Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Thanking for a promise given before you see the manifestation of what has been promised is one of the highest acts of faith, trust, and love you can give to Me because it honors Me.
Thanksgiving honors the truthfulness, integrity, and generosity of the giver. It shows that you are not regarding lightly or taking for granted as if what was given was something due you. And those who honor Me, I honor. Those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed. 1 Samuel 2:30.
Not being grateful for something causes you to lose it. If you do not value something, you hold it as cheap and you will not guard it. Adam was not grateful for all the splendor and beauty, the dominion authority, the lovely wife, and the amazing garden I had given him. He treated it as due him and of no value, and that is why he searched for more. When you know you have the best there is no need to look elsewhere. You are fully satisfied.
But if you do not appreciate what you have, then you will lose it. You will not guard it. Adam despised what I had given him. He blamed Me for the sin he committed, saying, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” Genesis 3:12.
Things you are not thankful for you will soon despise. Essau was not thankful for the blessing of the firstborn so he despised his birthright and gave it to Jacob for a bowl of lentil soup. Satan can steal what you are not thankful for, just as he did with the first man and woman. He took everything away from them and they freely gave it not knowing the treasure they had, thinking a creature could give them more than their creator.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:16-17.
But that is still why people sin in adultery, idol worship, embezzling and the like, they think the world can give them more than I can, which is like taking something not even worth one cent in exchange for wealth that cannot even be counted for I have given you the Kingdom. You are with Me ALWAYS and everything I have is yours.
“Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and he (the destroyer) will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you.” Deuteronomy 28:47-48.
Now I am going to tell you a powerful way to live, that most people, even the most power hungry, never do. It is the giving of thanks, and not just by rote, but with a LOUD voice and shouts and songs of praise. You go out with joy and are led forth by peace.
I tell you that it is good to give thanks and sing praise to My Name, and I mean all My Name—the LORD your healer, the LORD your provider (who sees ahead and provides), the LORD your shepherd, the LORD your righteousness, the LORD is Shalom, the LORD of hosts, the LORD your deliverer, the LORD your refuge, the LORD your fortress, the LORD your redeemer, the LORD your victory (banner, miracle), the LORD your sanctifier, the LORD your strength, the LORD your helper, and the LORD your exceeding gladness and joy, whatever your need is at the moment.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High. Psalm 92:1.
I also tell you that singing praises of thanksgiving is pleasant and becoming (naveh (נָאוֶה): comely, pleasing in appearance; attractive; fair: a comely face, good-looking, beautiful, handsome, pretty) to you. Psalm 33:1; Psalm 147:1. And that is true. Just read Psalm 92, those who do that are full and sap and very green, bearing fruit even in old age. David sang “Praise to the LORD,” and he was safe from his enemies. Psalm 18:3.
Why is thanksgiving so important that I tell you that it is My Will for you in Christ Jesus that you not only rejoice always and pray without ceasing but that you also give constant thanks? 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. That means thanksgiving in every circumstance of your life.
The answer is simple, the voice of thanksgiving works wonders. It made a leper not just cleansed but whole, Luke 17: 15-19, it took down three enemy armies, 2 Chronicles 20:14-25, it brought Jonah out of the raging sea and the belly of a whale onto the dry land right at Nineveh, Jonah 2:9; and it set the release of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt on course. Exodus 4:29-31. It brought Lazarus out of the grave. John 11:41-44. It brought down the walls of Jericho with a joyful shout. Joshua 6:20. It multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish so that they fed well over 5,000 people with twelve baskets full left over. John 6:11-13. And spoken with words of consecration over bread and wine it turned them into the body and blood of My Son. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Matthew 26:26-28.
Singing praises of thanksgiving is strength against your adversary and enemies to take them down, even in the mouths of babes and sucklings. Psalm 8:2; Matthew 21:16.
