The Power Of An Acceptable

Thanksgiving: A biblical truth on how

your thanksgiving can be accepted by
God and benefits you get when
accepted.

James Eric

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Copyright © James Eric, 2022.

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Table of contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Dimensions of Thanksgiving

Chapter 3: Conditions For Acceptable

Thanksgiving

Chapter4: Benefits of Acceptable

Thanksgiving

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Chapter 1: Introduction
Although God wants us to offer thanksgiving to
Him but it is not all thanksgiving that God
accepts. Any thanksgiving that is not accepted
by God is, therefore, waste on the part of the
person who offers it.

And some persons instead of receiving blessings

from God after thanksgiving, endup receiving
curses from God. It is only the thanks offered as
prescribed by God in the scriptures that is
acceptable to Him.

In addition to following the right process, the

thanksgiving that God accepts should be
sacrificial, unconditional, from a forgiving and
cheerful heart. It must not be done out of
compulsion.

When we appear to offer thanksgiving to God,

we must consider two important things. The
thanksgiving offering we bring before God and
secondly, the acceptance of the offering by God.

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No one wants to give an unacceptable offering to
God. We have many things to thank God for, but
it is more important to be sure that God would
accept our thanksgiving offering. God does not
accept every kind of offering.

The example of Cain and Abel are cases in point

(Genesis 4:1-7). How terrible it would be for
God to reject our thanksgiving today! Imagine
God looking at your offering, and waving his
head in disapproval rejecting the offering you
placed before him!

It is important to know how to offer acceptable

thanksgiving to God otherwise our thanksgiving
will be a waste.

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Reasons For Thanking God

We thank God because it is His due. This is why

we were created. We do not have a choice.
We have numerous reasons to thank God but to
mention a few;
● It is a commandment from God. Deu
23:14-16
● It is the will of God for us. 1 Thes 5:18
● For your salvation Psalms 67:2; Titus 2:11
● For forgiving your sins Psalms 32:1,2;
51:1-3
● For giving you hope in Him 1 Peter 1:3
● For his mercy Psalms 103:17,18
● For keeping you and your family alive
● For keeping your job or business
● For delivery you and your family from
any form of attack or bondage
● For answering your prayers
● For making provisions for you and your
family
● For giving you good health Psalms 118:18
● For his numerous blessings Ephesians 1:3

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 ● For peace, joy and rest Ephesians 2:14
● For the friends he has given to you
● For your wonderful family members.

In Above all, reflect on what the Psalmist says in

chapter 124:1,
“If it had not been The Lord who was on our
side“.

Psalms 124: 6-8 says

“Blessed be the Lord, Who has not given us as
prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul has escaped as a bird from the snare
of the fowlers;[a]
The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth”

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Chapter 2: Dimensions of Thanksgiving

There are three dimensions of

Thanksgiving, and they are as follows:

Praise: Is one of the dimensions of

thanksgiving unto God for whom he his,
gift of life, security, what He has done,
and for what He will do, etc.

Psalms 89:1 (KJV) I will sing of the

mercies of the LORD for ever: with my
mouth will I make known thy faithfulness
to all generations.

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praising God is useful and favorable for
us. By praising God, we are reminded of
the greatness of God! His power and
presence in our lives is reinforced in our
understanding. "Praise the Lord, for the
Lord is good; sing praise to his name, for
that is pleasant" (Psalm 135:3).

When we praise the Lord, we praise Him

for who He is and what He’s done apart
from what He’s done for us. For example,
we can praise Him for His redeeming
death on the cross, His resurrection from
the dead, and His ascension to the
heavens.

We can praise Him as the One seated at

the right hand of God far above all rule
and authority and as the One who is the
Head over all things to the church.

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These are all marvelous aspects of who
God is apart from any benefit to us.
Regardless of our situation or what we’re
going through, Our God is a marvelous
and glorious One who is worthy to be
praised.

Testimonial Thanksgiving: This is another

dimension of thanksgiving which is a
recommendation to a person or a thing done to
show gratitude or appreciation. That's telling
people about what God has done in your life.
John 4:28-30 (KJV) The woman then left her
waterpot, and went her way into the city, and
saith to the men,
Come, see a man, which told me all things that
ever I did: is not this the Christ?
Then they went out of the city, and came unto
him.

This kind of thanksgiving increases God's

kingdom and depopulates the kingdom of devil.

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Sacrificial Thanksgiving:

Sacrificial thanksgiving is a dimension of

thanksgiving which is based on scriptural
principle put in place by God Himself. God
practised it Himself as an example to believers.
He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, so He
could bring the whole world to Himself.

