This is the time of year when we celebrate our national Thanksgiving holiday. We remember the goodness of God and how He has taken such good care of us. I am reminded of Philippians 4:6-7 that tells us to “be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The word thanksgiving in the Greek is defined as “expressions of gratitude and appreciation.”
I so appreciate the honor of pastoring Eagle Mountain International Church. And I am grateful for all the support from our congregation. Thank you for your faithfulness to pray for our church and congregation. We are thankful for you and the supply of the Spirit you bring. Pastor Terri and I are in agreement that your needs are met, your bills are paid, and you have plenty left over to BLESS others!
I’d like to share an experience Pastor Keith Moore had with The LORD that I believe will supremely BLESS your life. The LORD spoke something to him a number of years ago during a time of being quiet and waiting on Him. Part of Keith’s responsibility at Kenneth Hagin Ministries was to teach Healing School. He had started out by simply helping. As time went by, Healing School was turned over to him.
During that time, The LORD taught Keith to get quiet and meditate on The WORD before those sessions. The result would be a stronger anointing and greater utterance. He would also fast his breakfast and lunch on the days designated for the laying on of hands, and again get quiet before The LORD to prepare himself. The LORD spoke to Keith’s heart during one of those times, asking him a question:
Keith, would you like to know how to increase
your capacity to receive from Me?
Pastor Keith replied, “Yes, yes and please, yes!” He shared that this question from The LORD can tell us much about ourselves. First, though our capacity to receive from The LORD is unlimited, not everyone is on the same level of receiving. It’s not because God is a respecter of persons or that He is playing favorites. The limitation is based on our ability to receive.
This was illustrated in a situation where Pastor Keith wanted to give someone something very precious. When he presented it, the man asked, “How much does it cost?”
Brother Keith said, “Nothing. I’m giving it to you as a gift.”
The man replied, “I can’t receive this.”
Keith said, “Yes, you can. Just open your hands, and I’ll turn it loose.”
The man said, “I can’t receive it.”
Keith said, “You can if you will.” The man ended up not receiving the gift Keith wanted to give him. We are in the same position with God. We can only enjoy what we have the capacity to receive. We don’t all have the same capacity to receive from God, but we have the same ultimate potential. The LORD’s answer to increase Keith’s capacity to receive was to:
Cultivate a lifestyle of thanksgiving.
This simply means to recognize every good thing God does for us, and express gratitude to Him. It doesn’t happen automatically. We must develop our “thank-er” to such a degree that we thank Him all the time. Here are some scriptures I paraphrased for you to offer thanksgiving:
- Ephesians 5:20—I always give thanks for all things unto God and the Father
in the Name of my LORD Jesus Christ. - Colossians 2:7—I am rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith
as I have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. - Colossians 3:17—Whatsoever I do in word or deed, I do all in the Name of
The LORD Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. - 1 Thessalonians 5:18—I give thanks in everything. For this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for me. - Hebrews 13:15—By Him, therefore, I offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is, the fruit of my lips giving thanks to His Name.
“Father, we thank You for all You have done, all You are doing, and all You are going to do in our lives. We commit to cultivating a lifestyle of thanksgiving. From this point forward, we will thank You for who You are in our lives. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!”
Thankful for YOU!
Pastor George
