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 some 3,200 years ago? The truth is most of us are. We're carnal beings by natural birth just as they were and we've also come out of bondage. Indeed, have we not come out of the bondage of sin by being born again? Some of us also spend a lot of time in the wilderness and we're 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 bondage instead of persevering on to the Promised Land where we can enjoy His overflowing blessing. And so periodically by our disobedience we put ourselves back into the wilderness where we have to learn things the hard way instead of the easy way the Holy Spirit originally had in mind. 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 before when we were slaves. Instead of thanking Him for the good He's doing to help us get out of the wilderness, which we ourselves chose to go into, we complain and grumble and blame God for what we're having to go through.

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're assured of eventually entering into the Promised Land even though for the present we complain about and resist the wilderness. 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 abundance God wants us to have where nothing is missing or broken.

Many Christians would say today that they've been in the wilderness too long. But friend, have you tried thanking God for what He's doing instead of grumbling and complaining about what you feel He's not doing? Do you realize that God loves you and that He's aware of everything you're experiencing? Do you remember from the Word that if you love Him He'll turn everything that happens to you to the good (Romans 8:28)? He's not the cause of your wilderness but He can help you get out of it. We go into the wilderness because we make the wrong choices and decisions. We come out of the wilderness by the leading of the Spirit of God. If you begin to thank Him for everything He's promised to do in your life as though it all already belongs to you, you'll become a faith person in the midst of the wilderness and He'll soon be able to lead you out.

As already pointed out, 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. If we know that something is God's will, then we must submit to it and the fact that He's told us to do it means we have within us all the strength and power we need to obey. Therefore, when we're 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 (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68) instead of continuing in the Blessing Jesus won for us at the Cross of Calvary (Galatians 3:14). The bottom line is that by grumbling and complaining instead of giving thanks, we cut off our access to the biblical prosperity and abundance Jesus wants us to have (John 10:10).

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've discussed in previous articles, peace is an essential part of biblical prosperity and 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 1:10-12), we'll never be able to please Him if we're in 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'll 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's already done but also for the things He's in the process of doing. You're more likely to have your petitions answered promptly when they follow a time of sincere thanksgiving.

Finally, the Bible says that it's impossible to please God without faith and that He REWARDS those who seek Him in faith (Hebrews 11:6). The truth is many Believers tend to limit their concept of FAITH to mere belief that God exists and that Jesus died on a Cross somewhere two thousand years ago so they could have eternal life. But biblical FAITH goes far beyond this limited perspective and the Bible actually defines it for us as the assurance (substance) of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence) of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). In other words through FAITH we're convinced by the evidence available to us that what God has promised He'll surely bring to pass. The Word of God is the evidence and so we stand on it in FAITH confident that God will make His Word happen. In fact, God says that He's personally watching over His Word to see to it, to insure so to speak, that it performs exactly as it was written (Jeremiah 1:12).

Consider for a moment the following summary of criteria that define STRONG biblical FAITH as we've discussed it on previous occasions in this Newsletter:

• Faith is the total conviction that the Word of God is absolute Truth.
• Faith is the act of trusting in God instead of what we see in the natural.
• Faith is the confidence that God will bring to pass by His Word what we are hoping for.
• Faith involves taking ownership over the things we are hoping for before we physically receive them.
• Faith requires that we take action on what we believe before it manifests in the natural.
• Faith is the opposite of doubt and unbelief.
• Faith is a force that is strong enough to overcome the world.

Can you see the necessity of Thanksgiving to be working through these definitions? Indeed, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to be ungrateful to God for anything and simultaneously be manifesting the depth of FAITH that's described in these criteria. In fact, God is particularly glorified when we confirm our faith by speaking out our Thanksgiving to Him. It glorifies Him because it shows we've chosen to believe the Word instead of the lies of the enemy and the World. Also, it shows that our faith doesn't require confirmation by our physical senses in the natural in order for us to accept and act on His promises. Thus, our Thanksgiving demonstrates our willingness to trust God even in the midst of contradicting circumstances and trials that we're experiencing. And so Thanksgiving is an essential ingredient in the expression of STRONG biblical faith and of our trust in the Lord.

Now another aspect of STRONG biblical faith is that we should believe we've received His rewards BEFORE we're actually able to take possession of them in the natural. If you believe you've received something before you've actually experienced it physically, you're committing an act of STRONG faith. STRONG faith says you have received something before you can see it, before you can hold it or feel it. It's yours and you take possession of it by faith. In line with this, the following verses are some of the most important scriptures in the entire New Testament because they clearly convey what it really means to receive something by faith:

And Jesus (said) to them, Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever SAYS TO this mountain, "Be taken up and cast into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he SAYS is going to happen, it will be granted him.

