What is Thanksgiving?
It is ascribing all the glory to GOD for where we are - Jer. 13:15-17 / 1Cor. 15:10
The Danger of Taking the Glory
Jeremiah 13:15–17 reminds us to acknowledge the Lord and give Him the glory. One of the greatest dangers after receiving a blessing is to forget the One who made it possible.

A proud person may say:
“It is because of my knowledge.”
“It is because I studied.”
“It is because of my qualifications.”
“It is because I worked hard.”
“It is because of my connections.”

But the question is: Who gave you the ability to learn? Who gave you the strength to work? Who opened the opportunity? Who preserved your life to see the result?

Our education, skills, qualifications, intelligence, connections, and hard work all have their place, but we must never allow the instrument to take the glory that belongs to God.
Paul understood this principle when he said:
“But by the grace of God I am what I am.” — 1 Corinthians 15:10

Therefore, thanksgiving should become a habit and a lifestyle.
When God gives, we acknowledge Him.
When God opens a door, we acknowledge Him.
When God preserves us, we acknowledge Him.
When God takes something away, we still trust Him.
When we succeed, we give Him the glory.

 
Thanksgiving shifts our focus from what we have achieved to the One who made it possible.

What About Those Who Don't Know God?
Sometimes we look at people who do not know God and ask:
“How come they are also successful? How come they have wealth, opportunities, intelligence, businesses and possessions?”
The existence of someone's success does not mean that God is absent.
God remains the Creator and source of life, ability, wisdom, opportunity, and provision. People may enjoy blessings without recognizing the One behind them.
Therefore, our response should not be:
“They don't know God, so God cannot be responsible for what they have.”
Rather, it should remind us of the importance of acknowledging the Giver rather than worshipping the gift.
We Must Not Confuse the Gift With the Giver

The devil can also tempt, deceive, and offer attractive things with destructive intentions. Something can look like a blessing while ultimately leading a person away from God.
That is why we should not judge blessings simply by their appearance.
Not everything that looks good is necessarily good for us.

The question should be:
“Where did this come from, and where is it taking me?”
A genuine blessing should not cause us to forget God. Instead, the more God gives us, the more grateful and dependent upon Him we should become.

Never allow what God has given you to make you forget the God who gave it.
Your certificate is not your source.
Your intelligence is not your source.
Your job is not your source.
Your business is not your source.
Your connections are not your source.
Your strength is not your source.

God is the source. 

Why must we give thanks?
• For the preservation of our blessings - Mal. 2:1-3 /Psa. 28:5
We should not take God's blessings for granted. What God has given us must continually be committed to Him with gratitude.

What are we thanking God for?
? For supernatural supplies – Ps. 145:16/ 2 Pet. 1:3
A. Supernatural Supplies
God is our ultimate source and provider.
When we say “supernatural supplies,” we mean the things God provides for us beyond what our human strength, ability, income, or resources alone can explain or accomplish.

1. Provision for our needs
Psalm 145:16 says that God opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing.
We thank God for:
Food and water
Clothing
Shelter
Finances
Transportation ( i remember walking 4-5 kilometers to church use be )
Daily necessities
Resources for our families

2. Opportunities we did not create ourselves
Sometimes God provides through an opportunity that we could not have arranged by ourselves.

For example:
A job opportunity
A business opportunity
A promotion
A contract
A connection with the right person
An opportunity to learn or develop a skill

We can work hard, but we cannot control every door that opens for us.

3. Strength and ability
2 Peter 1:3 says that God's divine power has given us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness.”
So we don't only thank God for things. We thank Him for the capacity to obtain and use those things.

For example:
Wisdom
Knowledge
Understanding
Creativity
Strength
Good judgment
Skills
Ability to work

You may say:
“I studied for the examination, but God gave me the understanding and strength to study.”
Or:
“I worked for the promotion, but God gave me the health, wisdom, opportunity, and favor that made it possible.”

