CHURCH IS NOT A CLUB. IT IS NOT COMING TO CHURCH THAT MATTERS BUT BELIEVING IN WHAT AWAITS YOU IN CHURCH.

SOME PEOPLE THAT WE WERE JUMPING UP AND DOWN YEARS AGO HAVE COWED DOWN.
SOME MAY HAVE FOUND THEIR WAY INTO THE OCCULT WHILE SOME HAVE SETTLED DOWN WITH QUESTIONS SUCH AS “IS THERE REALLY HEAVEN?”

CHURCH ATTENDANCE IS NOT TO GATHER PEOPLE IN CHURCH BUT TO SECURE YOUR SALVATION
ONLINE CHURCH SHOULD NOT BE A SUBSTITUTE: YOU JUST WATCH, WATCH AND THEN YOU SWITCH OVER TO PORNOGRAPHY BECAUSE YOU ARE AN ONLINE WORSHIPPER.

-Bishop David Oyedepo at 1st Service, Faith Tabernacle
Fifth Pre-Shiloh Encounter Service

Many years ago, I had little challenge on my health, my joints were like somebody knocked them out of joints and I said, “just let me get to fellowship.”
I got there, they said, “Brother David, you are leading prayer tonight.”
And Hagin taught me well, “Don’t say what you don’t want.” Don’t say, “I am not fine”: I am fine.
I got up, it was not the kind of prayer we do today, the 5-minute prayer and you will come and sit down. It’s forever. When you take the platform, it’s still in the morning. So I turned my back on the congregation and I said, “satan, listen. I have an understanding of those who are permitted to be in Zion. Your name is not on the list” – Hebrews 12:22-24.
I said, “your name is not there, what are you doing here?” Thank You Jesus.
They didn’t know what I was saying. Lift up your hands my friends, let’s celebrate God. The strength that came on me, that Word was driven from Psalm (chapter) 84 verse 7.
“They go from strength to strength” – Psalm 84:7. I am not just going to Church to show off, I am not going to Church to show my new dress, you know I wear new dress every day, you don’t see it! Constant but fresh.

God said, “know what you are going there for. It’s a store house where our supplies are made and these supplies are made by the Word, they are made by praise. He just distributes. He said, He will appoint our inheritance to us, as we keep clapping and shouting, He is distributing. That is the way it works.
Everything delivers by faith, in the working knowledge of scriptures. You are not donating to Church by giving an offering. No, you are building your future, you are connecting with heaven’s supply agenda. That is what you are doing.
You are not helping the Church by praying Kingdom Advancement Prayers. It’s for open rewards, rewards that cannot be denied. That all your mockers will see it eventually.
Proverbs 13:15
-You will not suffer hardship anymore.
Proverbs 21:16 – A believer that lacks spiritual understanding is as wonderful as an unbeliever.

1. Thanksgiving is a covenant story changer for the believer
   Habakkuk 3:17-19
   🎹🎶I will rejoice and be glad in Him. He never lies. I will rejoice and be glad. I will lift up my voice to sing to the Lord, this is the day He has made. 🎹🎶
   I might be a laughing stock in my business but, 🎹🎶 I will rejoice and be glad in Him. I will rejoice and be glad. I will lift up my voice and sing praises to the Lord, this is the day He has made. 🎹🎶
   It’s a covenant story changer. Then the Lord will become my strength, He will make my feet like hinds’ feet and get me up on my high places, far above the realm where my mockers reside – Habakkuk 3:19
   “Hehnnn, soooo. These people are doing medicine” – You have engaged the story changer charge, it’s called Thanksgiving, Joy and Rejoicing in spite of what may be happening around you.
   Thanksgiving is a covenant story changer for the believer.
   In everything that appears to be ‘unthankworthy’, give thanks – 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Hebrews 10:36
   It will change your story, that is the meaning. Thanksgiving is a covenant story changer.
   Don’t let any situation move you against God, it’s not the wisest thing to allow. We must not allow it.
   For the Lord is good and His mercies endure forever. That was David singing a whole chapter – Psalm 118:1

Thanksgiving changes our story from healing to wholeness.
Were there not 10 cleansed? They were healed, but no one came to acknowledge what they saw but this Samaritan – Luke 17:17-18
“Thy faith has been made thee whole” – Luke 17:19.
It moves us from healing to wholeness. From healing to healthy living.

