Current Events and How They Relate to End-Times

Notes: Special guest Joel Rosenberg discusses current events and how they relate to end-times. 
Joel Rosenberg
Daniel 7
SPEAKERS:
Jeff Lasseigne
Joel Rosenberg
MUSICAL GUEST:
Steve Wiggins
WORSHIP TEAM:
Harvest Worship Band

Sunday, January 17, 2016 — 10:00 a.m.

Joel is telling us about his new book The First Hostage.

Radical Islam is a very serious threat. They want to attack us, Apocalyptic Islam is even worse, they don't want to just attack us, they want to kill all of us to usher in the end times as they see it. 

Joel has moved to Israel, he is now a dual citizen.

Joel is going to meet with Pastor Greg's tour  to Israel this year and help guide the participants. He thinks that as a Christian that this is a perfect time to visit Israel.

We are talking about the difference between Bible Eschatology and Islamic Eschatology. There are big differences.

27% of the Bible is prophecy, 1 in 4 verses. Many have come to pass but many are also yet to come and pass.

Joel says that a lot of the people who preach Bible prophecy are crazy, and many people think that is everyone that teaches it. But that is not true of all of the teachers.

Israel as a country right now is fulfilled prophecy.

What's the difference between Apocalyptic Islam Eschatology and Biblical Eschatology? 

John 10:10 NKJV
[10] The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

This verse describes to us exactly the opposites that Jesus and Satan represent.

Radical Islam wants to attack while Apocalyptic Islam wants to eliminate us. Radicals want us out of the Middle East, Apocalyptic want us dead.

All Muslims believe that the world will end, but only 10% believe it can be ushered in with violence.

With 1.3 billion Muslim in the world, that means over 100 million believe in the violence it takes to usher in the end of world times.

Daniel 7:13-14,22-27 NKJV
[13] "I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. [14] Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. [22] until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom. [23] "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. [24] The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings. [25] He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. [26] 'But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever. [27] Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.'

Jewish people that believe the Bible believe that God is coming to establish His kingdom.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 NKJV
[5] "Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, "That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. [6] In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Isaiah 9:6 NKJV
[6] For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

As followers of Jesus, we see that Jesus came to fulfill these prophecies.

Matthew 3:2 NKJV
[2] and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

Matthew 4:12,17,23-24 NKJV
[12] Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. [17] From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." [23] And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. [24] Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

In Syria there is a war raging today, the Islamic people have been expecting this through their Islamic prophecies.

The Christian Church is to loive their neighbors and enemies.

John 6:15 NKJV
[15] Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Jesus had no intention of becoming a geopolitical King on his first coming.

John 3:3 NKJV
[3] Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

You can't enter the Kingdom unless you receive and are adopted into the kingdom by Jesus Christ.

The similarities are we both believe that our books have prophecies to the end of days, we both believe the messiah will be king.

Islam teaches that their prophecies are correct. Islam teaches a violent physical battle, the Bible teaches a spiritual battle. Islam teaches to kill the enemy, the Bible teaches to love your enemy.

We know that the Islamic prophecies are false and the Biblical prophecies are correct.

Are you living the way the Bible teaches? Are you engaging others to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them?

Pastor Saeed has been released yesterday. He has shared the gospel with the prisoners he was in prison with in Iran and many have come to faith.

It's All How You Look at Things

Notes: It's All How You Look at Things

Numbers 13

Joshua 14

SPEAKER:

Greg Laurie

WORSHIP TEAM:

Harvest Worship Band

Welcome to Harvest Sunday Morning!

Sunday, January 3, 2016 — 10:00 a.m.

You are in a spiritual battle as a believer, do you want to advance or retreat?

It's 2016!! Where's my spaceship?

Time passes at the same rate always, yet as we get it older it seems to go faster. We actually have less new experiences as we get older, and it is said that is why it seems to go faster.

We don't know what the new year holds but we know who holds the year.

This year there will be opportunities as well as obstacles.

God has a plan, He always has a plan.

Daniel 4:35 NKJV

[35] All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?"

With our eyes on the Lord we can rest assured that He will do great things.

We can make this our best year ever!

Hebrews 12:1 NKJV

[1] Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

What may be a weight to one, may not necessarily be a weight to another.

There are relationships or an activity that may not be bad in general but they are holding you back spiritually.

Are the things you doing a wing or a weight?

Where should you be looking? If you are driving, you can should be looking ahead. As a Christian you should be looking towards Jesus. Where I look affects how I live.

How we view God determines how we view life. There is no area of your life that this view does not affect you.

Numbers 13:25-28 NKJV

[25] And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. [26] Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. [27] Then they told him, and said: "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. [28] Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.

Numbers 13:30-33 NKJV

[30] Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." [31] But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we." [32] And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. [33] There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

Numbers 14:1-2 NKJV

[1] So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. [2] And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!

All these 12 men saw the same thing, yet they saw it differently.

The majority saw all kinds of problems. They have a small god. The minority have a big God and saw all the opportunity available to them.

Do you look at things with faith or with concern?

God will always honor His word when it goes out.

