Today’s Devotional Verse

And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Luke 22:14‭-‬20 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.22.14-20.KJV

The Miracles of Thanksgiving Devotional. Day 4 :

Thanksgiving Opens The Door To The Miracle Of Supernatural Strength To Face Difficult Times

Again, it is easier to praise God and give thanks when all is well in our lives, but to thank God in times of difficulty and trials is a whole other story.  Jesus on the night before his crucifixion had a very clear picture of what was to befall Him in a few short hours yet He gracefully enters His passion.  He anticipated his last meal with the men He spent the previous three years with, and He even included His betrayer. Jesus knew the stress his body would undergo, the viciousness of the Roman soldiers, the extent of the shedding of his blood from Gethsemane to Calvary, and the mockery, rejection, and loneliness that would pile on all at once. With all this knowledge Jesus spent the last moments celebrating the Passover which was the type and shadow of what He would have to fulfill. He would be the lamb led to the slaughter, His innocent blood would make way for the guilty and open the door to salvation for many. 

Jesus was excited to eat this last meal with the ones He loved, and He begins the meal by giving thanks, thanks for what He would have to go through and He showed the disciples his body would be broken just like He broke the bread and His blood would be poured out for the new covenant to take place. His examples used in the last supper were heart-wrenching, and yet Jesus gives thanks.  Often we face situations where we feel all our strength is gone and there is no hope.  I can remember so many times like that in my life, and even though I did come through it, I can’t say I gave God thanks for it.  I endured with much depression and sadness, and I prolonged the hard times because of my lack of knowledge on thanksgiving. Jesus gave thanks before his suffering, and even if for a slight moment, He hoped it would pass Him, He understood the cost for our souls and yielded to His Father’s will. Thanksgiving doesn’t remove the trials and tribulations in our lives, but it does empower us to endure to the end. 

Maybe you are in a place today that’s draining your strength, and you feel like giving up, perhaps you feel as though you can’t fight to keep going anymore. I want to encourage you to look to Jesus and His suffering; look at how He didn’t wish His hardships away but looked for the opportunity to give thanks and celebrate His death because He knew He pleased His Father. And, even though you find nothing to give thanks for at this moment, why not just say, “Thank you Abba for your wisdom and understanding of my situation, and I am going to trust you as Jesus did, I also want to thank you for the supernatural strength you will grant me to endure till this season is over.”

“The thankful heart sees the best part of every situation. It sees problems and weaknesses as opportunities, struggles as refining tools, and sinners as saints in progress.” – Francis Frangipane

Today’s Devotional Verse

Jesus therefore again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.  Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.  Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?  Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.   And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. John 11:38‭-‬42 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.11.38-42.KJV

Today’s Devotional Verse

Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was. Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. John 11:1‭-‬7 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.11.1-7.KJV

The Miracles of Thanksgiving Devotional. Day 3:

Thanksgiving Opens The Door To The Miracle Of Life To Dead Things

I find it is always easier to give God thanks when what I am trusting God for comes to pass, or when the breakthrough happens, or when I have the extra money in my bank account.  When things are flowing in my favor, it’s easy for me to give praise and thanks.  How about you? I am sure you also find it easier to praise and give thanks when things are going your way.  I have noticed with Jesus, and the miracles that occurred, His thanksgiving was always before the breakthrough, the healing or the multiplications.  I also noticed just before the miracle happened, Jesus did not spend long hours pressing through in prayer either.  Why is that?  I am glad you asked because as I mentioned earlier in the plan, Jesus always took time to pray before he started his day.  Jesus would meditate, petition, and get instructions from his father on how to conduct his day.  Long before Jesus walked into the situation that required a miracle, he was infused with power from on high. Jesus’ heart was to go about His Father’s business, and that was to bring the kingdom from heaven to earth, kingdom business meant healing, deliverance, provision, and peace.  Kingdom business was his mission and to establish kingdom he had to align himself with what God the Father was doing. Jesus’ time in prayer and meditation in the early mornings empowered him to perform miracles.

Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were close friends with Jesus, they loved Him, and He loved them, but one-day tragedy struck, and Lazarus died. Word was sent to Jesus, but he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to get to them.  He waited four days before he showed up, Lazarus was already buried, and by then his body would be in the decaying process.  This was a beyond dead situation if we think about it, it’s not like Lazarus had just passed away with a chance of mouth to mouth resuscitation- it was terrible! Yet, this did not limit Jesus; he prayed the simplest prayer of thanksgiving….What? There was nothing to give thanks for; the man had begun to decay, give thanks?  If I am honest, I would have cried because I didn’t show up earlier, I would have said, “There is no hope because too much time had passed.” And if by some small chance I thought there was any hope I would have called an all-night prayer meeting but probably still be doubting the whole time. 

Jesus did cry a little, but it didn’t keep Him from working the miracle of bringing Lazarus back to life, He thanked God for hearing Him; that is strange because Jesus gave thanks.  When did God hear Jesus’ prayer to raise Lazarus? Jesus prayed ahead of time, even before the death took place.  Jesus believed for life in dead places. Maybe you are facing a tragedy today; perhaps it’s your marriage, your child, your finances, or even your health.  I don’t know what dead situation you are dealing with, but I do know that God wants to open the door for a miracle of life to enter.  Why not just take this day to give God thanks for hearing all the prayers and petitions you sent up about your situation.  Like Jesus, declare your gratitude to Abba today, rest in His faithfulness, and love for

you, and give Him room to move, and get the glory!  If you’ve prayed a whole lot about it now is the time to give thanks for the answer.

“God is in control and therefore, in everything I can give thanks.” – Kay Arthur