It moves us from lack to supernatural abundance
“Father, I thank You”: 5 loaves, 2 fishes. More than enough!! For 5,000 men minus women and children – John 6:11
It moves believers from lack to supernatural abundance.

From seeming defeat to victory. 3 kings came against Jehoshaphat, against Judah and the Lord said, “You won’t need to fight, just do what I tell you to do” – 2 Chronicles 20:1, 17
And when they began to sing and to praise for a battle that was still on, you don’t sing to the war front without weapons in your hand – 2 Chronicles 20:22
God stepped in and turned their apparent defeat to supernatural victory. Not one of their enemies escaped and they shot no arrow – 2 Chronicles 20:24

With thanksgiving, you keep flourishing even in dry season, like the palm tree that knows no dry season – Psalm 92:1-2, 12
Thanksgiving, genuine thanksgiving is a covenant story changer and God has ordained our story to keep changing from glory to glory till the end of time – Proverbs 4:18
-It’s your turn.
Murmurings and complaining will never be heard in your habitation anymore but thanksgiving and praise, in the name of Jesus.

2. When we turn issues to thanksgiving, in truth and in deed, God turns them into testimonies.
   Jesus stood at the tomb of Lazarus, they said, “Master, this man has been dead 4 days, he is already stinking.” He said, “take away the stone. Did I not tell you if you believe, you will see the glory of God” – John 11:39-40
   “Father, I thank You” – John 11:41
   He turned that stubborn issue into thanksgiving and God turned it to testimony. He is the same yesterday, today and forever – Hebrews 13:8
   1 Peter 2:21
   We must learn to turn our issues to thanksgiving and praise, in truth and in deed and God will turn them to testimonies.
   Thanksgiving is what to do when you don’t know what else to do. You don’t what next to do, you have done all you know to do.
   “Now I don’t know what else to do.” He says, “Give Me thanks for the amazing things I have done in your life. For this situation, if I was not there, it would have been worse than this, give Me thanks.” That is the way out. That is the way up, that is the way forward.
   Turn your issues to thanksgiving, in truth and in deed, it will provoke divine intervention that will turn them into testimonies.

God is up to whatever He says, but there is what you must do for Him to step in. God is up to whatever He says, any day, any time, anywhere.
“Lord Jesus, I thank You because there must be a way out”: And then He set in and shed light from Heaven and the way out came opened. In the face of death, He shed light that paved the way out.
“Not O God, are you not the One who called me? O God, you know how many people I have prayed for in my life?”
(God’s response): And so? Were you the One who healed them? Because your anointing is too much.
No. Jesus, I have never healed anybody in my life. It’s your power that healed them because I have never lost any virtue in my life: I prayed for someone and then virtue disappeared. How will I get home? That is all the life in you drained out, you will just be looking.

Don’t keep yourself in the grave. The graves were opened when Jesus rose from the dead. Come out of it!!
The way to come out of it is the same way Lazarus came out of that grave: through the mouth of thanksgiving that Jesus offered.
-Many are coming out today.
-The days of mockery are over in your life.
-Your days of glory are finally here.

3. The sacrifice of thanksgiving secures the tomorrow of every believer like a dream of the night.
   Psalm 126:1-6
   We began to respond, this is not by chance. The Lord did great things for us whereof we are glad – Psalm 126:3
   “Turn again our captivity like the streams in the south” – We have found what makes Him to turn it. I won’t let go what I believe, by the reason of what is happening around me. I won’t let go. The precious seed of the Word is intact. Father, I thank You. You are up to whatever Your Word says, I stand on the authority of Your Word and I know this matter is turning in my favour. Thank You Jesus, thank You Lord.
   Psalm 107:22 – the sacrifices of thanksgiving, declaring His majesty. “I know Him who I have believed. I know. I will wait because I know my change is coming. Be laughing at me ohhh, I mean you are free to laugh, you have your own mouth and your own teeth, but I know my change is coming. I know that my change is coming. “
   The sacrifices of thanksgiving: holding on to the Word of God. Do it rejoicing.
   The fig tree is not blossoming, there is no fruit in the Vine, the herd is cut off from the fold, yet I will rejoice -Habakkuk 3:17-18
   I know Him whom I believe. He can never deny Himself

Psalm 116:17 – That is what sacrifice of thanksgiving is all about.
You have lost something: Response – “I thank You Jesus that it’s only some things I lost, not all things.”
Sacrifice of thanksgiving, declaring His works. That is an altar of turnaround.
“Father I thank You” and mean it. I just thank You. You are ever faithful, ever sure: I thank You
“Others may be offended in You; I refuse to be offended in You. No one can manage my life better than you are. I thank You.””
“You don’t know what else to do, I thank You for saving my soul. I thank You for the free gift of eternal life and the assurance of eternity.”

