What does it mean to be thankful in all things? Does it mean that we should be thankful for everything we face? Bill Johnson shares from Scripture how choosing thankfulness in every situation positions us for growth and breakthrough. Being more focussed on what we are thankful for than of our needs maintains our awareness of God’s goodness and His ability to come through in our areas of need.

I don’t know that anybody’s supposed to

give thanks for a bad report from the

doctor it doesn’t make any sense to me

but it does make sense to me to remain

thankful to keep my list of blessings

stronger than my list of needs

[Music]

you know in the in Nehemiah it’s kind of

a

to me it’s an it’s an awkward uh part of

a story it’s in chapter 11 the end of

chapter 11 in all of chapter 12. it has

this reoccurring theme there were people

that were assigned to give thanks to God

uh what do you do for a living oh I I

give thanks

thank you thanks yeah like what does

that look like well they just give me a

list

and uh and I I stand before God and I

say thank you and I and I mentioned what

we’re thankful for

that sounds that sounds so formal and so

so ritualistic that there’s no life in

it and yet there is a secret in that

routine

you bypass

the limitation of your own emotional

condition

and you make mature choices which

activate your emotional condition to get

into line with what you’re doing

see complaining empowers the inferior to

undermine your faith

complaining only happens when we are

more mindful of a problem than we are of

God

it’s impossible to complain when you’re

more aware of the goodness of God than

you are of a problem

you actually violate to do that you’d

have to violate your your conscience

your your sense of purpose your sense of

being the sense of God’s presence you

have to violate all of that just to

start complaining

I’m glad I’ve never done that I I

says Rejoice always that means like in

the original language always actually

means always

just always just just you know no matter

what happened

choose Joy

well I don’t feel like it that’s why

it’s a choice

do you think he would have to command it

if we did it naturally

the only reason it’s a command is

because here’s a chance for you to flex

a muscle you said you want to grow you

said you want to carry the weightiness

of God into the Earth here’s something

you can learn to do well what is it well

you’re going to miss your flight

no no not that not that here I’m I’m

taking you deep into my personal life

when I miss a flight I come up to the

gate this has happened I’ve sat on the

tarmac

forever

because they can’t find a place to park

my planes

and I look at my clock I go

my other flight’s boarding right now

boy am I thankful

[Applause]

why am I feeling rejoicing right now

and I just sit there for a half hour

while my plane boards and we’re just

sitting there on the tarmac and then I

noticed my plane

[Laughter]

and then the one I’m on finds a place to

park

my first response is not rejoicing and

I’ve got to admit to you it’s not my

second either

it’s rejoicing is like way delicious

I’ve got to experience a few other

things first I’ve got to explore the

emotional

Tundra before I end up in rejoicing when

that happens to me

oh

laughs

when somebody passes you on a freeway

no problem you go as fast as you want

not a problem for me pulls in front of

you and then slows down

[Applause]

it’s not a big deal it’s just wrong

it’s just wrong have they know

conscience

[Laughter]

where is the conviction of the spirit of

God when we need it

Rejoice always

pray without ceasing Rejoice always is

choosing Joy it’s actually it wouldn’t

be commanded if it wasn’t within the

reach

of a choice

Joy is is the part of the Kingdom so

it’s it’s at hand it is always Within

Reach I have I’m a powerful person I say

this with me I am a powerful person

Joy is always Within Reach

it’s yours always Within Reach

pray without ceasing it’s kind of like

the same as Rejoice always without CeCe

means just always

just pray and don’t stop

interestingly Philippians says

um

Philippians base I’ll just quote it to

you it’s it make reference to it

Philippians 4 verse 6 talks about

supplications and prayers that’s the

earnest

getting before the Lord contending with

God for a breakthrough and he says with

Thanksgiving why Thanksgiving creates

the context to keep prayer on Focus

I mean I know this is a dumb question

because all of us would say yes but how

many of you want to have effective

prayers of course we do we will never we

don’t pray just to you know we’re not

running on a treadmill just trying to

cover the miles we we want to bring

impact our heart is to bring change to

see it in our own lives our families a

world around us we want to see things

take place because we’ve prayed

thankfulness is what helps to keep

prayers On Target

there are times where I’m praying for

somebody ministering to somebody to say

this sick let’s say they have a certain

problem or arthritis let’s just say

throughout their arm and and I’m praying

for them and nothing’s happening zero

breakthrough and then the Lord will give

me an Insight of a more precise way to

pray

and when I changed my prayer from a

general prayer of God healed the

arthritis that’s in the arm and I get

down to a very specific or precise

prayer then the Breakthrough comes I

Can’t Tell You Why

but I can tell you this for me to stand

up here

and just say oh Jesus please heal

everyone in the room today amen we give

you thanks

nothing’s going to happen

why because it’s got to be more precise

and what thankfulness does is it hones

the Precision

of our prayer life because it keeps it

about him because it is a place of

dependency place of acknowledgment the

the strength in prayer is not that you

complain or bellyache about a problem

is that you’ve joined your heart with

his to see his kingdom come and his

purposes worked out in the earth and

thankfulness is what keeps us engaged

with precision

[Applause]

