Thanksgiving Three Times A Day: Finding Gratitude in Adversity audio video notes. Daniel thanked God three times every day for something. However, developing a grateful lifestyle was not easy for Daniel. As a young boy, a foreign army destroyed his city, nation, and temple, killed his family, took Daniel into slavery, and made Daniel a eunuch. You just think you have a bad circumstance. How could Daniel find anything for which to be thankful? He learned the power of thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Three Times A Day
by Pastor Delbert Young
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Thanksgiving Three Times A Day audio video notes
Scriptures: 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Psalms 50:23, Daniel 6:19, Daniel 6:23, Romans 1:21-28, Jonah 2:9, Philippians 4:6, Psalms 50:23
Thursday will be Thanksgiving Day. The Bible tells us that the Christ follower is to be a thankful person. We are to give thanks for something.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
It is God’s will that I give thanks in all circumstances. Why? Is giving thanks in all circumstances even possible? In the darkest times of my life, am I supposed to give thanks for the darkness? When someone intentionally hurts me, am I supposed to give thanks for being hurt? No, of course, we do not do that, but we are to find something for which we can give thanks because nothing is as bad as it could be.
It’s Thanksgiving Day & the aroma of roast turkey fills Charlie Brown’s house. Snoopy, outside, lying on top of his doghouse, smells that aroma, and he is thinking, “It’s Thanksgiving Day. Everybody eats turkey on Thanksgiving Day.” So, he lies there, watching the back door, eagerly awaiting his Thanksgiving dinner. Finally, the door opens, and here comes Charlie Brown with a bowl of dog food, and he puts it on the ground. Snoopy gets off his house and stares at the dog food with a forlorn look on his face. He thinks, “Just because I’m a dog, I have to eat dog food on Thanksgiving Day.” He looks at the dog food more intently, and he thinks, “It could be worse. I could be the turkey.” [1]
Things could be worse. Why does the Bible tell us so many times TO GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES? Why can’t I just complain if I want? Is that so bad? Here is why. Thankfulness will get me out of bad circumstances.
Thanksgiving Three Times A Day
(NIV) Psalms 50:23 He who SACRIFICES THANK OFFERINGS honors me, and he PREPARES THE WAY SO THAT I MAY SHOW HIM THE SALVATION OF GOD.
What does that verse say that a THANK OFFERING will do for me? The word salvation here has nothing to do with dying and going to heaven. It is the Hebrew word yesha` (Strong’s #3468) and means liberty, deliverance, and prosperity. My giving THANK OFFERINGS – thanks when it is a sacrifice – PREPARES THE WAY FOR ME TO EXPERIENCE LIBERTY, DELIVERANCE, AND PROSPERITY.
(KJV) Psalms 50:23 Whoso offereth praise [towdah – extension of the hand, thanksgiving] glorifieth me: and to him that ORDERETH HIS CONVERSATION ARIGHT will I shew the salvation of God.
King James used the word conversation – walk and talk. I must make my words and lifestyle right– thankful – if I want to see God’s blessings. By so doing, it actually PREPARES THE WAY FOR ME TO EXPERIENCE DELIVERANCE AND PROSPERITY.
We all remember the story about Daniel in the lion’s den. Remarkably, Daniel had developed a lifestyle of thankfulness.
Daniel 6:10 …THREE TIMES A DAY he got down on his knees and prayed, GIVING THANKS to his God, just as he had done before.
Daniel thanked God THREE TIMES EVERY DAY for something – THREE TIMES EVERY DAY! However, developing that grateful lifestyle was not easy for Daniel. As a young boy, a foreign army destroyed his city, nation, and temple. They killed his family, took Daniel into slavery, and made Daniel a eunuch. You just think you have a bad circumstance. How in the world could Daniel find anything for which to be thankful? He learned the power of “GIVE THANKS IN EVERY CIRCUMSTANCE.”
Daniel was one of the most successful people in the Bible. Once, Daniel’s political adversaries literally placed Daniel in a lion’s den. The Bible tells us that the king (Darius) liked Daniel, but even though king, he could not stop the lion’s den experience. However, the king did come to Daniel’s rescue as soon as possible.
Daniel 6:19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.
