To the lord i would encourage you to turn to the chapter of psalm 136 a chapter of thanks to pick a few verses verse 1 says give thanks to the lord for he is good for his steadfast love endures forever verse 23 and 24 goes on to say it is he who remembered
Us in our low estate for his steadfast love endures forever and rescued us from our foes for his steadfast love endures forever now one of the easiest traps for the believer to fall into is complacency never become complacent it’s a dangerous thing to simply get accustomed to god’s blessings
And begin to take them for granted it’s a dangerous thing to fail to be thankful so before you sleep before you end your day i urge you to take the time to simply say god thank you there are obvious things we should be thankful for like your health
The fact that you have a bed to sleep on food in your stomach electricity and shelter these are basic things things we often take for granted but just speak to someone who doesn’t have shelter see how they are living and you’ll realize how blessed you are speak to someone who doesn’t know for
Sure that they’ll eat today hear what they’ll tell you and you will realize how good god is to you these are small things things we now expect to have but life can happen to any of us and so we need to be thankful to god for so much
Including the little things the things we consider to be our right so i would like for this video to serve you as a reminder about all the things you should be thankful for at the end of the day firstly before you go to sleep take the time to say
Thank you god thank you for loving me and understand that john 3 verse 16 is a verse that shows just how deep god’s love is the bible says for god so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
Eternal life now you need to apply that to yourself take this verse and apply it to you thank you god for loving me so much that you gave your one and only son jesus christ so that i may not perish but have eternal life that’s the first thing you should be thankful for
Consider just how much physical suffering jesus endured simply out of love you couldn’t pay your way to have eternal life you couldn’t strike a deal with god so that you would not perish because you have nothing to offer him we as his creation cannot do anything in exchange for god’s love
But despite that in spite of that he loves us still he loves you still very least you could do is simply thank him and even in saying thank you we have to acknowledge that there are absolutely no words which can sufficiently express how precious jesus sacrifice is to us
Secondly before you go to sleep take the time to say thank you god for your goodness find a reason to say lord you are good you have been good things might not be easy for me right now but i thank you for giving me the strength to get through
Each day things may not be exactly how i want them to be but i thank you for still being by my side for someone listening you may be saying i’m not where i want to be in life but you should be thankful for his goodness because you are not where you
Used to be he has brought you this far so there are many reasons to thank god for his goodness i am a sound mind i have ears that hear and eyes that see that’s the goodness of god yes you might have pain somewhere in your body but you can still move and walk
This is god’s goodness good health is a gift from god some people have food but their health doesn’t allow them to eat freely some people have money but that money can’t restore good health some people have what you might consider the perfect job a perfect house but they don’t have peace
All of these things aren’t because of luck or fortune god is good to you don’t envy others while overlooking the blessings that god has given you first chronicles 16 verse 34 says give thanks to the lord for he is good his love endures forever and i believe we ought to do this
Each and every night as we reflect on the day and for the third reason before you go to sleep take the time to say thank you god for your protection the fact is none of us knows what each day holds you don’t know when you walk out the door
If you walk back in you don’t know what you’ll face at any given moment you can’t control a drunk driver’s actions while you’re on the freeway you can’t control the actions of someone who is mentally unstable on the street you can’t control nature earthquakes hurricanes you have no control over many events
That happen but you have been protected to come back home you have been protected by the lord to go all throughout this day without any harm or danger coming to you that’s something to be thankful for furthermore thank god for his protection even when you have faced
Danger you might have been in a car accident thank god you didn’t get hurt you might have been hurt but thank god you survived second corinthians chapter 4 verses 8 and 9 is a wonderful passage that teaches us that things may be bad things may be uncomfortable
But there is always a reason to be thankful the bible says we are hard pressed on every side yet not crushed we are perplexed but not in despair persecuted but not forsaken struck down but not destroyed as for the fourth reason before you go to sleep take the time to say
Thank you god for your mercy and forgiveness the book of lamentation chapter 3 verses 22 and 23 says that the steadfast love of the lord never ceases his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning great is your faithfulness god has brand new mercies for us every morning
Is that not a reason to be joyful is that not a reason to have gratitude in your heart in all that we do with all of our shortcomings day in and day out his mercy is unending we are forgiven for our sins and deeds and thoughts
