Transcription
Even, please open with me to First Kings, chapter three. First Kings, chapter three. And we shall read from verse three. First Kings, chapter three. We're reading from verse 3 to 15. I would read from the Easy to Read version of the Bible.
Solomon showed that he loved the Lord by obeying everything his father David told him to do. Except that Solomon continued to go to the high places to offer sacrifices and to burn incense. King Solomon went to Gibeon to offer his sacrifice because that was the most important high place. He offered a thousand bond offerings, a thousand bond offerings on that altar.
Why Solomon was at Gibeon, the Lord came to him at night in a dream. God said, "Solomon, ask me for what you want me to give you." The sixth, Solomon answered, "You were very kind and loyal to your servant, my father David. He was faithful to you and lived a good, honest life, and you showed him the greatest kindness when you let his own son, his son, take his place." Asking, "Lord, my God, you have made me the king in my father's place, but I'm like a small child. I don't have the wisdom I need to do what I must do. I'm your servant here among your chosen people. There are so many that cannot be counted. So I ask you to give me the wisdom..."
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"...to rule and judge them well and to help me know the difference between right and wrong. Without such great wisdom, it would be impossible to rule this great nation." The Lord was happy that Solomon asked for wisdom. So God said to him, "You did not ask for long life and riches and for yourself. You did not ask for the death of your enemies. You asked for the wisdom to listen and make the right decisions. So I will give you what you asked for. I will make you wise and intelligent. I will make you wiser than anyone who ever lived or ever will live. So take note of this. God has the power to make you. God has the power to turn you around into any realm of greatness, in any dimension of life. God has the power. I said, I will make you wise and intelligent. I will make you wiser than anyone. God has the power to make you."
And that God is right here with you this morning in this service. And I pray that you will be the one that God will give the biggest blessing today in the name of Jesus. And I will also give you what you did not ask for. You will have riches and honor all your life. This shows you he's a God of favor. Blessings are conditional, but favor...
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"...comes as a result of the mercies and discretion of God."
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"Even that which you have not asked for, I will give you riches and honor all your life. There will be no other king in the world as great as you. And I will give you a long life if you follow me and obey my laws and commands as your father David did."
Now, verse 15. Solomon woke up and knew that God had spoken to him. So at the end of today's service, it will be clear to someone here that God had spoken into your life. Then Solomon went to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Lord's agreement. He offered a bond offering and fellowship offerings to the Lord, and then gave a party for all of his officers. Hallelujah.
Now, within this encounter of Solomon with the Lord, you'll begin to see some attributes of a man with a grateful heart, a man with a sense of gratitude. Solomon offered a thousand bond offerings on that altar. Most of the time, the quality of what we give is influenced by how much we appreciate the beneficiary. And sometimes it's also influenced by how much we value, we value something that we have received, or something that has been done for us, or given to us. Solomon offered a thousand bond offerings on that altar.
Now, when you look back in the Holy Scriptures before this time, you are going to discover that what he gave in his individual communion with God, as a personal offering, was the highest that had ever been given before. As a nation, before this time, when you search through the scriptures, you discover that the nation of Israel had given a thousand offerings, but individually, no one had come near what Solomon did on this night. It's quite instructive that not at any other time, but just immediately after he had done this, Solomon had a rare, lifetime encounter. A rare, lifetime encounter. The Lord came to him...
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"...at night in a dream and said, 'Solomon, ask me for what you want me to give you.'" Then Solomon said, "Now take note of his words. Sometimes your gratitude is expressed by your choice of words and the things you actually talk about, either in what you are writing and what you are saying."
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"And that is why people listen when you are appreciating them or appreciating someone."
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"Because what you talk about matters a lot and reveals a lot."
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"What did Solomon say? Solomon said, 'You were very kind and loyal to your servant, my father David.' Solomon appreciated, first of all, God's favor to his family, God's favor to his father, not just him as a person. Because there are times where we have what is called a family thanksgiving, where where people come together, members of a family come together to thank God for what God has done. Sometimes what he has done could be just for one member of the family, but the entire family is coming together to say, 'Lord, you have done this for all of us, and for this reason, Lord, we are grateful as a family. We are not taking lightly what you have done for our son or for our daughter.' Solomon was saying, he started by appreciating God for what he had done for his father. 'You were very kind.' Take note of your choice of words. He didn't say you were kind, you were very kind and loyal, a testimony about God. So Solomon is telling us here that from his observation, he found out that God was faithful and loyal to his father. You know the reason, the primary reason why God chose David in the first place..."