Daniel 6:23 The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
Not only will God supernaturally intervene by sending an angel to shut the mouths of the things that should devour you. God will also send influential people to help you out of your lion’s den if they cannot stop it. Influential people appreciate those who are thankful – your boss, your spouse, your parents.
Thanksgiving Three Times A Day
We need to be like Daniel and find something to give thank offerings to God THREE TIMES A DAY. Can you imagine what we could experience in deliverance from bondage, addictions, and things that want to devour us if we were to THREE TIMES A DAY give thanksgiving? Can you imagine the prosperity if we were to give thanks THREE TIMES A DAY?
How many recognize the name Oprah Winfrey?
You remember Oprah. She is the woman who gave away 276 new automobiles to people in her audience. According to Forbes, Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful woman in the world and has a net worth of “more than $1 billion.” 2 Did you know that Oprah has a “gratitude journal”? In her journal, every day, Oprah records 5 things of which she is thankful and grateful.
“Gratitude has been a repeated practice and subject on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah has referred to the gratitude journal she keeps. In a gratitude journal, the writer lists five things each day to be grateful for. Keeping the journal provides daily practice… The April 17, 2000, show, ‘Gratitude Stories,’ opens with Oprah’s words, ‘Thank you – two words that can make miracles.'” 3
It’s difficult to argue with success, isn’t it? Five times a day, Oprah offers thanks. Thankfulness will turn circumstances into liberty, deliverance, and prosperity. Do you think that God is trying to show us something? When is the last time you gave thanks three times in one day or five times in one day?
If we are ungrateful to God and people, good things avoid our lives. Ungrateful people, even those who know God, experience dark and failed lives.
Romans 1:21-28 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God NOR GAVE THANKS TO HIM, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened… Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires …Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts …And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind…
Just as giving THANKS brings God’s blessings, ungratefulness brings bad things. The thinking becomes futile – foolish, meaningless. Hearts were darkened – obscure, no clarity, no purpose, no joy. The desires are sinful – desire (covet) what others have and not appreciate what God gave them. This can go on to lust – neighbor’s husband/wife/house/car, etc.
Eventually, the entire thought process becomes reprobate – deranged, worthless, and sick. Ungrateful people are heading for serious problems and trouble. Have you ever seen an ungrateful child? I am thinking of a few who are now adults. They were not thankful for what their parents did for them. Their thinking became futile, and their hearts moved into darkness. Lusts and addictions consumed them in a horrible way. Today, they have reprobate minds – deranged, worthless, sick minds.
God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach, but Jonah’s mind was deranged because of ungratefulness and prejudice– futile and dark thinking. Jonah’s life went from bad to horrible. Jonah found himself in a boat full of people in a horrible storm. Because of Jonah, those people experienced a horrible time, so they got Jonah out of their lives by throwing him overboard.
If that were not bad enough, a huge fish swallowed Jonah. Jonah told about how in the belly of that fish, he began praying. Amazingly, even though he knew God, he prayed with a futile mind. He prayed and complained about how God had thrown him into the sea. Repeatedly, he prayed about the stormy sea that engulfed him and tossed him around. He prayed and complained about how God had banished him and about the seaweed wrapped around his head.
How many of us have done the exact thing?
We had a negative, complaining, and futile attitude. People threw us out of their lives because all we talked about were our problems, and because of us, they began having storms. We found ourselves alone in the stormy sea of life with the seaweed of life around our heads. Our thinking became weedy/dark.
If that were not bad enough, another whale of a problem came up from nowhere and swallowed us. We prayed, but we prayed about how bad it was – God had forsaken us, people tossed us away, the sea tossed us, seaweed on our heads, etc. We prayed, but that prayer did not help. In fact, it only got worse. Does this sound familiar? Here is where thanksgiving comes in.
In verse 9 Jonah stopped focusing on the bad and gave thanksgiving. Do not miss what immediately happened.
Jonah 2:9 But I, with a song of THANKSGIVING, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. SALVATION comes from the LORD
Jonah 2:10 And the LORD COMMANDED the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
Immediately after Jonah gave thanks – NEXT VERSE – God commanded that problem to vomit Jonah onto dry land. What has consumed you? I know you prayed, but did you give thanksgiving? Try doing what Jonah finally did. Try doing what Daniel always did. Do what Oprah does. Begin finding something, THREE THINGS, FIVE THINGS, EVERY DAY, and give THANKSGIVING.