There are those sins which we are aware of other sins that we are unaware of but still commit his steadfast love never ceases when we truly repent and commit to change and living for him then his mercies never come to an end the fifth reason to be thankful for is
God’s word and promises god’s word should be our go-to when we are in need of a boost in our faith when we need strength for our struggle when we need reassurance god’s word and his promises cover all situations you could face in this life think of the unbeliever
What do they have to hold on to they have no promises that they can claim no promises that they can declare but you and i should be grateful for god’s word because it plays a crucial role in our lives when you are uncertain and the future is unknown the bible says
The lord is my shepherd and i shall not want he leads me beside the still waters when the spirit of fear attacks you the bible says for god has not given us a spirit of fear but of power love and a sound mind when you feel worried and anxiety attacks the bible says
Be anxious for nothing but in everything through prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to god we ought to be thankful for god’s word because in times of distress we have something to turn to in times of weakness we have somewhere to go in summary
Before you end your day it’s important to take time out spend a moment a few minutes whatever time you can to really just say thank you lord be grateful for god’s love and mercy don’t become complacent and take it for granted it’s a blessing that we are loved by the almighty
It’s a blessing that we are protected by the lion of the tribe of judah it’s a blessing that we can turn to his word and beautiful promises that will lift us and encourage us so remember to say thank you A man went on a trip with a group of friends and during the course of that trip they met a local man who gave each of them souvenirs now this particular guy took those souvenirs without knowing that those items were part of a ceremonial practice that was evil and occultic in nature
When he got back from his travels he placed these ornaments in his home that very night things started to change and things started to happen he had opened a spiritual door wide open for the devil to walk straight into his home he started to experience unusual things there was
Unrest in his heart he felt weighted down oppressed even like there was a massive weight on his shoulders the sleepless nights and nightmares started he became a man filled with fear he became fearful of everything and anything he started to experience all sorts of things that were not from
The lord simply because of a lack of knowledge and a lack of vigilance a combination that left him spiritually open so he confided in his father who brought the pastor around to his home during the conversation with this pastor and his father the ornaments caught the pastor’s eye where’d those come from
He explained they were a gift from a local while he was on his travels did you ask what those items were he shook his head do you know anything about the man who gave you these he shook his head again the pastor now took the items and said
We need to burn these things this is the cause of all the unrest you’ve been experiencing you my son have been under spiritual attack so they started a fire and threw the items in 10 minutes passed 20 minutes passed and these items were not burning
They added a bit more fuel and gave in another 10 minutes nothing no sign of those things burning so both the pastor and father began to pray and praise the name of the lord they started to call on the name of jesus they started to speak the blood they
Started to speak the word of god and those things began to melt and burn the lesson here is that the bible says my people perish because a lack of knowledge do not be in the category of people who perish because of a lack of knowledge a lack of knowledge
That if you give the devil an inch he will take a mile a lack of knowledge that the devil will dress himself up as something harmless there couldn’t possibly be anything wrong with a souvenir there’s nothing wrong with me accepting a gift from someone while i’m traveling the world be vigilant
Man of god be vigilant woman of god do you know where that object that souvenir has really come from do you know what spirit what atmosphere or what you’re inviting into your home when you’re watching that film deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 6 to 9 says these commandments i give you today
Are to be on your hearts impress them on your children talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road when you lie down and when you get up tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads
Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates in this passage god instructs the children of israel to keep the word of god in a prominent role in the household now the home plays an integral part in the life of the believer as christians our homes should be
They should be the homes where the name of god the presence of god is always resonant the home should be a sanctuary a holy place it should be a place of peace serenity and joy it should be a place where god’s word is elevated and lived out now that’s all good and
Well for me to say but in a practical sense if the home is indeed a sanctuary if our home is a place where god’s presence should abide then we should just not allow certain activities practices and forms of entertainment in the home i submit to you that we should be more
