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Because we live in a culture that finds it easier to grumble, complain and blame others rather than to give thanks, our families are in danger of being conformed to edicts of the spirit of the world rather than being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Romans 1:21
21. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

The following scriptures are presented to help all of us set an example for each other by obedience to the truth of God's word.

Philippians 2:14
14. Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
15. that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,
16. holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.

Everyone is given a measure of God's faith (Rom 12:3), which comes by hearing the word of Christ (Rom 10:17). The following scriptures are presented to remind us that THANKSGIVING is an acceptable New Covenant sacrifice. Through His sacrificial death Jesus Christ has provided His shed blood to atone and eradicate our sins. Now we are required to present the living sacrifice of our human bodies to obey God.

Romans 12:1
1. I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, {which is} your spiritual service of worship.
2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Our enemy wants to kill us and eliminate us from this earth. If he can't kill us, then he wants to put us under oppression, depression, captivity, bondage etc. in any way he can. However our Heavenly Father doesn't ask for the physical death of any of us as our penalty for sin, but He does want us to obey the Holy Spirit and the commands found explicitly in the New Testament. Our Father wants us to die to our own wills and desires.

Romans 6:17
17. But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
18. and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Thanksgiving is something that must be present in the heart before it can come forth from the mouth. That is why thanksgiving and praise are so closely linked together. Most of us know the command of the following verse to offer a sacrifice of praise to the Lord, but the context is very specific. It is written to those who have found themselves "outside the camp" bearing Christ's reproach. Obedience to the word of God is very costly. When we obey the teachings of Christ, we may discover that we don't "fit" in with very many people. The numbers of people we are "knitted" to is not to be our concern. It is up to Jesus, who is building the CHURCH, to place us with those to whom we are knitted. However, that process may be hard, difficult and lonely; thus those who fit the following scriptures are the ones who are commanded to offer a sacrifice of praise.

Hebrews 13:13
13. Hence, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
14. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking {the city} which is to come.
15. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.
16. And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

This scripture in Hebrews is extremely important for those who do not feel like offering a sacrifice of praise. There are trials and tests that come to all of us when praising the Lord isn't easy, and the mind seems "blank" when the mouth tries to praise the Lord. We can be very grateful that when Jesus gave His own sacrificial blood to ratify the New Covenant, He was also given "a name that is above every other name" (Philippians 2:9-11). Thus this scripture tells us that the New Testament sacrifice of praise is very simple: we just give the Lord thanks for His name. We simply say, "Thank you Father, for the name of Jesus." We do not have to "assess" our situation; we do not have to "deny" how depressed we may feel; we may not feel like praising; in our weakness we may be unable to get our emotions to "feel" like praising the Lord. In those moments when a song of victory seems too painful to sing, we can take comfort that God knew there would be trials and tests that would seem so insurmountable that praise would seem impossible, and as the scripture promises, God has provided a way out of our temptation (2Corinthians 10:13). We can reverently enter into worship by quietly whispering, "Father, I thank you for the name of Jesus. I thank you that His name is over every other name that exists on this earth, under the earth or in heaven. Father, I thank you for the name of Jesus." This is the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving that is acceptable to God under the NEW Covenant.

In the OLD COVENANT the blood sacrifices were offered with THANKSGIVING.

Leviticus 7:11
11. 'Now this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which shall be presented to the LORD.
12. 'If he offers it by way of thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes {of well} stirred fine flour mixed with oil.
13. 'With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread.
14. 'And of this he shall present one of every offering as a contribution to the LORD; it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.

Jesus' atoning death has eliminated the need for the animal sacrifice and grain offering, but as we have already stated, the sacrifice of praise has not been eliminated in the NEW COVENANT. Therefore, we can thank the Father for the blood of Jesus that speaks in heaven on our behalf forever (Hebrews 12:24).