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"...he said, 'I have found David, my servant, who will do all my will, all my will.' And that was what transpired in the course of time. David was one king that was absolutely sensitive to know what is the mind of God. And once he was sure that this is what God wanted, that is exactly what David would end up doing. So David was loyal and committed to God, and Solomon is saying, 'God did not fail my father.' So today is a day when some people are going to stand and tell God, 'Lord, you have never failed my family. You have always stood behind us.' Not everybody may say that, but some people are going to say it. And take note, everything you say in your expression of gratitude and thanksgiving is noted by God, noted by the heavenlies. 'He was faithful to you and lived a good, honest life, and you showed him the greatest kindness when you let his son take his place as king.' And take note that this encounter here, this night in question, was not the night after the entrance of Solomon. Because as time passes, you are going to discover that some people are still thanking God for something he had done long, long time ago. And the way you see them so passionate in the expression of gratitude to God, you will assume that that thing was just done yesterday."
Verse 7 said that. Okay, let's go down to verse 9. He said, "So I ask you to give me the wisdom to rule and judge them well and to help me know the difference between right and wrong. Without such great wisdom, what it would be impossible to rule this great nation." By that remark, Solomon also got a pass mark in the reign of gratitude. Solomon, by this remark, was making it clear that he placed very great value on what God had committed onto his hands in terms of leadership of God's people. Someone could be given the same opportunity and the person could say, "Why Israel?"
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"Why Israel?" And perhaps the person would have preferred to be king of Egypt.
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But Solomon said, "You have given me the privilege to rule this great nation." That was also revealing how much he valued what God had given him, the privilege to preside over. The Lord was happy about what he asked for. And then in verse 15, verse 15, Solomon woke up and knew that God had spoken to him in the dream. Then Solomon went to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Lord's agreement.
Now, you will see the same. So you see, it's so clear that Solomon truly had a sense of gratitude.
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Expressing it was a habit. It was his lifestyle.
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You'll observe that no priest or prophet, of course, his father and himself and the other kings had priests and prophets walking hand in hand with them, but no priest or prophet advised him.
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Yeah, to take to make this move. He already knew what was needful, and he did it very well, wholeheartedly. He offered a bond offering and fellowship offerings to the Lord. The same Solomon who offered a thousand burnt offerings earlier, the same Solomon again offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the Lord, and then gave a party for all of his officers. You know, another way you express your joy over what has been done for you is in the realm of hospitality.
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So let's, so we can understand all the dimensions of what is involved in thanksgiving. Some people could make an arrangement...
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"...to receive. Some people after a church thanksgiving service, and some people could go further and have a very elaborate arrangement for reception for some guests after a thanksgiving service in the presence of the Lord is very much in order, and it's actually a reflection of your value over what has been done for you and the magnitude of your appreciation of that particular thing that has been done."
What exactly is gratitude? Gratitude is about making a deliberate effort to show we recognize and appreciate what has been done for us, for our loved ones, or even for someone we don't know. Gratitude is about making a deliberate effort to show we recognize and appreciate what has been done for us, for our loved ones, or even for someone we don't even know. Gratitude is an act of being thankful for something that has been done for you or someone dear to your heart.
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It is the act of being thankful for something that has been received. It is the act of being thankful for something remarkable that has been achieved or completed. Was something achieved in your life this year? Was something completed this year?
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Did you receive something you want asked for in prayer from the Lord this year? That must be part of your thanksgiving notes in God's presence today.
Necessity of gratitude. We must learn to have what we call a sense of gratitude.
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And when you have a sense of gratitude, you will go far with God, and you will go far with men. In our studies on favor, it's been clear, made clear, that favor flows from two major dimensions: favor with God and favor with men. And one major key that we open doors of favor with you for you with God and with men, and keep those doors open, is having a sense of gratitude, a sense of gratitude. When you have a sense of gratitude, you will use your own initiative to do the needful. You will not be commanded. You will not be asked. You will not be requested to come back and say thank you. And for those, as many of us who are in business, let's have that in mind.
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Know where to draw the line between bribes and compromising people, and on your own volition, appreciating someone you feel was helpful in the course of what you were doing, which eventually materialized. And sometimes, even when it didn't actually work out, you can still go back to at least one or two persons and just say, "Thank you for all your help in the course of this thing."
