Being Thankful For Everything At All Times — Zac Poonen

Since this is a week when a lot of Americans call Thanksgiving week, we don't have any such thing in India, in most countries in the world. But it's good to think about that since you live in this country.

Giving Thanks for All People

And here is a challenge. 1 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 1. I'd like to give you an example from this verse of how carelessly we read scripture. First of all, 1 Timothy 2, 1. I urge, these are strong words.

First of all, I urge entreaties and prayers and petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men. Giving thanks for all men? Did you ever think that the Bible says something like that? Have you read it carefully?

Is it really true? Did the Holy Spirit inspire that? That we give thanks for all men? So I've thought about it. Do I have to give thanks for those guys who killed somebody yesterday? Or last week? Or the terrorists who are blowing up places?

I want to be realistic. I don't want to pretend. I certainly don't give thanks for people who are killing or killing others. I see this as I give thanks for all men in the way they relate to me. Somebody who does harm to me or somebody who does good to me.

Every human being who I have some connection with. And we have connection with a lot of human beings in our office. Unconverted relatives and church people in the church. Some would do good and some would do foolish things or harmful things.

Romans 8:28 and Thankfulness in Every Relationship

In relation to them, every one of them, I have to have a spirit of thankfulness for one reason. And that is because I believe in Romans 8 28. And that is, you know that verse very well. That God makes everything that all these human beings with whom I am connected, in the way they are related to me, work for my good.

And Romans 8 28, all things, all things means every single thing that any human being who has anything to do with me, what they do, what they don't do, what they promise to do and don't do. Or what they hate me and do in order to harm me.

Whatever it is, it makes absolutely no difference. The things that people do accidentally, which hurt me. Or the evil that someone is speaking about me. Or the way somebody is angry with you or upset with you.

Maybe your husband, maybe your wife. Well, those who don't have victory, they will get angry. And you may be married to such a person. What do you do? Believe that God makes every single thing work together.

Not by itself, work together with everything else for your good. I have believed that verse, not all my life, not even all my converted life. But definitely in the last few many years. That every single thing works for my good.

And that good is not to make me wealthy or healthy or famous or any of that garbage, which the world considers good. The good is described in the next verse. He predestined me to become like Jesus, his son.

Becoming Like Christ as the Greatest Good

That is the good mentioned in verse 28. And that I believe with all my heart. All the things that people do to me, it may not make me wealthy, it may make me poor. It may trouble me in so many ways. The early Christians were put into jail.

Can they give thanks? If these verses, you got to read verse 28 and 29 together. Most Christians I have met who know Romans 8 .28 do not know verse 29. And that is why they don't give thanks, even though they know the verse by heart.

If you believe verse 28 and 29, I tell you, it will not only be Thanksgiving week for you, it will be a Thanksgiving year. And not only Thanksgiving year, but your Thanksgiving life, lifetime. I have learned that in the last few years.

I didn't know it all my life because nobody taught me this when I was a young Christian. I wish every single young Christian would be taught this from a very young, soon as they are born again. Believe that God is so sovereignly in control, that he makes everything work for your good, and that good is not what you think is good, to make you like Jesus Christ, which is the greatest good.

You know, when we get to heaven, we will discover that becoming a millionaire was not such a good thing. Becoming famous was not a good thing. Because so many people commit suicide who are millionaires and who are famous.

And wealth ruins so many people. And being poor like a beggar, that's also not a good thing. But becoming like Christ, becoming a little more like Jesus, that is the greatest good that God can ever do to me.

To be healed from a sickness, good, but not as good as becoming like Jesus. I'd rather be sick all my life, and that will make me more like Christ. Can you say that? I'd rather live in poverty all my life, if it will make me more like Christ.

Daniel 4 and the Total Sovereignty of God

If you really believe that becoming like Christ is the greatest good that God can ever do to you, you will say that. I want to read you a verse which I often quoted as the most complete statement of the sovereignty of God over all people and circumstances.

It's in Daniel chapter 4. In Daniel chapter 4, in my study of the Bible, I've never found one verse which speaks as completely of the total sovereignty and power of God as this verse, Daniel 4 .35. And it was spoken by Nebuchadnezzar.

When he repented of his pride, and I believe God converted, he probably may be in heaven. You know, he was very proud at one time and boasted about his big city of Babylon, verse 30, that he built. And immediately God punished him, and he became like an animal in the fields for seven years, eating grass and all that.

And it says here that at the end of that, he repented. And it says here, he then said, I praised and honored God, verse 34. And see what he says. The dominion of God is an everlasting dominion from end to end.

His kingdom endures from generation to generation to generation. This is the verse I'm thinking of. Every single human being on the earth, everybody is counted as zero by God. Zero. If you believe this verse, I tell you it'll change your life.

Believe me. That every human being, the ones whom you're trying to impress, is worth zero before God. Why are you wasting your time trying to impress him? The one you feel has got such power to trouble you, he's a zero before God.

Why are you afraid of him? You won't want to impress anybody because he's a zero. And you won't be afraid of anybody because they are zeros. Every human being is a zero before God. And he does exactly what he wills.

Whatever God wants to do for you, on your behalf, to you, and through you, in heaven, and among all the people on the earth, that includes me, he's going to do it. And not a single human being can stop his hand when he wants to do something for me or through me.

Nobody. Nobody can stop him from accomplishing what he wants through you or through me. And no one can say to him, what have you done? If you believe that, I tell you, your life will come to rest in God.

Resting in God's Sovereignty Through Difficult People

It has brought my life to a rest in God. So many things go wrong in the house. If you believe this verse, you'll be at rest 24 hours of the day, 7 days of the week, throughout the year. And you will give thanks for every single human being who comes across your path.

You'll thank God for your wife, morning till night. You'll thank God for your husband, morning till night, no matter what she is like. Even if she's like a witch or even if he's like Satan himself. You believe in this verse.

There's absolutely nothing that anybody can do which will not work for your good. Your troublesome children, like you heard from Wenhai just now. Beautiful words about how to bring up children. In spite of that, they go through a phase of difficulty.

Give thanks that God will bring them around. Your faith must be expressed in thanksgiving. So it's not just for one week. It's for a lifetime. For whom? For every single human being in every single circumstance that's ever going to come into my life.

Say that to the Lord from today onwards for the rest of my life. And then I'll spend eternity in heaven. Thanking Him forever over there as well. Believing that every single thing is allowed by God for my good.

Jehoshaphat: Praise and Thanksgiving in Spiritual Battle

With a purpose to make me more like Christ. As time goes on. One last verse. Read 2 Chronicles 20 sometime. 2 Chronicles 20 is about a great army. All these Old Testament stories are about spiritual lessons.

A great multitude of people came to fight against Jehoshaphat. We read in 2 Chronicles 20 verse 2. Jehoshaphat just went before the Lord and claimed his promises. And said, Lord you've done so many things for us in the past.

And here are your promises. I claim them. We don't have any power. Verse 12. We don't have any wisdom. Great thing to say. Verse 12. I have no power. I have no wisdom. But I trust you. And so he said, let's go out and praise the Lord.

And instead of sending the soldiers and the people with bows and arrows in the front of the army. He right in front of the army. He put those, verse 21, who could sing to the Lord. And praise the Lord.

Those are the people who must go right in front. That's a picture for how we must go into battle against Satan. The spirit of praise and thanksgiving right in front. What is the result? Listen to this word.

When, verse 22. Great verse. When they began singing and praising the Lord. The Lord defeated all their enemies. They were routed. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.