November 2013
 Lyn Packer and her husband Rob minister under the apostolic covering of XP Ministries, Arizona, USA. as the New Zealand team leaders for XP Ministries NZ. Lyn’s ministry carries a very strong prophetic edge. She ministers primarily in teaching and the prophetic, calling and enabling people to step into their destiny. As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, be reminded that we can not only give thanks but we can live thankful because we know that God has a plan for good in every circumstance.
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“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will
for you in Christ Jesus.” —1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
How often have we read these verses and said in our minds, “You’ve got to be kidding. It’s impossible!” And yet there it is in black and white in front of us – “Be joyful always…give thanks in all circumstances.”
I love the idea of the holiday of Thanksgiving in the USA – a day where people gather with those they love and give thanks for the good things in their lives. It’s a great idea and one that should be spread to every nation. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving Day only takes care of one day out of 365, and Paul plainly says that we should be thankful in every circumstance, every day.
Scripture talks a lot about thanksgiving and its place in our lives. For me, one of the key things about thanksgiving is that it causes us to see things differently; what we see determines, in a large way, what we get. But thanksgiving isn’t about getting what we want – it’s a foundational part of our Christian walk.
Thanksgiving, I believe, is related to our fundamental beliefs about the goodness of God. Scripture plainly says that He is love, He is truth, He is good, He is faithful, He is kind, He is merciful, He is righteous, He is holy and more. When we truly know that, then we realize that He is an absolutely amazing God and Father. That realization will cause us not just to be thankful in a particular circumstance, but to live a life that is full of thankfulness! How we see God will determine how we see our circumstances. And how we see God will determine whether we “have to choose to be thankful” out of obedience to a God who demands it, or whether we “live thankful” and give thanks out of genuine knowledge of how good our loving Father is.
How do we see God? Because that will determine whether we live that life of thankfulness or just sometimes choose to be thankful. Yes, we do need to choose to be thankful and to give thanks in every circumstance. It won’t always be an automatic reaction, but there is a difference between doing it because we “have to” and doing it because we are truly convinced of the Father’s goodness, love, favor, provision and more. And the more we do it the more it will become our nature to do so.
Satan fears us living a life of thankfulness because he knows the power of it. When we live thankful, he loses much of his ability to manipulate us in our daily circumstances. Whenever we live from that place of thankfulness to God, even in the most difficult circumstances, the enemy loses a big battle in our life.
When we give thanks in the midst of difficulty, we are saying, “God, I believe who You are; I believe that You want to do me good. I believe that You have a plan and strategy for this situation and I believe that You will turn it to good!”
We bring pleasure to God’s heart, we honor Him and we prepare the way for Him to act on our behalf. “He who offers thanksgiving honors me and prepares the way that I may show him the salvation of God.” – Psalm 50:23
In 1 Thessalonians 5, I don’t believe Paul is telling us to do something because we “have to.” He’s reminding us that it’s part of the life of Jesus inside us – to do the will of God. He’s reminding us that we can not only give thanks but we can live thankful because we know that God has a plan for good in every circumstance. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). When we know that He has a plan for good, a plan to turn every circumstance to blessing, we can in all honesty be joyful and give thanks in every circumstance.
Prayer directives for the body of Christ and XP Ministries
based on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
- Pray that we would look for God’s plan and purpose in every circumstance we face – His will determines our starting point in prayer, and thankfulness is one of those starting points because we know He delights to answer His children’s prayers.
- Pray that we would all live thankful lives because of all that Christ has done for us.
- Decree that thankfulness is part of the life of Christ within us, therefore it is a part of who we are. We are now made thankful.
- Decree that God’s plans for us as the church and as a ministry are for good – to give us a future that is full of hope and purpose.
- Decree that we have become hope ambassadors because of that sure hope He has placed within us.
- Decree that the church walks in the reality of God’s love, favor, faithfulness, goodness, provision and more.
- Decree that God has made an everlasting covenant of faithfulness with us.
- Pray that everywhere we go we will leave the fragrance of Christ and that it will minister to all we come in contact with.
- Pray for XP Ministries’ upcoming events – see them listed here https://www.patriciakingministries.com/events/xp-events.
- Pray for strength and good health for Patricia as she travels and ministers overseas. Declare that God goes with her and gives her strength. Pray for no lost luggage or flight delays.
- Pray for XP’s itinerant ministers and their outreach teams as they go out to minister.
- Pray for XP’s overseas bases in Canada, England and New Zealand. Pray they will walk in favor and find fruitfulness in all they do.
- Pray for the Missions team – that they will all know good health, strength and provision for their every need. Pray for the Thailand and Cambodia outreaches.
- Pray for the Webchurch members and pastors – that they will know sweet fellowship and a very real sense of belonging and connectedness.
- Pray for the other departments of XP Ministries – media department, XPmedia website, XPpublishing, XPacting, intercessors & intercessors’ plunge, office staff and tech support people.
- Pray that the Lord will give strategy for the fulfillment of the assignments He has given us.
- Thank the Lord for all His goodness and faithfulness toward us as a ministry.
- Declare that the XP team walks in the reality of His favor and faithfulness daily.
- Thank Him for His many answers to prayer.
- Praise Him with loud shouts, acclamations of joy and thankfulness for His goodness toward us as a ministry!
