IT IS A BAD THING WHEN YOU DON’T THANK GOD
NOTHING FINISHES IN THE HANDS OF A THANKSGIVER
A HEART OF GRATITUDE TO GOD IS THE RECIPE FOR THE RELEASE OF GREATER BLESSINGS
MULTIPLICATION WITH GLORIFICATION IS A PRODUCT OF THANKSGIVING
THANKSGIVING IS A KEY FOR SUPERNATURAL INCREASE
WHEN YOU THANK GOD, YOUR BLESSINGS ARE PRESERVED.
NOTHING DIES IN THE HANDS OF A THANKSGIVER.
A WOMAN IN HER LATE 40s GAVE GOD THANKS 7,000 TIMES AND HER HUSBAND CAME FORTH.
THANKSGIVING SECURES THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD’S PRESENCE.
YOU CANNOT BE GRUMBLING AND MURMURING AND EXPECT GOD TO ACT IN YOUR FAVOUR.
UNTHANKFULNESS PROVIDES AN OPENING FOR THE ENEMY TO ATTACK.
OUR FIRST TOTAL INCOME IN THIS CHURCH WAS LESS THAN 7,000 NAIRA AND WE PAID TITHE OF 700 NAIRA.
BUT WE THANKED OUR WAY INTO MILLIONS TO THE POINT THAT WE CAN’T MENTION THE FIGURES IN PUBLIC.
SOME OF THE TEMPTATIONS YOU ARE GOING THROUGH IS BECAUSE YOU ARE TRYING TO QUESTION GOD FOR WHAT GOD HAS DONE.
THE PRAISE OF MEN CAN LEAD TO YOUR DOWNFALL.
– Pastor David Ibiyeomie on BE THANKFUL – PART 2 at Special Thanksgiving Service || Salvation Ministries – Home Of Success || 31st December 2023 || Second Sunday Service ||
Today is a special thanksgiving service. We are ending the year with thanksgiving and the Message is: ‘Be Thankful’. Be what? Be thankful!
What is thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is an act of gratitude towards God for something He has done. Thanksgiving is simply talking about the goodness of God to us. Psalm 105:1-2. So, we are to publish the goodness of God in our lives. Church Gist. Are you hearing me now? God deserves our thanks. We are giving thanks because He is the One behind all our results. A heart of gratitude to God is the recipe for the release of greater blessings.
-And today, God will release His blessings to us.
Whatever you and I is enjoying today is a product of God’s grace. We have seen God multiply His Church on every side, we have witnessed massive harvest of souls like never before in our programs and services. There is no service in this Church where altar call is made, somebody does not get up to get saved. The Online Morning Devotion has been super successful with catalog of testimonies confirming that it’s God’s own agenda. Church Gist. God has helped me tremendously beyond what words can express and I know God has been so wonderful to you too. Truly God deserves our thanks. Psalm 92:1. So, it is a bad thing when you don’t thank God. You know why you should thank God? Where you are today God kept you and where you will be tomorrow, He will still be the One. I’ll tell you some things thanksgiving can do as the year is about to end.
Some things thanksgiving can do:
1. It can turn insufficiency to abundance.
It is a key for supernatural increase. It has the power to release things to happen in your favour for supernatural multiplication. Jeremiah 30:19. So, multiplication with glorification is a product of thanksgiving. Is that clear? If you notice, this period is when members are testifying more of miracle employment when others are saying they are retrenching people, economic crisis. Church Gist. Why? We are thankful. We are what? Thankful. This Church is experiencing the highest level of employment and breakthroughs now when others are saying things are not working. So we are here to say to God: ‘Thank You’. Multiplication without glorification is ‘Nwa ka ego’. (Translated in Igbo Language: A child is better than money). It has to be multiplication with what? Glorification. Plenty with what? The two must go together. The secret for the unexplainable multiplication we experience in Church is tied to thanksgiving.
Jesus has five thousand men. I was meditating, I said: ‘Why will they count men and leave women and children’. Since Church started, women have been relegated to (the) background religiously. Even Churches, they were counting men, they didn’t count women. Even in the time of Jesus, you know the New Testament; so, women were pushed by religion to the background. You know they counted men, they said five thousand men, they didn’t count women. And it is affecting the Church till today. Do you know there are Churches where if women do something, they go say: ‘Why woman go climb there’? Unknowingly! You don’t know? There are men who will not allow a woman to pray for them. Church Gist. He will say: ‘For what? How woman go come pray for me’! No matter how anointed the woman is! The mind has been corrupted. Because I was wondering why they would count men and not count women, they didn’t see women as important. Jesus fed five thousand and you know in every crusade, women are more. Every crusade! So, women and children will be surplus. So, just imagine the thousands; with five loaves and two fishes. If it was most of us, we would grumble. Some of you have even grumbled this Christmas time: ‘Father! All I have is fifteen thousand, no chicken! All my people are doing like this (Eating chicken), me I’m not doing like this, me, I’m doing like this! God, are you still God’? He’s God. You are not the first to go through that, Jesus went through it. He said: ‘Father’! What? ‘Thank You’! In the midst of scarcity. So, it (Thanksgiving) can make small to become what? Big. John 6:11-12.
