Monthly Archives: February 2021

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GIVING THANKS ALWAYS

BIBLE REFERENCE

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

SONG

Thanks Thanks We give you thanks,
For all you have done, we are so blessed our souls have found rest oh Lord we give you thanks (2ce)

PRAYER

Father we thank you for another opportunity in your presence. We thank you for miracle of sleeping and waking up, we thank you for your faithfulness and love for us always. We thank you oh Lord for Loading us daily with benefits. We thank you oh Lord for deliverances known and unknown. We give you praise honor and adoration because we are connected to you. As we go into your word this morning enlighten our understanding and let all glory be ascribed to you and you alone.
In Jesus name we pray
Amen

Giving thanks is more than an expression of gratitude. We can say “thank you” to someone and not really mean it. Gratitude is more than words communicated; it is ultimately a mindset, a mentality. It is a keen awareness of our dependence upon GOD

It’s a concept some of us struggle with and resist, thinking God is telling us to be thankful “for” the difficulties. This makes us miss what He is really leading us to do, which is to be thankful despite the problems, to not let disappointments, failures, losses, and hurts keep us from being thankful to Him.

During wonderful and exciting times and tumultuous times, God asks us to focus on Him and His faithfulness to us, rather than on our circumstances; to dwell on His promise to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and to trust Him to help us in every situation we face in life.

How do we begin to give thanks in everything?

Thankfulness in everything comes through practicing being thankful to God for His presence, for life, peace, faithfulness, comfort, and more when facing challenges, rather than letting the difficulties be the focus of our thoughts, words, and prayers.

Being thankful in everything leads us to see God’s faithfulness in preserving our lives and helping us gain an understanding of how so many things that we held on to in the past aren’t really all that important in life. (All the assets that we held very closely to our hearts are after all of little or no benefit) it is only our relationship with God that is beneficial

Apostle Paul wrote, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NASB95) And in Ephesians we read, “always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;” (Ephesians 5:20, NASB95).

Sometimes the storms come and we may find it difficult to give thanks. It may appear absurd to be thankful to God for a tragic death or undeserved loss of income, or the randomness of disease, but In the book of Thessalonians, Apostle Paul encourages us to be thankful to God “in” everything. .

As Apostle Paul also wrote, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:17,

Most of all, being thankful changes our attitude and opens our eyes to see our world, our circumstances, and God’s love in new and beautiful ways. We must be thankful for the love of Jesus Christ and how His light in us leads us from the pits of despair to entering His courts with thanksgiving and praise.

PRAYER
We thank God for this day and pray that He gives us the grace to give Him thanks in all things

As we go about our business this morning may we see more of Him and less of us

May men see us and know that of a truth, we have been in God’s presence.

In Jesus’ precious name we pray, Amen

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Sing with me
We give you all the glory,
We give you honour
We give you all the glory
We give you honour.

Praise God, Hallelujah
Praise God, Amen
Praise God, Hallelujah
Praise God, Amen.

Prayer:
Let’s begin to appreciate God for sparing our lives to see yet another beautiful day in the land of the living.
Thank you Lord God in Jesus name we pray.

Brethren, you are welcome to today’s edition of Arise, Shine.

The topic is Open my eyes oh Lord.
Text is taken from *Genesis 21:15-19.*
15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the lad and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand for I will make him a great nation.
19 *And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.*

Hagar and her son, Ismael, having been sent out by Abraham at the insistence of Sarah became distressed.

Their provisions of bread and a bottle of water were spent, and Ishmael became sick.
He that used to be fully fed in Abraham’s house, where he waxed fat and kicked, now fainted and sunk, when he was brought to short allowance.
His mother, Hagar was in tears, and sufficiently mortified. Now she wishes for the crumbs she had wasted and made light of at her master’s table. Like one under the power of the spirit of bondage, she despairs of relief, counts upon nothing but the death of the child (Genesis 21:15,16). She had forgotten what God had told her, before Ishmael was born, that he should live to be a man, a great man.

So many of us are apt to forget God’s promises, whenever we found ourselves in a precarious situation that
seems to contradict God’s promises. This is because we live by sense.

In their distress, God graciously appeared for their relief: he heard the voice of the lad, Genesis 21:17. We read not of a word he said but his sighs, and groans, and calamitous state, cried aloud in the ears of mercy. An angel was sent to comfort Hagar with palliatives

God’s visit to comfort Hagar the bond woman with her son shows His readiness to help us His children, whenever we are in trouble.

God directed her to a present supply (Genesis 21:19): *He opened her eyes* (which were swollen and almost blinded with weeping), and then she saw a well of water.

If Hagar had been submissive to her Oga Sarah, she would not have been sent packing.

Note,
Many that have reason enough to be comforted go mourning from day to day, because they do not *see* the reason they have for comfort.
There is a well of water by them in the covenant of grace, but they are not aware of it. They have not the benefit of it, till the same God that opened their eyes to see their wound opens them to see their remedy,

So many of us are spiritually blind that even inside the Church, we sit side by side with our divine helpers but cannot see him.

There are Youths of marriage able age that couldn’t see their spouses, even in the Church because of spiritual blindness and they went out of the fold to marry unbelievers, thinking they can convert them.

If Samson had not been blind, he would not have had anything to do with Delilah, thought less of sleeping on her delicate laps which eventually cost him the anointing of God upon his life.

May the Lord God open our eyes today in Jesus name.

Let’s sing this hymn as we round up:
Open my eyes oh Lord,
Hallelujah
Open my eyes oh Lord.
Open my eyes oh Lord
I am ready to obey.

Let’s pray:
1. Thank God that you are alive today and well.

2. Let’s ask God for mercy. In his mercy he should forgive us for our disobedience.

3. Father, open my eyes to enable me see the well water that will quench my thirst (mention that good thing you are thirst for) in Jesus name.

4. Thank you Jesus for the answer prayers

Good morning brethren and have a wonderful day ahead.

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Acts 12:5
So Peter was kept in jail, but the people of the church were praying earnestly to God for him.

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Psalms 14:1
Fools say to themselves, “There is no God.” They are all corrupt, and they have done terrible things; there is no one who does what is right.

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Jonah 1:17
At the Lord’s command a large fish swallowed Jonah, and he was inside the fish for three days and nights.