What is Your Plan for End Times?

 If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail, according to current financial planning wisdom.  How much more true is this principle in light of coming events and eternity.

"What is the world coming to?" many are asking as age-old standards of decency, honesty, and common sense are violated.   

Jude tells us to contend for the faith because the world will be filled with ungodly people who turn the grace of God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.  They are grumblers, fault finders who live after their own lusts, ones who speak arrogantly and flatter people to gain an advantage. Likewise, 2 Peter 3 states "that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming?'" 

Proverbs tells us that the prudent see trouble coming and prepare for it.  Both Jude and Peter give advice for anyone who wants to know what to do.  Peter answers the question "what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God?"  

However, Jude 1:20-21, giving specific details of how to not only endure but how to overcome this present evil generation, states, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life."  

Let's consider each of these four directions.  1) Build yourselves up on your most holy faith.  Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ.  Faith builds faith, as we exercise the faith we have in little, God increases our faith to be greater.  Therefore, this instruction calls us to daily not only read and hear the Word, but also to step out and apply the Word to the challenges of our life.

2) Pray in the Holy Spirit.  When we yield our will to God, the Holy Spirit cries out "Abba Father" and with groanings beyond words expresses the will of God to the Father.  Use your prayer language and cry out to Him from the depth of your heart. God has given us gifts which are tools to be used not put away on the shelf. 

3) Keep yourself in the love of God.  What does God require but to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.  Walk in the humble fear of the Lord, which simply means love good and hate evil and pride.

4)  Finally, look for the mercy of the Lord Jesus unto eternal life.  Our focus is not on the evil world that is passing, but as Romans reminds us, keep our focus on the fact that our Redeemer is coming with mercy for all those who call on His name.  In short, rejoice that God is not mocked, but continues to work all things for good, HIs mercy is greater than sin, and His authority reigns supreme so every evil will be justly dealt with and every one who turns to Him will live forever. 

Thank God we are not helpless, but in union with Him who has overcome, we overcome by simply walking in the ways He has provided.  Praise God forever, as God's children we will never be shaken.

  

Worthy of It All!

Seek the Lord with your whole heart.  The Word of God, through verses like this one, convert the soul from selfish thinking into choosing to give our all to Jesus.  The reason is simple: He is worthy.  Our soulish part, "I think, I feel, I want", that is self-oriented must be challenged to obey the spirit which is clearly calling us to "present our bodies a living sacrifice and be transformed by the renewing of our mind to prove the perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2)  

Many Christians in parts of the world like Korea, China, or some of the Muslim countries have paid dearly to believe in Jesus.  Often their testimonies force us to see how trivial our "trials" really are.  However, regardless of the intensity, there is always a price.  Jesus says count the cost.  Clearly when we see Jesus, the words of Paul that all his sufferings were nothing compared to the glory of God will also be evident to us too.  

Likewise, there are some Biblical truths like "Jehovah Jireh," or "all my needs are met according to His riches in glory" which are only one side of the coin.  Observing the context presents a bigger picture and a much greater opportunity to understand how to apply these principles.   Abraham (in Genesis 22) was asked to give his son, whom he had believed 25 years for, as a sacrifice.  It was because of this awesome act of obeying God that the Lord provided the ram as the sacrifice instead and was revealed as Jehovah Jireh.  Likewise, the promise in Philippians 4:19 that our needs would be met according to His riches in glory was to the Philippi church that had given more than once to support Paul's ministry.  

Sometimes we preach Jesus as meeting our needs.  This is accurate but lacks true depth.  The point is that He is worthy, He is King of kings, He is the one from whom are all things, through whom are all things, and to whom are all things.  Once we receive the truth of the glory and worthiness of Jesus and all God has done for us, we see that it is our joy and privilege to lay down all our rights for Him.  He who loses his life for Him will find it.  The greater invitation is to acknowledge Jesus as Lord of all and surrender all we are and have because He is worthy.  We are asked to step out in faith that as we honor Him, He will take care of us.  He will certainly show Himself more than we "could think, ask, or imagine" in meeting our needs. 

God invites us (you) to lose our life for Him.  Jesus is worthy of all you are asked to give.  In that willing surrender His presence and pleasure will refresh you.  Seek first the Kingdom of God and all else will be added.  He is worthy.

You are God's Favorite!

