The secret of thanksgiving and praise

GREETINGS to the nation. Today, we want to talk about the secret of thanksgiving and praise. Psalms 92:1 says, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High.”

The reason why we should give thanks to the Lord is because:

(i) It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord. The Bible says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” As long as you are breathing, you must learn to give thanks to God and to praise Him. Because your life is the power of God, you have a billion reasons to thank Him.

(ii) It is godly to be thankful. Anyone who is godly understands the power that is in thanksgiving or being grateful.

(iii) It is spiritual. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” You must understand that whatever you are going through in life, in every circumstance, you should be thankful. Why? Because you know that God is able to deliver you from every negative situation surrounding your life and that God is above the mountain you are facing.

Many people only recognise thanksgiving when they have received something of value, according to human nature. But when Jesus came to earth, He showed us the mystery of thanksgiving in all circumstances. We see that our fathers of faith in the Scriptures — the apostles and prophets — praised and thanked God even in the midst of difficult situations.

We have seen God turn those situations to their advantage. We see them winning wars, coming out of prison, the dead being raised, and thousands of people being fed through the mystery of thanksgiving and praise. Our natural tendency is to grumble, complain and murmur because we are used to not appreciating the greatness of God.

We see the children of Israel on the verge of their breakthrough, about to enter Canaan after crossing the River Jordan. However, murmuring and complaining took them back into the wilderness; it set them back. It’s like a person driving along a highway or a one-way street, then suddenly engaging reverse gear and going back to where they came from. That’s what complaining and murmuring do to a generation that does not understand the mystery of thanksgiving.

What thanksgiving does is that it accelerates your life, bringing speed to your breakthrough. This is the mystery we see in the Scriptures.

Someone may ask, “Why should I thank God when life is tough? When I can’t even feed my children? When I am in pain? When I am unemployed?” Thanksgiving and praise are spiritual languages that God hears, and through them, He acts as a King. We must understand that God is our King. Approaching Him involves a code of thanksgiving and praise.

The Bible says in Psalms 100:4-5, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name.” God has gates — one of the ways to access His presence is through praise, despite what you are going through. That’s why many prayers go unanswered — because of a mentality of blaming God for their circumstances. The children of Israel could not access their promised land because they were full of grumbling and complaining. One thing God hates is a heart or mouth that does not know how to be grateful.

Once, Jesus said to the Pharisees and Sadducees, “If you do not praise me, I will cause the stones to praise me.” Our God loves to be praised. During the days of kings such as Lobengula, Mzilikazi and Shaka, one would not approach the king without knowing how to praise him. They would start from afar, singing about the king’s victories.

They would remind the king of his greatness, of his kingdom that brought peace, prosperity, and joy to its people.

The person praising the king could be seeking justice, but they would approach with reverence. These practices were copied from the kingdom of God, and it’s unfortunate that the church has no revelation of the power of praise. Our Jesus is greater than any king who ever lived — He is the King of Kings.

He deserves our praise. As I write this, there is someone somewhere complaining about life, while someone else is in hospital asking God for a second chance to live, promising that if given another opportunity, they will praise Him. Yet, you are alive and cannot even thank God for your health, family, work or the life He has given you.

Some people are sleeping under a bridge, in the cold, without blankets, while you have more than enough and cannot even thank God. Surely, we are an ungrateful generation. May the Lord deliver this generation.

In Acts 16:22-26, we see Paul and Silas beaten and cast into prison, their feet fast in stocks. The Bible tells us that at midnight, they prayed and sang praises to God. We must understand that there are many keys in the kingdom for increase and for opening doors. One of these keys is prayer. The Bible says they sang praises and the prisoners heard them.

Suddenly, there was a great earthquake; the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately, all the doors opened, and the chains were broken from their hands and feet. Instead of complaining about their pain, Paul and Silas praised God. They had been beaten for conducting deliverance — they set a young girl free from a spirit of divination. They were doing God’s work, yet they were flogged.

We did not hear them complaining, “God, we have been beaten because of this anointing,” but instead, they praised and sang. When we praise, we remind God of past victories and future ones, prompting Him to act. The earthquake shook the prison’s foundation and the shackles could not hold them.

Remember, what happened to Paul and Silas is not fiction — it’s what God does for those who know how to praise. Praising Him is a way of appreciating His faithfulness and greatness.

If you want to see miracles and wonders, stop telling God how big your mountain is. Instead, start dancing around the mountain. Remind the devil that God is above all mountains, the Creator of heaven and earth. Thanksgiving is a key to more.

In John 6:8-13, Jesus fed 5 000 people with five loaves and two fish. The Bible says Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks and distributed them. A miracle followed — leftovers remained. Why? Because Jesus understood the mystery of thanksgiving.

If it were some of us, we might say, “This is too little for so many.” May the spirit of thanksgiving come upon the Church.

I invite you to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth and you shall be saved. May God bless you all.