In the following scriptures notice how closely thanksgiving is connected with prayer. We trust that the prayers of believers will move into another dimension as we learn how to have thankful hearts which find expression through the words of our mouths. The will of God found in His written word must be obeyed His way. Prayer or words that come from ungrateful hearts are rooted in unbelief and pride which is satan's character. The deceiver can't be resisted until we first submit to God.

James 4:7
7. Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

As we look over these scriptures on thanksgiving, we are confident that when the Holy Spirit has helped us establish thanksgiving in our hearts, then our lips find it easier to offer acceptable and good sacrifices (words to God) out of a heart that is humble and believes. He will then give His grace.

James 4:5
5. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"?
6. But He gives a greater grace. Therefore {it} says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Our first assignment in learning to be thankful is to pray for the salvation of other people rather than complaining about them. When we pray for anyone -- heads of government, agents of the IRS, FBI, CIA, friends from our past life of sin, relatives near and far, neighbors close to us or living within our city, the Bible tells us thanksgiving must accompany those prayers.

I Timothy 2:1
1. First of all, then, I urge that entreaties {and} prayers, petitions {and} thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
2. for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
3. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The following scripture makes it clear that an attitude of thanksgiving in prayer is the way in which we are alert. If our thanksgiving isn't flowing from our mouths, the enemy has deceived us somewhere, and we need to seek the Lord until He shows us where ingratitude has crept into a situation or relationship and is causing us to disobey God's word.

Colossians 4:2
2. Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with {an attitude of} thanksgiving;
3. praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;
4. in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

The following scripture shows us that an attitude of thanksgiving in prayer is proof that we aren't anxiously worrying about the situation or relationship for which we are praying. However, the inverse is true as well. If we are praying about a situation or relationship and aren't able to utter thankful words, we may need to repent of unbelief, doubt or fear which causes anxiety and worry.

Philippians 4:6
6. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

A spirit of fear interfering with our thoughts concerning a relationship or circumstance may trigger us to speak or act in ways that do not please our Creator.

II Timothy 1:7
7. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, (cowardice) but of power and love and discipline.

I John 4:15
15. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16. And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
18. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
19. We love, because He first loved us.

When we know that a spirit of fear is trying to stop us from being perfected in love, we have an offensive weapon in this spiritual battle.

THANKSGIVING is a sign among a group of people that they have entered into the SABBATH REST of obedience to the Holy Spirit. The reverse is also true: those who do not open their mouths in thankfulness to God when they assemble will experience God's fire! The following passage from Jeremiah reveals this truth.

Jeremiah 17:24
24. "'But it will come about, if you listen attentively to Me," declares the Lord, "to bring no load in through the gates of this city on the sabbath day, but to keep the sabbath day holy by doing no work on it,
25. then there will come in through the gates of this city kings and princes sitting on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their princes, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and this city will be inhabited forever.
26. They will come in from the cities of Judah and from the environs of Jerusalem, from the land of Benjamin, from the lowland, from the hill country, and from the Negev, bringing burnt offerings, sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, and bringing sacrifices of thanksgiving to the house of the LORD.
27. But if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I shall kindle a fire in its gates, and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched.'"

Notice in the next scripture that the righteous will experience joy, gladness and thanksgiving. THANKSGIVING should be a major characteristic of the redeemed, those who have been made righteous by the Blood of the Lamb.

Isaiah 51:1
1. "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.
2. Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain; when {he was} one I called him, then I blessed him and multiplied him."
3. Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and sound of a melody.

The following scriptures reveal some people under the Old Covenant who offered THANKSGIVING in difficult places. May we follow their excellent example of thanking God in the midst of our own difficult circumstances and relationships.

