Heart Of Gratitude That Leads To Freedom| Steps To Take| Sermon
Topic: Heart of Gratitude that Leads to Freedom
Bible Text: 2 Chronicles 20:20-23
On the 19/5/.2024 Message (Choir Thanksgiving Anniversary)
Introduction
Our broad theme for this month is freedom from the power of the mighty. Also, last week message was on freedom from fear, however today, we will be looking at the Heart of Gratitude that Leads to Freedom: Heart Of Gratitude That Leads To Freedom| Steps To Take| Sermon
Before a man can have a heart of gratitude, something must have lifted the persons heart, that is he would have experience an event that warrant this show of gratitude.
Outline
1. Reasons that warrant the show of gratitude
2. Steps to take to have the heart of gratitude to gain our freedom
Exposition
1. Below are reasons that would warrant the show of gratitude to God:
2. The person would have been in a distressed position:
There is no way to move forward or backward when the heart is in a mood of distress.
In our bible text, 2 Chronicles 20:1 From this verses, we were made to know that some nations rose up against Israel but at some point they didn’t know what to do and King Jehoshaphat who was the one reigning then was so distressed and he seek the face of God. He asked God of what he should because his heart is distressed and God responded that he should not be afraid, the battle before him doesn’t belong to him. God requested he should gather those who sing and they should begin to speak of His goodness and show a heart of gratitude to all the wonderful works that He has done. Finally, they were set free from their enemies.
Likewise many of us are facing one thing or the other and really distressed, so I advise we seek God and always show a heart of gratitude to Him.
When one has overcome a difficult challenge and think of showing appreciation to God for the victory received:
First, if he doesn’t know what to do let him just thank God and secondly after he has gotten the victory, he should go back to continue to show appreciation to God.
In Exodus 15, when the children of God were set free from Pharaoh they started talking about God’s mercies and great works. They started mentioning one after the other those things God has done for them.
Also, in 1 Samuel 2:1ff..Hannah sang songs to God after God blessed her with Samuel. She said my heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
After God gave her this victory , she was able to sing this God of gratitude to God.
When one sits down and begin to think of praising God:
After waking up from your bed and you feel like just praising God. Psalm 92: 1 says is a good thing to praise the lord, to show His greatness both night and day. When you are going out, sing songs of thanksgiving, when you are sleeping or are awake, just sing songs of praise to God. That He has done it for you or has not done it for you, sing praises to Him all the time.
The above points are reasons why one would want to show appreciation to God.
If truly you want to be free from the power of the mighty or power of fear, you need to be wise all the time. We were told how to overcome fear but if you are not wise enough, Satan will use that same fear to snatch things from us. In Hosea 4:6, Jeremiah 5:4, talks about knowing the ways of God and His knowledge.
If have prayed and fasted a lot, why not inculcate the heart of praise and gratitude. When there is sadness, praise God, when there is happiness, praise God. Also, in your going in and out and all your endeavors, always praise God. God knows there will be challenges and He alone has the solution, so if we know this, why not praise Him. There is no reason for running helter skelter and don’t know what to do because truly He has confirmed it that in this earth there will be tribulation but we should rejoice because He has overcome the world. If we know this, is better we should praise the one that has the solution. The reason we lift our problems ahead of God, is because we don’t have enough knowledge about this God.
Steps to take to have the heart of gratitude to gain our freedom
Calm down and seek God’s face
When the battle comes like a mountain, before you start running around, I advise you calm down.
The man who sang the song “it is well with my soul”, experienced a lot yet he said it is well because he calmed down. He believed God is bigger than all the problems and every mountain that one cannot see.
In 1 Samuel 30:6-8, David went for battle but before he got home some people brought war to his house and they took all his properties and families, he was greatly distressed however, the first thing David did was to calm down and seek God’s face for directions and he also encourage himself. At the end he took back all. When we pass through challenges what we should do is to take it easy and not running around with fear.
Know the source of the problem
When we know the cause then we can work on the solution. When one is sick, the first thing is to take a test to know where the problem came from. We need to know how it happen, when it happen and the time it happened. When you are patient to seek God’s face and understand the root cause of it then is easy to workout a solution.
Let the Holy Spirit guide you
Give room for the guidance of the holy spirit. The holy spirit knows everything and sees all things. He will easily give the appropriate solution that is deem fit for the problem at hand.
Never rely on man
Man will only fail you when we put our hope in them. God is the only one that promises and never fail. He deserves the praises hence the reason we should rely only on Him.
Never accept that is not impossible
Whatever you confess with your mouth is what will come to pass. Never give room for negative thoughts. It only deny us the good things God has for us.
Be positive to yourself
Always allow positive thoughts to run in your heart, in your thinking and the way we view things.
Never accept sin to cage you down. Psalm 66:18
For you to have a heart of gratitude never give room for sin. We should endeavor to ensure sin doesn’t cage us down. Most times is our sins that cages us hence the reason for our punishment. At that point when we seek God’s face He will not answer not untill we take that sin away. When this is done, the heart of gratitude will now be accepted and there will be a way out.
In Conclusion
It has been give to man to choose what he wants. If you choose to be grateful always and have a heart of gratitude that no matter the challenges and circumstances we will continue to praise God. Never allow the heart of praise to depart from us. David was a song writer and all his songs are all filled with praises.
Sit down and count your blessings inspite of the challenges faced and show the heart of gratitude then you will know that God is good.
Thank you.
Heart Of Gratitude That Leads To Freedom| Steps To Take| Sermon