4. Provision at the right time
Sometimes supernatural supply is not necessarily an abundance of money or possessions. It can be having exactly what is needed at the right time.
You may not have everything you want, but somehow you have what you need to continue.
That is also a reason for thanksgiving.

5. Things we did not even know we needed
There are times when God provides or makes a way before we even recognize the need.
This is why thanksgiving should not be limited to the things we can see.
The deeper point:
Supernatural supply is not just about receiving things from God. It is recognizing that God is our ultimate source.
Your salary may come from your employer, but God is the one who gives you the ability to work.
Your business may generate income, but God can give you the wisdom, customers, opportunities, and strength to operate it.
Your qualification may come from your studies, but God gave you the mind and opportunity to acquire it.
So we don't worship the channel; we thank the Source.
Psalm 145:16 ? God opens His hand.
2 Peter 1:3 ? God's divine power provides what pertains to life and godliness.

That is why we can say:
“Lord, I thank You not only for what You have given me, but for being the Source behind everything that has made my life possible.” 

? For divine protection – Ps. 127:1-3/ Ps 34:7
Many times, God's protection is invisible. We may never know how many dangers He has prevented from reaching us.
Divine protection means recognizing that our safety, preservation, and security ultimately depend on God. There are many dangers we see, but there are also dangers we never see or even know existed.

Psalm 127:1 teaches that:
“Except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

This does not mean we should stop taking precautions or doing our part. It means that human security alone is not enough. We can have security systems, police, doctors, insurance, technology, strong doors, and people watching over us—but ultimately, God is our keeper.

What are we thanking God for when we talk about divine protection?
1. Protection from dangers we know about

There are situations where we clearly see God's intervention:
Accidents we escaped,
Illnesses we recovered from,
Dangerous situations we survived,
Attacks that did not succeed,
People who intended harm but could not accomplish it,

Sometimes we look back and say, “If God had not helped me, I don't know what would have happened.”
2. Protection from dangers we never knew about
This is one of the most powerful reasons to give thanks.
You may travel from one place to another and arrive safely, without knowing what God prevented along the way.
You may sleep peacefully at night without knowing what could have happened around you.
You may go to work and return home without knowing the dangers that God kept away from you.
Therefore, we should not only thank God for the dangers we escaped; we should thank Him for the dangers we never knew existed.

3. Protection of our families
Psalm 127 connects God's protection with the home and family.
We thank God for preserving:
Our children
Our spouses
Our parents
Our siblings
Our relatives
Our homes

We may not be physically present with them every moment, but God can watch over them when we cannot.

4. Protection from evil
Psalm 34:7 says:
“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.” This gives us the picture of God surrounding and defending His people.

There are battles we know about, and there are battles we don't know about.
There are attacks we see, and there are attacks God stops before they reach us.
A powerful point for Thanksgiving
Sometimes we thank God because something happened.
But sometimes we should thank God because something did not happen.

You can say:
“Lord, I thank You not only for the accidents You helped me escape, but also for the accidents I never knew were coming.”
“I thank You not only for the enemies I saw, but also for the enemies I never knew existed.”
“I thank You for the dangers You delivered me from and the dangers You prevented from ever reaching me.”
The main lesson
We cannot see everything God has protected us from.
That is why thanksgiving should not depend only on what we can identify.

Every morning we wake up, every journey we complete, every night we sleep peacefully, and every day our families are preserved can become an opportunity to say:

“Father, thank You for Your divine protection. I may not know everything You have protected me from, but I acknowledge that Your hand has been upon my life.” 
? For rendering our enemies helpless - Ps. 138:1,7/ Ps 23:5
? God can preserve His people even in the presence of opposition and make a way where enemies intended to cause harm.
nm  
? Key lesson: Thanksgiving recognizes that our victory is not merely the result of our own strength; God is the One who fights for us and gives us victory.
? Main Thought
? Thanksgiving is more than saying "Thank You, Lord." It is recognizing God's hand in our preservation, provision, protection, and victory.