"Let the favor of the Lord be upon us." God declares in Psalm 90:12.   We are called upon to let, or to allow, His favor to be upon us.  Reminds me of one of the faith statements that Smith Wigglesworth often quoted, "God is more eager to answer than we are to ask."  God desires His favor to rest on us.  

As in all things, it is God who both initiates and completes this work.  In Psalm 5:12, He declares, "For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield."  What a great deal!  He gives us His righteousness (Remember 2 Corinthians 5:21, He became sin that we might become the righteousness of God.) and then because we have His righteousness, we can also then enjoy His favor which surrounds us like a shield.  A shield protects us from all the attacks of the enemy, as the shield of faith in the armor of God promises. 

There is a difference between doing a favor for someone and having favor.  Doing a favor is a one-time act, but having favor is a continuing attitude toward you that desires to bless and give to you all the time.  In our family, whenever one of the kids gets something at Christmas or at other times, they tease each other saying that this is because they are "Mom's favorite."  Well, that is not far from the truth of how God feels about you.  The verse in Psalm 21:6 states we, (or I) have been made kings and are the "most blessed forever."  In short, the truth is that because you have His favor, you can know you are God's favorite.  Only God is such a magnanimous person that He can treat each of us as "His favorite."

We can grow in realizing that we have His favor.  Jesus, in Luke 2:52, is reported that He grew "in favor with God and men."  Let this Word of truth daily settle in your thoughts and heart, because of His fresh mercy, you can be assured that He is pleased with you and that His favor rests upon you.

Rejoice and be gald, you favorite of God!

Bad News: Battle; Good News: You Overcome!

You are an overcomer.  You live by faith.  Faith and patience inherit the promises.  Receive God's plan for you as stated in Romans 15:13,  "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."   

Hope is a sure promise of sharing Jesus' victory.  It shouldn't surprise us that life has battles.  1 Peter 4:12 reminds us not to consider it strange at the fiery trials we face.  Paul shared in Corinthians that an effective door had opened for him to share the Gospel, but there were many adversaries.  All through Biblical history, whether re-building the temple, the walls of Jerusalem, David's challenge with Saul, etc., there have always been obstacles that seek to prevent man from doing God's will.  That is why Galatians 6:9 encourages us to persevere, "do not get weary in well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."

1 John 5 gives a message that is even stronger, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.  Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"  As you stand in faith that Jesus is the Son of God, who overcame, and now His resurrection power dwells in you, you are transformed into an overcomer.

When you are in the middle of problems, take time and let the Word dwell in your richly until you can rest in the spirit and stand in all God has promised and what He has called you to believe.  As Galatians 4 reminds us, we are heirs of God, but if we stay as little children, we don't know all we possess.  It clearly is a season where the Holy Spirit is encouraging us to possess our possessions and not be intimidated by the enemy's threats and setbacks.  Having done all, stand.

My prayer is that you continue to strive to enter that rest of faith and are able to set your mind on the Spirit who knows and reveals all that God has given you.  You will have victory and overcome in the name and triumph of Jesus. 

Do What is In Your Power

Anyone overwhelmed by the frontal assaults of the enemy on God's standards for life?  

The very foundations of the purpose of life, such as existence of God, His creating everything, the primary call to know and serve God, the authority of God's Word as truth, the role of marriage, sex, and gender that He established, and His command to love one another, etc. are being openly mocked and deliberately overridden by the new "man-made rules."  How clearly Psalm 11 describes this drastic situation, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"  We are seeing a bad tree bearing bad fruit, much like what happened in Judges when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes."  Man's rebellion leaves the world in a desperate condition.

However, God is not mocked.  This degradation of mankind and the rebellion against God's standards did not take the Lord by surprise.  Notice how Jesus addresses this challenge in John 16:33, "These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Not only has Jesus overcome the world, but He has passed the victory torch to us.  This is revealed in 1 John 5:4, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world.  And this is the victory that overcomes the world--our faith."  When we were born again and filled with the Spirit, we literally are "Christian" or "little Christs" that walk in the same overcoming life and power of God as Jesus did.  This awesome gift is completely because of what Jesus has done, and has nothing to do with our being good or holy enough to do this. Just as Paul explained to the Romans that those who "receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."  The torch of overcoming power has been given to us.  What are we going to do with it? 

