We are officially in the last month of 2024. How have the previous eleven months been for you? Now, before you launch into sharing all you've endured, permit me to ask you to do one thing first: tell God 'thank you'. Yes, do that one, simple thing.
Did you do it? Are you sure? Then tell him 'thank you' once more.
We've all been through some interesting things over the course of the year. There have been moments that should have broken you and somehow, you are still standing. That 'somehow' was not your intelligence and it didn't depend on how good you've been. That somehow was and is the sheer grace of the Lord working for you.
So, tell Him 'thank you' once more. And say it with true intent this time.
There are many who began the year but are no longer here. There are those who are alive but so oppressed by their challenges that they can't lift their eyes to heaven and can't find cause in their hearts to acknowledge God with gratitude. Then there are those who are sick and dying. If they had known they would be in their current position, I assure you, they would have made it a point to give the Lord more appreciation when they could.
Speak to your spirit man. Tell yourself that it is time to worship the Lord God Almighty. You are privileged to do so and you should take advantage of that. David spoke to his very soul in Psalm 43:5 - Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
I encourage you to do the same this very day. Speak to your soul and command it to praise the Lord. Command your inner man to shake off the despair, the disillusionment, the disappointments, and everything else caging you from breaking into rejoicing.
Praise Him. Thank Him. Glorify Him. Exalt the King of kings.
TLDR: We are doing things a little differently today. It's Praise Day 2024!!! We're going to honor the Lord with our offerings of thanks during fellowship. Yes, Thanksgiving Day is over but let's keep it going. So prepare to love up on the Lord. Share your worship music. Tell the rest of us why you are grateful to God. Come armed with scriptures to glorify Him. Give lots of praise. We'll do this to commemorate December 2024 and to prepare us as we praise our way into 2025.
For more, please read:
From M22 - I look forward to participating fully on Friday with y'all. God bless you all. Amen.
From JIR - As I sit on this flight, I am truly grateful at how God watches over me and His own. I have been spending money to help out with my family’s needs doing what they asked which involved spending money. My money was spreading thin and it was wearing on me a bit.
Well I treated myself to room service at my hotel yesterday and was expecting a bill for a decent amount upon checking out today and the person who checked me out mentioned I had a $0 balance. Hahaha! God is so amazing! All I can do is think at how amazing He is! I even questioned the hotel to ask if the bill was right. They said I was all set. I thanked God again! Just utterly amazing. I’m in awe. Thank You God. You are Almighty and Magnificent in all of Your ways. Thank You for putting this smile on my face. You make life so beautiful. Thank You Lord! I worship and praise You Lord. All glory to You! IJMN. Amen.
From M22 - Grateful to God foe his mercies over myself and my siblings. God has been there for us since the year started. Despite the challenges, he's kept us standing. I am grateful for how is healing us and transforming us. I bless his name for how he's strengthening our inner man everyday. I look forward to how he leads us in the new year and I pray we align with his will and purpose for us. IJMN Amen
CLOSING PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank You for this precious opportunity to honor You with our praises, thanks offerings, and worship. Thank You for the chance to gather in gratitude for what You have done in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones.
You are great and greatly to be praised.
Lord, take all the glory and the honor.
Revelation 5:13 - Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
God, we rejoice in You. The King of kings. The Lord of lords. The God who is above every other god.
Words will never be enough to express the appreciation, awe, and reverence You truly deserve. I pray that these offerings will rise as a sweet-smelling scent to You, Lord.
Please remember those who poured out praises. May a scroll be written with their names on it. Remember them in their times of trouble. Remember them for entering Your gates with thanksgiving and Your royal courts with praises. Hallelujah!
IJN, I pray and say, Amen.
Father, I want to thank You for Your kind grace and mercy.
Last week, I honestly thought one of my children had either been harmed or was in trouble because we couldn't reach them as they were traveling home for the holidays by bus.
They'd missed their connection which created some confusion when suddenly, the communication stopped.
It took the special grace of God to remain calm. I thank the Lord for repeatedly assuring me that the child was fine. In fact, I had to make a choice that day. It was the same day we'd learned that God is waiting on us to trust Him. There I was, facing the choice between submitting to fear or trusting that my child was safe by God's grace.
I spoke out loud to myself, saying, "FFJ, you have to choose to believe what God said." Then, I said, "I trust You, God." Not up to 10 seconds later, another family member reported that they'd heard from my child and that they were fine. They'd just fallen asleep during the trip.
God is great. He can never fail. It's just as the angel said to Mary in Luke 1:37 - For no word from God will ever fail. His word to me that day was that my child was safe and His constant reassurance was the love I needed to eliminate the fear (Zephaniah 3:17). I had to choose to believe. And once I did, He quickly proved Himself.
