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See terms and conditions at UNEs 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:30.080 dot co. 0:01:31.120 --> 0:01:34.680 Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for downloading our podcast. 0:01:35.000 --> 0:01:37.440 We enjoy spending this time with you and I hope 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:38.400 you'll leave inspired. 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:41.600 Make sure you subscribe to get new messages every week. 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:44.960 We appreciate your support. It helps keep the ministry going. 0:01:45.319 --> 0:01:46.640 Enjoy our son Jonathan. 0:01:46.680 --> 0:01:59.920 Today tonight, I want to talk about the passwords. 0:02:00.520 --> 0:02:03.600 We live in a digital age where everything has one. 0:02:03.800 --> 0:02:08.920 Your phone, your computer, Instagram, Facebook, Netflix, they all require 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:12.280 a password, and without the Wi Fi password, you can't 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:14.920 even use some of them. You need a password for 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:18.200 your password. Some have to have a certain amount of 0:02:18.600 --> 0:02:21.880 characters or numbers or capital letters. It can be a 0:02:21.880 --> 0:02:26.080 lot to remember. My parents are always forgetting their password. 0:02:26.520 --> 0:02:29.760 My mom has sticky notes all around her desk with 0:02:29.800 --> 0:02:33.120 different passwords on them, and somehow it's even harder to 0:02:33.200 --> 0:02:36.680 remember than if they weren't there. One Sunday night, my 0:02:36.760 --> 0:02:40.040 dad texted me during our service and asked me to 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:43.120 order something for him because he didn't have his password. 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:46.400 Pastor Nick may or may not have been speaking when 0:02:46.440 --> 0:02:49.120 I did that, but the point is my dad was 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:52.440 locked out. He didn't have his passwords, so he couldn't 0:02:52.520 --> 0:02:55.240 make that order. It's not that he forgot, he's just 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:59.880 never known his password. You could have the most powerful 0:03:00.080 --> 0:03:03.320 computer sitting right in front of you, but without the password, 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:06.880 it doesn't do anything. Spotify has all the music in 0:03:06.919 --> 0:03:10.040 the world, but without the password, you can't listen to it. 0:03:10.600 --> 0:03:14.079 You could even have millions of dollars in a bank account, 0:03:14.400 --> 0:03:17.920 but unless you have the password, it's just gonna sit there. 0:03:18.560 --> 0:03:23.760 A password gives you access. In this age of information, 0:03:24.600 --> 0:03:28.960 I started thinking, what if God had a password? What 0:03:29.000 --> 0:03:31.560 if there was something we could say that would give 0:03:31.639 --> 0:03:34.720 us access to His presence. What if there is a 0:03:34.800 --> 0:03:38.600 key that would unlock his blessing and favor in our lives? 0:03:38.960 --> 0:03:42.720 What would be possible? How valuable would that be? Would 0:03:42.720 --> 0:03:46.400 you want to know it? Thousands of years ago God 0:03:46.440 --> 0:03:49.880 shared his password with a man named David, and it's 0:03:49.920 --> 0:03:54.000 found here in some one hundred. He said, enter his 0:03:54.120 --> 0:03:58.840 gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. The message 0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:04.400 translation puts it this way. Enter with the password thank you. 0:04:05.280 --> 0:04:09.040 This simple phrase gives us access to the creator of 0:04:09.080 --> 0:04:13.480 the universe. These two words can unlock his blessing and 0:04:13.560 --> 0:04:17.760 favor in our lives. God has given us his password, 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:22.160 and it's called gratitude and his love and kindness. God 0:04:22.200 --> 0:04:25.680 has invited us into his house and given us a key. 0:04:26.400 --> 0:04:29.320 When someone gives you a key, they're saying, come on in, 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:33.479 make yourself at home, have something to eat, And that's 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:37.560 what God is saying to us. Come on in, stay awhile, 0:04:38.120 --> 0:04:42.000 have some of my peace joy protection. Enter with the 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:46.280 password thank you. We have a key, but it's our 0:04:46.400 --> 0:04:48.960 job to use it. Could it be that we're not 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:52.800 seeing some prayers answered or dreams come to pass because 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:56.599 we're not using the password. Maybe we've told God everything 0:04:56.640 --> 0:04:59.920 we want, but have we stopped to thank him for 0:05:00.120 --> 0:05:03.479 what he's already done, for the times he showed us, mercy, 0:05:03.920 --> 0:05:07.000 for the family we have, for the breath and our lungs. 