You Don't Need to Pray for More: Thankfulness Is the Seed
Dr RJ Sing, 27 min
This is the whole service. The video opens where he begins, at 0:30.
Originally preached as “The Secret to More, Part 2”
Sermon outline
Thankfulness is the seed for more: a grateful heart attracts God's favour, the right people and increase, while unthankfulness closes the door, so be thankful in every season and express it in words and deeds.
Main text
- Colossians 3:16-17
- Psalm 100:4
Opening
Continuing from Part 1, he reads Colossians 3:16-17. Speaking negativity gives praise to the enemy, while words seasoned with grace give God the praise, and you can locate a person by their words, because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Thankfulness means showing appreciation and being grateful, in trials and in successes, and thanks, thanksgiving and thankful appear 137 times in the Bible.
1. Thankfulness is more powerful than your gifts and talents
Thankfulness attracts people, wealth, God and favour, while classic complainers repel people. Many gifted and talented people never taste the rewards of their skills because they are unthankful, and unthankfulness makes even a beautiful person undesirable.
“Thankfulness is a powerful force that attracts others towards you.”
2. Thankfulness determines whether you multiply or decrease
He watches thankful, grateful people go up and up over months and years, because thankfulness attracts God's favour and unthankfulness closes the door to it. It determines whether you grow or die and whether successful people are drawn to you, so keep it in the forefront of your mind even among unthankful people.
“Unthankfulness causes you to decrease, but thankfulness causes you to increase.”
3. Thankfulness is God's power tool to reconstruct your circumstances
It minimises the effect of negative things, and thankful words please the Holy Spirit, so His presence increases in your life, and with it every curse decreases and every blessing increases.
“When the presence of the Lord increases in your life, everything that's a curse will decrease.”
4. Thankfulness is an effective weapon for victory
Whatever Satan throws at you, an attitude of thanksgiving and praise attracts the angels of God to act and fight for you, and it demoralises the demons assigned against your dreams and visions.
“Thankful people are victorious.”
5. An attitude of thanksgiving changes the world around you
Media, society and culture have trained us to be thankful only when we receive or win, but Paul learned to be content and happy whatever his situation, and his attitude of rejoicing made the difference.
“His attitude of rejoicing made the difference.”
- Philippians 4:11
6. Remember the kindness of others
Paul thanked God upon every remembrance of the believers, and he thanks God for partners, the church and those who encouraged and refreshed him. Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed, and if you have sown without yet reaping the full harvest, it is coming; a thankful spirit brings a net-breaking catch.
“Thankfulness will bring in your harvest.”
- Philippians 1:3
- Proverbs 11:25
- Ecclesiastes 11:1
- Luke 5:6
7. Suffering produces an invisible reward
Paul stayed thankful because he knew suffering would produce an invisible reward: troubled on every side yet not distressed, perplexed but not in despair, cast down but not destroyed.
- 2 Corinthians 4:8-10
8. Correct your focus to correct unthankfulness
We are so busy on social media that we forget to say thank you, and God has been dealing with him to be grateful whenever he receives something. Thankfulness is a seed for more: we don't need to pray for more, only to be thankful for what we have.
“All we have to do is be thankful for what you've got, and God will give you the more.”
9. Thankfulness attracts the right people
Ruth's attitude got the attention of Boaz, who told his servants to make things easier for her. Some people are not promoted at work because they are unthankful: they tell off the supervisors and managers who have the power to promote them, closing the very doors God wanted to use.
“The very people God wanted to use to help you, you've already closed the doors.”
- Ruth 2:15-16
10. Thankfulness makes you a personal magnet
Simply being thankful draws people to want to serve you and bless your life.
11. Thankfulness controls the flow of favour
If we are thankful, favour starts to flow towards us from every side.
“If we just be thankful, favour will start to flow towards us.”
12. Thankfulness determines your experiences with God
Paul was a happy man who thanked God for every specific blessing, and thankful people stay excited. Some are professional critics of everything except themselves.
Illustration: When you have an extra critical spirit, go to the bathroom and look in the mirror: 'mirror, mirror on the wall'.
“Thankful people stay excited.”
- Philippians 1:3
13. Remembering the goodness of God keeps you thankful
He is thankful for the church and for preachers, even those who preach differently or differ on doctrine, because through them people are saved. He thanks God for Christians, the salt of the earth and the light of the world, who have integrity and say no when everyone goes a certain way, convicting others even without words.
“Had it not been for them, people wouldn't be saved.”
- Matthew 5:13-14
14. Honour your spouse in front of your children
A mother can correct a wrong attitude in a child by honouring and publicly praising the father's labours, and the other way round; constant criticism of a spouse teaches children to be unthankful towards their parents.
“Let's teach our children to respect them.”
15. Your attitude is your greatest asset or your greatest burden
A great attitude brings not only the favour of God but His blessings.
“Your attitude is the greatest asset and your greatest burden in life.”
16. Your thankfulness has a spiritual impact on others
A thankful person can carry the presence of God and the Holy Spirit to others. Be thankful that you have food, clothes and a home, a God to rely on, and the freedom to read the Bible and pray in your own home.
“It's not illegal for you to read the Bible.”
- Philippians 2:28
17. Praise music that honours the Holy Spirit attracts His presence
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Find ways to express appreciation, verbally, publicly and privately, thanking the people who help you at work, at church and at home.
“People don't know how appreciative you are until you express it.”
- Psalm 100:4
18. Seal your appreciation with a gift
Scripture speaks of word and deed, so words are sometimes not enough: give a gift with your thank you and seal your appreciation.
“Sometimes you need to seal your appreciation with a gift.”
- Colossians 3:17
Putting it into practice
- Watch your words: speak with grace rather than negativity.
- Be thankful in tough times, not only when you receive or win.
- Thank God for what you have instead of only praying for more.
- Thank and honour the people who help you, including your spouse and your supervisors.
- Express appreciation in words, and sometimes seal it with a gift.
Closing
He says the seed for more is thankfulness, has everyone stand, and prays that God would forgive their unthankfulness, himself included, and make them more thankful and appreciative. In a closing word to viewers he invites anyone who stopped serving God or going to church through disappointment to pray to restore their fellowship, join a Bible-based church, overlook offence and walk by faith, not by sight.
Declarations he led
- Dear Lord Jesus, please forgive me for my sins, forgive me for breaking fellowship, and now, Lord God, I will restore my fellowship with you by joining a local church and serving you. In Jesus' name I obtain, Lord, cleansing for my sin.
In his words
- “You can locate a man and a woman by the words they speak.”
- “Thankfulness attracts favour in your life.”
- “Sometimes we pray for more. We don't need to actually pray for more.”
- “Some people are professional criticisers. You can criticise everything except yourself.”
- “The seed for more is thankfulness.”
Every scripture in this message
- Colossians 3:16-17
- Matthew 12:34
- Philippians 4:11
- Philippians 1:3
- Proverbs 11:25
- Ecclesiastes 11:1
- Luke 5:6
- 2 Corinthians 4:8-10
- Ruth 2:15-16
- Matthew 5:13-14
- Philippians 2:28
- Psalm 100:4
- Psalm 103:1
- 2 Corinthians 5:7