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God expects you to express it if you truly feel so. In Luke chapter 17, verse 11 to 19, Luke 17:11-19, we read the story of how Lord Jesus Christ was on his way, and ten lepers, ten lepers cried out to him, "Lord, have mercy upon us." And he gave them an instruction to go and show themselves to the priest. And the Bible says, as they were going, as they were going, they were miraculously healed. They were instantly healed. Whatever has been such a big burden for someone listening to this message, that issue will not go into the year 2021. If you want to connect with that, let the Lord hear your amen.
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The Lord himself will take away that burden from off your shoulder. He will answer your prayer concerning that issue, and he will answer you now in the name of Jesus. Jesus, take note of this. Told them, "Go." And they went. As they were going, miracle happened. Not for one, not for two, the ten of them. All ten of them. All ten of them got an instant miracle. And you know what? The issue that the Lord delivered them from was not just an affliction. It had many, many other effects as a result of leprosy that they had. The nature of the affliction, they had to be kept afar, even from their family.
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So in one day, a problem that had diverse negative effects was solved by the Lord in one encounter. In one encounter. And the Lord will do something bigger for someone listening to me right now. So as they were going, it happened. Only one out of the ten, only one out of the ten came back. Only one out of the ten. And he came back. Take note, he came back. He didn't even come with a gift. He didn't even come with a gift. Remember that he had leprosy, so that means he was ostracized.
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And then it just happened. So there was no time for him now to begin to put certain things together to come and appreciate the Lord properly. If he did so, which he would possibly have done that afterwards, but he knew that he needed to come back now and say a proper, heartfelt thank you. And he came. And as he appreciated the Lord, something surprising happened. You will think that God is not bothered by gratitude. God is very, very expectant of your gratitude. The day God will show up real big may not be on a day, on a service for divine intervention. It may not be on a service with a team for miracles. The day God will really show up, most of the time, will be on the day His sons and daughters have come...
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"...some with family and friends to just to come and say thank you." You'll be surprised that that is where you will see the greatest measure, magnitude of the presence of the Lord. God is very mindful of our gratitude, very, very mindful. And Jesus surprised everyone when he made a remark. Everybody would have been expecting to hear Jesus appreciate the man, "Oh, we thank the Lord for your healing. It shall be permanent." No. Our Lord Jesus was vexed in his spirit. He was vexed in his spirit. Why not with the man that came to say thank you? But wait, the other nine. And Jesus instantly made a statement we should be mindful of. He said, "Were there not ten? Nine that were healed. Where are the nine? How come only one man? How come only one out of the ten that received an instant miracle came back?" You will go far with God if you are a man or a woman with a sense of gratitude, and you will go far with men.
You know, there is a scripture we quote most of the time, and you know that scripture actually is talking about. It's not talking about talent. "A man's gift makes way for him and brings him before great men." If you search various versions properly, that scripture is not actually talking about a man's talent. He's not talking about a man's personal abilities. He's talking about a man's gift.
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Physical gift.
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In another version, in another scripture, a verse in Proverbs, it appears improvement comes a second time. It says, in some, one of the versions, it says, "A man's gift works like magic." These things are in scriptures. And unfortunately, sometimes those who are not even believers use scriptural principles to advance themselves in their fields of life.
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So what also happens most of the time? Somebody gives an assistance to 10 people, and only one comes back to say thank you. Jesus asked, "Were there not ten? How come just one?" And then he made a pronouncement on that one that came back, which the other nine did not receive. Say, "Go, thy faith has made thee whole."
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So Jesus never asked the tenth lepers to come back and say thank you. Rather, he expected them to use their initiative and do so. So the grateful one among them had a sense of gratitude. He made effort to come back and say thank you. And you know, Jesus was moving. He was moving. He was moving. He was moving. So he gave them instruction, "Go and meet the priest." Don't know how far they had gone, how far they had gone. But the moment the miracle happened, that man started, possibly would have come to the location where they met Jesus, and obviously he would not have been there anymore. I know some people will stop at that point and say, "Okay, some other time." But he searched for Jesus and eventually caught up with him just to say thank you.
As we begin to close it up, share one or two things on the need for testimonies. This is essential. We need to tell people how far God has brought us. We need to tell people how far God has transformed us. We need to tell people how God, how far God has empowered us, how God has helped us. We need to publicly glorify God and publicly give God the glory.