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:11.720 When we express gratitude, we're using the password. We are 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:16.440 accessing his power. We're logging into his Amazon account, and 0:05:16.480 --> 0:05:20.320 he's got prime instant delivery on whatever we could need. 0:05:21.960 --> 0:05:23.839 Just like we can be locked out of a computer, 0:05:24.600 --> 0:05:27.560 we can be locked out of God's favor. When we 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:32.600 are complaining, obsessing over our problems, focus on what's wrong. 0:05:33.080 --> 0:05:37.320 That's an incorrect password. It won't get us anywhere. Instead 0:05:37.360 --> 0:05:40.719 of looking at what we don't have, Let's thank God 0:05:40.960 --> 0:05:45.400 for what we do have. Instead of complaining about what's wrong, 0:05:45.680 --> 0:05:49.480 let's thank God for what's right. It's a simple thought, 0:05:49.720 --> 0:05:53.080 but it won't just happen to us. Gratitude is a 0:05:53.200 --> 0:05:56.480 choice we have to make. God sees when we choose 0:05:56.520 --> 0:05:59.640 to thank him, even when we're frustrated by our job 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:03.400 or struggling in our finances. He's waiting to open the 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:06.960 windows of heaven and give us access to everything we need. 0:06:07.279 --> 0:06:10.440 But we have to use the password. David knew that 0:06:11.040 --> 0:06:13.599 he said, give thanks to the Lord, for he is 0:06:13.680 --> 0:06:17.559 good and his love endures forever. What if we lived 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:22.320 our lives with the password on our lips, constantly access 0:06:22.400 --> 0:06:26.119 in God's goodness. We'd wake up thanking Him for another 0:06:26.240 --> 0:06:29.520 day of life, for his mercy that's new every morning, 0:06:29.800 --> 0:06:32.200 for the strength to get out of bed. We'd thank 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:35.600 him for our family, for our friends, for watching over 0:06:35.680 --> 0:06:38.680 us the day before. We might even thank him for 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:41.680 that car that's a little old but still gets us 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:44.640 to where we need to be, or the apartment that's 0:06:44.680 --> 0:06:48.200 small but has a heater for the winter. What kind 0:06:48.240 --> 0:06:51.640 of life would that be? We'd find ourselves in the 0:06:51.680 --> 0:06:55.760 presence of God all throughout the day, with constant access 0:06:56.040 --> 0:07:01.280 to his favor, creativity, wisdom, protection. With the simple thank you, 0:07:01.720 --> 0:07:05.880 we're unlocking the greatest force in the universe. When we're thankful, 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:10.040 dreams come to pass. When we're thankful, doors begin to open. 0:07:10.400 --> 0:07:13.720 When we're thankful, the right people show up. That's what 0:07:13.840 --> 0:07:16.640 allows God to move in our lives. That's the power 0:07:16.960 --> 0:07:20.560 of the password. Keep it on your lips, store it 0:07:20.600 --> 0:07:24.920 in your heart. May it be the theme of your life. 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:29.240 Sometimes we think we have to feel grateful to be grateful. 0:07:30.040 --> 0:07:34.160 But the truth is gratitude isn't a feeling, it's an expression. 0:07:35.400 --> 0:07:38.800 If someone gives you a gift, there's no gratitude until 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:41.720 you say thank you. It could be a new car 0:07:41.840 --> 0:07:44.680 or an ugly pair of socks. The gratitude is in 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:48.400 the expression. Why is this important Because when I wake 0:07:48.480 --> 0:07:51.760 up on a Monday morning, I don't always feel grateful. 