"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise- the fruit lips that openly profess his name " - Hebrews 13:15

PRAYER INTENTIONS

In thanksgiving for your extended and entire family and for the gift of friends. Thank God for the gift of your larger family and for the gift of friends.

If there are specific issues or situations in your family, begin to thank God for taking care of them already. Like I said this is a faith walk, you have not yet seen the results but in faith you are thanking God for the results before they manifest in the physical dimensions.

Remember just GIVE THANKS, no ASKING.

Our Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all goodness and love, please look kindly upon us and receive our heartfelt gratitude in this time of giving thanks. We thank you for all the graces and blessings, you have bestowed upon us. We thank you for the spiritual and temporal: for our faith and religious heritage. We thank you for provision of food and shelter, our health, the love we have for one another, for our family and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, we thank you for the continued graces and blessing you have already granted us throughout the coming year. In the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Brother we make this prayer. Amen.

See eerh, Let me just admonish you ooh - finish the year with joy ooh, and enter the next year with joy ooh-am serious, finish the year with joy. This year has been one with mixed with experiences-: a lot has happened, from losing loved ones, to hardships, to losing of jobs and haircuts on investment portfolios, to sickness, to betrayals- to some very awkward and painful experiences.

So many things have happened that can prevent us from seeing the faithfulness of God, but am admonishing you to go beyond your pain, challenges losses and be joyful.

Permit me to use - Psalm 13 to illustrate a point: - How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.

Here is a PERSON -communicating a lamentation, things were not working well for this one ooh- like the way things didn't work well for some of us-Goals and prayer intentions we set out to achieve since January and the year is about ending- no show-

So the Psalmist sustains a lamentation-like some of you, truly its been a tough season for him, he doesn’t see hope- everywhere he turns there is trouble, one after the other- and this is his prayer.

Like this man- there are many people who say at this point and time that there is no reason to give God thanks because -bad things have happened, people lost loved ones, people lost many things, people lost jobs, expectations of people were cut short, etc.

So the Psalmist prays to God expressing his frustrations in a lamentation-—Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? Just like the way some of you talk to God when you are alone- you know-people can become so frustrated and talk to God anyway and say later “I am sorry”, it happened to Job. He lost everything, he went through pain, he lost influence, he became the object of mockery-he was reduced to ashes- to the extent that even his own wife said “curse God and die” - Job then spoke to God, how long will you forget me- am in trouble- back to back- 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, how long will you cover your face?

See eerrh, in every region, there are conspirators and limiting spirits, whose assignment is to make sure that- people do not rise in life- so they look at you and say- let’s see how you will make progress. They say and programme things spiritually to make sure you don’t succeed in anything you do, and it looks like their prophecy is coming to pass. In spite of your prayer and fasting, your seriousness with spiritual things,- this is December and your life is almost the same like January, maybe even worse off- and you are angry, bitter and disappointed in God, things are moving from bad to worse.

Of course in all of this circumstances you have the human right to complain, be bitter, sad and angry- but I am asking you to rise above your humanity and tap into your spirit dimensions.

So the Psalmist was lamenting- then all of a sudden- there is a twist, his attention was drawn to the truth that I just shared with you- namely- RISE above your HUMANITY and TAP into your SPIRITUAL DIMENSIONS- the psalmist does that- and now there is a twist in his prayer- he now begins to praise God saying-. “… I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me ”. I have trust in your mercy and despite all of my problems - my heart shall rejoice. I will sing unto the Lord because he has dealt bountifully and wondrously with me.

Don’t you see this is very very interesting- this dude just finished lamenting- he began to lament, lament about all of his woes, asking God all sort of questions and all of a sudden, - then - I believe by the ministry of the Holy Spirit – the conversation changed- changed from REGRET to PRAISE.

You know -It is human for us to see everything that God has not done. “ LORD I believed you at the beginning of the year for marriage, health, travel, breakthrough, children, employment, favour, graces- now it is December no show- Lord why? Lord I thought you will have done this or that .” Can you say in spite of all this - I will REJOICE.

We concentrate a lot on what God has not done, Lord you did 3/12, 1/4, 10/15 Lord if you are in heaven- why did this happen and God said it is because am alive and in heaven- it could have been worse- it could have been worse. You think your case is worse? Ask JOB- no human on earth has tasted the tragedy of Job, in one day see what happened to him- under those kind of dire circumstances Job said -though he slay me...

See eerrh, there are many people who carry a lot of burdens, you have no idea what people are going through, some of you- what to eat, money to feed –is a headache, you have no idea how you are going back to school, or pay your rent. All over, no money is the new jargon, people are complaining about everything and everybody, relationships are breaking off- some workers have not been paid, and some are being laid off. All kinds of things happening in peoples live- sorrow upon sorrow -upon sorrow, many of us are downcast- wondering if we will make it to the next day, if we will even survive the coming month.

But let me holla at you- sing, praise and dance unto the Lord ooh, because although the system looks like a disadvantage- GOD has dealt wondrously with us, God has been good, or you will not be listening to me now.

One of the things I love to do as a sacrifice offering is visiting the sick at the hospitals- there was this one time I went to the hospital and there was this guy with a kidney issue- I began to talk to him, we got a little friendly- anytime I went there, I could see he was in excruciating pain, but he will always reply to my greetings, “saying MOG, it could have been worse, I thank God for my life.” Sometimes the nurses will send me a text that he has not been able to sleep two days- and he is just praising God amidst his pain and swelling- can you imagine? He is in bed praising God, in that condition-- then days later -I will receive an alert from his phone saying “MOG- I sent you something to buy credit for the online work you are doing, your voice every morning brings hope- don’t stop this online thing- you have no idea the lives God is using you to touch.” Then I will return the money back to his phone and tell him, you are crazy, you need money more than me, why are you even sending me money, we are trying hard to get you funds for dialysis and you are sending me credit- I am even taking part of the cost of your dialysis and you are sending me money for credit, you they craze- and he will return the money back to my phone again- and we will go back and forth-

Hmmm God rest his soul- he died- I was called that he was in a critical condition, when I rushed to the hospital- to see him, he could hardly speak, he was going, I knew it- I could feel it, he beckoned me to draw closer- he whispered faintly with all the strength he could get into my ear-“God has been good to me, I thank God for your life-I will watch over you from heaven- keep being you- you are a gift to the world, now am going home- always give thanks” were his last words- still holding his hands- he passed into eternity-

Now I put it to you- can you still praise God in your situation?

TO BE CONTINUED....

Remember NO ASKING only THANKING🙏🏿

Shalom and God bless you

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