JONAH

Jonah 2:1
1. Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish,
2. and he said, "I called out of my distress to the Lord, and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; Thou didst hear my voice.
3. For Thou hadst cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current engulfed me. All Thy breakers and billows passed over me.
4. So I said, 'I have been expelled from Thy sight. Nevertheless I will look again toward Thy holy temple.'
5. Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, weeds were wrapped around my head.
6. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars {was} around me forever, but Thou hast brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God.
7. While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD; and my prayer came to Thee, into Thy holy temple.
8. Those who regard vain idols forsake their faithfulness,
9. But I will sacrifice to Thee with the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD. "
10. Then the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land.

ONE WHO HAS BEEN WOUNDED BY GOD

Jeremiah 30:12
12. "For thus says the LORD, 'Your wound is incurable, and your injury is serious.
13. There is no one to plead your cause; {No} healing for {your} sore, no recovery for you.
14. All your lovers have forgotten you, they do not seek you; for I have wounded you with the wound of an enemy, with the punishment of a cruel one, because your iniquity is great and your sins are numerous.
15. Why do you cry out over your injury? Your pain is incurable. Because your iniquity is great and your sins are numerous, I have done these things to you.
16. Therefore all who devour you shall be devoured; and all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; and those who plunder you shall be for plunder, and all who prey upon you I will give for prey.
17. For I will restore you to health and I will heal you of your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'Because they have called you an outcast, saying: "'It is Zion; no one cares for her.'"
18. "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob And have compassion on his dwelling places; and the city shall be rebuilt on its ruin, and the palace shall stand on its rightful place.
19. And from them shall proceed thanksgiving. And the voice of those who make merry; and I will multiply them, and they shall not be diminished; I will also honor them, and they shall not be insignificant.
20. Their children also shall be as formerly, and their congregation shall be established before Me; and I will punish all their oppressors.
21. And their leader shall be one of them, and their ruler shall come forth from their midst; and I will bring him near, and he shall approach Me; for who would dare to risk his life to approach Me?' declares the LORD.
22. And you shall be My people, and I will be your God.'"
23. Behold, the tempest of the LORD! Wrath has gone forth, a sweeping tempest; it will burst on the head of the wicked.
24. The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back, until He has performed, and until He has accomplished the intent of His heart; in the latter days you will understand this.

ONE WHO IS BROKENHEARTED

Psalms 147:1
1. Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant {and} praise is becoming.
2. The LORD builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3. He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.
4. He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.
5. Great is our LORD, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.
6. The LORD supports the afflicted; He brings down the wicked to the ground.
7. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praises to our God on the lyre,
8. Who covers the heavens with clouds, who provides rain for the earth, who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9. He gives to the beast its food, {and} to the young ravens which cry.
10. He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
11. The LORD favors those who fear Him, those who wait for His lovingkindness.
12. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
13. For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your sons within you.
14. He makes peace in your borders; He satisfies you with the finest of the wheat.
15. He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.
16. He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes.
17. He casts forth His ice as fragments; who can stand before His cold?
18. He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.
19. He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
20. He has not dealt thus with any nation; and as for His ordinances, they have not known them. Praise the Lord!

DAVID THE OUTCAST

Psalms 26:1
1. ({A Psalm} of David.) Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity; and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2. Examine me, O LORD, and try me; test my mind and my heart.
3. For Thy lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Thy truth.
4. I do not sit with deceitful men, nor will I go with pretenders.
5. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
6. I shall wash my hands in innocence, and I will go about Thine altar, O LORD,
7. That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and declare all Thy wonders.

FOR ONE WHO IS ENDURING OPPRESSION

Psalms 42:1
1. (For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.) As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God.
2. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?
3. My tears have been my food day and night, while {they} say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
4. These things I remember, and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng {and} lead them in procession to the house of God, with the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5. Why are you in despair, O my soul? And {why} have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him {ror} the help of His presence.
6. O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember Thee from the land of the Jordan, and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7. Deep calls to deep at the sound of Thy waterfalls; all Thy breakers and Thy waves have rolled over me.
8. The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.
9. I will say to God my rock, "Why hast Thou forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?"
10. As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
11. Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance, and my God.

