Well good morning friends and welcome to Friday the 5th of April and welcome to another episode of Fantastic Friday where we are exploring timeless truths from the Word of God regarding prayer in particular at this time in Fantastic Friday. Again, please excuse my voice. I've been battling a bit with my voice recently and you can pray for me regarding that. Of course, what I do, I do need something of a voice in regard to the preaching and the radio ministry, etc. And so I do trust the Lord to help me even with this recording. Today we delve into the profound topic of gratitude and its significance in prayer. So join me as we uncover the transformative power of gratitude and its impact on the effectiveness of our prayers. Drawing from insights from the scripture and in real life examples. In Psalm 104, sorry, Psalm 100, verse 4, it exhorts us in the following way, and I'll read verse 4 and 5, it says, Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name, for Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever. and his faithfulness generation unto generation. Gratitude is much more than a fleeting emotion, it's a posture of the heart that acknowledges God's goodness and faithfulness. And just as a seed is planted in fertile soil and then produces abundant fruit, cultivating gratitude, in our lives nurtures a deeper relationship with God and opens the floodgates of his blessings. I've been planting a few tomato plants and one of the ways that you get them to grow well is you take your eggshells that you've now dried out and then you would grind them up into a powder then you'd mix that into the soil and that helps to actually bring about more calcium into the plant, which then produces better tomatoes. And that's in a similar way when we have that good soil of gratitude, then we begin to bear much fruit. Philippians 4 verse 6 to 7 is a passage that I've used so often on radio pulpits. It says, Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Gratitude is the key that unlocks the door to effective prayer. When we approach God with a heart that is full of thanksgiving, Our prayers are infused with faith and confidence knowing that He hears and understands and answers according to His will. What is your latitude for gratitude? I couldn't resist myself with adding something a little bit cheesy that will now stick in your mind. Latitude for gratitude. How high is your gratitude in that regard? How can we practically implement these truths in our lives? One practical way is to start each day with a grateful heart. Before you even get out of bed, take a moment to thank God for the gift of a new day and for His faithfulness throughout your life. As an example of this, I'm even thanking God in my head right now regarding the fact that I have a voice to be able to do this recording. It could have been that I was having to whisper, and that would be difficult for you to listen to. But keeping a gratitude journal is another way that is just such a powerful practice. You could write these things down, or if you have a daily book that you use as a diary, to actually write down a few areas that you're grateful for in that day. Each day, write down at least three things that you can be thankful for to God, no matter how big or how small. This simple exercise can then shift your perspective and cultivate a habit of gratitude in your life. Having a gratitude list on the fridge or thankfulness list on the fridge is such a godly thing to do in many respects. You just think about this as a couple. If you're married, you can have this little list on your fridge with a fridge magnet or whatever it is. And you could have, as the husband, your section on the one side, the wife on the other side. And you can have something of a godly competition between husband and wife regarding areas that you can be thankful to, to the Lord. and then each one can actually read the other one's area and you can then impact each other regarding thankfulness. In Luke 17, verse 11 to 19, we encounter the story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers, yet only one returned to express gratitude. Now you think about this, you think about the way that, I mean, God has made us in a very personable way and he himself is a person No, there's not a person in the same sense as a human being. But God has personality. There's a personhood to God. And there's a desire to actually have this walk with us. And listen to what Jesus says. As it happened, while they were on their way to Jerusalem, he passed through Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered the village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met him, and they raised their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said to them, Go and show yourself to the priests. And it happened. that as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at his feet, giving thanks to him, and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answered and said, Where were, were there not ten cleansed? But the nine, where are they? Was there no one found who turned back to give glory to God except this foreigner? And he said to him, stand up and go, your faith has saved you. Now just like we find Jesus commending the Samaritan leper for his faith and for his gratitude, we ought, excuse me, We ought to develop that kind of a faithfulness before God. We ought to have that kind of a gratitude before Him. And sadly, we so often can be like those nine lepers who don't come back to give thanks to God. And we see also the importance of acknowledging God's goodness and responding with thanksgiving. If you think about King David, who exemplifies this heart of gratitude in the Psalms, even in the midst of trial and adversity, in Psalm 103, it's such a beautiful expression of David's gratitude for God's