BE THANKFUL with Don Carpenter

Why Thankfulness Matters

0:07 SPEAKER_00: For more ministry podcasts, visit our website and subscribe to doncarpenter.ca.

0:13 SPEAKER_02: We have so much to be thankful for. As believers, we have the ability to be thankful for everything. A story in the New Testament.

Ten Lepers Cry Out To Jesus

0:27 SPEAKER_02: Luke seventeen, verse eleven. While he was on the way to Jerusalem, he was passing between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met him, and they raised their voices, saying, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. When he saw them, he said to them, Go and show yourselves to the priests. And 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 faith at his feet, giving thanks to him, and he was a Samaritan.

1:28 SPEAKER_02: Then Jesus answered and said, Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine, where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God except as foreigner? And he said to him, Stand up and go, your faith has made you well. And in the original it says, Your faith has saved you.

A Real Picture Of Lepers Today

2:00 SPEAKER_02: I've witnessed this kind of a scene. One of the trips when I was in Bangladesh, Asia. And I was in the city of Dhaka. And the place where I was staying, when I came out to the highway, we would go wherever we were traveling to in the city, meetings or wherever, we would always drive past a group of lepers. They were under a great big tree, and there probably was eight or ten of them sitting there, and they'd be begging. Quite a sight, their hands all growing together, faces defigured, and all of that sort of thing.

2:41 SPEAKER_02: And they were never allowed to approach anybody. They could yell out, and if you could toss them some money, that would be fine. And that was similar to what it was here. But they had heard of Jesus, and as he was walking by, and they raised their voices, they reached out. Anytime that you call out to God, you're calling out with a sense of expectancy. You're putting something into it, and you are recognizing that the Lord God can make the difference of what you are requiring in your life. These men were outcasts of society.

3:33 SPEAKER_02: They had heard about the miraculous workings and healing power that Christ had as he ministered to the sick. So they raised their voices and they were begging to receive. And Jesus just spoke to them. He said, Go and show yourself to the priests. And they all got up and started walking because it would have been the priest that declared that they had leprosy in the first place. And it would require the priest to say, you are leprosy free. All ten would have to come before the priest and go through whatever be required to determine that they are now free of leprosy.

4:26 SPEAKER_02: And this one man, as he's going, as they walk, this is how faith works, by the way. As you walk toward your required requirement that you're seeking God for, your blessing, your miracle, your need. And as he was walking, the Bible says they were healed. But they recognized that they were healed. They still had their hands growing together to whatever, but they were healed. But there was this one man that was so thankful that he was healed. And when he got back and he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet.

5:10 SPEAKER_02: Now he wouldn't, under any circumstance, he would never have done that. It would never have been permitted. This leprous man. He fell at the feet of Jesus and he was so thankful. And he thanked the Lord for what he did. And he gave glory unto the Lord. And Jesus did something that he did not do to the other nine. He was made whole. I believe that whatever the leprosy had done to him, everything began to function and work, and he looked just like someone who never had leprosy.

5:54 SPEAKER_02: This was more and above beyond what the man who gave thanks was expecting. Isn't it nice? And if you were the one that was helping and blessing, you don't really look to expect them to pay you back in any way materially. But the fact that they would say thank you, such simple words. Thank you. And we feel so good about that. We feel like they really appreciated that.

Gratitude As A Free Will Gift

6:25 SPEAKER_02: When God made man, I believe that much of the Spirit of God was put within us, like attributes of God. And when somebody appreciates and says thank you for something, that it makes us feel good, what thankfulness does, you know that the person that receives truly indeed is thankful. Now, as believers, obviously God gets great pleasure when we say thank you. Leviticus 2229 talks about thankfulness there, and it talks about us offering on to the Lord of our own free will. Being thankful is a free will thing.

7:18 SPEAKER_02: There's a lot of things that we do that are free will. In other words, it's up to us. People give of their free will. It was your choice. You didn't have to do that. You saw a need and you helped. And these people were looking for money. Possibly, I don't know. They might have been looking for a miracle. But when Jesus saw them and he thought, I can do something for these people. I am in a position that I can help these people. And the Lord is in a position today to help you with whatever you require.

8:00 SPEAKER_02: Whether it is healing, it may be that you're having other issues in life. The Lord looks at you, and you know what the Lord is saying? The Lord's thinking, I can help. And when we receive the help and call upon the Lord and He helps us, take time to be thankful. Praise the Lord afterwards and give thanks. Give glory unto the Lord. Because giving glory unto the Lord for what he has done in your life, that is going to bring extra blessings. I want you to think about this seriously, folks. We read scriptures where it says like Psalm 69, 30, magnify the Lord.

8:44 SPEAKER_02: Magnify. Lord, we lift you up and we thank you. Look what's happening when we magnify the Lord. We're giving thanks unto the Lord for what He's done for us. And these lepers that were healed, the blessing and the new chance on life and walking in society, they were ministered unto and healed by the mighty power of God. And what a second chance they had. But the man that turned and came back and said, Thank you for what you have done, that man was blessed beyond the other nine. Jesus wanted to know where the other nine were.

9:34 SPEAKER_02: There obviously were a lot of people. And he says, Where's the other nine? Are they here in the crowd? We could make the point and say, of course, Jesus would know. But Jesus was wanting to point out to the other disciples, where's the nine? Can they be found amongst the mass of people? Because whenever Jesus moved, he was walking along the road. And as he walked, everywhere he went, people would come and join and walk with them. I have been in different countries in the world over my lifetime of ministry.