DAVID in DISTRESS: JESUS FORGIVES ALL on CROSS

Psalms 69:1
1. (For the choir director; according to Shoshannim. {A Psalm} of David.) Save me, O God, for the waters have threatened my life.
2. I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.
3. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched; my eyes fail while I wait for my God.
4. Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head; Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies, what I did not steal, I then have to restore.
5. O God, it is Thou who dost know my folly, and my wrongs are not hidden from Thee.
6. May those who wait for Thee not be ashamed through me, O LORD God of hosts; may those who seek Thee not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,
7. Because for Thy sake I have borne reproach; dishonor has covered my face.
8. I have become estranged from my brothers, and an alien to my mother's sons.
9. For zeal for Thy house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach Thee have fallen on me.
10. When I wept in my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
11. When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
12. Those who sit in the gate talk about me, and I {am} the song of the drunkards.
13. But as for me, my prayer is to Thee, O LORD, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness of Thy lovingkindness, answer me with Thy saving truth.
14. Deliver me from the mire, and do not let me sink; May I be delivered from my foes, and from the deep waters.
15. May the flood of water not overflow me, and may the deep not swallow me up, And may the pit not shut its mouth on me.
16. Answer me, O LORD, for Thy lovingkindness is good; according to the greatness of Thy compassion, turn to me,
17. And do not hide Thy face from Thy servant, for I am in distress; answer me quickly.
18. Oh draw near to my soul {and} redeem it; ransom me because of my enemies!
19. Thou dost know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor; all my adversaries are before Thee.
20. Reproach has broken my heart, and I am so sick. And I looked for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.
21. They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22. May their table before them become a snare; and when they are in peace, {may it become} a trap.
23. May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see, and make their loins shake continually.
24. Pour out Thine indignation on them, and may Thy burning anger overtake them.
25. May their camp be desolate; may none dwell in their tents.
26. For they have persecuted him whom Thou Thyself hast smitten, and they tell of the pain of those whom Thou hast wounded.
27. Do Thou add iniquity to their iniquity, and may they not come into Thy righteousness.
28. May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with the righteous.
29. But I am afflicted and in pain; may Thy salvation, O God, set me {securely} on high.
30. I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.
31. And it will please the LORD better than an ox {Or} a young bull with horns and hoofs.
32. The humble have seen {it and} are glad; you who seek God, let your heart revive.
33. For the LORD hears the needy, and does not despise His {who are} prisoners.
34. Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them.
35. For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, that they may dwell there and possess it.
36. And the descendants of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His name will dwell in it.

VICTORY OVER DEATH.

When the Lord gives victory, restoration and prosperity, all He requires is the use of our mouth to offer thanksgiving.

Psalms 116:1
1. I love the LORD, because He hears My voice {and} my supplications.
2. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I shall call {upon Him} as long as I live.
3. The cords of death encompassed me, and the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.
4. Then I called upon the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I beseech Thee, save my life!"
5. Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.
6. The LORD preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
7. Return to your rest, O my soul, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8. For Thou hast rescued my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
9. I shall walk before the LORD In the land of the living.
10. I believed when I said, "I am greatly afflicted."
11. I said in my alarm, "All men are liars."
12. What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?
13. I shall lift up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.
14. I shall pay my vows to the Lord, Oh {may it be} in the presence of all His people.
15. Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.
16. O Lord, surely I am Thy servant, I am Thy servant, the son of Thy handmaid, Thou hast loosed my bonds.
17. To Thee I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and call upon the name of the LORD.
18. I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh {may it be} in the presence of all His people,
19. In the courts of the LORD'S house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

These next passages from Nehemiah reveal that those involved in restoration are only effective examples of the faith if they are full of thanksgiving.

Nehemiah 11:17
17. and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, who was the leader in beginning the thanksgiving at prayer, and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

Nehemiah 12:8
8. And the Levites {were} Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, {and} Mattaniah {who was} in charge of the songs of thanksgiving, he and his brothers.

