Kenneth Copeland - Give Thanks in Every Situation
Hello, everybody. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving. Glorious Thanksgiving. When you know Jesus, it's every day thanksgiving, glory to God. Amen. Father, we thank You. Oh, our hearts of gratitude towards You. You lifted us up, when we had no idea. We didn't understand, even those that were introduced to God like I was at a very young age, but I didn't understand it. Didn't know it, turned away and just tried my best to go to hell as you know. I thank You for my dear praying mother who wouldn't give up and a father, a dad that was such a righteous example before me. Thank You for them. I thank You today and all this week, the uniqueness of our nation that goes back as You know, sir, and as we know now, back before it was even a nation. The people that suffered and died to get here from England and Scotland and the places where they were so heavily persecuted and they couldn't worship God like they wanted to and they were looking for a place and they found it right here on these shores. They created Thanksgiving to God, along with the local Native Americans, glory to God.
A particular incident that took place. This man, young man, it looked as though... Amen, I'll say this to you. It looked as though his life was over, but then he wound up as a thing in a cage, like an animal, going around showing what these savages from the New World look like and what they look like. Like something in a zoo. He was. But in doing so, he learned the English language and he made his way back home and there was a real war brewing between the Pilgrims and his own tribe of people. He stood out in the middle and spoke in his language and said, "Stop. You know me". Then he turned to them in their language and said, "Stop this. You know God". Everybody was, "Who is this," and stopped it. The two peoples came together. The people from England didn't know how to farm in this kind of land and they were introduced to corn and how to plant it. It became bountiful.
They began to give thanks, because this young man taught his people how to thank God for their bounty. Thanksgiving in the United States, which was not the United States, but in that first colony. Between a hand full of Christian people. What was left of them, that didn't die before they got here. This young Indian boy, Indians. American Indians, well, of course that's what they're called now, but they're really not Indians because the great explorer thought he was in India and he wasn't. He thought these were Indian people and he called them Indians. Well, that's okay. We'll accept that. But they thought they were by their tribe. I am Cherokee by heritage. I don't think I'm an Indian. I think I'm a Cherokee. That's the way they thought, just to get in that. But the giving of thanks was the key to this nation. It was the key to the opening of it. Because my God, it's free here.
Now, right here on our property, we had to re resurrect our flag pole, because of some things that happened number of years ago. But the same flag pole, but we put it back up, like it belonged just here recently and lit it appropriately, because according to federal regulations, the American flag, Old Glory is to be flown in daylight hours only. When I was in the military, it flew at first thing in the morning, right after reveille, the flag was flown. Four o'clock in the afternoon, it was recovered. What used to be done with a bugle, then now it's done with loud speakers and you turn wherever you are on that army post, air force base, wherever you are, you turn towards it and you stand there and you salute, I don't care if it's raining.
Well, we got the new flag and the new flag pole, got it all up. Sunday after church, Kellie, my daughter, and Emily, my granddaughter and Gloria, and I said, "Hey, now, girls, I'm going to take you out there and show you that flag". We drove out the front of the property here and drove out there and drove right up to it. I showed it to Emily and I showed her how this is proper. The flag can fly at night as long as it's lit, according to government regulations. We have solar powered lights on top of the pole that shine down on the flag properly at night. Then I've given express instructions, if there is weather forecasted, go out there and properly recover it. You recover it and you fold it as it's being recovered, fold it properly. It takes three people always to do it. Our security people have been trained to do that. You fold it in that, you meant the flag fold. That comes down and it's folded in that properly.
Then when you go out to fly it, then the lanyards are fastened to the flag. Thank God, we don't have to have those old chains anymore. It doesn't just bang and beat up the flag pole and then it flies out of your arm. I told the kids and I said, "Oh God," and we just, we were just thanking God. I praised God that Emily goes to our little Lake Country, Christian school here. We went out and back around the gate and came back around to go towards Gloria and my home. I stopped again and just rolled the window down and we just were looking at it. Gloria, Kellie, Emily and I just began to sing the Star Spangled Banner. All four of us and thank God that Emily knew all of the words, because she goes to a small Christian school. She has to sing it. She has to give the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
Somebody said said yeah, "But there ain't no justice," wait just a minute. There's a lot of nasty people in this country. There's a lot of people in this country that would like to destroy it. But listen, this nation is as just as it possibly can be. There is justice here. That other countries, in some ways fail at, not here. We give thanks for that. We give, thanks for it. Lord, we give thanks to you today for it, in the name of Jesus. As though those of you on television and radio, you know our golden text, Ephesians four, we're going to go there right after this. But we finished yesterday in Romans one. I want to go back there. Let's go back. Now, in the 21st verse, verse 20, "The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal of power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations. Their foolish heart was darkened".
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Why? They had no thanksgiving. They didn't acknowledge him and even though they knew God, and even though they understood that he created all of this, I don't want to think about it. I don't want to do it. Now, you can, you at home, you need to read all of this, but now go over to the 28th verse. This class is talking about politicians. This is talking about the heads of corporations. This is talking about the heads of great hospitals and great this and great that. "Even as they did not like to retain or acknowledge God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate, a mind without judgment to do the things which are not convenient, do the things which are callous stupid".
