ACTS of Prayer: Thanksgiving

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Introduction

Over the last few weeks, perhaps you like me have been praying about much. Aren’t you glad that we serve a God to Whom we can pray, and not only does He hear our prayers, but He acts on our behalf as a result of prayer. We have been studying prayer using the acrostic ACTS. We have looked at adoration and the ways we can praise God. We have looked at confession and how God promises us that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins.
Today we are going to look at thanksgiving as a part of our prayers. There are many passages from Genesis to Revelation that speak about thanksgiving. In preparation for this study I looked at 57 passages that emphasize the need for thanksgiving in our prayers.
will be our primary text and certainly we will look at a few more as well.
Psalm 100:1–5 NIV84
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
So what is thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is being mindful of favors, It is an expression of gratitude. Giving thanks is a foundational part of prayer. I want to invite you today to look at several principles that we should consider in using thanksgiving in our prayers.

Understand that the source of thanksgiving is grace.

Thanksgiving stems from our reaction to the realization that all we have, all that receive, all we are is a gift of God’s grace. Aren’t you glad to know and experience the grace of God?
Remember what grace means? God’s Redemption At Christ’s Expense. In the Old Testament, grace is derived from the Hebrew word hesed and in the New Testament it is derived from the Greek word charis. Both of these were used to denote forgiveness, human as well as divine. Grace is used throughout the Bible to show that though mankind is sinful, God in His grace treats us, even though we are guilty, as if we had never sinned.
God’s grace should be remembered every time we pray because if weren’t for grace, we couldn’t approach such a Holy God.
Therefore, we can SHOUT WITH JOY TO THE LORD, as it says in :1
Therefore, we can SHOUT WITH JOY TO THE LORD.
Not only should we understand that the source of thanksgiving is grace, we must understand that the condition of thanksgiving is agreement.

The Condition of Thanksgiving is Agreement.

When you are shouting to the Lord with joy, you are in agreement with the Lord. Disagreeing with the Lord means that we are going in the opposite direction of what He has called us to be and do.
When you and I agree with the Lord, we are accepting and appreciating what He has chosen to give us or let come into our lives. The Bible encourages us to give thanks in all circumstances.
1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV84
give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Are you able to do that?
We are also encouraged to pray about things that concern us with thanksgiving.
Philippians 4:6 NIV84
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
In our thanksgiving, we are ultimately living out the truth of .
Romans 8:28 NIV84
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Are you able to agree with God?
The source of thanksgiving is grace, the condition of thanksgiving is agreement with God, and the response of thanksgiving is worship.

The Response of Thanksgiving is Worship

Thanksgiving is our response to specific actions of God. It often comes with praise.
Praise and thanks are unique. Praise is looking at God’s face. Thanks is looking at His hands. Even though they are unique, they are natural partners in worship and are evidenced in several places in scripture and in our text.
Psalm 100:4 NIV84
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Hebrews 13:15 NIV84
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.
We also can give an offering of thanksgiving as well. We practice here each week the collection of an offering where we give back a portion of what God has given us. We are to present an offering of thanksgiving as well.
Psalm 50:14 NIV84
Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,
Psalm 50:14
Psalm 107:22 NIV84
Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.
When you thank God, you enter His presence, worship and present an offering to Him. This pleases God! God loves our worship! When we can incorporate worship into prayer and prayer into worship we are being obedient to how God designed us to be.
The source of thanksgiving is grace, the condition of thanksgiving is agreement with God, the response of -thanksgiving is worship, and the occasion for thanksgiving in prayer is everything.

The Occasion for Thanksgiving is Everything.

When should you and I thank God? That’s easy— we should thank God when He is good! When is He good? All the time!
Psalm 86:5 NIV84
You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.
Psalm 119:68
Psalm 119:68 NIV84
You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees.
Psalm 100:5 NIV84
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Nothing should be omitted from our thanksgiving to God! He is active in every area of our lives. He can provide direction in the darkest of hours. Remember all that Paul went through? Yet he chose in all things to give thanks to God and at all times. Paul encourages us to do the same!
Ephesians 5:
Ephesians 5:19–20 NIV84
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 4:4–5 NIV84
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy 4:4-5
With that idea, the easiest way to pray is to find something in every condition which to thank God. God is good all the time. All the time, God is good! Thank Him accordingly!
The source of thanksgiving is grace, the condition of thanksgiving is agreement with God, the response of thanksgiving is worship, and finally, the reward of thanksgiving is the enjoyment of God’s blessings.

The Reward of Thanksgiving is the Enjoyment of God’s Blessings.

Through thanksgiving, we find peace, joy, growth, worship and the blessing of life in Christ!
Giving thanks produces praise and in turn builds confidence for God’s help in the future!
Psalm 100:5 NIV84
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
God is good and His love endures forever! His faithfulness continues through all generations! My fondest memories include being visiting Harmony Baptist Church with both sets of my grandparents and worshipping in that little country church. I could not tell you what sermon was preached nor what songs were sung. But I can tell you about even as a young boy seeing the faithfulness of our God demonstrated through several generations. I have heard stories from my parents and grandparents how their parents and grandparents told of the faithfulness of our God in their generations as well. The Bible tells us that indeed that our God is and will continue to be faithful to us. That is a beautiful reward of thanksgiving.
Giving thanks helps us catch a new vision of God’s purpose and results in a new energy to petition God even more!
Psalm 138:3 NIV84
When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted.
Psalm 138:
The Message translation paraphrases this verse as “The moment I called out, You stepped in; You made my life large with strength.”
One translation says “You greatly emboldened me!” Embolden means “to foster boldness or encourage.
By thanking God, I am stronger and better equipped. I, in turn get closer to the God loves me so much! The closer I get to the God that loves me so much, the more I want to worship Him and thank Him! Glory Hallelujah!
Popcorn of thanksgiving
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