Remember for a moment that after the exodus of the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, they had to endure the wilderness for 40 years. During those years of wandering around, God provided for their every need yet they were dissatisfied with His provision and grumbled at every opportunity. Their grumbling was a manifestation of their ingratitude; rather than thanking God for what He was providing, they complained to Moses for their perceived deprivation. Rather than persevering on to the Promised Land, they wanted to go back to their bondage in Egypt so they could eat and drink and satisfy their flesh in the ways they had become accustomed to during the years of their slavery. They disregarded the promises and became a faithless people, unwilling to trust and depend on the God who had miraculously delivered them from slavery.

As the dissatisfaction of the Israelites grew, God eventually became grieved at their grumbling and ingratitude. You see, they had come out of Egypt as slaves and God wanted to prepare them to take over the Promised Land. To do that He needed to purge them of their slave mentality so life in the wilderness wasn’t supposed to be easy. No, the purpose of the wilderness was to condition them for conquering and taking dominion. God wanted to prepare them for battle and for ruling but their flesh continually got in the way. He wanted to purge them of their slave mentality but they preferred an “easier” life in bondage. Instead of thanking God for their deliverance and standing in faith for the victory He had promised them, they grumbled and complained and because of ingratitude turned an 11-day trip into 40 years.

As a result, almost all the Israelites who had departed Egypt permanently lost the opportunity to go into the promised land. Yes, their basic needs were taken care of while they were in the wilderness but they never came to overflowing surplus; they were never eligible for the prosperity God wanted to give them in the Promised Land. In fact, the Bible says their hearts became hardened because they were ungrateful and unwilling to thank God for what He was doing (Psalm 95:2, 8). Thanksgiving would have softened their hearts, brought them out of the wilderness and propelled them into His prosperity.

How many of us in the Body of Christ today are like those Israelites wandering in the wilderness 3,200 years ago? The truth is many of us are. We are carnal beings by natural birth just as the Israelites were and we have come out of the bondage of sin by virtue of being born again. Some of us spend a lot of time in the wilderness but we are all in a process of moving from where we were, as slaves to sin, to a place where we will have finally acquired the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).

Often, just like the Israelites, we want to go back to the temporary enjoyment of our sin instead of persevering on to the Promised Land where we can enjoy His overflowing prosperity. And so periodically we have to go back into the wilderness until we learn some new things, or relearn some old things, and get ourselves back on the right path. Whenever we’re in the wilderness, we’re likely to complain about God’s provision and about our living conditions that don’t seem as good as they were when we were slaves. Instead of thanking Him for the good He is doing for us, we complain and grumble. And also like the Israelites, our grumbling only prolongs our time in the wilderness.

Fortunately for us Jesus took our ingratitude and lack of faith to the Cross of Calvary so we don’t receive the judgment we deserve. We are assured of eventually entering into the Promised Land someday even though for the present we complain and resist the wilderness that is designed to condition us so we can conquer our environment and eventually take dominion. Unlike the Israelites though, most of us will eventually remember that thanksgiving will accelerate our escape from the wilderness and lead us to the overflowing prosperity that God wants us to have where nothing is missing or broken.

Many Christians would say today that they have been in the wilderness too long. But friend, have you tried thanking God for what He is doing instead of grumbling and complaining? Do you realize that God loves you and that He is aware of everything you are experiencing? Do you remember that if you love Him He will turn everything that happens to you to the good (Romans 8:28)? If you begin to thank God for everything He has promised to do in your life as though it all already belongs to you, you will become a faith person in the midst of the wilderness and God will soon lead you out.

As pointed out in the introduction of this article, the Bible tells us it’s the will of God that we give thanks for everything that happens (1 Thessalonians 5:18). If it’s God’s will then our failure to do it amounts to disobedience because this particular scripture is in the form of a command. If we know that something is God’s will, then we must submit to it and the fact that He has told us to do it means we have within us all the strength and power we need to obey. Therefore, when we are faced with a trial, we have a choice to make: to grumble and complain or to enter into thanksgiving and praise. If we choose disobedience when we know better, we open ourselves to the curse instead of the blessing God’s prefers that we have (Deuteronomy 28:1-68). And so by grumbling and complaining we cut off our access to the prosperity, the inheritance Jesus won for us at the Cross of Calvary.