Rejoice always pray without

ceasing in everything give thanks I

you know I don’t know that anybody’s

supposed to give thanks for a bad report

from the doctor that wouldn’t be doesn’t

make any sense to me

but it does make sense to me to remain

thankful to to

keep my list of blessings

stronger than my list of needs

how many of you have you’ve ever made a

prayer list out

how many of you if you have not written

one you certainly have one in your mind

I mean I I’ve got them in my iPads I’ve

got and so I’ve got lists in there of

things that I pray for and you know just

stuff stuff that I can contend for I

just get before the Lord God we’ve got

to see breakthrough we’ve got to see

breakthrough there and I believe in it

but how many of you have thankfulness

lists

probably not as many there’s there’s a

few and it’s wonderful

but but the point is is we stay more

conscious of need than conscious of

blessing

and when I stay more conscious of need

then I’m conscious of blessing I will

tend to pray out of a whole instead of

from Heavenly places

I will stay I’ll tend to pray more out

of a place

desperation is not bad so I I don’t have

the best language so give me a little

Grace for this but I will tend to pray

out of a place of desperation instead of

a place of authority

one

in fact thankful that holds that

take a look at me with the first Timothy

chapter five excuse me chapter four

First Timothy chapter 4 verse 1 we’re

going to read five verses

verse one now the spirit expressly says

that in latter times some will depart

from the faith

giving heed to deceiving spirits and

doctrines of demons

speaking lies in hypocrisy having their

own conscience seared with a hot iron

forbidding to marry commanding to

abstain from foods which God created to

be received with Thanksgiving

by those who believe and know the truth

every creature of God is good for

nothing is to be refused if it is

received with Thanksgiving for it is

Sanctified by the word of God In Prayer

this is amazing here’s what he says

nothing is to be refused what’s the

point

is it’s not something you bought at the

store

what’s the implication what Paul had to

deal with with a group of people is they

would be invited to somebody else’s home

and they would hear they were being

served a food that was either unclean

pork or whatever or it was actually food

that was offered to an idol

and here he’s giving him instruction

don’t refuse

anything that you would determine is

unclean why because that which is used

to be against you becomes Sanctified by

your own thankfulness your thankfulness

takes the sting out of what the enemy

attempt to destroy you it is now used

for your benefit because it is

Sanctified with prayer in the word of

God Sanctified

sanctified’s an interesting word because

it means separate separate from sin

separate from Darkness separated to God

but it doesn’t stop there it actually

implies that when I am made holy when I

as I am as I am separated from my own

lifestyle to to the Lord it means it

implies I actually become like the one I

am separated to

we should know this just in the natural

husbands wives have been married a long

time they start thinking alike they

start acting alike I mean there’s

there’s just this this this time of just

being together or they they change

because they’ve been separated from

everyone else unto this person and

actually in many ways pick up some of

their characteristics and Natures well

this is even more profound in our

relationship with Christ because we are

separated from a dark World system that

is self-serving unto the Lord we

actually in the relationship become like

the one we’re separated to

now follow that thought

when you are offered something in this

case it was food that would contaminate

you with thankfulness

it enables the word of God In Prayer to

sanctify that which was released against

you and now becomes something that is

for you

um

thankfulness takes the sting

out of something sent your way to harm

you

I had a friend acquaintance

in dialogue with this last summer

was writing a book

at least part of the book against me and

against us

and so I wrote him and I told him I

welcome the book

I welcome

not because I think it will add to the

health of the body of Christ

but because what I want in life is on

the other side of facing difficulty well

navigating betrayal or criticism

you know you can’t be trusted with

praise if you don’t trust him with

criticism

you can’t you can’t be trusted with the

gain if you don’t trust him in laws

you can’t be trusted with loyal friends

if you don’t trust him in betrayal

and so while I don’t think any of these

things are designed of the Lord I’m

going to embrace them

and learn how to navigate life through

those challenging situations why because

of the prayers I’ve prayed I prayed the

same scary prayers you’ve prayed God I

want to see everyone that we come into

contact with healed I want to see

everybody saved in our city God we want

to see Nations discipled these are huge

prayers but they are not released upon

careless people because careless people

become preoccupied with themselves in

the midst of the glory being manifest

the glory being poured out and so

difficulties come our way what is it

it’s just simply an opportunity to learn

how to monitor my heart to give thanks

in all things rejoice in all things

pray in every situation absolute

dependency on him why this is what we

were born for

and what I want is on the other end of

adverse winds and I’ve got to learn how

to use my sail in the rudder if you will

to attack until I can make the

advancements necessary to get me to

where I want to go

so I I told him I said I I don’t welcome

it because I

I think it’ll help us but I do welcome

you know he wrote back very kindly and

ended up a long long dialogue that isn’t

the point of the discussion today except

that he he openly openly repented and

and changed that particular part of his

book

and uh it’s not for discuss it’s not

necessary for today but the the point is

is being thankful for things

that you think the enemy sent you away

it doesn’t mean I’m thankful for the

book I am thankful for the opportunity

to grow

I’m thankful that if I learn to navigate

this right he can trust me with more

I don’t like it it’s not something I’d

volunteer for

but I gave up my rights when I said yes

when I said the big yes I gave up my

right

to to bargain for what kind of

circumstances I’m willing to face

and thankfulness is like man it’s like

the number one virtue that changes a

person’s life

and dare I say the entire nature of a

city

I think thankfulness can change the

nature of a family line

yeah yeah amen all right Happy

Thanksgiving yeah I’m so glad that you

watched this video I do pray that it’s a

great great strength and encouragement

to you and I’ve got a verse that it

really is My Cry for all of us and it’s

Psalms 20. it’s verse 4. may he grant

you your heart’s desire and fulfill all

your plans

that’s my prayer that’s my prayers that

this would be the season of rich rich

fulfillment

thanks for joining us