-May God surprise you!
Jesus gave thanks, insufficiency turned to abundance.
-That small thing you thank God for, before this year is over it will turn to abundance.
Nothing finishes in the hands of a thanksgiver. Nothing what? (Finishes). Some of you, the reason why garri finishes in your house is because you don’t thank God for garri. The reason why everything in your house is finished, no thanksgiving. Look! You’ve not met people oo who don’t thank God. Thank God! Thank God for rice with palm oil, you will get rice with stew. Did you hear me? You will say: ‘Oh God! After You call me, is rice with palm oil eh’? The next one, it will be rice without oil. (Laughing). Church Gist. I have been thanking God, don’t think I thank God from today. I have been thanking God with rice and palm oil, now I have rice. Now, I give food, we give food to people without number. Without what? (Number). We don’t count the number we give food. But we are (thankful). If we didn’t thank Him for rice with palm oil by now, we wouldn’t have seen rice at all. In case you ate rice and stone enter your mouth, thank God! The next one there will be no stone, are you getting that now? Even if you ate Abakaliki rice, ofada rice (Laughing). Just thank God!
2. It turns hopeless cases around.
Nothing dies in the hands of a thanksgiver. It (Thanksgiving) triggers signs and wonders. Lazarus was dead in John 11:39-44. Church Gist. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said: ‘Father, I thank You’! Dead Lazarus came out.
-I don’t know what is about to die, it’s bouncing back this hour. Church Gist. That situation that may look like a stinking situation will end in testimony this day.
Are you thanking God? It can turn situations around.
-Today, God will turn it around in the name of Jesus.
Sometimes, that thing happening is for the glorification of God. Lazarus was sick, they came to Jesus, He said: ‘It’s for the glory of God’. So, there are things happening to you now, God wants to glorify Himself. Church Gist. Are you getting what I’m saying now? The reason they are abusing you that you don’t have clothes is because you will soon give out clothes. Oh my God!
-Whatever area they have mocked you, I decree, that will be the very area God will give you a testimony today. Church Gist. Shout a believing ‘Amen’. Shout a loud ‘Amen’. Shout a glorious ‘Amen’.
3. It preserves our blessings.
Malachi 2:1-2. When you thank God, your blessings are what? Preserved. Don’t take God’s benevolence for granted. God deserves our gratitude for every act of goodness. Some of you have received some things in the past; today you are not receiving them, they are obsolete, you can’t even find them because you didn’t thank God for what you received. Church Gist. Even in the natural, you give somebody something and the person did not come back to thank you, will you give him again? You gave somebody one naira, he cannot appreciate you, next time you will say: ‘No way! Are you the owner of the money’? Some persons have not thanked God. Look let me tell you something, if God gives you a pair of trousers, what they call pants in America. You know? Americans have turned English upside down, they call trousers ‘pants’. I say the one under what do you call it? If the trouser is pant, then what do you call the one under? Underpants, okay! Oh my God! The people have spoiled English.
Americans turn English upside down, they will like to have their own things. They look at the British man, the British man calls it Cricket, they say I will not call it Cricket, they call it Baseball. They call the other one, Rugby. They say we will not call it Rugby, American Football. Americans want to have their things their own way. So, they look at trousers they say: ‘For what? Trousers? Pants! (Laughing). There’s no way I will call trousers ‘pants’, nothing! I know pants eh? Ah! They say pants, I say: ‘Nooo not pants’. Even if I go to America, I’ll say: ‘Please I want a pair of trousers’. They will say: ‘What do you mean? Pants’? I say: ‘Trousers’! (Laughing). They will laugh oo because they are very funny people, they will laugh. When you do like that they will know you’re coming from Britain, they will say: ‘Okay, you mean pants’? I will say: ‘Trousers’. (Laughing). Church Gist. Because I know that the one you wear under is what? Pant and then the other one up is what? Trousers. So, if you have one pant or you have one trouser, anyone you like you call. And then you get angry with God, you say: ‘God! See, this Christmas, it was only one trouser’. God will say: ‘Okay! Since you cannot thank Me’. As you carry your iron, from nowhere (Laughing). God will say: ‘Since you cannot thank Me’, iron will become hot as you do it ‘Shiiii’ (Laughing). It’s okay! (Laughing). Since you can’t thank Me for one pant. They say: ‘I don’t know why, this iron is too hot, it got my trousers burnt’. God will say: ‘Okay! Since you cannot thank Me. But I know you will be thankful, are you not thanking Him? Glory to God. Psalm 136:26. Do you want to enjoy more testimonies? Keep thanking God and He will keep doing it. Shout Hallelujah!