0:07:52.320 --> 0:07:55.560 I don't have this warm, fuzzy sense of God's goodness 0:07:55.760 --> 0:07:59.040 when I hear my alarm clock. But that doesn't mean 0:07:59.440 --> 0:08:02.880 I can't be grateful on a Monday. That doesn't mean 0:08:03.000 --> 0:08:05.920 I can't thank God for a great weekend at church. 0:08:06.160 --> 0:08:08.280 That doesn't mean I can't thank and forgiving me things 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:11.800 to do that day. Our feelings don't have to determine 0:08:12.000 --> 0:08:15.640 our expression. We can be frustrated by traffic on the 0:08:15.640 --> 0:08:17.640 way to work, or we can thank God that we 0:08:17.720 --> 0:08:21.120 have a job. We can complain about the mess we 0:08:21.200 --> 0:08:23.600 have to clean up, or we can be grateful for 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:26.800 the friends that made it. We can be stressed by 0:08:26.880 --> 0:08:30.200 the class that's difficult, or we can be thanking God 0:08:30.200 --> 0:08:34.120 that we got an education. It's a powerful expression to 0:08:34.280 --> 0:08:40.920 thank God even when we don't feel it. One of 0:08:40.920 --> 0:08:44.240 the best ways to cultivate this kind of life is 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:46.360 to write down what we have to be grateful for. 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:50.120 Make a daily list of God's blessings in your life 0:08:50.200 --> 0:08:52.560 and keep it on your phone or your bathroom mirror 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:55.240 to read over as often as you can. When we 0:08:55.320 --> 0:08:58.040 do this, it creates an awareness of God's goodness in 0:08:58.080 --> 0:09:01.080 our lives. We can write down the time He showed 0:09:01.160 --> 0:09:03.360 up and made away when it seemed like there was 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:06.840 no way, the time he protected us from an accident 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:10.199 or gave us a promotion, the time he healed someone 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:12.840 we love or set us free. We can write down 0:09:12.920 --> 0:09:14.880 the fact that we have a roof over our head 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:17.439 and go to a church where we can worship freely. 0:09:17.800 --> 0:09:21.880 When we do this daily, we develop a habit of thanksgiving. 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:25.160 Maybe at first it's just one thing a day, God, 0:09:25.200 --> 0:09:27.880 thank you for keeping me safe. But when we know 0:09:28.240 --> 0:09:31.400 we need to write something for today, We'll start looking 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:34.520 for things to be grateful for. We'll start noticing what 0:09:34.600 --> 0:09:37.080 God's doing in our lives. Before we know it, it 0:09:37.120 --> 0:09:40.480 may be two, three, ten things a day. When you 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:42.520 go to the grocery store, you can write thank you 0:09:42.559 --> 0:09:45.320 for a good parking spot when you pass an exam. 0:09:45.600 --> 0:09:48.440 Thank you for helping me. When you get a paycheck. 0:09:48.559 --> 0:09:51.920 Thank you for my job. When the Texans win, Thank 0:09:51.960 --> 0:09:55.240 you that we're still going to the playoffs. Write it 0:09:55.280 --> 0:10:00.040 all down. Make thanksgiving a priority in your day. I 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:03.440 think our lives are so routine. We get up, go 0:10:03.480 --> 0:10:05.840 to school, go to work, come home, and do the 0:10:05.880 --> 0:10:10.880 same thing again the next day. It's ordinary, it's routine. 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:15.640 The truth is, there's nothing ordinary about waking up and 0:10:15.720 --> 0:10:19.640 being able to walk and breathe and see. There's nothing 0:10:20.000 --> 0:10:23.959 routine about being healthy, going to work, having a meal. 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:27.680 These are gifts from God. Let's not take them for granted. 0:10:28.160 --> 0:10:31.600 Thank Him for the ordinary because it's so much more. 0:10:32.080 --> 0:10:35.360 How many ordinary blessings can you give thanks for today? 0:10:35.920 --> 0:10:39.760 You're alive, you're healthy, you can hear, you can see, 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:42.640 you can walk, you can breathe. You have a family, 0:10:42.960 --> 0:10:45.760 you have friends, you have a place to live. What 0:10:45.880 --> 0:10:50.079 about this? God's mercy is new every morning. He loves you, 0:10:50.320 --> 0:10:52.640 he has a plan for your life. He'll never leave 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:57.680 you or forsake you. Thank God for the ordinary when 0:10:57.679 --> 0:11:01.280 we have the right perspective, even thank God for what 0:11:01.480 --> 0:11:05.240 didn't happen. A friend of mine says, thanks for nothing, God. 0:11:05.840 --> 0:11:08.240 Thank you that I didn't have a problem with my 0:11:08.320 --> 0:11:11.480 car today. Thank you that I didn't get laid off. 0:11:11.960 --> 0:11:14.280 Thank you that I didn't give in to that temptation. 