This sacrifice cost Him something. He did it out

of love for the world. Sacrificial thanksgiving
involves giving up one thing for the sake of
another. It is what you love most you give to
receive what you want most.

Sacrificial thanksgiving must be motivated by

love. Any worthy sacrifice must cost something.
The Sacrifice of Jesus cost God something: it
cost Him His only begotten son; it cost Him
pains; it rendered Him lonely and made Him
helpless, as He observed His Son die the most
cruel death on the Cross.

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 He had all the power to have defended Him, but
He abandoned Him to suffer and die alone. It
cost wailing and weeping in heaven; the music
in heaven ceased for a moment at this time.

Sacrifice, no doubt, is painful but it opens doors.

Sacrifice turns impossibility possible. When
individuals find themselves in a difficult
situation, sacrifice is the answer. When life
becomes difficult and it seems there is no way
out, sacrifice will pave the way. When poverty
keeps ravaging your life and family, sacrifice
will produce abundance.

God has respect for sacrifice, especially when it

proceeds from the heart of love. Sacrifice has the
potency of speaking on behalf of the giver. It
usually speaks at the critical moment of one’s
life, when all efforts have failed.

Abraham offered his only son, Isaac. That

sacrifice spoke all through his life because he
offered Isaac willingly with love. The sacrifice
provoked God and made Him enter an

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everlasting covenant with Abraham, wherein he
became a father of all nations.

Sacrifice is sacred to the Lord and as such, it

must be performed in a special place appointed
by God. It must not be offered in a sinful and an
abominable altar. It must be offered in a holy
altar of God that commands heavenly presence.
When a sacrifice is offered in the right place, it
will always speak.

The voice cannot be silenced by any power

because the altar where it is made is greater than
any altar.

What sacrifice speaks on your behalf and that of

your family? Have you offered any sacrifice that
can move God to action? After you may have
gone, is there any sacrifice that can speak for
your children? What have you done for God that
you can hold as a legal ground when it matters in
life?

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Many Christians are quick to call God in times
of need for help but never do anything to move
the hand of God. This is the reason why some
people call God in prayers, but nothing
happened because when He called, nobody was
available. Things don’t just happen by mere
chance; something must trigger response!

The hand of God will be moved in your life

when He looks and see your sacrificial
thanksgiving at the altar. David was a man of
sacrifice. He vowed not to give God something
that cost Him nothing. Whatever we do or give
to God as sacrificial thanksgiving is for our
benefits.

The Bible is full of examples of sacrificial

giving. In 1 Kings 17:13, the widow at
Zarephath first made Elijah, the prophet, a cake
with everything she had left. As a result, God
provided enough oil and meal for Elijah, the
widow woman, and her son to survive
throughout the drought.

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In Matthew 26:7, a woman poured her very
expensive perfume from the alabaster jar over
Jesus’ head. In Luke 21, Jesus recognized the
poor widow woman’s tiny gift as more than the
large gifts from the rich.

In Acts 2:44, the early church members sold

their property and possessions to give to anyone
in need. In Acts 4:32, again the early church
shared everything they had. In 2 Corinthians 8:2,
Paul writes of the Macedonian churches giving
out of their extreme poverty, beyond their ability.

Note: The truth still remains, not all sacrifices

offered to God as thanksgiving are accepted. The
next chapter deals with the necessary conditions
your thanksgiving must meet in order to be
acceptable by God.

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Chapter 3: Conditions For Acceptable
Thanksgiving

God wants us to offer thanksgiving to Him but it

is not all thanksgiving that God accepts. The
following are the biblical conditions for
acceptable thanksgiving:

1. Repent of your sins and hold nothing

against your neighbors in your heart. Sin will
make you unacceptable to God, and if you’re not
acceptable to God, your thanksgiving can’t be
acceptable by Him. Repent of your sins before
you offer thanksgiving to God. God is first
interested in you before He is interested in
whatever you want to give Him.

Our relationship with fellow human beings can

affect our relationship with God. He wants us to
walk in love in our relationships to truly show
our love to Him. According to the Bible, we
can’t claim to love God we have not seen
physically when we’re not walking in love with

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human beings created in God’s image that we
have seen (1 John 4:20).

Bitter relationship with your neighbors can

affect your thanksgiving to God. That’s what
Matthew 5:23-24 tells us:

“So if you are standing before the altar in the

Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you
suddenly remember that someone has
something against you, leave your sacrifice
there beside the altar. Go and be reconciled to
that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice
to God” (NLT).

