To be thankful, ungrateful, or complain? It is a choice we have to make every single day. In the day in age that we live in, we are constantly bombarded with negative news and faced with hard times. It seems like it is the easy default for many of us is to side with ungratefulness or complaining. The crazy thing is that it is a sign of the times, as it says in 2 Timothy 3:2 that in the last days people would be unthankful.

Recently, the Lord has been dealing with me on this subject of being thankful. The word “thanks” and all of its synonyms appears 139 times in the Bible. God is very much all about us giving thanks because He knows the blessing attached to it. There is an interesting story in the Bible about Jesus healing ten lepers (check out Luke 17:11-19). What’s really more interesting to me is that after all ten lepers were healed, it says that only one returned and said “Thank You”. Jesus told the leper who returned and gave thanks that “your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19)

I don’t know if this means that the other nine had their leprosy return, but what we can see here from the one grateful healed leper is that thankfulness releases your faith. Giving thanks to God is a way to release your faith and solidify what He is doing in your life.

Thankfulness leads to God’s faithfulness. 

If you are going through a season where you aren’t experiencing God’s faithfulness in your life, then it’s always a good idea to check up how much “thanks and praise” you have been giving God. Many times the enemy will attack us and try to get us bitter, offended, and complaining. He knows that if he can get us to stop thanking God, then he can wreak all sorts of havoc in our lives. But remember, God has called us to walk by faith, regardless of our circumstances, which means we should always be thanking God for something. If you want to be faith-filled, then be thanks-filled.

So whether you find yourself doing well in the “thanks department” or on the opposite hand, feel like you have hit a wall and are all out of thanks, I want to help push you forward or pull you out of your rut. Here are six quick reasons why you should thank God:

Reasons Why You Should Thank God

1. He Made Today

Psalm 118:24 (NKJV) – This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

If you woke up this morning into a new day, it wasn’t by accident, but instead, by God’s design. The moon and stars, that beautiful sunrise or sunset, and that breathtaking mountain or ocean view…yep, that’s all God. Since we are not guaranteed tomorrow, it is right to rejoice in today and give God thanks!

2. You Have Breath In Your Lungs

Psalm 150:6 (NKJV) – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

God breathed the first breath into Adam’s nostrils and is responsible for every breath we continue to take.  Without God’s breath in our lungs, we are just dirt. Like the psalmist encouraged us, if we are still breathing, we should be thanking and praising the Lord.

3. Instant Access To God’s Presence

Psalm 100:4 (NKJV) – Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

In case you didn’t know, God loves when we give Him thanks and praise. As a matter of fact, He even inhabits our praise (Psalm 22:3). If you need access to God’s presence, it’s as easy as just opening your mouth and thanking Him.

4. God is Good and He Loves Us

Psalm 136:1 (NIV) – Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

If you are ever having trouble being thankful to God, it helps to remind yourself of His character. 1) He is GOOD (all the time!) 2) His love for you never runs out. That’s pretty awesome, and definitely warrants a “thank you”.

5. You Have The Victory

2 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV) – Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

If you have committed your life to Jesus Christ, then you are always on the “winning team”. No matter what life may try to throw your way, the truth of the Word says that you always have the victory because of what God did through His son Jesus on the cross. As you walk in the victory, remember to thank the one who won it for you.

6. It’s God’s Will

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV) – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In case you are still not motivated to give thanks after the first five reasons, this one always hits between the eyes. It is God’s will that we give thanks for everything. So no matter what you accomplish or experience, it is right and pleases the Lord when we are thankful for it. He deserves the credit.

There are obviously many more than six reasons why you should thank God, but “ain’t nobody got time for that” (just kidding, but seriously). Being thankful shouldn’t just happen one day a year around a turkey dinner, but everyday. My prayer is that you are stirred up and excited to give God the thanks and praise He actually deserves and to look at life through the proper lens.

What does that look like for you? Instead of complaining that you have homework, thank God for the opportunity to get an education? Instead of being sour that your car’s side mirror got knocked off, rejoice in the fact that you have a car to get you around? Instead of dragging your feet with an ungrateful attitude into work, be thankful that you have a job and some income coming in? Whatever it is for you, I encourage you to release your faith by thanking God for what you do have!

Thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (MSG)