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:18.600 Thanks for nothing. When we begin to thank God for 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:21.560 the nothings in our lives, we'll never run out of 0:11:21.640 --> 0:11:24.600 things to be grateful for. I heard about a man 0:11:24.679 --> 0:11:27.559 who was diagnosed with cancer of the eye and had 0:11:27.559 --> 0:11:30.920 a good chance of losing his vision. He was devastated. 0:11:31.600 --> 0:11:35.400 During the surgery. To the doctor's surprise, they discovered it 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:38.520 wasn't cancer, but a minor issue they were able to 0:11:38.559 --> 0:11:41.720 remove without affecting his sight. When the man woke up 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:43.800 and heard the news, he said it was the best 0:11:43.880 --> 0:11:47.280 day of his entire life. He didn't get a big promotion, 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:50.679 he didn't win the lottery. He just got the news 0:11:50.679 --> 0:11:53.560 that he would continue to see. Now he looks at 0:11:53.600 --> 0:11:57.240 everything with completely new eyes. He sees the beauty in 0:11:57.320 --> 0:12:00.800 the flowers, the wonder in the trees, the delight on 0:12:00.920 --> 0:12:03.920 his wife and kid's face when they smile. He doesn't 0:12:03.960 --> 0:12:07.600 take anything for granted. It's said, we don't know what 0:12:07.640 --> 0:12:11.719 we have until it's gone. But a grateful person can 0:12:11.760 --> 0:12:15.800 be the exception to that rule. When we're always thanking 0:12:15.880 --> 0:12:20.280 God for the ordinary, for the routine, for what didn't happen, 0:12:20.600 --> 0:12:23.880 we're taking the time to recognize His goodness in our 0:12:23.920 --> 0:12:27.800 life throughout the day. Thank Him that you're alive, Thank 0:12:27.880 --> 0:12:30.400 Him that you can see. Thank Him for the little 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:32.520 things like a cup of coffee in the morning or 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:36.559 a new pair of shoes. If we're always grateful, meditating 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:40.760 on God's goodness, we'll find that discouragement and misfortune just 0:12:40.880 --> 0:12:43.640 can't seem to get a grip on us. That's because 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:48.280 we're accessing God's presence. He's giving us peace that goes 0:12:48.320 --> 0:12:54.240 beyond understanding, joy that overshadows lack, blessings that we can't contain. 0:12:55.160 --> 0:13:00.560 Our lives aren't complete without thanksgiving. Luke seventeen tells the 0:13:00.600 --> 0:13:04.360 story of ten men with leprosy that came to Jesus 0:13:04.400 --> 0:13:07.400 for healing. He said to them, go show yourselves to 0:13:07.440 --> 0:13:10.240 the priests. While they were on their way, they became 0:13:10.600 --> 0:13:14.640 completely clean. The leprosy was gone. One of the men 0:13:14.880 --> 0:13:18.400 came running back and fell at Jesus's feet, so grateful 0:13:18.720 --> 0:13:22.400 he couldn't thank him enough. Jesus looked at him and 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:26.719 asked weren't there ten healed? Where are the others? Then 0:13:26.720 --> 0:13:29.360 he looked at the man and said, your faith has 0:13:29.400 --> 0:13:33.400 made you whole. Ten men were healed that day. One 0:13:33.840 --> 0:13:38.240 was made whole. That's what thankfulness does. God can answer 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:41.679 our prayer, he can fix our problem. But when we 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:45.200 say thank you, that's when the miracle happens. That's when 0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:51.040 he makes us whole. You can be healed and miserable. 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:54.280 You can be healed and have a bad attitude. You 0:13:54.320 --> 0:13:58.160 can even be healed and still hurting. Healing takes care 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:02.400 of an issue, men's things. We didn't even know we're broken. 