Vigilant about the things we allow in our homes we need to be aware that just as we close and lock the physical doors in our homes we need to do the same thing spiritually and this is important for you to understand we need to close and lock every spiritual door
That the enemy could potentially enter through we must be viligant because what we allow the type of atmosphere that we allow into our homes can be influenced by either the holy spirit or by evil and demonic spirits so how can we ensure that our homes are fortresses of the holy spirit
As to oppose being dwelling places for evil spirits well one of the most effective ways to guard our homes against negative influences and evil spirits is by guarding ourselves against the type of entertainment we consume in our homes the role of television music and now streaming services make entertainment more accessible to us
Than ever this is both a blessing and a curse it’s a door for both god and the devil but we choose who we let in we can easily fill our homes with sounds and visuals that edify and build up the family things that can build our faith and invite
The presence of god or rather we can fill our homes with things that deteriorate and pollute the mind things that can harm our faith in fact i have known people that wouldn’t even step foot in a movie theater because the negative atmosphere there but then sadly because of a lack of knowledge
Those same people would turn around and bring movies of any content any rating into their home but i believe that there are certain things that christians do not need to be watching at all content that opens spiritual doors sexually explicit movies and music can open doors in your home and plant unrighteous thoughts
Even those who say that they like a bit of a thrill watching things like horror movies or documentaries on paranormal activities these things open doors in your home for demons and spirits to enter be on guard be diligent about what you are allowing to play
And be seen in your home we should fill our homes and mines with entertainment that directs our minds to our savior one of the positives about the easy excess of entertainment is that there is also an abundance of wholesome biblical family friendly content that is available let’s focus on those things as the
Apostle paul says in philippians finally brethren whatever things are true whatever things are noble whatever things are just whatever things are pure whatever things are lovely whatever things are of good report if there is any virtue if there is anything praiseworthy meditate on these things if we want to grow in our spiritual
Journeys we must focus our minds and hearts on the things of god as opposed to the things of the world if we want to guard against evil and negative spirits and influences we must be diligent about what we allow to enter our minds and hearts
Do not give the enemy room to enter your home people of god now another avenue we need to guard in our homes is to do with ornaments and objects that enter your home what i am telling you is be mindful of the objects souvenirs and ornaments that you allow in your home
Believe it or not there is evil out there in the world some people perform rituals evil ceremonies with objects and those objects can often find themselves being on sale as antiques even souvenirs imagine bringing into your home that unclean thing we must be village and people of god
Do not willingly open the door to the devil we should be examining our home is your home filled with scripture passages or quotes from the bible or is it filled with crude humor relics and antiques that carry idolatrous or evil spirits analyze everything that comes in your home with the eyes of discernment
Is our home a place of constant conflict and strife are there always short tempers and sour attitudes is the home of place of peace and tranquility or a place of bickering and argument every member of the household bears the responsibility to be mindful of their attitudes speech demeanors
And presence our attitude and speech should be pure and holy so the holy spirit will love to dwell there if there is a house full of cursing bitterness anger arguing and strife it will grieve the holy spirit and will not invite the presence of god the problem is
That when they leave other spirits will feel their places that’s why we should be very viligent in this regard finally we can guard our homes by filling it with the sweet fragrance of prayer many christians have the practice of a house blessing when they first move into a home this is
A wonderful way to anoint and consecrate the home to the lord and ask for his blessing and protection on the home this blessing and protection is not just for physical safety but spiritual safety also the fragrance of prayer ascends to the lord like sweet incense it will hover over the house
To form a protective barrier against the devil and evil spirit as the family rises in the morning let it first rise with prayer before the household goes to bed let it close the day in prayer even in the midst of the day as you go about your task let your day be
Permeated with prayer in this way a household can guard itself against the negative and evil spirits they lay weight for any crack through which they may enter in the house so from today let your home be an impenetrable fortress of prayer In every element of life there is a division between what we love what we tolerate for the sake of our good and what we despise for instance there are things that we really love to eat things that naturally excite our taste buds for some it may be chocolate or ice
