PRAISING GOD IN ADVANCE

(1 Thessalonians 5:18) "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".

This is a month of thanksgiving and we have a lot of things to thank God for; especially for being so good to us throughout this year. There is actually nothing we deserve to get from God in that He is not obliged to bless us because of our good works, but for the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The fact that we are still alive alone suggests that God has been good to us all.

Many people will be thanking God for marriages, children, success in business, progress of ministry, peace in the family, etc. It's good to thank God for all these but I believe it must not end there. Thanksgiving shouldn't only be offered during the "good" times. Rather, it must be seen as an offering, an act of worship and a way of life. Thanksgiving must be offered irrespective of your current circumstances or problems. It must be done at all times; good or bad.

Thanking God only when everything seems to be going on well is like saying you would serve Him or worship Him only in good times. When that happens, you end up not serving Him at all because life is not all perfect: It can be sweet some times and sour at other times, but in all things we must give thanks .

There are numerous blessings God gives us which we are oblivious of, probably because we haven't seen or realised it yet. My brothers and sisters in Christ who think they don't have a cause to praise God, I suggest you give it another thought. If you are alive today, then you have cause to thank Him. There are people who claim they haven't really enjoyed the year because of some crisis they have faced. Anytime these thoughts fall into your minds, think about those in the hospitals undergoing series of operations and those who have lost their lives during the year; those who won't witness the beginning of 2014. Praise is what we really need to offer to God. From the scripture above, two things are clear: Periods /circumstance and God's will.

PERIODS /CIRCUMSTANCE

There are some periods when everything goes on well for us and other times too it seems all hell have broken loose .There always comes a time in every believers life when all hell breaks loose ,however ,the paradox here is that it is actually a time to put on the garment of praise and praise God in advance . We are admonished to thank God in all circumstance or periods in our lives .This stands to reason that our Thanksgiving to God isn't dependant on the present circumstance but on the nature of God .Remember it's not about you (it's not about what you have or don't have ,what happened ,who died etc but on who God is .He is sovereign ).

Many people think they have no reason to thank God simply because of the crisis they may be encountering at that moment or something negative which took place in the past . Truly ,basing your art of gratitude to God on those things signifies you have been defeated already . True worshippers are those who praise God even in time of trouble .They praise God in advance for the victory won .When you praise God even in the hard times you tend provoke God to move and alter the "imposibilities " in your life .Praise is what opens the heavens and the gates of heaven for you to receive your miracle .

Psalm 100:4 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

GOD'S WILL Thanksgiving is  the will of God for us .He desires or wills that we praise him in all circumstances and not  give up on it .The powerful song by MARVIN SARPP kept resounding in my mind when I was writing this article so I decided to use it as the caption . Praising God in advance means you are thanking him for what he is about to do In your life even in the worse situations .That is faith .When you overlook the problems and still smile at God and say thank you God, You shame the enemy .

Job said in the worse times of his life , "though he slay me yet will I hope in him ".This to me is a prayer every believer must pray at certain times in his life .