Nehemiah 12:27
27. Now at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought out the Levites from all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem so that they might celebrate the dedication with gladness, with hymns of thanksgiving and with songs {to the accompaniment} of cymbals, harps, and lyres.

Nehemiah 12:44
44. On that day men were also appointed over the chambers for the stores, the contributions, the first fruits, and the tithes, to gather into them from the fields of the cities the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests and Levites who served.
45. For they performed the worship of their God and the service of purification, together with the singers and the gatekeepers in accordance with the command of David {and} of his son Solomon.
46. For in the days of David and Asaph, in ancient times, {there were} leaders of the singers, songs of praise and hymns of thanksgiving to God.
47. And so all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and Nehemiah gave the portions due the singers and the gatekeepers as each day required, and set apart the consecrated {portion} for the Levites, and the Levites set apart the consecrated {portion} for the sons of Aaron.

The following scripture reveals God Himself speaking and explaining what He wills and desires.

May His Holy Spirit reveal to us what He wants to change within us so that we may honor and please our Lord with the words of our mouths.

Psalms 50:7
7. "Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God.
8. I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, and your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9. I shall take no young bull out of your house, nor male goats out of your folds.
10. For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
11. I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine.
12. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all it contains.
13. Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of male goats?
14. Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High;
15. And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me. "
16. But to the wicked God says, "What right have you to tell of My statutes, and to take My covenant in your mouth?
17. For you hate discipline, and you cast My words behind you.
18. When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you associate with adulterers.
19. You let your mouth loose in evil, and your tongue frames deceit.
20. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son.
21. These things you have done, and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you, and state {the case} in order before your eyes.
22. Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear {you} in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
23. He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; and to him who orders {his} way {aright} I shall show the salvation of God."

The following Psalm warns us about the dangers of "hardening" our own hearts through unbelief and not knowing and acknowledging God's intervention in our own lives. We are given the command to come to God with a thankful heart when we come into His presence.

Psalms 95:1
1. O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
2. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods,
4. In whose hand are the depths of the earth; the peaks of the mountains are His also.
5. The sea is His, for it was He who made it; and His hands formed the dry land.
6. Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice,
8. Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as in the day of Massah in the wilderness;
9. When your fathers tested Me, they tried Me, though they had seen My work.
10. For forty years I loathed {that} generation, and said they are a people who err in their heart, and they do not know My ways.
11. Therefore I swore in My anger, truly they shall not enter into My rest."

In the New Covenant our own unbelief is exposed as the way in which we harden our own hearts and that spiritual climate keeps us from experiencing all that God has planned for us to inherit on this earth.

Hebrews 3:12
12. Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God.
13. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is {still} called "Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
14. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end;
15. while it is said, "Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me."
16. For who provoked {Him} when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt {led} by Moses?
17. And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
18. And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?
19. And {so} we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

Under the New Covenant Blood of Jesus.

II Corinthians 5:17
17. Therefore if any man is in Christ, {he is} a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
18. Now all {these} things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19. namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
21. He made Him who knew no sin {to be} sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

When we fully know that Jesus became unbelief on the cross so that we can always believe, we live victoriously, knowing that satan's lies and deceptions have all been defeated.

ALL EVERYWHERE ARE TO BE THANKFUL

Psalms 100:1
1. (A Psalm of thanksgiving). Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.
2. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing.
3. Know that the LORD Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; {We are} His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, {and} His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name.
5. For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all generations.

All the scriptures that have been presented up to this point mainly reveal that we are commanded to be thankful in our hearts.

The following references list the scriptures where we are told exactly for what or for whom we are to give thanks to God. We pray this outline will help all of us cut off the root of ingratitude and sow the good seed of thankfulness in our hearts that we may represent the kingdom of our God in its fullness!

Luke 6:35
35. "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil {men.}
36. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37. And do not judge and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.
38. Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."