David had 288 Levites singing songs of praise and thanksgiving and playing instruments taking turns of 12 each around the clock before the Ark of the Covenant, 1 Chronicles 25, and during his reign no enemy was able to conquer or take any part of Israel and could not even enter Jerusalem. And the people prospered and were faithful to Me.
I would advise to learn about the atomic bomb of songs of praise and thanksgiving. So let Me now show you how.
The voice of thanksgiving is the catalyst that takes the prayer of faith to a miracle quickly. A catalyst is a substance that affects the rate of a reaction but emerges from the process unchanged. And that is what thanksgiving does to enforce the victory in the face of the attacking enemy.
When you have taken My Word and made a declaration for whatever it is you are seeking, whether it is healing, finances, authority over a plague, an abusive situation, deliverance, a relationship, or relief from any form of trouble or affliction, what is the next thing you do? Start thanking and praising Me for the result. Praise stills the avenger and the enemy. Whatever has to do with the curse of the law you can praise it out of you. Because praise and thanksgiving is the way to stand on My promise and not draw back.
Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done My Will (declared My Word and obeyed it), you may receive what was promised. My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But you are not of those who shrinks back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.
Praise and thanksgiving in the midst of a trial are the positive proof of faith. You are expecting Me to perform My Word and it gives you joy for a good outcome.
You can praise a sickness out of your body or any other result you have My promise on. Remember Psalm 103? It all starts with praise: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and ALL that is within Me bless His Holy Name.” Even your innermost parts can bless Me. Your bones can rejoice! Your heart can sing. And blessed are your eyes and ears that see and hear My Words and voice. And what results? I forgive all your sins, heal all your ills, pull you out of the pit, surround you with love and compassion, and fill your days with good things so your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5. That is shouting ground. And remember what happened with a shout at Jericho. When the joyful shout goes up, the walls come down, chains fall off, and prison gates swing open. Acts 16:25-30. And when thanksgiving goes up, loaves and fish multiply and feed multitudes.
Thanksgiving, praise and strength are one in the same. The more you praise Me and My Word the stronger you become, the more joy you have, and you can overcome any obstacle. You encourage yourself in a difficult situation by praise and thanksgiving for My love that endures forever and will deliver you. It is the voice of thanksgiving that brings wonders to pass. Praise will take down the enemy. Nuclear power.
You read in Psalm 8: “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.” Psalm 8:2. Jesus later quoted that Psalm to the Pharisees, but He quoted it as “Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have established praise.” Do you see that it is out of their mouths? It is their words that are the weapon that makes the enemy and the avenger cease. And even a weak baby can do it. I did not say a brave and strong warrior. I said a nursing baby! In other words, an insignificant person that seems to have no power can do it. Even a new believer who is still only on the milk of the Word and not the meat. If I can get them to speak praise of My promise, down goes the enemy. Yes, thanksgiving and praise is a weapon that brings down the enemy. It is greater than the atomic bomb. And one person alone in his or her room can throw it and change their world. It makes you into an overcomer.
Even if you are in the worst storm of your life, if you come out and praise you are in the spotlight of My love. Center stage. No longer the sidelines but the center of the battle. And I will fight the battle for you. All you have to do is stand on My Word in praise and thanksgiving.
If you are still skeptical, let Me show you the voice of thanksgiving and the wonders that follow it. You see the voice of thanksgiving in incident of the ten lepers who came to My Son to be cleansed. Only one was made entirely whole, not just cleansed but also restored from all the damage of the disease. Why? The power of praise as expressed by the voice of thanksgiving. Remember? The one who returned to give thanks to Jesus, fell prostrate at His feet and worshipped in thanksgiving and he praised My glory in a LOUD (megas in Greek, like a megaphone) voice.
Now I am going to take you to the story of Jehoshaphat and the three attacking armies. 2 Chronicles 20. You may think you know this story well, but if are not able to discern the voice of thanksgiving and the atomic bomb of praise, you do not know it at all.
This incident opens with three nations joining their armed forces together to conquer and take Jerusalem captive. The king called the people of Judah to My house (My temple) and they prayed to Me for deliverance. They declared My power and might and My ability to deliver them. And they concluded: “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.”
