Message: THANKSGIVING
A PREREQUISITE FOR GOD’S MANIFESTATION
Text: 2 Chronicles 20:17-19, 21-30
Ministering: Pastor Dr. Raf Otono

Today is the grand finale of our ARISE & SHINE CONFERENCE and also our Annual Thanksgiving service. The theme for the conference in THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF GOD!

Now listen: Sons can only manifest the God they know and carry. Your level of manifestation is directly proportional to your intimacy with God (Daniel 11:32b)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO MANIFEST?

It is the display and showing forth of God’s glory! (God is His glory – they’re inseparable)
Anything outside this is manipulation!

  • To manifest is showcasing God, not self (1 Tim 3:16)
  • Manifest is from the Greek word Phaneroo; it literally means to make visible or reveal what has been hidden (Mark 4: 22-23)

THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF MANIFESTATIONS

  1. THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD
  2. THE MANIFESTATION OF ANGELS
  3. THE MANIFESTATION OF SONS

Our emphasis today is of the manifestation of God Himself! (Next week we will see the others)

Listen: Nothing provokes the manifestation of God like thanksgiving or praise! (Act 16:25-26 TPT)

Listen: Through praise and thanksgiving God addressed in one night the three foundational reasons why men can’t manifest!

What are they?

  1. Spiritual prison
  2. Spiritual doors closed
  3. Bound in spiritual chains

From where we read – it’s the same thing that happened – 3 nations came against a nation called Judah!

  • Judah means praise!
  • Ammon means people of strength. (This spirit oppresses & keeps men in spiritual prison)
  • Moab means waste (This spirit shuts spiritual doors of men & waste their years)
  • Mount Seir means to be fierce (This spirit fiercely holds people bound in spiritual chains)

WHY? To attack their praise and thanksgiving! So that they can’t manifest!

Listen: We do not praise or thank God for what He did or what He is doing, but for WHO HE IS.

Our Thanksgiving takes the focus:

  • From how small we are to how BIG God is
  • From how incapable we are to how CAPABLE God is (1 Samuel 17:45)
  • From our lack to God’s provision and sufficiency as our source (Matt 14:19-20 TPT)

EXPRESSIONS OF GOD’S MANIFESTATION AFTER THANKSGIVING

  1. He sets ambush and confusion amongst your enemies & causes them to fight themselves (2 Chro 20:22-23)
  2. He gives you wealth beyond your imagination (2 Chro 20:25, Job 22:25 MSG)
  3. He gives you rest on every side (2 Chro 20:29-30)

In closing, we give thanks to God, not because of what we see or feel, but because of WHAT WE KNOW!

What do we know? (Rom 8:28; 1 Thess 5:18)

THANKSGIVING SACRIFICE (Ps 116:17-18)

As you begin to praise and give Him thanks may He manifest mightily in your life in Jesus name!

Your Light Must Shine!