ABUNDANT LIFE VISION
THANK YOU LORD! John 11:41
So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. NLT.

Dear friends, good morning and how are you doing today? I wish you a happy Sunday and pray that we will have a grateful heart towards God at all times in Jesus name. We are currently at the middle of the year and the Spirit is whispering to us to take time out to thank him. So, we want to say thank you to our maker this morning.

Why is thanking God important? Firstly, thanking God is a state of praising God. There is nothing more important than to praise God on a regular basis. This moves him and tells him that we appreciate what he has done and who he is in our lives. The thing about thanking God is that if you appreciate him, as a human, you will show it by some actions, this is because the human nature responds to joy and appreciation by singing, dancing, jumping and shouting. Exodus 15:1: Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the lord: “I will sing to the lord, For he has triumphed gloriously; He has hurled both horse and rider Into the sea. Acts of the Apostles 3:7-8: [7]Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. [8]He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them. NLT.

Beyond that, thanking God is a heart thing. What do I mean by this? It is a state of the mind, this means we should live our lives everyday with a heart of gratitude. We must always seek to praise God at all times whether it is convenient or not. Mark 6:41: Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. NLT. This scripture and our text showed Jesus praising God when it seemed he had encountered “a mission impossible situation”, he would bless the name of God (blessing the name of God is a way of thanking and praising him). He thanked God before multiplying the five loaves of bread and fish and he did the same thing when he was about to bring Lazarus back to life. Why did he do this? He did this because praise precede uncommon miracles and acts of God. He knew what to do in both occasions but he needed to thank God to get unlimited access to that dimension of power.

What is the catch? As children of God, we should have a heart of thanks toward God at all times no matter the situation. Also, we can take advantage of thanking God into experiencing his raw power for situations that we may be facing. Don’t forget Paul and Silas in Acts of the Apostles 16:25-26: [25]Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. [26]Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! NLT. Just as the words of Pastor E.A Adeboye; he said; “When prayers fail try praise.” This is a challenge to us as we continue this year, always say thank you Lord and whenever you face a difficult situation, let praise make way for you.
Now, someone may ask; How do we praise/thank God?

1. Through our words by magnifying his name. John 11:41
2. By singing. Acts 16: 25-26
3. By dancing. 2Sam 6:14
4. By jumping. Acts 3:8
5. Through musical instruments and clapping.
NOTE: Take some time out to praise God today and as you do so, God will accept your praise in Jesus name.
God bless you.