You've lost your thinking without acknowledging God, without acknowledging God in the platform of your party. Without acknowledging God over this hospital. Without acknowledging God over this company, you don't let... Listen. "You work here. You understand? You're going to do what I say. You put, you get that Bible off your desk. This is a company. This is not a church. Otherwise you can just leave". "Hey, thank you, sir. I'll see you later". "Well now wait a minute. I need you". "No, you don't. You need God". "Well maybe you ought to pray". "No, I'm not praying for you, you reprobate". "Unless you are willing to listen and give thanks to the God that as keeping you alive and you don't even know it". A reprobate, or a stupid mind. A foolish mind. A darkened mind. Why? Unthankful.
Creflo Dollar, what a man of God. His confession of the morning, I don't remember exactly how it goes, but this will, this is the gist of it, "This will be a wonderful day today. This will be a day without pressure. It will be a day of love. It will be a day of rejoicing and goodness, for I know you and you're my God". Isn't that amazing? To start the day, giving thanks. To start the day, acknowledging God in your thinking and in your life. Start the day, worshiping him. Just start it that way. Giving thanks under him. Let's... Well, in the book of Ephesians 29, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers". Now you come right over to the fifth chapter and the fourth verse, "Neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting, which are not convenient and they're not fit, but rather the giving of thanks".
Now, let's go over to first Thessalonians, and this always thrills me, since my granddaughter lives there now. Only now it's pronounced Thessaloniki, instead Thessalonian. First Thessalonians 5:14, "Now we exhort you brethren warn them that are unruly". Now he said, "Now I'm not going to warn them, you do it. Warn them that are unruly or disorderly, comfort the feeble minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men, see that none render evil for evil under any man, but ever follow that which is good. Both among yourselves and to all men. Rejoice, ever more". Now you wake up in the morning and you think, "No, no. The joy of the Lord is my strength today. Thank You, Jesus". Glory to God. Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing.
How can you do that? How can you pray without ceasing? In the spirit. That's the reason it is so important for you to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit and begin speaking a language you didn't learn. Easiest thing you ever did in your life. It's as easy as receiving him as Savior. It's always been amazing to me. I give an invitation for that and people come up and start frowning. That's the last thing you want to be doing. Hey, it's a gift. Jesus was a gift to the world. Then the Holy Spirit is his gift to the church. It's a gift. He's a gift. In everything, give thanks. "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you". Now hold it. We don't give thanks because of what happened, we give thanks in it and get out of it.
Back years, the first little house that Gloria and Kellie and John and I lived, we came home one time and I'm just, oh, I'm just so home. I like my house and I want be there. Gloria and the kids are already at home, they were already asleep. I was in the living room in my favorite chair there. I just wanted stay up just long enough, if I can. I guess, in my eyes I want to go to bed. I did something very stupid, I turned the light out and then walked across it. We had an Ottoman. It's a foot stool. I'm from Texas, it's not an Ottoman. Anyway, great big, heavy thing. I kicked it, in the dark, so I was not tip-toeing, I'm going to the bedroom and it popped. I knew I broke it and it hurt. What came out of my mouth, "Jesus, thank You, Lord. I'm healed". Instead of something real nasty that I had to repent over, but if it isn't in there, it is not going to come out. I just stumbled in there. Went to sleep by faith. It just hurt. I just finally went to sleep.
Anyway, I didn't want to open my eyes. I knew what was going to happen. Open my eyes, the devil was right there. "You broke your toe. You broke, look at it, look at it. It's black and blue. Look at it, look at it". I said, "I'm not going to do it". By this time I'm getting up out of bed now. Y'all, I don't know where this came from. It just came up my mouth. I said, "I have some very good friends that their toes are black all the time". I just said it. Anyway, I said that and I'm not going to look at it. Oh, it was hurting me, close my eyes and put the sock on my... Did you ever put your socks on with your eyes shut? Put the sock on that foot. Then I opened my eyes. I would not look at that toe. I'd already thanked God. Then, the first little red Cessna Skylane airplane that the ministry ever bought. I used to work for the man and on that airport that owned that airplane. I already had $5,000 to buy.
Anyway, I went out there. I walked in the front door and I said, "Is Mr. Spanks..." She said, "Yes. I mean, what's the matter with you"? I said, "Oh, about three o'clock this morning I broke my toe. But you know, when Jesus was on the earth, he said, 'Whatsoever thing you desire, when you pray believing, you receive it.' I thank God I'm healed". By the time I said that, she had already, she turned her back and was out of there. We went through the whole deal. I hobbled out to the car and drove around back behind the hanger where that little airplane was turned, tied down. I turned around sideways to get out. When I stepped down on that foot, perfectly healed. When I got home, I looked at it was black and blue, more blue than it was black. I mean, it swelled up ugly looking thing, no pain. Healed it. We're out of time. That's right, isn't it, Tim? Yes, you're doing that way. That means we're out of time. Come on, Jeremy. We love you brother.