4. It perfects our blessings.
Now listen! In Luke 17:17-19, ten lepers were cleansed. How many lepers? And then nine did not return to say: ‘Thank You’. And hear what the Bible said: ‘…Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine’? So, throughout the year, He is keeping record of what He has done for you. That’s why we are consciously giving thanks. Church Gist. He will say: ‘Okay! I did all these for you this year, have you told Me ‘Thank You’? Luke 17:19. You know when lepers are cleansed, if you have ever seen lepers, they will have scars. You will see their fingers, you will see their ears, it will still show they were lepers. Then, that means that was the only man whose body was made perfect, he came back to do what? Thank God. Thanksgiving is a perfecter. The blessing you are asking God to perfect, give Him thanks.
-And the thanksgiving of this day, if there be anything God has started this year in your life, He will perfect it in the name of Jesus.
If there be anything God has started, maybe the young man told you: ‘I will marry you’! But he has not gone to see your parents, thank God. God will perfect it! Are you getting what I’m saying now? Don’t murmur – ‘Oh God! Everyone who tells me: ‘I will marry you’ will leave me halfway. Also find out why they’re leaving you halfway too, why they’re not reaching bus stop. Church Gist. Are you hearing me now? They propose, then all of a sudden they will go halfway; find out too what is making them to go halfway. But thank God that they even propose so that God can perfect it. God can do what? (Perfect it). Don’t look at the man and say: ‘Only short, short men na them dey propose to me, only short, short men’. And short men like to marry tall women. Have you not noticed? Very short, small people, brief people (Laughing). You cannot see a brief man marry a brief woman.
Brief people, they will like to marry eh giants so that in case you want to intimidate him, you will look at his wife, you will now fear him. Church, check very well, brief people, two things brief people will never take from you is: Where they are, they like to make noise so that people will not recognize them. If you see a brief man, he will carry one big walking stick and make sure it will cause trouble in the Place so that in case you can’t recognize him by size, you can by trouble, you will recognize them. Church Gist. Check brief people, they like trouble anywhere they are. ‘You see? This Man is insulting me because of my size so for what’? So, thank God! Thank what? (God). Don’t say: ‘How can? Eh! God! So, of all the people in the Church, na this Short man wey come…’ (Laughing). No! Thank God for the Short man then God will bring you the Tall man, because you didn’t create the Tall man. Make thanksgiving a lifestyle! Make it what? (A lifestyle) if you want God to perfect all blessings upon your life. Shout Hallelujah!
Say: I will thank Him and He will perfect that which concerns me.
-May God perfect that which concerns you.
Only one leper came back to say: ‘Thank You’ and he was the only one made perfect. Learn to say to God: ‘Thank You’. Church Gist. You saw small thing? Thank Him, you will see (the) big one. He started something in your life? Thank Him, He will perfect it
-May God perfect all that concerns you.
5. It provokes the manifestation of His Presence. (Give me biro. These my boys!) It provokes the manifestation of His Presence. ‘They said, it is provoking. These my boys. One of them is on the altar there. He is bending his face. I will say one thing, they will write another thing. If I follow them…they are young men.’ I asked one of them, I said come ‘your wife nor give you food wey you dey forget like this?’ He laughed. Church Gist. I said “the way you are forgetting, are you sure that your wife did not shout on you? You know if wife shout on a man, he will forget even if he is moving, he will be doing like this (demonstrating). You say “Bode what happened to you?” I nor know. Two things don happen. Either e wife shout on am…May your wife not shout on you early morning, you will forget everything. You don’t know? Even when they say, good morning, you will say, good afternoon. So maybe, I won’t look at him so that you won’t know the one. He is bending his face because he is the one that typed this one.