0:14:04.000 --> 0:14:07.080 It's a fullness on the inside that says I have 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:11.000 everything I need. I know the password. Nine of those 0:14:11.040 --> 0:14:13.800 men were healed on the surface. The one who came 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:18.400 back realized Jesus didn't just heal skin, he could heal 0:14:18.480 --> 0:14:22.960 his soul. He could give him peace fulfillment purpose. It's 0:14:23.000 --> 0:14:26.000 no wonder he couldn't thank him enough. The others were 0:14:26.000 --> 0:14:29.440 glad to have been healed. This man was grateful to 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:33.440 have met his savior, and with that expression of gratitude 0:14:33.800 --> 0:14:37.200 he unlocked something so much greater. He was made whole. 0:14:38.040 --> 0:14:40.800 It's one thing to get the job you want, it's 0:14:40.840 --> 0:14:44.120 another to be fulfilled there. It's one thing to meet 0:14:44.160 --> 0:14:47.520 someone great, it's another to have a great relationship. It's 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:49.960 one thing to get through a struggle, and it's another 0:14:50.040 --> 0:14:53.840 to have peace. We're incomplete when we only receive the 0:14:53.920 --> 0:14:58.280 external blessing. When we're thankful, the Bible says, God does 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:02.160 something on the inside that's so much more valuable. Will 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:06.080 experience a sense of His wholeness, and everything will come 0:15:06.120 --> 0:15:09.400 together for good. When I was applying for college, there 0:15:09.480 --> 0:15:12.600 was one particular school I really wanted to attend. To 0:15:12.640 --> 0:15:15.280 be honest, I wasn't even interested in the others. When 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:19.040 I finally got that acceptance letter, I was so excited 0:15:19.480 --> 0:15:22.360 God had answered my prayer. That could have been it. 0:15:22.880 --> 0:15:25.800 I could have stopped there. But for the next four 0:15:25.880 --> 0:15:28.840 years I continued to thank God for allowing me to 0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:32.240 go to that university. I've graduated, and I still thank 0:15:32.320 --> 0:15:36.240 Him almost every day. In response. He gave me so 0:15:36.400 --> 0:15:41.160 much more than just an acceptance letter. He gave me peace, protection, 0:15:41.720 --> 0:15:46.040 good friends, the right classes. It wasn't always easy, but 0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:49.600 I had everything I needed on the inside. Some people 0:15:50.080 --> 0:15:54.760 are successful but not whole. Others are blessed, but still 0:15:54.760 --> 0:15:58.600 missing something. When we take time each day to thank 0:15:58.640 --> 0:16:02.320 God for his goodness, when we take time to say 0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:05.600 thank you for what he's done, we're like the one 0:16:05.600 --> 0:16:09.120 man who came back and fell at Jesus's feet. We're 0:16:09.160 --> 0:16:13.640 recognizing he hasn't just answered our prayer. He's saved our soul. 0:16:14.080 --> 0:16:17.000 He's given us everything we need and him we have 0:16:17.120 --> 0:16:20.480 a hope and a future. We won't just be healed, 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:25.560 we'll be made whole. Life isn't complete without thanksgiving. Even 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:30.120 our prayers aren't finished without it. Philippians four says, in 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:34.920 everything by prayer with thanksgiving, present your request to God. 0:16:35.760 --> 0:16:39.560 Maybe some prayers haven't been answered because we didn't finish them. 0:16:39.920 --> 0:16:44.000 We forgot to say thank you, We didn't use the password. 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:48.000 That's how the Bible tells us to pray with thanksgiving. 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:52.240 It's not about begging God or trying to convince him 0:16:52.240 --> 0:16:54.640 to give us what we want. He already knows what 0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:57.400 we need once we ask. From then on we can 0:16:57.440 --> 0:17:00.000 thank him for it. There was a woman who came 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:03.920 to Jesus begging for him to heal her daughter. She 0:17:04.080 --> 0:17:07.920 pleaded with him over and over, Please, she's sick. Help us. 0:17:08.600 --> 0:17:10.960 We read so many times in scripture where Jesus went 0:17:11.040 --> 0:17:15.639 out of his way to heal people, he was kind, compassionate, 0:17:16.400 --> 0:17:20.680 but in this particular instance, he seemed to be ignoring her. Finally, 0:17:20.720 --> 0:17:24.239 the woman realized, my begging's not doing any good, and 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:28.120 she fell at his feet and began thanking him, worshiping, 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:31.840 giving him praise. All of a sudden, Jesus stopped, looked 0:17:31.880 --> 0:17:34.560 at her and said, your daughter has been made whole. 