1. Give thanks to the LORD for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
   1. 1 Chronicles 16:34,35
   2. 2 Chronicles 20:21
   3. Ezra 3:11 (lovingkindness on ISRAEL forever)
   4. Psalm 106:1
   5. Psalm 107:1,8,15,21,31
   6. Psalm 118:1,29
   7. Psalm 136:1
   8. Jeremiah 33:11
2. Give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness.
   1. Psalm 7:17
3. Sing praises or give thanks for the LORD's name.
   1. Psalm 7:17
   2. Psalm 30:4 (Holy name)
   3. Psalm 44:8
   4. Psalm 18:49
   5. Psalm 52:9 (Good name)
   6. Psalm 54:6
   7. Psalm 75:1 (His name is near)
   8. Psalm 97:12
   9. Psalm 106:47
   10. Psalm 122:4
   11. Psalm 138:2
   12. Psalm 140:13
   13. Psalm 142:7
   14. Isaiah 25:1
   15. 2 Chronicles 19:13
   16. Hebrews 13:15
4. Give thanks to God for what He has done.
   1. Psalm 52:9
   2. Psalm 107:2-3, 6-7, 13-14, 20, 29-30, 33-38, 41-43
   3. Psalm 118:21 (God has answered me.) (God has become my salvation.)
   4. Psalm 138:2 (God has magnified His word according to His name.)
   5. Psalm 139:14 (God has made me fearfully and wonderfully.)
   6. Isaiah 12:1 (God has turned His anger from me.) (God has comforted me.)
   7. Isaiah 25:1 (God has worked wonders and plans with perfect faithfulness.)
   8. Daniel 2:23 (God has given me wisdom and power and revelation {James 1:5.)
   9. Romans 6:17 (God has made me obedient from the heart.)
   10. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (God gives me the victory through my LORD Jesus Christ.)
   11. 2 Corinthians 2:14 (God always leads me in His triumph in Christ) (God manifests through me the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Jesus Christ in every place.)
   12. 2 Corinthians 9:15 (God has given His indescribable gift.)
   13. Colossians 1:12 (God has qualified me to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.)
   14. Revelation 11:17 (God has taken His great power and has begun to reign.)
   15. John 11:41 (God hears me.)
   16. 1 Corinthians 1:4 (God has given me the grace of God in Christ Jesus.)
   17. 1 Corinthians 14:18 (God has given me the gift of tongues.)
   18. 1 Timothy 1:12 (Jesus has strengthened me.) (God has considered me faithful.) (He puts me into service.)
   19. Hebrews 12:28 (God has given me a kingdom which can't be shaken.)
5. Give thanks to God, the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ for other people.
   1. Colossians 1:3 (They have faith in Christ and love for all believers.) (Thanks accompany other prayers.)
   2. 1 Thessalonians 1:2 (Their work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ is evident.) (Thanks accompany other prayers.)
   3. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 (They received the message because it was God's word.) (God's word is performing its work in those who believe.)
   4. 1 Thessalonians 3:9 (Thanks with joy.)
   5. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 (Their faith is enlarging.) (Their love towards one another is growing greater.)
   6. 2 Thessalonians 2:13 (God has chosen them for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in truth.)
   7. Romans 1:8 (Their faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.)
   8. 1 Corinthians 1:4 (God has given them grace in Christ.)
   9. 2 Corinthians 1:11 (Their prayers are bringing God's favor.)
   10. Ephesians 1:16 (They have faith in Christ and love for believers.) (Thanks accompany other prayers.)