Consider two defintie instructions that give direction.  First, fight the good fight of faith.  If you remember Jesus, after sharing the parable about the persistent widow seeking justice in Luke 18, asks the question, "when the Son of Man comes,will He find faith on the earth?"  So clearly there is a definite need to"build yourselves up on your most holy faith" (Jude 1:20).  We live by faith, not by sight; by what Jesus has done instead of how strong we feel.  Faith, of course, comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God. It is not a little thing to take time each day and give attention to the Word of God.  Come to Him with a hunger and thirst for a "rhema" word like you have to have it or you will die.  There is more truth in that comment than our flesh wants to admit.  We must have faith to please God. 

Secondly, there is a principle with God stated in Proverbs 3:27, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so."  In other words, do what is in your power.  We can't do everything may be true, but it is not an acceptable excuse.  We can do something.  

We have been given authority in the name of Jesus to destroy enemy strongholds.  We have the blood of Jesus and the word of testimony that overcomes Satan.  We can declare the Word of God and let God confirm His truth.  We can submit to God and resist the enemy causing him to flee.  We are not helpless, but rather fully equipped to stand and see God "crush Satan under our (your) feet!"   

Often the "something" we can do is to be faithful in the "little" things so God can do the much.  Pray, read the Word and release His power by declaring His truth.  Put on the armor and stand, taking authority in the name of Jesus over the powers of darkness that you see working.  Unite with other Christians.  There is great power in being one in heart and mind "when two or three agree."  Do not let yourself be weary in well doing, but be refreshed in His presence,  Do what is in your power and see the salvation, or overcoming victory, that the Lord desires and deserves.  He is worthy.                                                                                                           

 

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

Lord Jesus,
You are here, moving in our midst, I worship you, I worship you. 
You are here, working in this place, I worship you, I worship you.  

The words of the song Waymaker are a great reminder that God is always here and working for our good.  The challenge is to keep this truth central in our heart and thinking.  Paul encourages us to fight the good fight of faith, because without faith it is impossible to please God.  As Hebrews 11:6 states, "for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."  

Clearly a lot of things are being shaken right now.  Panic, fear, uncertainty, insecurity, worry and even doubt are influences of the enemy that can easily attack our thinking.  My prayer is, "Holy Spirit, help me take every thought captive to obey the knowledge of Christ." according to the instruction in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.  So when I am challenged with a fear or doubt, I deliberately declare a Bible verse such as "By His stripes I am healed" or "No weapon formed against me will prosper."  or "Thanks be to God who always leads me in triumph."  Jesus quoted the Word when the enemy challenged Him.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit reminds me that all authority in heaven and earth are in the name of Jesus, and He has given me authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.  So then I declare, "In the name of Jesus, fear be gone."  and often I just simply say, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" until the negative thoughts lose their power and leave.  

Jesus reminded us that after the demon is cast out, it is necessary to fill the "house" with new furniture.  So I begin filling my mind and heart with thanksgiving, with reminding myself of all God has done for me.  Or I begin thanking Jesus for taking those stripes for me and I try to picture Him being beaten.  It is also helpful to just declare God's truth from the Word about the situation.  Maybe you should write a list of verses that God quickens to you in your quiet time each day, so you have a fresh anointed Word to stand on.  

"Thou does keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee," (Isaiah 26:3)  Why does Philippians 4:7-8 encourage us to think about what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtue, and praiseworthy?  The reason is simply because our fallen human nature gravitates toward the negative.  You recall that the Israelites in the wilderness were always complaining.  Therefore, since God's ways are always the opposite of man's ways, this means we have to choose God's way, choose life, rather than the ways of death that our flesh produces.  

The best way to fight the good fight of faith is to let praise and the Word of God fill our mind.  When the battle of our thoughts gets tough, it is time to declare God's Word out loud and praise Him for all He has done.  Sing songs of worship, especially those that are Bible verses, to help us keep the Word of God in our heart and on our lips.  Several Scriptures such as Psalm 1:2, Joshua 1:8, and Proverbs 4:20-23 all declare the necessity and blessing of letting the Word abide in you and continuing to speak it into life.  It is as simple as saying, "No, devil, you are a liar, I choose to declare God's truth."  Don't give up.  All those who use their faith overcome the evil one.  We will be eternally grateful that we chose to "Fight the good fight of faith."

"Pretty Please God?"

"Pretty please, God, would you make this go away?" or "I promise to change or do some generous deed if you do this for me"  Have you ever begged God or tried to manipulate God for something? Did it work?  What is wrong with this whole picture?