10:13 SPEAKER_02: And I have been in villages in South America walking. And as I walked, I remember one particular village not saying a word, just walking with me as I walked village. I remember in the Philippines, and I'd be walking through villages. And what it always would touch me is as I was walking down the street in these villages, runners would be going ahead and saying that this guy is here, this foreigner is here. And people would come out of their houses and stand. And I'm thinking, this is so unusual.

10:49 SPEAKER_02: What's going on? And it's like the Lord was saying to me, Thank you for coming. Thank you, thank you. And I'm thinking, Lord, I thank you for this opportunity that I have that I'll be here to minister to these people. And sometimes I would pray for different ones as they would come out. In Philippians chapter 4 and verse 6, in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known.

Thanksgiving Connects Faith With Prayer

11:23 SPEAKER_02: Thanksgiving is tied into receiving. Thanksgiving is connected with faith. Giving of thanks. How many times have you as a believer prayed and said, Lord, with a thankful heart I receive this miracle from you? Or, Lord, thank you for what you've done in my life. And as I come to you with this need that today I have, or this need for somebody else, I believe that it's in a believer's nature to be thankful. I often hear people, what are you thankful for? And I often hear people say, I am thankful that I am saved.

12:12 SPEAKER_02: I am thankful that I know the Lord. I'm thankful that I am so blessed of God. I am thankful that I'm here with you today. Often I hear those phrases and many more. And in our prayers and when we're releasing our faith, I believe that as you give thanks, that move the dynamics of what's taking place. That moves spiritual opening for provision to come. When you pray, always be thankful. Thank God for what he has done in the past and what he is doing now. So it tells us that you can make your requests known to God.

13:11 SPEAKER_02: Be thankful that you know the Lord and that you can thank him for that today. Colossians 1:12. I'm thankful for the Father that has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance. There's so much that comes with being born again. There's so much that comes in walking and being a part of the family of God. And when we are thankful, try it, just try it. Be open to this. Show yourself thankful. I believe that if you develop an attitude of saying it, thank you to people, I believe that it will change your outlook on life.

14:00 SPEAKER_02: And I believe that people will see a difference in you. They will see you, somebody who doesn't take it for granted as if because of who they are deserve it. No. Every time that you receive anything from anybody, be thankful. That is going to say a lot, and that's going to do a lot for your character. You cannot lose by being thankful. That's what I'm saying. Colossians chapter 4 and verse 2. Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.

14:43 SPEAKER_02: As you pray, and you're believing God, whether it's for the salvation of your neighbor, you have somebody who has come to you and they are requesting healing or whatever it is, as you pray, thank God, because as you release your faith in prayer, because you have to release your faith in prayer, as you lay hands on them, if you're able to do that, lay your hands on them and say, Thank you, Lord. This man is healed. This woman is healed. This child is healed if you're praying for healing. Just lay your hands there.

15:30 SPEAKER_02: Release your faith. Let that faith just begin to come forth in a great way. Just let it pour out of you. And thanksgiving, when you can say I'm thankful, releases another level of faith connection between you and God. And God will honor you, I believe, in a great way. You will be who God says you are, what God says you can do, and what you can expect. That's how God worked. And when Jesus spoke to this tenth leper, I'm gonna call him the tenth leper, when he said to him, Your faith has made you he, and in the original it says, Your faith has saved you.

16:31 SPEAKER_02: When Jesus spoke all of that, that man became what Jesus said. And that man, as Jesus was speaking to him, this was a man who was Thanksgiving is very important.

Mindset, Expectancy, And Saying Thanks

16:48 SPEAKER_02: If you come against when somebody's trying to minister to you, I don't think you're gonna get anything.

17:04 SPEAKER_02: Say thank you. Don't just walk away and take it. Say thank you. Never allow circumstances to intimidate you. Don't try to work it all out in your mind, whether you were good enough or whatever. Don't let circumstances in any way ever prevent you from receiving what God has for you. That is a huge mistake. I remove every negative thought when I get ready to minister to somebody, or if I'm needing a miracle from God, I do not allow negative thoughts to come my way. These lepers were filled with nothing less than hope.

17:54 SPEAKER_02: When they got up and they ran, I believe they were running, as they run to find the priests, so that they can be declared free. And as they're running, I don't believe for a moment there was any doubt in their mind. I believe that they were totally hopeful. So mindset is extremely important. And when you're interceding and God intervenes, pray with thanksgiving, receive with thanksgiving, and have that sense of expectancy about you. Believe that God's power has impacted you. Believe that what the master spoke, what Jesus spoke to you, is going to come to pass.

18:44 SPEAKER_02: And as this man was running, this tenth man, this tenth leper, as they're going to see the priest, and as he's moving through the streets, all of this is going through his mind. I have had an encounter with the Son of God. That's what we do. When we come and gather as believers, we have encounters with the Son of God. Those of you who are listening to me today, you are having an encounter with the Son of God. And I believe that God's power has worked in me. And as he's going, this man is sinking all these thoughts that I've talked to you about today.

19:30 SPEAKER_02: And he's thinking.

19:52 SPEAKER_02: The one thing that nobody else could offer for him. And I'd like you to think about that today. You can do something for yourself that nobody else can do for you. And that is be thankful.

Support The Ministry And Closing

20:10 SPEAKER_01: This ministry is made possible through the prayers and generous support of listeners like you. Your giving helps us continue sharing the gospel, encouraging believers, and reaching more people with the hope of Jesus Christ. If you'd like to partner with us and support this ministry, or learn more about our work, please go to doncarpenter.ca.