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This cannot be done in your heart alone. It cannot be done in your heart alone. You must express it. And one of the ways you express it towards God is by public testimonies.
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Fresh testimonies confirm to both new and old congregants that God is still working.
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Testimonies. We get other testimonies.
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Beyond even the spiritual, we've found out that gratitude comes with a lot of benefits. Two psychologists, Michael...
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Michael Love of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis, wrote an article about an experiment they conducted on gratitude and its impact on well-being. The study split several hundred people into three different groups, and all of the participants were asked to keep daily diaries. The first group kept a diary of the events that occurred during the day without being told specifically to write about either good or bad things. The second group were told to record their unpleasant experiences in their diaries. The third group were instructed to make a daily list of things for which they were grateful. Now, see what the result revealed. The results of the study indicated that daily gratitude exercises resulted in higher reported levels of one, alertness, enthusiasm, determination, optimism, and energy. In addition, those in the gratitude group experienced less depression and stress, were more likely to help others, exercised more regularly, and made greater progress towards achieving personal goals. In the same line, behavior and psychological research has also shown the surprising life improvements that can stem from the practice of gratitude. Giving thanks makes people happier and more resilient. Giving thanks strengthens relationships. It improves health. It reduces stress, and it enhances opportunities and sustains open doors. So you need to reposition your mind for gratitude. You need to constantly, you need to be constantly thankful for those things God has already done. Has God already done something for someone here? Please wave your hands, and let the others who are around also see. Hallelujah. So God is still working. You should not always focus only on those things that have not yet been done. What you already have is a prayer request of some other people. Can I always remind you that unknown to you, that there are people telling God to make them like you? That if only God can just bless them the way he has blessed you, they will be very, very grateful to God. What God has already done for you is the hard cry of many other people. It is a hard cry of many other people.
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And always remember, you may not have arrived at where you wanted to get to, but for someone listening to me, you cannot deny the fact that as of today, you are not where you started from. You are not where you started from. Or else, we may call people who know you very well and ask them, "You are not where you started from."
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We know that God has not done some things, but certainly, you are not where you started from. You need to be constantly thankful for those things God has enabled you to achieve. You should not always focus only on those things that have not been achieved. And you know, there are different levels of gratitude, degrees of gratitude. Your depth of gratitude can sometimes be measured by the uncommon step you will take to express it. And I pray you will express it better than every other person in the name of Jesus.
So as you stand to give God thanks, as you proceed to express your gratitude, there are different ways of expressing it. Number one is to always have a list of things to thank God for. Count your blessings one by one. Drop a list of God's impact, God's answered prayers, answer to your prayers. Have at least as a starting point. And secondly, you will express your gratitude verbally. Saying thank you is one powerful way of expressing gratitude. Words of adoration, praise. And on the other hand, refusing to complain is a way of saying thank you. Refusing to grumble, reversing the murmur against God is another way of showing your gratitude. And then, number three, even your posture is a way. Is one of the ways through which you can express your gratitude and show your gratitude. You can kneel down to say thank you. You can prostrate to say thank you. You can also lift up your hands towards heaven to say thank you. Jesus did that. The number of times. Number of times. Before feeding the five thousand, he lifted up his hands and gave God thanks.
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Before raising Lazarus from the dead, he lifted up his hands unto heaven and gave God thanks. And number four, by singing praise songs, worship songs, and even hymns. You do not should not sing hymns only in church. You could sing hymns at home. And the hymn we had today is, you know, it's one of those greatest, one of the greatest hymns, "Great Is Thy Faithfulness." You know, any time that hymn comes up, there's a way, you know, it resonates in the spiritual. And then also by rendition of musical sound, drums, musical equipment, and then clapping is a way of expressing thanksgiving. Clapping for testimonies, clapping while offering praise songs is a way of expressing your gratitude. When somebody, for instance, comes up and gives a testimony, and nobody claps at the end of that testimony, in the course of that testimony, it may indicate that not much value is placed on the testimony. But when someone shares a testimony, and you know, we hear such a resounding clap offering, then it may be reflecting how much that audience values the testimony they have had. I pray that within the next 12 months, God will give you and your family a testimony that when you share it anywhere, everybody will stand up, jump into the glory of God.