Let's start with the beginning.  God loves us and is pleased to give us the kingdom.  He delights in mercy and meeting the needs of his children.  He has promised to not give a stone to the child who asks for bread.  Hasn't He already given us the most precious treasure He has, in His own Son?  So how can we doubt His heart toward us in wanting to give to us all we need to have abundant life.

Secondly, there is an eternal principle in which God is not mocked, namely what a man sows is what he shall reap.  All through history God has always weighed men's hearts and responded strongly to help and defend those who honor Him.  God gives grace to the humble.  2 Chronicles 16:9 further declares that God is looking for an opportunity to show His power in behalf of the person whose heart is right toward Him.  In simple words, our attitude and actions always make a difference to God, leading to positive or negative consequences.

Thirdly, faith is not something you drum up just when you need it.  Faith is an eternal quality that starts with admitting we have sinned and accepting that Jesus paid it all for you through His death on the cross.  In response to this honest transaction, the life of God, Jesus Christ Himself, takes up permanent residence in our hearts and being. Then each time we read and allow the truth of God's Word to soak into our thinking and hearts, it grows.  Faith is defined as a "conviction" or "assurance" so it requires time of reflection and acceptance to become established in the "knower" part of our inner man.  And every time we choose a right attitude in a difficult situation we likewise grow according to James 1:2-5.  This invisible but clearly tangible quality, faith, is meant to be "ever increasing" and to grow as a plant that proceeds from seed to germination to blade to flower to fruit according to the parable Jesus explained.  Faith is a real spiritual quality and quantity that silently permeates all we think and do, and is not just how we feel at the moment of trial.

The point is that God has a plan for each of us to grow into the image of Jesus Christ, and He has sent His Spirit to make sure we have every opportunity to do that.  He not only wants us to be whole in spirit, soul, and body, but also "He who calls you is faithful and He will do it." (1 Thess 5:24)  So God, who is in us and on our side, is ready to help to change us.  All we have to do is be faithful in the little things such as starting the day with Jesus, reading the Word, asking forgiveness when we fail, and obeying the Spirit as He leads us.  Without even realizing it, our faith will be increasing and getting stronger through every trial and victory we experience.  Then in the day of trial, to our great amazement, our faith will be sufficient to overcome and bring us to a place where thanksgivings will overflow to the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:7-15).  You never need to beg or manipulate God again.

Wisdom from Presidents on President's Day

 

Godly Quotes by the Founding Fathers and Past Presidents

God and faith in Jesus Christ has long played a prominent role in the lives of not only American citizens, but American presidents. Many of our nation’s leaders derived their beliefs from Christianity and maintained strong beliefs in God, as evidenced by quotations from their speeches, letters and memoirs.

1. “Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.” —George Washington

2. “We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right
which heaven itself ordained.” – George Washington

3. “The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man, will endeavor so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian soldier defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country.” – George Washington

4. “Let me live according to those holy rules which Thou hast this day prescribed in Thy Holy Word…direct me to the true object, Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. Bless, O Lord, all the people of this land.” – George Washington

5. “The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God.” – John Adams

6. “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion…Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.” – John Adams

7. “We recognize no sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus!” – John Adams

8. “I have sworn upon the altar of god eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” – Thomas Jefferson

9. “The reason that Christianity is the best friend of government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart.” – Thomas Jefferson

10. “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.” – Thomas Jefferson

11. “I have always said and always will say that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better fathers, better husbands… the Bible makes the best people in the world.” – Thomas Jefferson

12. “Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe. And to the same Divine Author of every good and perfect gift we are indebted for all those privileges and advantages, religious as well as civil, which are so richly enjoyed in this favored land.” – James Monroe

13. “While we assert for ourselves a freedom to embrace, to profess, and to observe, the Religion which we believe to be of divine origin, we cannot deny an equal freedom to them whose minds have not yielded to the evidence which has convinced us.” – James Monroe

14. “It is no slight testimonial, both to the merit and worth of Christianity, that in all ages since its promulgation the great mass of those who have risen to eminence by their profound wisdom and integrity have recognized and reverenced Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of the living God.” – John Quincy Adams

15. “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” – John Quincy Adams

16. “My custom is to read four or five chapters of the Bible every morning immediately after rising. It seems to me the most suitable manner of beginning the day. It is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and virtue.” – John Quincy Adams