So, it provokes the manifestation of His Presence. Listen, God’s presence is with you but God will not manifest if you don’t thank Him. That He is with you does not mean God will what? It is thanksgiving and praise that makes God to manifest. Psalm 95:2. You cannot be grumbling, murmuring and expect God to act in your favour. It is an act of thanksgiving that provokes God to manifest in your favour. Psalm 100:4. Enter…You can’t enter there….One thing with God is that in fact, once you make ‘wuwuwu’, God will leave you. He hates anything murmuring. Check, read the Bible. Everywhere they murmured, God was angry. Some of us, we murmur – everything ‘wuwuwu’. In the Church, you may be laughing but inside you ‘wuwuwu’. You even ask God question “are you God?” Before, He is not God, you, who are you? You are not even afraid to ask Him, are you God? Some say “if you don’t do this, I will not come to Church.” God will just be looking at you, don’t come na. Who will lose? Before you were born, He is God. Now you are alive, He is God. After you die, He is God. Your grandfather’s time, He is God. Your great grandfather – God. You say “I won’t come to Church”, He is God. If you like backslide, He is God. It’s stupidity to get angry with someone who you cannot fight. If somebody make trouble with you, you can say “God intervene.” Okay, if you make trouble with God, who will intervene? It is stupidity to be fighting God. Are you getting me now? It’s of no wisdom to fight God.
Some of us will fight God with…“Father, if you don’t give me a husband this year, I will not come to Church.” God says okay. Okay, now, I will not give husband. ‘Oya make I see na.” But you say “God, thank you for even making a man to propose to me.” Church Gist. He says “you thank me for proposing, now, husband look for her.” Then you will just see, the boy says “I can’t sleep. The whole night is you and now I have come to propose” – because of your thanksgiving.
Life story – a woman gave thanks 7,000 times, husband came in her 40s (late 40s), never married before. Gave God thanks 7,000…look! Try it, your throat will dry. Just try it, 7,000 times thanksgiving – all the saliva in your mouth will dry up. Father, I thank you – one. (Take stone) Thank you – 2. Thank you – 3. By the time you get to 2,000, there will be no saliva. For somebody to thank God 7,000 times, God said “What? Husband, husband, husband, look for her. Church Gist. Then you, “nobody dey even propose to me even the ones wey dey come, short short men.” God says, “they are created in my own image. You are calling them short, now, no tall man.” Then the next time you see, na madman wey dey pass for road, go say madam. (Laughs) So you say, ‘na madman na dey admire me.’ God says “since I gave you a madman after my image, you didn’t admire him – madman admire her.” Then you will start blaming God. Thank Him. Do what?
He gave them manna, they were complaining. God said “look these people, you are useless. Church Gist. You are complaining that I gave you manna” and they are saying “we were in Egypt”…How can slaves…are slaves eating any good food? That’s how some of us are. We grumble, murmur – ‘wawawa’.
Dangers of Not Giving God Thanks.
i. It provides an opening for the enemy to attack. Deuteronomy 28:47-48. Church Gist. Do you know that when you don’t thank God, you are opening the door for attacks. Some of the attacks are not of the devil, it is because of unthankfulness. Say, I hear!
ii. It will attract curses and corrupt your blessings. Malachi 2:1-3. Some of the curses you are going through are because of unthankfulness. Church Gist. So, even the offering you are giving in ‘wuwuwu’ is cursed. Say “God don’t curse me, I’m going to give you thanks.”
iii. It is a form of pride and can lead to destruction. Do you know a man called Heros? Herod and Nebuchadnezzar, two of them happen to be the headquarters…the Old Testament – Nebuchadnezzar, the New Testament – Herod. These people were so proud. Acts 12:21-23…He couldn’t give glory to God. When you see proud people, you will know. Even when they are giving speech, the arrogance in them, you can’t understand. (Demonstrating) “Errm, I have to give this speech. You know I schooled in Harvard and Stanford has just given me 5 awards. Cambridge is on the way and anywhere I talk, people stand up and they clap because I am an orator. My oratory frequency is higher than anyone and when I speak, you understand what I’m talking about? When I speak, you mean, all these guys are all…where did you say you schooled? Rivers State University – where is that one? Where did you say…Ahmadu Bello? Where is that? Noooo! I am talking about the EeeeeUuu. Cambridge, Stanford, Preston – which one is yours?” (Laughs) God will look at him and say, now your interview – third class person will interview you. So, he carries all his ‘big big’ CV. Church Gist. Then on the board, he will meet someone who went to school with him, with third class. He says “sir, you said, you want to apply for this position as commissioner? Seat here and wait. God wants to bring him down. Has he been interviewed? – This man…and the panel will be looking at the boy who he even copied from him in class. God just wants to remove his wings. One thing with pride is that even if you are an unbeliever, God will resist you.
This man (Herod) was so arrogant. Read his content of…God does not joke with proud people.
– You will not be eaten up!