The God who doesn't need to but proves Himself.
The God who silences the enemy and ensures that it always fails in my life.
Lord, I thank You!
He that begun a good work
Oh he’s so faithful
Faithful to complete
Ah ah ah ah
He that begun a good work
Oh he’s so faithful
Faithful to complete
Chorus
If I’m not dead
You’re not done
You will finish what you started
If I’m not dead you are not done
I can bank on your word
If I’m not dead you are not done
Even a Lazarus you rose
If I’m not dead you are not done
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
You will finish what you started
You will finish what you started
You always finish what you start
You will finish what you started
Isaiah 25:1 - LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.
Thank You Father! The God who predestined me to become more like His Son, Jesus Christ, and is working that out in me.
Thank You great King. The Faithful One. The Upright One. He who rigged everything for my success.
Praise be to You, my Lord!
AND THE PRAISES CONTINUE
Yes, today we keep telling God how great He is.
Have you got a testimony to share? Now's the time. Tell us what God did for you so He is glorified.
We are praising the Lord with all our hearts.
Hallelujah!!
From CMC - Thank you Jesus for providing a way for me to enter Gods presence every day. Thank you for the lives that have encountered here in P&P throughout the years. Thank you for the continuous joy you bring us!
From CMC -
Joel 2:21 - Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things!
Lord, I thank You for Your instruction to not be afraid but to be glad and rejoice.
You, the God who silences our fear with His love. The Almighty who contend with those who oppress and attack us. The God who is the Mighty Man of War. The God of the Heavenly Host who watches over His own. The God who didn't allow the devil to stand in the way of Daniel receiving what he'd prayed for. You sent angels to bring the wisdom he needed.
Who exactly can stand against You?
Therefore, I am not afraid. I am glad and I rejoice for surely You have done great things. My mouth cannot tell it all.
You are Yahweh
Alpha and Omega
From CMC - God all honor and glory belong to you! You are worthy of all my adoration. Thank you for being who you are!! Thank you for creating us in your likeness! Today I just want to worship you! Let my life be for you and your glory! In Jesus name, Amen!
Sovereign Lord, I want to thank You for everyone who's come into a P&P thread this year. Thank You for those who visited the website. Thank You for those who attend through the other group. Thank You as well for those who have received a copy of one of these messages. Thank You for those who have read one of the books.
Good God, I thank You for how You are touching their lives. I thank You for being the God who will not abandon them or their desires. I thank You for Your hand touches them and steers them to the path of righteousness for Your name's sake and their great good.
Be glorified, Almighty King, IJN, Amen.
From CMC - Thank you Father for keeping me these past twelve months, 2024 challenged me but my growth in you fed me. How great is our God!!
From CMC - Happy Tuesday Family!!! Giving Thanks to our Heavenly Father for giving us this day.
God, as the year comes to a close, I want to thank You for every day that has preceded this one. Some were good, some weren't. And in all, You taught me, You guided me, You loved me.
I am grateful.
You have been my Provider, my Defender. You have been the shoulder I lean on and the hand that pushes me forward.
In the fire, You walked with me. In the storm, You were the force that stilled the waves.
God, I am grateful to You for being steadfast and true.
Glory to Your Holy Name!
Thank You for answered prayers! You have done so much for us and indeed, we can never thank You enough to match what You have done.
Still we come before You with a sacrifice of praise and pray it will be a sweet-smelling incense to You.
You are the Doer. The All-encompassing and all-sufficient God (Gen 17:1). We praise Your Holy Name! Hallelujah! Amen!
Hebrews 13:15 - Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
PRAISE TIME
Psalm 100:4 - Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
We cannot approach the Lord without our thanksgiving. We've got to praise Him profusely. Don't try to be cute, give Him all your thanks.
Tell Him thanks for every thing going right in your life. Thank Him also for what isn't right yet, knowing that He's working it out for you. Thank Him for the people He's blessed you with - that child that gave you a gap-toothed grin or that teacher that somehow gave you a better grade than you honestly deserved. He used them to bless you so bless them by thanking for them.
God deserves our praise. It is an offering which rises as a sweet incense to Him. Our offering of praise pleases Him and we already know what comes to those who please Him, right? 1 John 3:22 states we "...receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him."
You ready? Let's get into this praise.
FIVE MINUTES TO GO
It is almost time for us to pour out our love to the Lord.
Are you ready?
Bring your testimonies, even the ones you've shared before.
Drop the music you are using to praise God where you are.
Show us some great gifs that honor God.
Share scriptures that praise Him.
Let's honor the Lord as best we can.