Day 16: 40 Days Fasting & Prayer

Accessing the Miraculous through Thanksgiving

“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, a harp, and the melody of a lyre. You thrill me, LORD, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.” (Psalm 92:1-4)

Thanksgiving is an act of appreciation. It is an expression of gratitude for everything God has done, is doing, or will do for us. According to the scriptures, giving thanks to God is a good thing (Psalm 92:1). Any Christian who lacks this knowledge is at a disadvantage. I will try to show you some of the blessings attached to thanksgiving, praise, and worship.

You cannot separate thanksgiving, praise, and worship from each other. When you are giving thanks, the Spirit can lead you to worship as well. The Holy Spirit can cause you to flow in thanksgiving, praise, and worship at the same time. Thanksgiving is a spiritual act, not a mental act, so the Holy Spirit can easily take over during the time of thanksgiving.

Why people don’t thank God

There are many reasons why people don’t thank God the way they ought to, and I’ll share some of them below:

1. They don’t think deeply (Psalm 103:2).

When you fail to think, you will fail to thank God the way you ought to. Deep thinking can trigger deep worship.

What are some of the things to think about?

- Think about what God has done for you.

- Think about where He picked you from.

- Think about the difficult times when He helped you.

- Think about the times when He delivered you from death, accident, and evil.

- Think about His love towards you.

- Think about what He is currently doing for you.

- Think about what He is about to do for you.

When you think about all of these things, it will stir you up to thank, praise, and worship God.

There are many things that you have prayed for, and you must praise and thank Him in advance for them.

2. Achievement and Possession

They feel that their achievement and possession were through their human strength. When you see God as the source of your strength and as the strength of your life, you will be motivated to give Him thanks, but if you feel that whatever you have is through your hard labour, it would be difficult to maintain a grateful spirit.

This is what exactly happened to Nebuchadnezzar

²⁹ Twelve months later, Nebuchadnezzar was walking on the royal palace's flat roof in Babylon. ³⁰ As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendour.’

³³“That same hour, the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow and was drenched with heaven's dew. He lived this way until his hair was as long as an eagle’s feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws. (Daniel 4:29-30, 33)

3. They are ignorant that the breath of life is from Him

God is the source of the breath in your nostrils; without Him, you will instantly fall dead. We ought to be grateful and thank God for being alive.

Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! (Psalm 150:6)

4. They don’t know that God is the source of every good thing in their lives

Those good things in your life were directly from God. If God did not permit it, it would never have gotten to you.

Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. (James 1:17)

5. They want more

God wants to give you more, but if you fail to give thanks, it can block the flow. Many people don’t give thanks because they want more.

⁶Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. ⁷After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. ⁸ So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. (1 Timothy 6:6-8)

6. They compare themselves with others

But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant! (2 Corinthians 10:12)

What are the miraculous blessings attached to thanksgiving?

a). Thanksgiving can perfect your healing and anything that you’ve received from God. (Luke 17:17-19, Philippians 1:6)

b).Thanksgiving can qualify you for more blessings.

c).Thanksgiving can be offered when you want the power of God to manifest in impossible situations. (John 11:41-44)

d).Thanksgiving can attract the presence of God and drive demons far away.

e).Thanksgiving grants you access to the courtrooms of heaven. (Psalm 100:4)

f).Thanksgiving can trigger divine favour. (Acts 2:47)

g).Without thanksgiving, your prayer is not complete. Your prayer must mix with thanksgiving before the impossible becomes possible. In John 11:41-44, we saw Christ mixing thanksgiving with His prayer.

h).Thanksgiving puts you in the perfect will of God. (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Whenever we give thanks, we are directly doing the will of God, and it is only those that do the will of God that can enjoy the blessings embedded in the will of God. (Hebrews 10:36).

Many times, the Israelites were punished for murmuring and complaining. The devil wants you to complain so that you can be out of the will of God. I pray that God will open your understanding to the miraculous blessing of thanksgiving in Jesus' name.

i).Thanksgiving is a way of expressing your faith in God. It strengthens your faith and guarantees the speedy manifestation of your expectations. (Romans 4:20-22)

j).It can reverse unfavourable situations. Jonah was in the belly of the fish when he gave thanks to God, and after his sacrifice of thanksgiving, God commanded the fish to vomit him. (Jonah 2:7-10)

k).It guarantees miraculous victories. (2 Chronicles 20:22-24)

l).Thanksgiving guarantees multiplication. (John 6:10-13)

No matter what you are going through, engage the forces of thanksgiving, praise, and worship for the manifestation of God’s power. (Acts 16:25-26)

Further Study: Psalm 107:31, Luke 17:17-19, Psalm 67:5-7

Repeat every prayer missile till it comes from your heart. Only then move on to the next prayer missile. (Repeat it, personalise it, do this with each prayer point for a minimum 1 minute)

1.I uproot every spirit of depression from my life and my family members, in Jesus' name. (Isaiah 61:3)

2.Thank you, Father, for all the blessings you have bestowed upon me in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1:3)

3.Father, I am grateful, for I believe that all my needs are met by You, in Jesus' name. (Philippians 4:19)

4.Lord, clothe me with the garment of praise, in Jesus' name. (Isaiah 61:3)

5.Father, let Your Spirit fill my heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name. (Romans 15:13)

6.Father, I express my gratitude for all You have done, are doing, and will do in my life, in Jesus' name. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

7.Father, I thank You because I know that everything is working together for my good, in Jesus' name. (Romans 8:28)

8.May anything designed to bring sorrow into my life be transformed into blessings and joy, in Jesus' name. (Genesis 50:20)

9.Oh Lord, place a new song of praise in my mouth, in Jesus' name. (Psalm 40:3)

10.Let there be sounds of rejoicing and celebration in my surroundings and in the homes of everyone participating in this 21-day fast, in Jesus' name. (Psalm 118:15)

11.Pray in tongues to honour and glorify God. (1 Corinthians 14:2)

12.Dedicate time to offer God quality worship and praise. (Psalm 95:6)

Day 16: 40 Days Fasting & Prayer

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