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And of course, another way of expressing your gratitude is by making a joyful noise. So can I, so can I hear someone make a joyful noise unto Jesus? At least Peter, Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but that which I have, that which I have, that which I have." There is something you have, and you will express it in the reign of thanksgiving. So make a joyful noise. And following that is by dancing. Yes, by dancing. One of the ways you honor someone is by dancing. That is why dance troops are sometimes, you know, arranged to welcome special guests, not just anybody, right from the airport, and at some events, venues of events. It's a mark of honor. It's a mark of value. And sometimes it's an expression of gratitude to that particular person. So the day you are coming for thanksgiving is not a day, ideally, it's not a day you should just, nobody should just hurry you to come down to the altar and the man of God. No, no, no. That is not proper thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, you would, you would, you know, they will give you space. They give you space. Is that, is that why you invited guests to just stay, walk up to the altar, and they bless you? No, no, no. Thanksgiving, thanksgiving. When Nigeria won one match, 3-0, people saw how you danced. Now that God has done something big in your life, will people not see a greater dance from that person? So when you are coming for thanksgiving, they will ever will know that that person is coming. That person is, is that man or woman in this service today. It's a way of thanksgiving. "Silver and gold have I none, but that which I have, that which I have, that which I have."
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And you know, most of the time, when people now recognize that you really know how to do this thing, they will make you the last person to come. No, no, no. Should not come yet, because that is like the climax. That is a major highlight. And you notice the cameras will now begin to, they will refocus all cameras towards one man, towards one woman. That was one of the secrets of David. One of the secrets. David, you know, you know, there is nothing like ungodly dancing. I preached it here. The only dance step that is not right before God is what we call seductive dance steps. You know, when you begin to have that. Is that any of that? There is nothing like. You can, you can, uh, you can, you can do. Take it from any dimension. Take it from any dimension. Take it from any dimension. You can decide to just stop like that, and then, and you know, for the next, for the next, for the next two minutes.
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Do you know, do you know the angels? They talk. They know. The angels discuss what happens in the service.
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Say, "Did you see that?" "Are you can you see one man here? Come here. Something's happening here." May you get the attention of heaven.
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May you get the attention of heaven.
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Because when you get the attention of heaven, it's impossible for God to leave you the way he met you. He will do something for that man. Do something for that woman. And also, in closing, you appreciate God. You show your gratitude by giving. Deuteronomy 16, verse 16 to 17. Deuteronomy 16:16-17 says, "Three times a year, all your men must come to meet with the Lord your God at the special place he will choose. They must come for the festival of unleavened bread, the festival of harvest, and the festival of shelters. Everyone who comes to meet with the Lord must bring a gift." That is why you see parents, parents will compulsively put something in the hands of the children.
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And that is why, somehow, somehow, they would still actually, there must be something. We see what is wrong is nothing. It's not about the volume. It's not about. It's about something giving. At least something. Jesus said the same thing when I was talking about the works of mercy.
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He said, "I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink." Some could give you a bottle of Nestle water, a bottle of Evian water, and some could give you pure water, what they call pure, the one inserted water, besides pure water. Anyone you can give will be appreciated. But we are, it's not a good testimony is when your test, when it reads the records concerning the person that he gave nothing. He said, "I was tested and you gave me nothing. I was hungry and you gave me nothing. I was sick and you did not visit me."
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So he said, "Everyone who comes to meet with," and this is three times a year, "must bring a gift." "Each man should give as much as he can. He should decide how much to give by thinking about how much the Lord has given him." 2021 is going to be better for you. It's going to be better for your family in the name of Jesus. 2021 will be better for your business. It will be better for your platform in the name of Jesus. All those things you couldn't achieve in 2020, the Lord will ensure that they achieve double fold in 2021 in the name of Jesus. Proverbs 3, verse 9 to 10. He said, "Honor the Lord with your wealth and the first part of your harvest, then your barns will be filled full of grain and your vats will be overflowing with wine." You can also give material gifts. You can also give something needed in your church, something needed in your church. You can also replace something in the church, replace something that is old in the church and donate a new one, a new model of that, a better model of that thing to the church. And the last, public testimonies. Mark 5:20.
So why should we be grateful? Good health, divine healings, divine protection, divine interventions. God, even in the midst of the COVID-19, still proved himself faithful. Great is Thy Faithfulness. I pray that by the time we are going back home, it will be recorded in the heavenlies that if your family gave God a proper thanksgiving, it will be recorded in the heavenlies that you, as a person, gave God an outstanding thanks.