When you become addicted to thanksgiving Sir, you have caught the devil red handed, he becomes helplessly helpless concerning you because that provokes Heaven’s intervention.

4. To be offended in God is to block our access to helps from above and our desired breakthroughs.
   Matthew 11:6
   “Lord, if by next tomorrow I don’t see your hand. Forget it, I am not following You anymore, I have tried.”
   That was one of the early miracles we got in our Ministry. There was this woman who was very offended because she was waiting on the Lord for fruit of the womb and she heard me come alive with that powerful teaching that day and just repositioned; Jesus visited her. The 2 sons are graduates today. She just removed the blockage of offence and heaven came through for her.
   Now, but here is the problem. Biblical prophecy says it is impossible, but that offences must come, but woe unto him by whom they come – Luke 17:1.
   God, help me never to be offended in you. Many will be offended and you know what I am talking about in the Body of Christ. Some, we were jumping up and down years ago, they have cowed down. Some may have found their way into the cult, the occult. Some have settled down, “Is there really heaven?”
   “I was witnessing before, but I am sensing that the way this thing is working, because all the promises that I saw, I have waited and waited” – They don’t wait, they work.
   He said, “work out your own salvation.” Don’t wait for yourself, you work out it out.
   You are not obeying Him. You can wait for 100 years, it won’t make a difference.
   Pray: You won’t pray.
   Go for souls: You won’t go for souls.
   Give: You won’t give.
   So when will it work?

Can you imagine a farmer who got a PhD in Crop and Maize Development. He is a professor, but he won’t go to the farm, when will his maize come? He has the design for processing the maize to Semovita. He has a very powerful design, he has even a model in his office but he won’t go to the farm. They say, “Why?”
“I am a professor of Maize Development, actually I am a Corn Development guru, I have detailed insights on the various things that make it and how to! I mean, the hybrid I have them.”

Thank you for your grammar, you won’t taste maize if you won’t plant. There is nothing waiting for you, it is all done. Just secure access by obedience of faith. Wait a minute, somebody does not come to Church, there is no prayer that can save his life from going from weakness to weakness. Down, down and finally out. There is no mercy.
Hebrews 10:25 – It is not to gather people in Church but for you to secure your salvation
Hebrews 3:13 – You just watch, watch and then you switch over to pornography because you are an online worshipper. Online worshipper. You go to the bathroom in the course of the Service.
You went to the kitchen to prepare tea. You say, “Oh, Papa has not started speaking. Okay, let me have some nap.” You call the person in your house, “wake me up before Papa starts speaking.”

The boy too slept off. By the time you will wake up, they have shared the goodness and they have shared ‘My Turnaround Year’. You say, “Oh my goodness, I told you to wake me up.” I also slept.
-Well, you are in your season of change of story.
-No one here shall be trapped by his or her own opinion.
-May you receive grace to line up with the demands of scriptures in order to secure your glorious future, in the name of Jesus Christ.
It’s impossible but that offences must come.
Say with me, “It will never come from me. I refuse to be offended in my God. He is my last bus-stop in life. He is my hope for the years to come.”
Psalm 60:11
If God had not woken up that my daughter, she would have met her son dead by her side.
“Stand up, there is a battle here.” Stood up and that child was on the altar

The husband was asleep ooo and he has a right to sleep. They that sleep, sleep in the night. What if the mother too slept? That is the difference between the help of God and the help of man. Church Gist. Man is eternally limited but your God is unlimited. There is nowhere He cannot reach at any time.
Don’t block your access to helps from above – Psalm 121:1-2
Offences will block anybody’s access to help from above.
Psalm 108:12-13
Man doesn’t know where your enemies are; even you, you don’t know. So how do you get through without God?
Refuse to be offended in God and then He will take over your issues.