5 enduring reasons for being thankful

Psalm 100:1-5, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. [2] Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. [3] Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. [4] Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. [5] For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

There is a legal dimension to prayer.

There is a protocol for approaching the Throne of Grace.

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First the Gate is opened and then you can enter.

The name of Jesus is the access code that opens the Gate of Heaven. No man is qualified to open this awesome Gate.

It is not physical, it is spiritual.

To enter, you must First be treated with the Blood of Jesus.

Hebrews 10:19-20, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, [20] By a NEW and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh…” It is a NEW and living way.

It is His Blood that connects you to His name.

That is the mystery that was hidden for ages.

That is the reason they were not given His Name to use in the Old Testament because He had not been crucified.

So, His Blood was not available. It is a new!

That is the outer court.

Next is the Middle Court where the Law Books are open to plead a man’s case and link his exoneration with the shewbread sprinkled with the bitterness of the Cross.

Finally, the legal spiritual protocol is completed with the offering called PRAISE and GRATITUDE!

GRATITUDE is your recognition and acknowledgement of the fact that Jesus has done everything to pave the way for you to pass through the Veil or Gate!

Lack of GRATITUDE shows that you are uninformed and spiteful of this great sacrifice!

Part of this protocol is GLADNESS or JOY.

Service that is not rendered on the basis of this protocol does not attract any heavenly reward. Verse 2 says, “[2] Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.”

Many violate this protocol and wonder why the Gate of Heaven is shut against them.

You don’t come into the presence of the Lord crying.

Have you seen a little child running to the father with a broad smile on his face?

He knows that he is coming to the father, the authority in his life.

In the same way, the Bible says we should come before God with excitement because we know that He is God; the Authority in the Universe, our Father, and our Maker. [3] Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; If you find some people praising Him excitedly, it’s because they know Him.

Those who don’t know Him come mourning and looking frustrated wearing their problems on their face, completely ignoring all that Jesus has done.

5 Reasons To Be Thankful

Let me quickly give you five things to always be thankful for.

1. For making you human. You could have been a goat eating grass, leaves, and other food crumbs. You could have been a cow eating only grass. You could have been a wild animal living in the forest, living out there thrashed by rain and beaten by the sun with no sense to build a shelter. Rather, God chose to make you human!
2. For making you just like Him. For sharing His nature with you. We are the only creatures in the universe that share in God’s nature and character. We are the only ones capable of operating like God through faith. To Him that believes all things are possible.
3. For the great Sacrifice of His Son that reconciled man to God. Hebrews 9:26,28, “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself…[28] So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
4. For keeping you alive every day to improve and enjoy His goodness.
5. For giving you all things that pertain unto life and godliness including His life. Gratitude is the protocol for having more. Jesus gave thanks, five loaves of bread and two fish multiplied to feed five thousand men and more. He gave thanks, Lazarus rose from the dead. As you give thanks today and every day of your life, you will witness more breakthroughs in your life. Every good thing that has died in your life will resurrect, in the name of Jesus.

Nothing else will be added to you if gratitude is missing in your life.

Deuteronomy 28: 47-48 says, “Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; [48] Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things.”

I know that as I give Him thanks for bringing me thus far, He will preserve me and multiply me for the rest of the year and beyond.

Form the habit of expressing gratitude to God for the gift of life, the air you breath, and for each day He keeps you alive.

Always remember to be thankful for good health, for sight, hearing and other senses.

Thank Him for your muscles, your digestive system, central nervous system, endocrine system, respiratory system, etc.

Consider giving Him thanks for nature, the rain, the food you eat and other things.

Have a blessed week!

Bishop Dr. Charles Olowojoba is the General Overseer of Dayspring Bible Church Worldwide with HQ in Abuja, Nigeria & President, Dayspring Christian Ministries Int’l. Website: www.dayspringcmi.org e-mail: [email protected] Help line: 08035150515