steadfast love and abundant blessing. I'll just read verse one to five, but you could go and read Psalm 103 all in all by yourself. Bless Yahweh, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless His holy name. Bless Yahweh, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who pardons all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion, who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Gratitude is not just reserved for the good times. It's a powerful weapon against despair and against discouragement. When we choose to give thanks in all circumstances, we then shift our focus from our problem to God's promises, and we cultivate a heart of gratitude. We align ourselves with God's will, and we experience the peace that surpasses all understanding. Just as an example of this, When you're going through trials and you realize that the Word of God teaches that God sees us as far better and greater than the birds. And He looks after the birds of the air. None of them sow or reap or gather into bonds, but God looks after them. Not one of them falls to the ground without Him being over that very moment. He knows the hairs that are on our head. He has clothed the lilies with such a clothing that not even Solomon in all of his grandeur had the same kind of a clothing that the lilies have. So then isn't our life something that is worthy of praising the Lord for and giving Him glory and He looks after us? Isn't it that even the breath that we have in our lungs has been given us by God? Can't we find some reason to have gratitude yet we find ourselves Too often grumbling. You think about the people of Israel that were led out of captivity. How they rejoiced when they first left but when it got hot in the desert. How they were grumbling. How they moaned to have water until they had water. Then they moaned to have food until they had food. Then they moaned about the food and then they moaned about their leaders. We have a heart attitude that is almost unsatisfiable. And this is something to really recognize about us as human beings. In many respects we will never be satisfied until we are in Christ. For we are made with a soul that is so like God because we've been made in His image. that we cannot be satisfied by temporal things and by earthly things. We might find ourselves complaining until we blew in the face or really discontented. But the realities we were made to walk with God. It's when we walk with God that we have real reason to find gratitude even in the difficulties that we face in this life. We ought to align ourselves with God's will and experience than the peace that surpasses all understanding. I mean, what can man do to us? What is it that we have not received from our Heavenly Father? All good gifts come from our Father above, James tells us. Praise God for His manifold blessing that we have received in Jesus Christ. Another practical way to cultivate gratitude is to share your blessings with others. Take time to serve those that are in need, and a wonderful way of even showing gratitude to God For what He has done for you is to minister and to comfort others with the comfort you yourselves have received from the Lord. When we give generously out of the gratitude for what God has given to us, we also express the joy and experience the joy of making a difference in the lives of others. As we serve others, we show gratitude towards our great God. 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 16 to 18 says, Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Many people like to, I mean, they'll buy books that talk about what God's will is, and they like to go to conferences to find out what God's will is, and they're constantly worried about what is God's will. Well, here's a passage that tells you exactly what God's will is. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. I mean, how much more clear can God's word be in regard to what God's will is? His will is that we would, in everything, give thanks. Whether we, you know, have a voice that is battling with a recording, or whatever we have, praise God! What a wonderful opportunity He gives us, that everything we have is His. The very breath in our lungs, the life that we live. Gratitude is a discipline that can be cultivated through intentional practices. Keeping even, as I mentioned, a gratitude journal or reflecting on God's faithfulness and offering spontaneous prayer of thanksgiving throughout the day. These are practical ways to nurture a spirit of gratitude. Even something like praise the Lord and saying praise the Lord and often saying praise the Lord is part of this attitude of gratitude. And as we conclude our exploration on the importance of gratitude in prayer, let us heed the words of Psalm 107 verse 1, which says, O give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good, for His lovingkindness endures for ever. May we cultivate hearts that overflow with gratitude, knowing that our prayers are heard and answered by a faithful and loving God. And one final practical step to cultivating gratitude is to express your thanks, even to others, You see this overflow in our life. You recognize the things that people around you do. I mean, I have a brother that bought me some strepsils just out of the goodness of his own heart. I mean, there, I've seen this kindness from a brother, even inside of a trial, you know? So take time to write a note even of appreciation to someone that has made a difference in your life, or simply express your gratitude in person, say thank you. By acknowledging and appreciating the blessings that we receive from others, we then deepen our sense of gratitude and we foster even stronger relationships. So may the Lord help us to be a people filled with gratitude in all that we do. May the Lord bless us in that regard. Amen.