THE SEASON OF THANKS

A Season of Thanks #1

Pastor Dennis Clanton

Woodland Church

Sunday, November 12, 2023

(1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, NLT) “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

(Ephesians 5:18–20, NLT) “Be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(Colossians 3:15–17, NLT) “Be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

1. THANKSGIVING IS MY RESPONSE TO GOD’S PRESENCE.

(Psalm 75:1, CSB) “We give thanks to you, God; we give thanks to you, for your name is near. People tell about your wondrous works.”

(Psalm 103:1–3, NLT) “Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.”

2. THANKSGIVING COMES FROM A HUMBLE HEART.

(Romans 1:21, NLT) “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks.”

(Ephesians 5:4, Message) “Some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. … Thanksgiving is our dialect.”

3. THANKSGIVING BRINGS GOD’S BLESSINGS INTO MY LIFE.

(Psalm 92:1,12, NLT) “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. … But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.”

(Deuteronomy 6:4–5, NLT) “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.”

4. I WILL BE THANKFUL IN ALL THINGS.

(1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT) “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

GROWTHWORK

1. Write a prayer of thanksgiving to God today.

2. Develop a habit of giving thanks in all things to God throughout your day.

3. Read “Thankful for the Fleas”

https://www.churchandculture.org/blog/2021/11/25/thankful-for-the-fleas?rq=fleas

4. Listen to “Battles”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQJWT017Jwc