I was developing this lesson and came in here, the sanctuary, to pray. I began giving thanks to God. It was amazing. Suddenly, none of the circumstances of life mattered. I began to think about all the ways that God has shown me his salvation. I could not stop with 3 things or 5 things. As I prayed, my list went on and on. Continue to pray, but combine your prayers with THANKSGIVING!
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but IN EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, WITH THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God.
IN EVERYTHING – even IN the belly of your huge circumstance, in your lion’s den – combine thankfulness with your prayer requests. You will see your prayers work.
A Grandmother was visiting her grandsons at Christmas time. One of her grandsons was doing his nightly prayer, but shouting it saying, “PLEASE GOD, SEND ME A BICYCLE, A SCOOTER, A SKATEBOARD…” His brother asked him, “Why are you shouting your prayer? God isn’t hard of hearing.” “I know he isn’t,” said the boy, “but Grandma is.” It is not how loud we pray that moves God. It is being THANKFUL when we pray that moves God.
Several years ago, I was going through the most horrific time of my life. I was embarrassed, humiliated, and depressed. I was in a personal lion’s den and my personal fish’s belly. Initially, I was angry, bitter, and wanted vengeance. As long as I continued with that “futile mind,” the situation only got worse. But, when I stopped focusing and talking about the lions and the seaweed and began giving THANKSGIVING for the good things in my life, liberty, deliverance, and prosperity came.
God sent the right influential people to help me. God miraculously shut the mouths of the lions. The fish put me on dry land. You cannot give too much thanks! Three times? Five times? Ten times? We cannot overdo thanksgiving.
Stop complaining about your mate and begin to thank God THREE TIMES A DAY for him or her.
Stop complaining about your children and begin to be thankful THREE TIMES A DAY for them, and stop complaining about your job and thank God THREE TIMES A DAY that you have one. Also, stop complaining about your health and thank God THREE TIMES A DAY that you are alive. Prepare the way for God to bless you THREE TIMES A DAY.
“But, Pastor, you just don’t understand what I am going through.” I know this. No matter what you are going through, it could be worse.
One young woman named Susie wrote home from college to her mom. Let me read you the letter. “Dear Mom: Sorry I haven’t written sooner. My arm is broken. I broke it, and my left leg, when I jumped from the second floor of my dormitory… when we had the fire. We were lucky. A young service station attendant saw the blaze and called the Fire Department. They were there in minutes. I was in the hospital for a few days. Paul, the service station attendant, came to see me every day.
In addition, because it was taking so long to get our dormitory livable again,
I moved in with him. He has been so nice. I must admit that I am pregnant. Paul and I plan to get married just as soon as he can get a divorce. I hope things are fine at home. I’m doing fine and will write more when I get the chance. Love, Your daughter, Susie… P.S. None of the above is true. However, I did get a ‘C’ in Sociology and flunked Chemistry. I just wanted you to receive this news in its Proper Perspective!”
Susie went to great lengths to tell her mother that things could be much worse than a ‘C’ in Sociology and an ‘F’ in Chemistry. I want to tell you that. I know that some of you have gone through and are in some lion’s dens and fish bellies. If you will find something for which you can be thankful, I promise you that God will work his salvation. He will liberate, deliver, and prosper you.
Psalms 50:23 He who SACRIFICES THANK OFFERINGS honors me, and he PREPARES THE WAY SO THAT I MAY SHOW HIM THE SALVATION OF GOD.
Find a way and a reason to give thanks THREE TIMES A DAY or FIVE TIMES A DAY. We cannot be too thankful. We all have so much for which to be thankful. It is THANKSGIVING! Give thanks! How many thankful people do we have here today? If you are thankful, give the Lord a shout and handclap!
Thanksgiving Three Times A Day audio video notes
Thanksgiving Three Times A Day audio video notes
Other Related Sermons:
Powers of Thanksgiving – sermon video audio notes
Thanksgiving Sermons Page – video audio notes
Power of Thanksgiving Be Thankful – sermon
Thanksgiving Preparing For Blessing
Be Thankful for Thanksgiving If I Could Do It Again – sermon video audio notes
Thanksgiving Thank God For Everything
Also see:
1] Melvin Newland, Sermon Central Illustrations