17. “I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book upon reason that you can, and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man.” – Abraham Lincoln

18. “We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.” – Abraham Lincoln

19. “The only assurance of our nation’s safety is to lay our foundation in morality and religion.” – Abraham Lincoln

20. “All must admit that the reception of the teachings of Christ results in the purest patriotism, in the most scrupulous fidelity to public trust, and in the best type of citizenship.” – Grover Cleveland

21. “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.” – Theodore Roosevelt

22. “The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country.” – Calvin Coolidge

23. “The study of the Bible is a post-graduate course in the richest library of human experience.” – Hebert Hoover

24. “The fundamental basis of this nation’s law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teaching we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul. I don’t think we emphasize that enough these days. If we don’t have the proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in the right for anybody except the state.” – Harry Truman

25. “The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” – John F. Kennedy

26. “Of the many influences that have shaped the United States into a distinctive nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible.” – Ronald Reagan

27. “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face” – Ronald Reagan

28. “Without God, there is no virtue, because there’s no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we’re mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure.” – Ronald Reagan

29. “Faith gives the assurance that our lives and our history have a moral design.” – George W Bush

30. “Each day millions of our citizens approach our Maker on bended knee, seeking His grace and giving thanks for the many blessings He bestows upon us.” – George W Bush

 

What an awesome heritage!  Anyone looking at the foundation of this country can clearly see an indisputable godly heritage of presidents who knew Jesus Christ, openly professed Christian belief and principles, and understood that we are accountable to God and will continue to proper only by following His principles.  Therefore we thank God for His hand on this country through the years  and we are reminded to pray for our leaders today. We are so blessed as individuals and as a country.  God bless America.  

Don't lie; Tell the Whole Truth

What do you do if the physical pain is still there and you have prayed and believed for healing? Can you say, “I am healed by Jesus’ stripes” and not feel like you are lying? Obviously the same dilemma happens when you say “My needs are met according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” and there is not money to pay the bills.
There is an answer. Tell the whole truth. The whole truth includes the fact that there is a spiritual realm that also exists and is greater than the physical realm. Don’t deny the physical pain and pretend like it doesn’t exist, but deny that the physical realm is the only source of truth. My words can be based on whichever realm I hold as greater. So the truth is “I have physical pain, but in the spiritual realm the resurrected Christ dwells in me, and His healing stripes have already healed me. My needs are met because I am in eternal covenant with the infinite, almighty God which easily handles the present physical challenges. I choose faith, choose to believe “It is finished,” and declare with my mouth what I hold as true.
Mark 11:24 confirms this principle. When we believe and declare the spiritual truth over the physical realm, then there will also be a manifestation in the physical realm in due time.

Thankfulness -- An Acquired Taste

5 Reasons to Acquire the Faithful Character Trait of Thanksgiving

Being thankful is a natural honest response of someone who realizes he has been given something that is valuable, beyond what he earned or deserved. The word asks in 1 Corinthians 4:7 “what do you have that you did not receive?” In other words we brought nothing into this world, we did not create any of our faculties, aptitudes, or abilities that make us who we are, or do anything to cause us to be alive. God knew every aspect about us long before He knit us together in the womb. It isn’t that we have a checklist of twenty things we are thankful for, but rather there is nothing outside of the incredible treasure that we have been given. All any honest man can do is acknowledge he is blessed and thank the One who gave him the blessings.
In contrast, the person who refuses to give thanks begins a downward spiral of delusion and pride. Romans 1:21 explains that “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” The person who will not acknowledge God as his creator or be thankful to God for who he is and all he has been given does not think with true understanding and easily becomes captured by false pride and desires. This lack of thanksgiving is the key to a person developing a hardened heart that is closed to having a true relationship with God or being able to receive further from God. Verse 22 continues that this person claims to be wise but actually is a fool.
The word of God continually exhorts us to humble ourselves by understanding who our Maker is and what He has called us to be, then walking in an attitude of gratefulness and obedience. Psalm 100 reminds us Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
The just shall live by faith according to Romans. The book of James furthers this truth to explain that faith is shown by works, or more simply obedience. So when 1 Thessalonians 5:18 declares, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” it becomes both an act of obedience to give thanks and an act of faith, trusting that God is able to work all things for good to the one whose heart is right before Him.
Finally, God is worthy. Revelation 7:12 declares that "Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor…belong to our God."