Cream or others it may be cakes or pies for some it may be more healthy things like fruits and vegetables whoever you are there are things you love to eat then there are those things that we eat for the sake of our well-being some of these things we may not even particularly like
But we know they are good for us and keep us healthy you may not like apples but you’ll tolerate them for the sake of a healthy diet you may not like drinking water or broccoli but you know it’s good for you so we tolerate these things
But then there are those things that we know that we probably need to eat but we just can’t bring ourselves to do it because we simply detest the taste and you know what i’m talking about how many of us have moved the spinach the brussels sprouts or
Kale aside so that we can enjoy everything else so remember that there are things we love things we tolerate and things we despise at your job this is true in any romantic relationship this is true in fact in every area of life you can find things that fit into one of these
Three categories now the bible and gospel message of jesus christ is no exception when it comes to the divisions we have between what we love what we tolerate and what we despise let me give you some examples many of us simply love the book of psalms because we can find verses like
The lord is my shepherd i shall not want we feel good when we read ye though i walk through the valley of the shadow of death i will fear no evil or how about a thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but
It shall not come near you these are powerful verses comforting verses good verses that everybody loves to read and memorize we could decree and declare these all day and every day we all love to be encouraged it arouses our spiritual taste buds and stimulates us to be confident
Full of faith and we feel like we can crush the devil if he even thinks of trying to attack us on the other hand when the scripture reminds us to study to show ourselves approved when the scripture reminds us to meditate day and night and observe to do according to all that
Is written in the word or when we are reminded to pray without ceasing we struggle to get too excited because we realize this requires effort and time of course we realize these things are healthy for us and that we need to do it to remain spiritually healthy so many will study
Meditate and pray because we cannot survive spiritually without it and be honest these examples don’t give many of us that same sense of confidence that good feeling inside that we get when we read the psalms why well we tend to love the verses that tell us
All about what god can do what god will do we love to read that god will lead us he will bless us and keep us but we tend simply to tolerate the verses that tell us what to do we’re told to study and show thyself approved
Okay not the most exciting thing to do we’re told to meditate on the word day and night but how many of us can say we love that verse but we tolerate those aspects of scripture and unfortunately there is also the element of scripture that many choose to simply ignore and not eat
Because it doesn’t give you the same good feeling as other scriptures there are books in the bible verses in the bible that we choose to put aside because they don’t tickle our taste buds the same way as others for example the first message of john the baptist in matthew 3
Verse 2 was about repentance the first message when jesus began his ministry in matthew 4 verse 17 was about repentance peter after the day of pentecost in acts 2 verse 38 spoke the same message repent however i believe that most of us would rather not hear the message of repentance nor do we
Want to have to hear about or acknowledge the sin that requires us to repent and to take it even further let me ask you this how many of us venture all the way to the end of the bible right to the back to read about the future
Of humanity and mankind how many of us have read and know in detail revelation 20 verse 11 to 15 which reveals a great white throne judgment in which those who did not adhere to or perform the acts recorded in the word of god will be doomed to what is recorded
As the second death but of course to be politically correct this is the part of god’s word that many will fail to eat because it’s simply not good for our taste buds to speak it’s sad but true that many people who call themselves christian will never make it into heaven
Because the bible says we’ll all be judged according to our works and i’m sure we can all be honest enough with ourselves to know that all of our works are not and have not been good or acceptable to the lord all the time so the message goes back to one of repentance
Have you repented truly repented there are those who are in church week after week that look and play a good part but in the end they will hear the words depart from me i never knew you it’s sad but true and another fact that’s also sad but true
Is that jesus said these people will claim to have prophesied cast out demons and done many wonders in my name but they will still be rejected passage into eternity with god perhaps many of these people would truly be surprised by the verdict it’s sad but true that jesus did teach that false prophets
Would arise and deceive many according to matthew 24 11. much of what we know of the church today resembles the world and many people are simply blinded by its delicacies they are blinded by what is good to their spiritual taste buds we are enticed by social groups entertained by light shows