Why they didn't enter the land of Milk and Honey:

1. They focused their attention on the obstacles instead of their objective.

Numbers 13:28 NKJV

[28] Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.

2. When you allow fear to grip you, everything is affected.

Numbers 14:2-4 NKJV

[2] And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! [3] Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" [4] So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt."

Had they forgotten how bad things were in Egypt?

God can do more with 300 believers the he can with 10,000 half hearted followers.

4. God does not want us to run from our giants, He wants us to attack them!

Numbers 14:9 NKJV

[9] Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them."

Addiction, gluttony, fear, or a threat, we are to attack them with our faith in God to be with us.

Force your giant into the light of day! Call on God and pray for his power. You don't negotiate with giants, you cut off its head.

1 Samuel 17:51 NKJV

[51] Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

How do we attack our giants? You attack the power that controls the person, satan. God will hear your prayers.

Your don't have to live in a wilderness, you can enter the land of milk and honey:

Joshua 14:7-12 NKJV

[7] I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. [8] Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God. [9] So Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.' [10] And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. [11] As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. [12] Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said."

When God gives you the strength, you can do whatever the Lord calls you to do. Louie Zamparini is a perfect example of this.

Even though Caleb was older, he had not lost his strength.

Caleb's secret to spiritual longevity was his complete faith in the Lord.

No matter what you are facing, God is stronger than your obstacles, with your faith in Him you can overcome them.

The Talk

Notes: The Talk

SPEAKER:

Jeff Lasseigne

WORSHIP TEAM:

Harvest Worship Band

Welcome to Harvest Sunday Morning!

Sunday, December 27, 2015 — 8:00 a.m.

Pastor Jeff wants to speak to us about money today.

Someone once wrote, they say money talks, mine is always saying goodbye.

The Money Talk… about savings and not being foolish. God’s word has given us wisdom to practice with money. There are over 2000 verses in Bible discussing money.

Proverbs 24:3-4 NLT A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables.

1- Tithing
Proverbs 3:9 NLT Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.

Haggai 1:6 NLT You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!

You can do more with the Lord and 90% then you can do alone with 100%.

Look to discover the blessings of tithing. If you sow sparingly then you will reap sparingly.

2- Stewardship

Nothing truly belongs to us.

Job 1:21 NLT He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”

1 Corinthians 4:2 NLT Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful.

Honor the Lord and seek Him in every major financial decision. Pray to the Lord about everything. Nothing belongs to you so ask the Lord what He wants to do with His things.

Do not follow the typical American way of living beyond your means.

3- Contentment

1 Timothy 6:6 NLT Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.

Contentment helps us not to waste time seeking riches.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 NLT Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!

Proverbs 23:4 NLT Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit.

Do not make the critical mistake in sacrificing the family in order to make more money in order to buy more things. Dinner time, school plays, sports games with you family is not only priceless but also irreplaceable.

4- Low Debt

Romans 13:8 NLT Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law.

Buying a house to build equity can be wise, running up your credit card debt is a really bad idea.

Proverbs 22:7 NLT Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender.

Eliminate or minimize the debt that is in your life.

Financial freedom is not just keeping your debt low, but also living below your means.

Money makes a good servant, but a terrible master.

5-Wisdom

Knowing to live within you means.

6-Savings

Proverbs 21:20 NKJV There is desirable treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a foolish man squanders it.

Proverbs 22:3 NKJV A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.

We need to put away for difficult times and retirement.

Proverbs 13:16 NKJV Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool lays open his folly.

2 Peter 3:9 NKJV The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

7-Life Insurance

James 4:13-14 NKJV Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

When you purchase life insurance, you have the ability to leave a house and income for your family.

8- Will/Living Trust

If you do not decide how to spend your money after your death, then the government will at a very high cost.

Being a good steward calls us to do these things.

Proverbs 13:22 NKJV A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

Proverbs 30:8-9 NLT First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.

If you love God then you love His word.

2 Timothy 3:16 NLT All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

When you read God’s word, you are inhaling what the Holy Spirit exhaled thousands of years ago.

As we spend time reading and studying scripture, we receive huge returns. It will pay huge spiritual dividends in your life.

God’s word, makes us complete in our faith and it equips us for good work.

BASIC TIPS: for improving your devotional time;

1- Foundational - Commit to daily devotions.

We need to be in the word everyday, it is as important as eating food or drinking water.

2- Make a plan

There are so many ways to study God’s word, like reading through the Bible in a year.

Fear Not!

Notes: Fear Not!

Luke 2

SPEAKER:

Greg Laurie

WORSHIP TEAM:

Harvest Worship Band

Welcome to Harvest!

Thursday, December 24, 2015 — 3:00 p.m.

There was fear in the air 2000 years ago and there is fear today. But just like then, we are to Fear Not!

The first Christmas there was no stockings hanging in homes over fire places. There was fear of the government and the rulers, the people were unhappy.

The messiah was coming then, and the answer to our fears now is the messiah coming again.

"Fear not" was used three times in the Bible.

When the Angels appeared to people, the angels were always men.