   11. Philippians 1:3 (Their participation in the gospel brings thanks and joy.) (Thanks accompany other prayers.)
   12. 1 Timothy 2:1 (Thanksgiving for all men.)
   13. 2 Timothy 1:3 (Thanks and prayers are night and day.)
   14. Philemon 1:4 (Their love and faith is toward Jesus Christ and all believers.)
6. Give thanks to God wherever He says and with whomever He says.
   1. Among the nations
      1. 2 Samuel 22:50
      2. Psalm 18:49
      3. Psalm 57:9
      4. Psalm 108:3
   2. Among the peoples
      1. 1 Samuel 12:4
      2. 2 Chronicles 16:8
      3. Psalm 35:18 (Great congregations, mighty throng)
      4. Psalm 57:9
      5. Psalm 105:1
   3. In all generations
      1. Psalm 45:17
      2. Psalm 79:13
   4. Before the army of God going into battle against the enemy - 2 Chronicles 20:12; Spiritual warfare - 2 Corinthians 10:1-7
   5. Before the gates of the camp of the Lord - 2 Chronicles 31:2
   6. Before His gates. Before His courts - Psalm 100:4
   7. In the midst of many - Psalm 109:30
   8. In the company of the upright. In the assembly - Psalm 111:1
   9. With the tribes - Psalm 122:4
   10. Before {false} gods - Psalm 138:1
   11. In God's presence - Psalm 140:13
   12. Before God's holy temple - Psalm 138:2
   13. With the righteous - Psalm 142:7
   14. With the living - Isaiah 38:19
   15. In the Lord's house - Jeremiah 33:11; 2 Chronicles 29:31
   16. In your own home - Daniel 6:10
   17. Before you eat
       1. Matthew 15:36
       2. Mark 8:6
       3. John 6:11.23
       4. Luke 22:19
       5. Acts 27:35
   18. Before you drink
       1. Matthew 26:27
       2. Mark 14:23
       3. Luke 22:17
   19. When you don't eat - Romans 14:6
   20. Communion - 1 Corinthians 11:24
   21. With every word and deed - Colossians 3:17
7. Give thanks whenever the Lord says and for as long as He says.
   1. 7 days - 2 Chronicles 30:22
   2. Forever
      1. Psalm 30:12
      2. Psalm 45:17 (and ever)
      3. Psalm 79:13
      4. Psalm 86:12
   3. All day long - Psalm 44:8
   4. Sabbath - Psalm 92:1
   5. Midnight - Psalm 119:62
   6. 3 times a day - Daniel 6:10
   7. Morning and evening - 1 Chronicles 23:30
   8. Night and day - 2 Timothy 1:3
   9. Without Ceasing, Constantly, Continually
      1. Ephesians 1:16
      2. 1 Thessalonians 2:13
      3. 2 Timothy 1:3
      4. Hebrews 13:5
8. Give the Lord thanks as He says.
   1. By Singing
      1. 2 Samuel 22:50
      2. 2 Chronicles 20:21
      3. Ezra 3:11
      4. Psalm 7:17
      5. Psalm 28:7
      6. Psalm 30:4
      7. Psalm 30:12
      8. Psalm 33:2
      9. Psalm 57:9
      10. Psalm 75:1
      11. Psalm 86:12
      12. Psalm 92:1
      13. Psalm 108:3
      14. Psalm 138:1
   2. By Prophesying - 2 Chronicles 25:3
   3. By Shouting with a great shout - Ezra 3:11
   4. By Telling with all my heart
      1. Psalm 9:1
      2. Psalm 86:12
      3. Psalm 138:1
   5. With a trusting and exulting heart - Psalm 28:7
   6. With lyre or harp of ten strings - Psalm 33:2
   7. By Boasting in God - Psalm 44:8
   8. By Declaring -Psalm 75:1
   9. With gladness - Psalm 97:12
   10. By Calling - Psalm 105:1
   11. With my mouth - Psalm 109.30
   12. With uprightness of heart - Psalm 119:7
   13. By Bowing down - Psalm 138:2
   14. By Kneeling - Daniel 6:10
   15. With joy - 1 Thessalonians 3:9
   16. By Sacrificing the fruit of my lips - Hebrews 13:5
   17. By Overflowing - Colossians 2:7
   18. With reverential awe - Hebrews 12:28