And musical talents and made to feel good by messages that are more concerned with tickling the ears than with teaching sound biblical doctrine jesus said when speaking of the end days that if it were possible even the very elect would be deceived it is sad but true that countless people believe
That they are living by a standard set by god when in fact they are abiding in a standard prescribed by fallen man providentially god has given mankind a plan by which he can be certain in his quest for eternity what may seem impossible with man is emphatically possible with god from the beginning
And the fall of man in the garden of eden god has proposed to bridge the gap between fallen man and himself because of his love for his creation god was willing to go beyond human comprehension by giving his only begotten son to die for the purpose of reuniting god with his creation
And his only condition for eternal life was belief in the son paul wrote if you confess with your mouth that jesus is lord and believe in your heart that god raised him from the dead you will be saved paul also said in ephesians 2 verse 8 that for by grace
You have been saved through faith and this is not of your own doing it is the gift of god you see all god really desires is that we would seek to know him through a deep meaningful relationship with his son scripture teaches the ones who do the will of god
Will enter the kingdom of heaven jesus said that he did not come to do his will but to do the will of the one who sent him it is sad but true that there are many who will never enter heaven because all they really care about is themselves for our
Eternity to be secure all we really have to do is the will of god and you can find his will in the bible you can find his will when you become a doer of the word and not just someone who reads it you see we believe in jesus christ and therefore
Should strive to have a personal relationship with him this relationship is our salvation we hold on to him and acknowledge him to be the way the truth and the life I want to talk to you today about faith and i want to encourage each and every one of you to use it we’ve all heard that faith without works is dead but what does that really mean simply put you can not just have faith without action faith requires action it requires you to
Move with intent it means that you have to stretch out into the unknown and believe in something you cannot see immediately sometimes you have to push your faith to its limits because other forces are at play that negate what you believe in your spirit is going to happen
Faith helps you to open your eyes and see what others cannot so that you can get what others won’t i remember the very first time i truly used faith i didn’t know that i was even doing it i was about four years old and i truly wanted a little brother i can
Remember praying every night and asking the lord for a little brother i’d talk about it constantly to my parents and even plan for it in my own little way i can remember being happy and giving god praise after my nightly prayers for the little brother that he was going to send me
Not too long after my parents told me that the lord had answered my prayers for a brother and that i was going to be a big sister i still remember this day like it was yesterday this was the beginning of my faith now if you’ve read the story of rahab
You’ll know that she was a woman of the night or harlot that lived in the land of canaan this was the promised land the land which flowed with milk and honey that god swore to give the children of israel now after moses died joshua was chosen to lead the children of israel
Into the promised land but before he could do that the inhabitants of the land had to be removed two spies were sent to spy out the land and report back to joshua the spies hitted rahab’s place but the king found out rahab covered for the two spies and told
Them to hide on the roof until they were able to escape but before they escaped she told them of how everyone in the land was afraid of the children of israel because of all the great things their god had done for them leaving egypt and how god
Gave them great victory in battle the bible says in joshua 2 verse 11 and as soon as we heard these things our hearts melted neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you for the lord your god he is god in heaven above
And on earth beneath rahab told them to remember her and her family when they came back to take over the land isn’t it something that someone who didn’t even worship or know their god had enough faith to believe that god would take over the city for them
Rahab had simply heard about the great feats that their god had done for them in the past she had faith that their god was real and that he would give them the victory and overtake the city she also had faith enough to believe that when the army returned to destroy the town
That they would save her and her family Rahab was presented with an insurmountable set of odds but used her measure of faith to overcome it and come out victorious she was supposed to die with everyone else but her faith saved her and her family what an awesome amount of faith hebrews 11 verse 1 says now faith is the substance
Of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen for by it the elders obtained a good testimony this verse is explaining to us that faith is the fuel behind the very things that we hope to obtain that raise on the job that wayward child being saved
The healing of that sick relative even your personal and private prayer requests all take faith god knows hears and sees each and everything we are going through and he wants you to exercise your faith in him he is a good god and he wants to bless us