Angels say "fear not" when they appear.

1. God still answers prayers.

Luke 1:11-16 NKJV

[11] Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. [12] And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. [13] But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. [14] And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. [15] For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. [16] And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

John's job was to set the way for Jesus.

The Lord can intervene.

Psalm 50:15 NKJV

[15] Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."

Psalm 34:4 NKJV

[4] I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

2. God still keeps His promises

Luke 1:26-31 NKJV

[26] Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, [27] to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. [28] And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" [29] But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. [30] Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. [31] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.

700 years earlier the prophet Isaiah predicted that Jesus would be born to a virgin.

Christmas will let you down, but Christ will never let you down.

We don't need Christmas presents, we need to be in Christ's presence.

Luke 2:8-12 NKJV

[8] Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. [9] And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. [10] Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. [11] For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. [12] And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

God is in control, God has a plan and God has a purpose for you.

Revelation 1:17-18 NKJV

[17] And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. [18] I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

For the Christian, death is not the end.

The angels were saying, don't worry, be happy.

Isaiah 41:10 NKJV

[10] Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'

Hebrews 13:6 NKJV

[6] So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

Accept the gift of Jesus Christ and eternal life.

God will not force this gift upon you, it is up to you to receive it.

Thankful

Notes: Thankful

Genesis 6

1 Corinthians 11

SPEAKER:

Greg Laurie

WORSHIP TEAM:

Harvest Worship Band

Thursday, November 19, 2015 — 7:00 p.m.

We are being attacked, the end times seem to be upon us.

The Muslim terrorist that we are seeing are getting worse and worse.

Russia is stepping in and they are, even more amazingly, partnering with Iran. The book of Ezekiel describes that relationship in the last days.

Matthew 24:37-39 NLT

[37] "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. [38] In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. [39] People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

Jesus confirms there was Noah and a flood. He is also speaking of what will happen in the last days.

Genesis 6:5-7 NLT

[5] The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. [6] So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart. [7] And the LORD said, "I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing-all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them."

The wickedness had reached the highest degree. Sometimes we wonder when wickedness is rampant, why won't God stop it.

Genesis 6:6 NLT

[6] So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart.

Ezekiel 33:11 NLT

[11] As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?

Genesis 18:25 NLT

[25] Surely you wouldn't do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn't do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?"

Isn't God just to take action?

If we love someone isn't it normal that we hate the things that threaten them?

Genesis 6:8 NLT

[8] But Noah found favor with the LORD.

Noah was found by God like a rare gem.

The word grace is "Gods unmerited love"

Deuteronomy 7:7-8 NLT

[7] "The LORD did not set his heart on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations! [8] Rather, it was simply that the LORD loves you, and he was keeping the oath he had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the LORD rescued you with such a strong hand from your slavery and from the oppressive hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.

Embrace God's love for you.

Things a Last Days believer should do:

1. Noah walks with God.

Genesis 6:9 NLT

[9] This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.

What does it mean to walk with God?

Amos 3:3 NLT

[3] Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?

The objective to walk with someone is to keep pace with them.

2. Noah worked for God

Genesis 6:14 NLT

[14] "Build a large boat from cypress wood and waterproof it with tar, inside and out. Then construct decks and stalls throughout its interior.

Hebrews 11:7 NLT

[7] It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

3. Noah was a witness for God

2 Peter 2:5 NLT

[5] And God did not spare the ancient world-except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God's righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.

Noah never had one concert.

God requires faithfulness not success.

1 Corinthians 3:6-7 NLT

[6] I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. [7] It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow.

The door is open for people to believe.

God said "come into the ark" indicating that He was in the ark already waiting for Noah.

Philippians 1:6 NLT

[6] And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

God always finishes what He begins.

Genesis 8:20 NLT

[20] Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.

4. Noah worshipped God

Hebrews 11:7 NLT

[7] It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

God remembered Noah and Noah remembered God.

Things you can do to show thanks to God:

1. Saying Grace over a meal

Matthew 15:35-36 NLT

[35] So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. [36] Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to the disciples, who distributed the food to the crowd.

Jesus Christ gave thanks before He had a meal.

God gave you everything that you have.

Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT

[18] Remember the LORD your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

Jesus gave thanks before He raised Lazarus from the dead.

We too should thank God that He hears our prayers.

2. Faithful giving of our finances

Proverbs 3:9-10 NLT

[9] Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. [10] Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

Some will give everything to God except their checkbook.

There is great joy in giving!

3. Taking time each day for prayer and Bible study.

Psalm 5:3 NLT

[3] Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

You make time to go.

4. Giving thanks when things are hard.

Daniel 6:10 NLT

[10] But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.

Daniel was in the habit of giving thanks to God.

We must give thanks because the Lord is good and He is working all things for good.

In everything give thanks.

1 Corinthians 11:23-25 NLT

[23] For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread [24] and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me." [25] In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and his people-an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it."

Hebrews 12:12 NLT

[12] So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees.

When Jesus went to the cross, he was thinking of you.

He died for you and He bled for you because He loves you!