DAILY ENCOUNTER

ENTERING HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING 

"Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations." Psalm 100:4-5

Glory to God! Welcome to the eleventh month of the year. God has been faithful to us, and it is only by His mercy that we are here. As we step into November, our opening scripture brings us to the understanding that thanksgiving is the way into the presence of God. Picture the throne room, the court of Heaven, and imagine what better way to approach the presence of the King of Kings. The psalmist teaches us a better way to enter, and the key that opens the gate is thanksgiving. He did not say, 'Enter with your request.' He did not say, 'Enter with your complaints.' He said, 'Enter with thanksgiving.' Many people come to God with a shopping list, and there is nothing wrong with bringing our needs to Him, but when we begin with gratitude, something changes in us. Thanksgiving turns our eyes from what we lack to what we have received, and it prepares our hearts to meet with God. A thankful heart is a heart that has already seen the goodness of the Lord. The complaining heart sees only the problem, but the thankful heart sees the Provider. Thanksgiving costs us our pride and our complaining, but it grants us access to the one who made all things.

Jesus Himself models this reality. Before He fed the five thousand, He took the loaves and gave thanks. Before He called Lazarus out of the grave, He lifted His eyes and said, 'Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.' He gave thanks before the miracle, not after it. That is faith in action. Even Jonah, in the belly of the fish, said, 'I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving.' His situation had not changed, but his heart had, and soon afterwards he was released. Thanksgiving does not wait for the answer to arrive; it opens the door for the answer to come. We are not thankful merely because things are going well; we are thankful because of who God is. He is good, His mercy never runs out, and His truth does not change. As we begin this new month, make a decision to come before Him with thanksgiving every day. Before you ask for anything, thank Him for everything. Thank Him for life, for the new month, for the people He has placed around you, and for what He is about to do. Let Thanksgiving be your entrance, and you will find the doors open wide before you. Enter His gates today with thanksgiving. Hallelujah!!!

FURTHER STUDY

John 11:41-44; Jonah 2:9; Psalm 95:1-3 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. When I come before God in prayer, do I begin with thanksgiving or with my requests and complaints?
  2. What are three things I can sincerely thank God for as I enter this new month?

PRAYERS

Father, thank You for Your word. I enter Your gates with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise. Thank You for a new month and for Your goodness in Jesus's name. Amen.

Comments

  1. Q-miNovember 1, 2026 at 8:38 AM

    The complaining heart sees only the problem, but the thankful heart sees the Provider

    ReplyDelete
  2. SimladspecialNovember 1, 2026 at 8:55 AM

    Don't always focus on the problem but give thanks in all things

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DAILY ENCOUNTER

Image
DAILY ENCOUNTER AUGUST 2ND, 2026 THE POWER OF FELLOWSHIP "And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." Acts 2:42 Glory to God! Fellowship is companionship. The ability to belong to the body of believers as a family.  Fellowship is one of the greatest gifts God gave to us as believers. The word 'fellowship' refers to a close relationship and shared participation among believers who are united in Christ. It is more than simply gathering together; it is sharing our lives and everything it entails with one another under the lordship of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God didn't design the Christian life to be lived in isolation. From our opening scripture, we saw that the early believers gave themselves to continual fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. They understood that spiritual growth is made possible through a community of shared faith and an environment where believers are encouraged and ...
Read more

DAILY ENCOUNTER

Image
DAILY ENCOUNTER AUGUST 1ST, 2026 DETOX "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."  Psalms 51:10 Glory to God! Welcome to the eighth month of the year. Let us take out time to give God praise today. He is good, and His mercy is forever. Today, as we begin the new month, we will be discussing a very important subject matter: DETOX! What does it mean to detox? It means cleansing. The act of subjecting oneself to purification. The process of removing unhealthy things and habits from our body, soul and spirit. Our actions are the product of our content. The content of our heart, through the things we feed on, is the determinant of our belief system and what eventually produces the outcome of our behaviours. From the beginning of the year, we have acted in certain ways and directions. The question before us today is, have our actions produced desired results, or have they subjected us to moving round circles? If you cannot measure your growth in strate...
Read more

DAILY ENCOUNTER

Image
DAILY ENCOUNTER AUGUST 3RD, 2026 PROVING THAT WHICH IS GOOD "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2 Glory to God!  When we gave our heart to Jesus, we were brought into a new life in God, and that life is life in the Spirit. It is a life powered by God by His Spirit to know what is good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. One of the issues we have seen among believers is the issue of not knowing what God is doing. The issue of being confused as regards the leading of God concerning a given matter. But it is not supposed to be. We have the Holy Spirit resident on the inside of us; we should know His voice and walk according to His leading. So why is there an issue with knowing what the will of God is? The problem is the lack of transformation. From our opening scripture, we are open to what is known as the transformation of the mind. Th...
Read more