singers in front in holy attire and they marched out singing thanksgiving for the victory before it had come about.
They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.” When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” 2 Chronicles 20:20-21.
To the worldly minded, this would look foolish, but to the Kingdom minded it is bringing the heavenly host on the scene and the fourth man that later the friends of Daniel would walk with in the fiery furnace and not suffer any harm. But they set off the atomic bomb of praise, and like David’s sling shot of praise, it felled the enemy.
When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed. For the sons of Ammon and Moab rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir destroying them completely; and when they had finished with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. 2 Chronicles 20:22-23.
Praise in a problem confounds and destroys the enemy and builds you up to go out with joy!
Then Judah came to the lookout of the wilderness, they looked toward the multitude, and behold, they were corpses lying on the ground, and no one had escaped. When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found much among them, including goods, garments and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much. 2 Chronicles 20:24-25.
The voice of thanksgiving brought much more than victory, it brought the blessing of prosperity. And they did not stop singing and thanking. No they just kept on going and going. And they renamed the valley of the encounter where the enemy camped from the Valley of Achor (trouble, painful labor) to the Valley of Beracah (Blessing). Thanksgiving and praise will turn your valley of trouble into a valley of blessing. You just have to do it with your heart.
Then on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Beracah, for there they blessed the LORD. Therefore they have named that place “The Valley of Beracah” until today. Every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned with Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres and trumpets to the house of the LORD. And the dread of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God gave him rest on all sides. 2 Chronicles 20:26-30.
Never give in and surrender to Satan and his unclean spirits no matter what they bring against you. If you resist them, they must flee because the angels were made to serve you and they must obey the voice of My Word. And how do you resist them? You answer their lies with the truth of My Word, you cast them out and cast your care on Me for restoration and blessing in prayer with THANKSGIVING. And that is how you are delivered, you go out with joy and joy expresses itself in LOUD singing and shouting.
Next time the devil attacks you, try it and you will have a great time watching everything he meant for evil turn into a blessing. Just like it did for Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. What came against them to destroy them ended up being destroyed and enriching them.
If you will note also, they thanked Me the minute they had the Word, they thanked Me when they went out to face the enemy, and they thanked Me for the blessings in the victory. It was a festival of thanksgiving instead of a defeat and surrender in fear. You choose how you respond when Satan attacks. But there is only one way out, and it is joy. The voice of thanksgiving is the ultimate expression of faith in My promises.
“For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12.
How do you think Jonah got delivered out of that stormy sea where he had been tossed? Yes, the voice of thanksgiving works wonders.
“But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD.” Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land. Jonah 2:9-10.
I love you and that is why I tell you to give constant thanks. It works wonders. And it will give you joy and My joy is your strength.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7.