Did you know the Bible says that thanksgiving will bring you the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7 and Colossians 3:15- 17)? As we have discussed in previous articles, peace is an essential part of biblical prosperity and now we learn that one of the ways it can come to you is by giving thanks. It follows though that the peace of God will never come to those who are disobedient. Likewise, while thanksgiving pleases the Lord (Colossians 1:10), we will never be able to please Him from disobedience. Psalm 92:1 says that when we give thanks early in the morning, it puts us in right standing with God and that we will flourish (enjoy His prosperity) until old age.

Another thing you should know today is that scripture tells us that when we make requests to God we should combine them with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). How many of us go to Him with our petitions during our prayer time but forget to thank Him not only for the things He has already done but for the things He is in the process of doing. You’re more likely to have your prayers answered when they follow a time of sincere thanksgiving.

The question for today was: why does God feel it necessary to command us to give Him thanksgiving? The answer is that if we don’t learn to be thankful, our carnal nature will take credit for our accomplishments and blame God for our failures resulting in a life of selfishness and defeat. In the process we would disqualify ourselves from the manifestation of biblical prosperity in our lives. Friend, God loves you too much to allow you to cut yourself off from His prosperity so has put this principle in the form of a command so you will take notice and submit to His will for your own good.

And so, the related Law of Biblical Prosperity can be stated like this: in order to be biblically prosperous, you must practice giving thanks to God regularly and frequently and you must overcome your tendency to grumble and complain. Most of us need help to do this and the Holy Spirit and His Word are there for that purpose. Just ask Him for His help today and He will be quick to come to your aid.

Thanks so much for reading PLN today. May the Lord bless you and your family and bring you into thanksgiving each and every day. We’ll look for you again in three weeks.

The day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year! And did you know that 40% of all unsecured debt occurs during this time of year? Why not be determined this year to stop the enemy from putting you into debt again. Don’t let yourself be a victim once again!

If you have never invited Jesus to become the Lord of your life, you can do so today by saying the following simple prayer: Jesus I believe in you and I receive you as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me for my sins and come into my life today.

If you were sincere as you prayed this prayer, God has already come into your life and you are a new creation. Congratulations! Now ask the Lord to lead you to a good bible teaching church where you can be developed to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of God. And please send us an e-mail advising your decision so we can rejoice for you in our prayers. If you’re unable to find a church, give us a call and we’ll help you find a good one.

If you have prayer requests, please e-mail them to us and we’ll be honored to bring them before the Lord each Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM, Eastern Time. Then, let us know about your answered prayers so we can rejoice with your family. Praise the Lord!

It would bless us to have an opportunity to answer your questions concerning any of the financial areas covered by this ministry. We would also be happy to consider your comments and suggestions. Please feel free to e-mail them to us or give us a call anytime during normal business hours at our toll free number 1-800-357-4223.

If you have been blessed and edified by Prosperous Life Newsletter, please pray about making a Spirit-led love offering to support the work of the Ministry (Galatians 6:6-7). PLN is a non profit [501(c)(3)] gift to the Body of Christ so your financial gifts are tax deductible (please consult your tax advisor). You may mail your check or money order payable to Cornerstone Consulting Ministries to 10621 N. Kendall Drive, Suite 113, Miami, Florida 33176 or click on the donation tab for other payment options. May God bless you with His abundant harvest from sowing your precious seed into this Ministry.

Part One - Defining Biblical Prosperity
Part Two - The Authority of God's Word
Part Three - God Must Be Our Source
Part Four - God Can Only Do Good
Part Five - The Role of Love
Part Six - How to Walk in Love
Part Seven - The Role of Faith
Part Eight - The Source of Faith
Part Nine - The Force of Faith
Part Ten - How To Walk By Faith
Part Eleven - The Law of Sowing and Reaping
Part Twelve - The Role of Cheerful Giving
Part Thirteen - Opening the Windows of Heaven
Part Fourteen - The Process of Reaping
Part Fifteen - The Role of Giving Thanks