We already use faith in our daily lives from sitting in a chair and believing that gravity will hold us up to turning on the tv and believing that the electricity will power it on we blindly believe in it and we don’t see it but we know it will work we don’t have any
Doubt that once we have paid the water bill that it will come on we turn the faucet and know it will work we should be that way after we pray once we set our prayers in motion and mingle it with our faith we should remove all doubt let it go and let god
I remember my mother telling me when i was growing up when you pray don’t worry i have found that when i worry and take my eyes off god and let doubt creep in it causes fear we begin to question ourselves and god when he has already said that all things
Are possible to them that believe the bible says in hebrews 11 verse 6 but without faith it is impossible to please him he who comes to god must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him in times like these it’s important to remember
Our faith you never know who is watching you and believing in faith even when you don’t who would have thought rahab’s faith would protect her and her family the way it did the two spies never even knew she existed or that the entire town was afraid because of what they heard about their
God the town had faith enough to believe in fear that they would be wiped out because of the children of israel’s god so who is it that may be watching you who is it that is afraid of the god that you serve while you sit worry and harbor doubt every one of us
Has been given a measure of faith well people of god we just need to know how to work it i know it gets hard sometimes and you may not even see a clear path ahead or how a way is going to be made but you still have to dig
Deep dig deep through prayer reading the word of the lord fasting and continually giving god praise you cannot give up saints of the most high god this is also where your measure of faith comes into play everyone’s situations vary because we all have things that we are praying and asking god for
Some of us want our families saved others a better job success in business a spouse healing financial deliverance a house a child and the list goes on and on some circumstances are so dire that it may even seem that the odds are stacked against you and the problem is insurmountable if you can
Only think back to something god has already done for you you can encourage yourself in the lord and work your faith the bible says in luke chapter 1 verse 37 for with god nothing shall be impossible what an amazing promise at different points in my life
And even now i have to go back and contemplate on what the lord has already done i can ponder on the times that he helped me pass a test in college or healed me of an illness giving me that job i’ve prayed for and even granted me the little things
That i’ve asked for things as small as winning a drawing all of these things required and took faith with each one god built my faith more and more after each battle my faith grew more and more we as children of god have to learn to flex our faith muscles and use faith everywhere
And all the time we should use our faith not just for tiny things but big things don’t be afraid to ask god for big things we serve the god that called time into being his very word holds the stars in the sky and keeps the planets in alignment we
Serve a god that sits on the circle of the earth and knows the numbers of hairs on our heads and the measure of tears that we have cried he is a god of the impossible he is the great i am nothing is too hard for him saints of god
Work your faith and believe god to do the impossible believe big and ask big the bible says that he will even work with even the smallest amount of faith matthew 17 verse 20 because you have so little faith truly i tell you if you have faith as small as a mustard seed
You can say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move nothing will be impossible for you this is a powerful reminder of how mighty faith is in the book of matthew chapter 21 the bible tells of a time when jesus was hungry and went to eat figs
From off a tree it was a time of year where the tree should have been in full bloom but it was barren and yielded no fruit jesus rebuked the tree and said from this time forward you will never grow any more fruit forever immediately the tree withered up and died
The disciples were amazed little did the disciples know that jesus had just taught them a very important lesson in faith matthew 21 verse 21 and 22 says so jesus answered and said to them assuredly i say to you if you have faith and do not doubt
You will not only do what was done to the fig tree but also if you say to this mountain be removed and be cast into the sea it will be done and whatever things you ask in prayer believing you will receive i believe that jesus was also teaching us
That when we use our faith and believe things have to fall in line with his word i’ll say it again if we use our faith and believe things have to fall in line with his word jesus spoke to the tree and it withered up and died
He didn’t waver or doubt when he said it he said it in total authority knowing that his faith would accomplish just what he said it would do men and women of god when we use our faith we must cast away any inkling of doubt if you believe that it will come to pass
And it is in line with god’s will for your life all things are possible if you need help with your faith use god’s word to encourage yourself and always remember mark 9 23 if you can believe all things are possible to him who believes so brothers and sisters work your faith You
