Thanksgiving and Praise

The Bible says if you pray according to God’s will, you know He hears you and you have the petitions you desired of Him (I John 5:14-15). God’s Word is His will.

God is faithful. His Word can be relied on. Don’t wait until you can see the manifestation before you believe you have it. That will put you over into an area of waiting and hoping. If you believe you receive when you pray, begin to praise God for the answer.

Faith involves thanksgiving and praise. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Thanksgiving and praise are integral parts of prayer.

You and God are working together. It is your prayer and His power.

Praise is more than just words. There is power in it. God did not ordain praise just so we could brag on Him. Psalms 8:1-2 says, “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” Jesus quoted this verse of scripture and said, “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise” (Matthew 21:16). Strength and praise are the same according to the Word of God. God ordained praise to stop Satan in his tracks.

Once you have believed that you received because of the Word, your faith is in action. Through praise, you are throwing your faith up against that mountain of adversity in your life. Jesus said if you have faith and doubt not, you can speak to the mountain and it will be removed. You will have what you say. If you quit applying the force of faith, the mountain will not be removed. You want the mountain to keep moving until it sinks into the sea and is completely out of sight! Apply the force of faith by praising God that it is gone!

The only way Satan can stop you and your faith is through unbelief. He does not have power to stop God. He cannot stop that mountain from moving into the sea. The only way he can succeed is to make you quit applying the pressure.

The mountain may be sickness, disease, alcohol, family trouble, financial trouble or any evil work. Jesus bought and paid for the answer to all of it. You cannot face any problem that has not been taken care of through Calvary’s Cross.

The psalmist David said, “I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence” (Psalms 9:1-3). He did not say if. He said when the enemies fall back! As you praise God, those enemies will retreat. The Bible says He inhabits the praises of His people (Psalms 22:3).

Praise is not something you just feel once in a while. God is worthy of your praise. The Bible says to offer the sacrifice of praise. What did Israel do in the Old Testament when they had problems they could not overcome? The priest would offer sacrifices to God to bring Him on the scene and God would stop the onslaught of the enemy. As a new covenant believer, you are a priest of God. No other sacrifice can be offered. Jesus offered the ultimate blood sacrifice. As a priest, you offer the sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13:15 says, “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.”

In Luke 17, Jesus ministered to 10 men who had leprosy. They said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed” (verses 13-14). Verse 15 says, “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified [praised] God.” They were all cleansed. But only one praised God unashamedly. Jesus said, “Were not the ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” Then He said to the man, “…Thy faith hath made thee whole” (verse 19). The others were cleansed but he was made whole! His faith kept working. His mountain did not stop at the seashore or sink halfway into the sea! No trace of his mountain was left. Whatever the disease had destroyed was restored.

That is the kind of power you can have right now in your own life. If you are not familiar with praising God, or it makes you feel uncomfortable, ask God to show you how. You can start by reading the Psalms aloud. They speak of the great and mighty works of God. They praise Him for His goodness, power and mercy. God is faithful to perfect your praises!

Happy Thanksgiving from Kenneth Copeland Ministries!