0:17:35.240 --> 0:17:39.680 What begging couldn't do, thanksgiving did. And like the man 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:43.200 with leprosy, she wasn't only healed, she was made whole. 0:17:43.840 --> 0:17:46.879 Sometimes we wait until after we see the promise to 0:17:46.920 --> 0:17:50.840 thank God. We think him after a situation turns around. 0:17:51.200 --> 0:17:54.080 But if we'll be willing to thank Him in advance, 0:17:54.520 --> 0:17:58.360 we're taking gratitude to the next level. God, I'm struggling 0:17:58.359 --> 0:18:01.960 in my finances. I want to thank you that abundance 0:18:02.040 --> 0:18:05.159 is coming. The medical report may not be good, but 0:18:05.240 --> 0:18:08.040 I thank you the healing is on the way. Or 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:11.440 I'm battling discouragement, but God, I thank you that you're 0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:15.679 giving me victory. Prayer and thanksgiving go hand in hand 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:19.240 when we ask God and thank him for it. There's 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:22.360 no limit to what he will do. It was late 0:18:22.400 --> 0:18:25.920 in the evening and a large crowd was gathered when 0:18:25.920 --> 0:18:29.560 the disciples came to Jesus and said, everyone's getting hungry. 0:18:29.720 --> 0:18:32.040 There's nothing to eat. We need to send these people home. 0:18:32.880 --> 0:18:35.200 Jesus looked at them and said, you give them something 0:18:35.240 --> 0:18:38.520 to eat. The disciples probably looked at each other and thought, 0:18:38.520 --> 0:18:41.040 we have five loaves of bread and two fish that 0:18:41.080 --> 0:18:43.560 a little boy gave us. That's not even enough to 0:18:43.560 --> 0:18:49.200 feed Peter. Jesus said, bring them to me, and in 0:18:49.320 --> 0:18:53.600 verse nineteen, he took the five loaves two fish, held 0:18:53.640 --> 0:18:56.240 them up to the heavens and gave thanks. Then the 0:18:56.280 --> 0:19:00.000 disciples gave them to the people and everyone around fifteen 0:19:00.000 --> 0:19:04.400 two thousand and eight, and we're satisfied. There were even leftovers. 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:09.439 Jesus gave thanks for what he had, for what was 0:19:09.520 --> 0:19:12.639 not enough. He blessed what seemed to be too little, 0:19:13.040 --> 0:19:16.800 and it multiplied. Maybe we think I can't thank God 0:19:16.840 --> 0:19:20.120 for this apartment, it's too small. I can't thank him 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:23.240 for my finances. I'm barely getting by when what we 0:19:23.359 --> 0:19:27.359 have is not enough. We're right where Jesus was. We've 0:19:27.359 --> 0:19:31.160 got five loaves, two fish, and everybody's hungry. We could 0:19:31.200 --> 0:19:34.920 get discouraged or think it's unfair, but that's not part 0:19:35.320 --> 0:19:39.000 of the multiplication process. If we can learn to be 0:19:39.119 --> 0:19:42.480 grateful for what's not enough, then one day God will 0:19:42.560 --> 0:19:45.920 multiply it and give us more than enough. You might 0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:50.680 not think you have enough talent, enough friends, enough resources, 0:19:51.160 --> 0:19:54.000 but why don't you do what Jesus did and thank 0:19:54.080 --> 0:19:56.800 God for what you do have. It may not be 0:19:56.960 --> 0:20:01.480 enough now, but not enough with thanksgiving, can feed thousands 0:20:01.760 --> 0:20:05.520 not enough. With a grateful attitude can become a miracle 0:20:06.240 --> 0:20:08.879 like the Disciples. You'll even come out with some left over. 0:20:09.960 --> 0:20:13.440 In nineteen fifty nine, God gave my grandfather a dream 0:20:13.520 --> 0:20:16.680 to reach the world, but when they started liquid there 0:20:16.680 --> 0:20:19.960 were only ninety people in an old feed store. He 0:20:20.000 --> 0:20:23.439 could have gotten discouraged, thought, how is this going to 0:20:23.440 --> 0:20:27.359 reach the world. The building's too small, there's not enough people. 0:20:28.119 --> 0:20:32.119 It didn't seem like much. But my grandfather knew the password. 