With so much going on in the world today, it will pay to keep a proper and a balanced perspective on life as a whole. Living gratefully and thankfully is an indispensable key to unleashing the miracle power of God over your life and circumstances. It is the key to overcoming all the challenges in life because it never fails to give you the right perspective on everything and anything. In-fact, gratefulness is one of the greatest virtues and values of the kingdom and as you cultivate this beautiful virtue, your life will take on the “coat of many colors.”
2.5 million died because of a lack of this virtue
We are told that about 2.5 to 3 million people came out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. However, of that original number, only 2 people made it to the land of Canaan but why?
In Exodus 14: 10-12, we see Israel’s first complaint – a complaint driven by fear. They said, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, has thou taken us away to die in the wilderness … Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we die in the Wilderness.”
Now, notice their complaint, its content, approach, attitude and implications. They were invariably telling God that He made a huge mistake. They had no understanding that they were devaluing God’s mighty grace and His mighty work and also His mighty plan for their lives. Suddenly, they had just forgotten His mighty deliverance of them from a 430-year bondage to slavery. What an ungrateful attitude? Complaining, under whatsoever circumstance always causes people to forget God’s grace and mercy. It causes one to lose sight of God’s previous grace on their lives.
We see this complaint 4 other times in Ex. 15:22-24; Ex. 16:1-3; Ex. 17:1-3 and Num. 14: 1-4. In all these cases Israel never learnt their lesson. They complained about their thirst and their hunger in the wilderness. No matter how many times God came through for them, they always complained about wanting to go back to Egypt, where they ate their onions and garlic and cucumber. Every time, they went through a hard time, they complained and it showed in their attitude. Guess what too? They blamed it on God, Moses and Aaron.
The danger of being ungrateful and unthankful
One of the greatest dangers of being ungrateful is what I call the “law of devaluation.” Let me explain! Many Christians are no longer experiencing God’s power in their lives because they’ve devalued His grace. You notice that when you become ungrateful for the work of God’s word or for the work of His blood, you no longer honor it in your life. The Spirit’s power is no longer working because His work has received no appreciation in your life. Whatever we become ungrateful for, it becomes devalued in our lives. A husband, who is not grateful to his wife, will lightly esteem her. A Church that becomes ungrateful for their pastor will find him or her devalued in their eyes. His presence and words will carry less weight and they’ll end up robbing themselves of God’s grace. Ungratefulness is cancerous to the soul and that cancer eventually destroyed 2.5 million lives. Their glorious destiny were robbed them right under their nose. Don’t lose yours.
The bible says to bless the Lord at all times – “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” – Ps. 34:1. Notice, it never said to bless only when everything looks and feels great or when it’s convenient or when it’s the right time; but it says, to bless Him at all times and not sometimes. Blessing the Lord is being grateful and thankful to Him. It helps you to maintain the right perspective in that situation because the peace of God rules your mind, giving you His perspective. Lack of results is never a license to complain. That things are hard doesn’t give us the right to complain. Complaining is a direct insult to God’s grace and mercy. Always remember that someone somewhere on the planet may have it 10 times worse than you do – be grateful. If you have lost a loved one, still be grateful that you have your own life or that of other loved ones. If you have lost a property, be grateful that you still have your life. The devil always wants to show you a million things that haven’t workout for you yet; look for the one thing that has and praise God like you are about to loose it. Has God ever come through for you before? Then, my sister and brother, He will come through for you again. Cheer-up!
Why is the church dying in America?
They’ve devalued God’s principles. His word doesn’t mean much anymore. They became ungrateful towards the power of that word and gradually devalued it. God’s word is lightly esteem and the people’s actions and attitude towards that word is all the proof you need. When a nation ceases to recognize the mercy and the good hand of God, it is because they became ungrateful. Many of the younger generation have no direction in life that is God-ward, because the lightly esteemed the commandment to honor father and mother. Parents have lost the capacity to raise a godly seed because they ignored the commandment to “train up a child in the way he should go…”
The truth is, any time you complain; you devalue God’s grace and providence over your life. Complaining will never put you in the right mental and emotional state. Complaining is exalting and magnifying Satan’s power over that of God’s in your life and circumstances.
If you become grateful over the gift of a day, you’ll cherish every moment of it. If you become grateful for all your functioning body organs, you’ll hardly complain about having a cough. Many don’t live on purpose, because they’ve devalued the gift of life. They have no clue neither what it will take to keep the earth on its neither axis nor what it will take rotate it around the sun.
In everything give thanks
The fastest way to live outside of God’s will is to remain unthankful. Unthankfulness is one of the signs of the last days – an attitude in a fallen saint or church. “Because thou served not the LORD thy God will Joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore shall you serve your enemies the Lord shall send against you, in hunger and thirst and in nakedness and in the want of all things …” Deut. 28:47-48. The bible commands us to rejoice and to rejoice always – Phil. 4:4.
Imagine Paul and Silas in prison for doing God’s work. They were both chained up like criminals and yet, they praised God joyfully and everyone heard them – (Acts 16:25). Ungratefulness makes God look small in your eyes. Avoid this disease like cancer. Ungratefulness is losing its place and value in today’s society and you must fight it in your own soul. May the Lord keep you and bless you.
Summary of my points
- Ungratefulness will robe you of God’s power, mercy and grace
- Ungratefulness is telling God, He made a huge mistake.
- Ungratefulness causes devaluation
- To experience the power of the word, be grateful for the least of its work in your life
- Be grateful for the Holy Spirit and His work in your life or else you devalue it
- Your marriage will become devalued, when you cease to show appreciation to your spouse.
- Ungratefulness is the cancer of the soul – it kills
- Ungratefulness is insulting God’s mercy
- Complaining is magnifying the devil over God
- There is no excuse or license for complaining
- Complaining will always put you in a mental and emotional negative state
- You are commanded to rejoice always
- You are commanded never to forget all His benefits – if you look closely, you’ll see that you are daily loaded with them
- The fastest way to live outside of God’s will is to remain ungrateful
Article by Pastor Sino Agueze