Now listen, pride…my wife is a living witness. When Abacha was in power, I told her “Abacha will soon die.” I told her. There are things I don’t mention but I tell her – when after the thing happens, I can say it. I said “Abacha will soon die.” I said “I saw it clearly.” In the morning, by 7am before network news, that time radios used to have news. Now it’s not popular again. Now you have too many FMs. Before they start, they will sing a song “Abacha, you are good, you are good Abacha, you are good. Everybody testify you are good.” That song is for Jesus. “Everybody testify you are good, you are good Jehovah, you are good. But they turned the song to Abacha. “Everybody testify, you are good.” Church Gist. That is exactly how they sang it. “Abacha, you are good, you are good. Hallelujah. Everybody testify you are good.” I told my wife “Abacha, they’ve dug his grave.” I just told my wife, I said (Pastor Charles and my wife were there – they were the early members), I said “they’ve dug Abacha’s grave that Abacha will soon die.”
There are some praises they will give to you, if you are not careful, they’ve dug a grave for you. They just dig a grave for you. They say “die o, die o.” When they sing like that, come back and lie on the floor. When people clap for you (kprakprakpra)…you know when you pray, mountain moves, thunder sparks, everywhere shook, your prayer is wonderful. My friend, go inside your bedroom, lie down and say “God, this ‘thunder that shook’ is you.” God says “you acknowledge me?” This one that people got healed is you. I give you back the glory. Finish! Church Gist. But you say “ahaaa, when I pray, thunder will spark – somebody shout yeah! When I give offering, (nobody in our Church gives like I do – highest giver)…God just looks at you, sees pride and arrogance inside you, He says “now, you won’t even have offering to give next year.”
God does not joke. According to our brothers, He doesn’t ‘yoke.’ God does not ‘yoke’ with pride. He doesn’t ‘yoke’ with pride. Remove it.
iv. It leads to toiling. Most of you toiling, don’t think that it is the devil. It’s your not giving God thanks. Let me read Mark 6:48-52, then we thank God. The reason they were toiling was because if you read the subsequent verses, Jesus was multiplying loaves. Church Gist. Someone like Thomas would have said “how did he multiply loaves? Are you sure when we closed our eyes, He did not carry loaves and said He multiplied it?” Some of the temptations you are going through is because you are trying to question God for what God has done. You are not grateful. It leads to temptation.
The temptation they had was because of ungratefulness. They were not thankful. “After all, what is so special that I bought a car? After all, those who don’t go to Church, didn’t they buy car? Is there anything special for me?” Church Gist. My friend, do you know where they are going? They are going to hell, you are going to Heaven. Why do you compare yourself with a sinner? It leads to what?
– You will not toil!
That’s why we are thanking God. What are we thanking God for? So that we cannot toil. Stop toiling!
– May toiling end in your life! Shout a better Amen! Shout a loud Amen.
– Say, I will not toil, I am giving God thanks. Shout a big hallelujah!
We are going to thank God for all He has done for Salvation Ministries. Let me tell you one of the greatest secrets of this Church in case you don’t know. For every small thing, what do we do? We thank Him. We thanked God when we were less than 50 people (20 something persons) and we went to 50. 50, we went to 100. We have been growing since because we keep thanking Him. Church Gist. Are you hearing me now? Our first income of this Church, (first income) both my offering, my tithe, my wife’s offering, her tithe, everybody’s offering and tithe was less than 7,000 naira – 1997 not 1927. Total income, my own inside, my tithe inside with everything both members tithe was 6000 plus. We just rounded it up to 7,000. Our tithe was 700 naira, not so? 7,000 was the total income, so 700 naira was the first tithe. It is supposed to be 600 and something naira. Is that where we are now? We can’t mention our tithe in public. The tithe of this Church, we can’t mention it in public. From 600 plus naira to the millions we are talking about as tithe today. Income is not in millions. We can’t be calling millions at this level.
The reason why you are diminishing is all these ‘wuwu’. Every small thing, you are going to question God in your heart. Say, Father, destroy this ‘wuwu’ in my life. We are going to thank God for all that God has done in Salvation Ministries for us. He has been so good to us. Has God not been good to us? Church Gist. You are not going to say like this “Father, thank you” and you are forgetting what you are thanking God for. Some of you thank God, you even forget what you thank God for – no! If you thank God and forget, you didn’t thank God. “Father, thank you for the bread, thank you…eh! see shoe wey somebody wear! Thank you, thank you! Eh, see clothes! Thank you, thank you. It’s like they are cooking good stew – thank you.” We don’t want those kind of thanksgiving. Let the thanksgiving come from where? Your heart.
– Go ahead now. Thank God for Salvation Ministries in the name of Jesus!
———THANKSGIVING PRAYERS———-
——–ALTAR CALL———–
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