0:20:32.560 --> 0:20:35.520 He had a dream for thousands, yet he thanked God 0:20:35.800 --> 0:20:39.240 for the ninety. He thanked God for the feed store. 0:20:39.560 --> 0:20:42.720 He was grateful for what he had. I'd like to 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:45.960 tell you the next week they had five hundred, then 0:20:46.040 --> 0:20:49.639 five thousand people. But for the first thirteen years, the 0:20:49.760 --> 0:20:53.560 church hardly grew. My grandfather had this dream to reach 0:20:53.600 --> 0:20:56.800 the world, but there were no sign of things increasing yet. 0:20:56.840 --> 0:21:01.000 My grandfather just kept thinking. It didn't happen overnight. But 0:21:01.119 --> 0:21:05.320 eventually that thankfulness did lead to more than enough. Because 0:21:05.359 --> 0:21:08.840 he was grateful for the ninety God multiplied it, and 0:21:08.880 --> 0:21:13.159 he still multiplied it almost sixty years later. Sometimes we 0:21:13.560 --> 0:21:16.159 don't think we have anything to be grateful for because 0:21:16.200 --> 0:21:19.360 we're going through a difficulty, but it's in those times 0:21:19.600 --> 0:21:23.600 that gratitude can bring us through the challenge. You probably 0:21:23.640 --> 0:21:26.439 know the story of Jonah. God called him to go 0:21:26.520 --> 0:21:29.600 one way, and he ran the other. During a storm, 0:21:29.800 --> 0:21:33.200 he was thrown into the sea and swallowed by a whale. 0:21:33.280 --> 0:21:37.760 It was dark, it smelled he was being digested alive. 0:21:38.680 --> 0:21:41.600 Sitting there in darkness. Anyone could have complained there you 0:21:41.640 --> 0:21:45.680 actually had a good reason. The problem was Jonah got 0:21:45.760 --> 0:21:49.080 himself in this mess. It was his own fault. There 0:21:49.119 --> 0:21:52.320 was no one else to blame. Sitting there in darkness, 0:21:52.880 --> 0:21:55.680 in the belly of a whale, when it seemed there 0:21:55.760 --> 0:21:59.359 was no reason to be grateful, Jonah said, I will 0:21:59.359 --> 0:22:03.880 offer you the sacrifice of praise with the voice of Thanksgiving. 0:22:04.520 --> 0:22:08.440 In his darkest moment, Jonah used the password and God 0:22:08.520 --> 0:22:11.119 caused the whale to spit him out on dry land. 0:22:11.520 --> 0:22:15.399 He went on to fulfill his destiny. A sacrifice of 0:22:15.440 --> 0:22:19.840 praise means it costs you something. It's not easy. You 0:22:19.880 --> 0:22:23.480 don't always feel like it. We all have moments where 0:22:23.480 --> 0:22:26.200 it feels like we're in the belly of a whale. 0:22:26.320 --> 0:22:31.440 A situation seems impossible, it's our fault. Everything in us 0:22:31.440 --> 0:22:35.280 says we should be discouraged, depressed, maybe just give up. 0:22:35.920 --> 0:22:39.160 Like Jonah, that's the time when we have to offer 0:22:39.440 --> 0:22:42.920 a sacrifice of praise. That's when we can say, God, 0:22:43.280 --> 0:22:46.440 the situation doesn't look good, but I want to thank 0:22:46.480 --> 0:22:49.159 you that you are good and you can turn it around. 0:22:49.920 --> 0:22:52.880 It seems like everything's coming against me, but I thank 0:22:52.920 --> 0:22:55.760 you that you are for me and you can fight 0:22:55.880 --> 0:23:00.960 my battles. Or it's my fault. I messed up, But God, 0:23:01.000 --> 0:23:03.920 I thank you that your mercy is so much greater 0:23:04.000 --> 0:23:07.639 than my mistakes. When you're grateful in the midst of darkness, 0:23:07.920 --> 0:23:11.000 God will bring you out. It might not be easy, 0:23:11.440 --> 0:23:15.280 but that's the sacrifice. This is what Paul and Silas did. 0:23:16.000 --> 0:23:18.720 They were beaten and imprisoned for spreading the good news. 0:23:19.240 --> 0:23:23.240 They hadn't done anything wrong. It was unfair. They found 0:23:23.280 --> 0:23:27.800 themselves bloodied, bruised, and chained in a prison cell. They 0:23:27.840 --> 0:23:31.639 could have gotten angry, bitter, thought God, why did this 0:23:31.760 --> 0:23:34.320 happen to us? We were doing what you told us 0:23:34.359 --> 0:23:38.520 to do. In their darkest moment, in the midnight hour, 0:23:39.200 --> 0:23:43.720 when all hope seemed lost, they weren't defeated. They were singing. 0:23:44.320 --> 0:23:48.840 They thanked God. They offered a sacrifice of praise. The 0:23:48.920 --> 0:23:52.680 Bible says, at once all the prison doors flew open, 0:23:52.920 --> 0:23:57.280 and everyone's chains came loose. When we used the password. 0:23:57.400 --> 0:24:01.800 It opens prison doors, it breaks chain, It sets us free. 0:24:02.160 --> 0:24:05.000 No matter how dark it gets, whether you're in the 0:24:05.040 --> 0:24:07.960