Keep your eyes on Me, not on the problem. Then fear will turn to faith.
Then I put My Spirit on a Levite who was a descendant of Asaph and he delivered My Word to them. Do you remember Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman and their sons and daughters that David appointed to sing praises before Me in My house 24/7? 1 Chronicles 25. The power of praise and thanksgiving kept any army from defeating Judah and Israel while David was king.
Well, the Word I gave the Levite was as follows: “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 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 20:15-17. Now, they had My Word to them, a promise of victory. Nothing in their circumstances had changed yet, but they had My Word to stand on. And you likewise have My promises of healing, of provision, of protection, and so many more guaranteed in My Covenant Names.
And how did Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah respond? They did not doubt, wonder, or ponder how such an impossible victory could happen. Oh no, they took Me at My Word. They responded with the Voice of Thanksgiving.
“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. Here you see it again, just like the leper who was cleansed and then made whole: they fell to the ground in thankful worship, overwhelmed with My goodness, and then they stood up to offer praise in a very loud voice.
And the next day they all were eager to do as I said and face the enemy but they made a decision I had not even asked on the inspiration of the Spirit. They marched out to face the enemy in a very unique way, they marched forward with the choir on the front in holy attire (in the beauty of holiness) loudly singing praise and thanksgiving. And what was their repeated refrain? “Give thanks to the LORD, His love (“chesed”) endures forever.”
And the minute they started singing praise in the face of the enemy, a wonder took place. When they began singing and praising, I 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. When 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. 2 Chronicles 20:22-24. The entire enemy force had gone down. It was like a nuclear bomb, no one escaped. The praise goes up and the victory comes down. Once you have prayed, found your Word to stand on, and cast the care on Me, all there is left to do before you see the result manifest is praise and give thanks.
Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and threw it to the earth; and there followed peals of thunder and sounds and flashes of lightning and an earthquake. Revelation 8:3-5.
So what were the steps? And you should do these too if you are under attack of the devil:
- Pray and seek My face with all diligence. Focus on Me alone.
- Receive the Word and run with it. Welcome the Word implanted with its power to save.
- Fall down in worship and give full attention to My Word and power with gratitude.
- Take a stand and shout and sing praise of My glory in a VERY LOUD voice.
And watch results come. Remember, a weakling, a mere baby, by speaking praise can make the enemy and the avenger cease. And in the case of Jehoshaphat, I not only routed the enemy, I then gave them so much spoil that it took three blessed days to gather all the good things the enemy had left behind. And they kept playing instruments and singing praise the whole time, all the way back to the temple where they had begun with prayer. Remember, a catalyst is a substance that affects the rate of a reaction but emerges from the process unchanged. The people of Judah and Jehoshaphat gave thanks before, during, and after the enforcement of the victory I had spoken, the thanksgiving remained unchanged. It was just as loud and joyful before as after. But both were necessary.
Then on the fourth day they assembled in the valley of Beracah (Blessing), 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.
So what do you do when facing a problem, no matter how big or how little? Pray, get the Word that gives you an answer, fall to the ground in worship, stand up and shout and sing praise and thanksgiving, and keep praising till you get the desired result of My promise. And when it comes to pass, be ready to collect your reward.
The wonder will follow the voice of thanksgiving just as thunder comes after the lightning.
That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and declare all Your wonders. Psalm 26:7 (a Psalm of David).
Praise with the voice of thanksgiving is the most powerful weapon on earth. You will note that when Judah stood up and used it, not one of the enemies escaped. 2 Chronicles 20:24. They all fell to the ground and ceased their attack of My people who praised and thanked Me before they saw the promised victory.
I love you. When the enemy comes in, rout him out with a shout of victory. And as you read My Word look for the voice of thanksgiving and you will begin to recognize it. Exodus 4:29-3, Leviticus 9:24. And soon you will be applying it in your life so your joy can be full.