Since we're to thank Him continually for everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18), then a true act of faith is to thank Him for the reward BEFORE we actually receive it in the natural. Thanksgiving then becomes the outward confirmation of our faith and causes it to become the force that can actually move the mountains of life out of our way and change our circumstances. Why is this true? Because when we're thanking God we're SPEAKING words and great power is released by our SPEAKING. Friend, it's STRONG faith that overcomes the World (1 John 5:4) and when you're in victory over the World you rejoice outwardly and vocally and you're grateful to God for giving you the victory.

But before ending this article today we should keep in mind that the devil wants to cut off your victory so you will stop your Thanksgiving. He wants your faith to weaken so that fear (the opposite of faith) will manifest and dominate your life: fear of the environment, fear of natural disasters, economic fears, fear of failure, fear of sickness and death, etc. With fear comes anxiety, loss of peace defeat and INGRATITUDE. How could a defeated adversary cause a born again Believer's faith to weaken? The truth is the devil accuses and condemns and lies and deceives until we begin to DOUBT that the Word of God can continue to be relied on.

The word "doubt" actually means to waver or stagger in one's belief or to be unstable. In other words, to doubt means to be double-minded (James 1:8). In fact, both of these words come from the same root. Doubt (double-mindedness) is what the enemy uses to weaken our faith, to separate us from God's promises, to delay their full and timely manifestation in the natural and to choke off our Thanksgiving. What the Bible actually says is that if you have DOUBT you shouldn't expect to receive anything from God (James 1:7).

The truth is MOST Believers completely overlook/ignore that RESISTING and overcoming DOUBT is an essential part of strong faith and effective Thanksgiving. Most Christians read Mark 11:22-24 and gloss over the doubting part as something nearly impossible to perform; but why would Jesus have spoken it and encouraged us not to DOUBT it if it's impossible? Because of DOUBT we ROUTINELY forget about many of the things we've asked the Lord for in the past when the answers didn't show up the following day. Strong faith takes time and therefore a basic requirement for having strong faith is to acknowledge that DOUBT is actually a challenge we ALL have to deal with. Dealing with it means to RESIT it so it doesn't defeat our FAITH and cause us to stop thanking God for His blessings and favor. Complacency is not an option if you want to maintain victory in your life. No matter what happens don't DOUBT God for even an instant; cast down every thought of DOUBT by faith and by SPEAKING out loud against it. And then keep thanking Him for all the things you're believing for until they show up and after that thank Him and praise Him for the victory!

Thanksgiving to God is a great idea for a holiday, praise the Lord! But God has instructed us to give thanks every day for all things. And so we return now to the question posed at the beginning of today's article: 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 continue to take credit for our accomplishments and blame God for our failures resulting in a life of selfishness and defeat. In the process of doing that we would disqualify ourselves from even the possibility of the biblical prosperity God wants us to have. Friend, God loves you too much to allow you to cut yourself off from His prosperity. Therefore, He has put this principle in the form of a command so you will take notice and submit to His will FOR YOUR OWN GOOD.

Consequently, 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 overcome your propensity 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'll be quick to come to your aid.

Thanks for reading Prosperous Life Newsletter. We pray that this publication has been a blessing. Please feel free to forward it to a friend or ask them to advise us if they would like to be added to our rapidly growing mailing list. May God bless you with the fullness of His spiritual blessing and favor and HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING DAY! We'll be looking for you again in three weeks on November 28.

On another note, the day after Thanksgiving is traditionally 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 greater indebtedness. Don't let yourself be his victim once again!

One of the most important things to consider is establishing a holiday budget. What are the maximum amounts you will spend in each of the major expense categories?

• Gifts for family
• Gifts for others
• Food
• Travel
• Entertainment

If you plan ahead and know how much you can afford, you'll be able to avoid an increase in your indebtedness. Decide on how much you can afford and then ask the Lord for creative ideas to make it possible for you to spend within your means this year. IF YOU NEED HELP TO DEVELOP A FAMILY BUDGET, PLEASE CONTACT THIS MINISTRY FOR FREE ASSISTANCE. May God bless you for your willingness to seek Him on this subject.

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. I believe You are the Son of God and that He raised You from the dead. Thank you that my sins are forgiven and that I am reborn, a new creature in You.

If you were sincere as you prayed, God has already come into your life and you are a new creation. Now ask the Lord to lead you to a good faith based bible teaching church where you can be developed to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of God. If you're unable to find a church, give us a call and we'll help you find a good one.

Please e-mail your prayer requests to: theway@makeaway.net. We'll be honored to bring them before the Lord each Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM, Eastern Time.

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 should be tax deductible (please consult your tax advisor). May God bless you with His abundant harvest in return for sowing your precious seed into this Ministry.

It would bless us to have an opportunity to answer your questions concerning any of the areas covered by the ministry of PLN. 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.