See that your conscience is devoid of any guilt

as you come to offer thanksgiving to God. That’s
why it’s important to avoid whatever constitutes
sin in your life and resolve any outstanding
issues with people as much as possible. “The
sacrifice of the wicked or sinner is an
abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 15:8a
NKJV). Proverbs 21:27a says a similar thing.

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2. Make sure it is a freewill offering.
According to (2 Corinthians 8:12)
"For if there be first a willing mind, it is
accepted according to that a man hath, and not
according to that he hath not."
It must not be done out of compulsion. It must
come from a willing mind.

Don’t do thanksgiving grudgingly; it won’t be

accepted by God. God can do without your
thanksgiving; He has enough heavenly beings
offering Him quality worship day and night
(Revelation 4:8-11).

Your thanksgiving should be voluntary.

Leviticus 22:29 says

“And when you offer a sacrifice of

thanksgiving to the LORD, offer it of your own
free will” (NKJV).

Don’t offer thanksgiving to God under duress

even when there is a call for the whole church to

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do thanksgiving. You’re not bound to thank Him
but it’s foolish not to do so. If you don’t thank
Him several others are too eager and willing to
do so. Heaven won’t even miss your
thanksgiving!

3. Sing and shout joyfully to the LORD. In the

Bible, singing and making a joyful shout or
noise to the LORD is associated with
thanksgiving.

For example, Psalm 95:1-2 says, “Oh come, let

us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to
the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before
His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout
joyfully to Him with psalms” (NKJV).

The psalmist calls out in Psalm 100:1: “Make a

joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!”
(NKJV). Nehemiah 12:46 says,
“The custom of having choir directors to lead
the choirs in hymns of praise and thanks to
God began long ago in the days of David and

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Asaph” (NLT). Isn’t that a good custom to
continue today? And shouldn’t you be part of the
choirs offering acceptable praise and thanks to
God?

Singing songs of praise and thanksgiving to God

is acceptable to Him. It is not about how
melodious your voice is or the beat of the songs.
God doesn’t require that you sing like a
nightingale or a professional.

You’re not singing for man’s enjoyment but in

honour and appreciation of God. Sing to the
LORD from a grateful heart even if your voice
isnot sweet by human judgment. it is acceptable
to God. Shout joyfully to the LORD even if
you’re not gifted with a loud voice. God
understands. Sing and shout joyfully to the
LORD!

4. Joyfully declare the miracles or wondrous

works God has done for you. What has the
LORD done for you? Psalm 103:2 tells us not to

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forget all His (God’s) benefits. That means not to
forget all that He has done.

Hannah was not ungrateful. She returned to

Shiloh to fulfill her vow after weaning Samuel.
Eli apparently couldn’t even recollect her face. 1
Samuel 1:24-28 says,

“Now when she had weaned him, she took him

up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of
flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to
the house of the LORD in Shiloh. And the child
was young. Then they slaughtered a bull, and
brought the child to Eli. And she said, ‘O my
lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the
woman who stood by you here, praying to the
LORD. For this child I prayed, and the LORD
has granted me my petition which I asked of
Him. Therefore I also have lent him to the
LORD; as long as he lives he shall be lent to
the LORD.’ So they worshiped the LORD
there” (NKJV).

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Once some people get answers to their prayers,
they don’t behave like Hannah; they disappear.
That’s how they deny themselves of more
miracles from God.

Hannah was not like those nine lepers who

didn’t return to acknowledge to Jesus that they
had been healed and show gratitude to Him
(Luke 17:11-19). 1 Samuel 2:21 tells us that
after Hannah had given Samuel to God, He gave
Hannah additional three sons and two daughters.
It is in your own interest to offer thanksgiving to
God. Don’t be an ingrate or an ungrateful
person.

5. Your thanksgiving offerings must be

honourable. This is in addition to your singing
and making a joyful noise to Him. There’s
nothing you give to God that can equate what He
has done for you but what you give is your token
of gratitude to Him. It can be money; it can be
material things; it can even be your time offered
for service.

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However, you must be careful about what you
give to God. It is not only about the size but also
about the quality. That widow in Luke 21 gave
only two mites, but it was all she had, and Jesus
said she gave the most more than all that the rich
people gave. Be sure that what you give to God
is honorable and not disrespectful. A
disrespectful offering is a waste to the giver
because it is unaccepted by God.

Hear what God told the Israelites in Malachi 1:8:

“And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is
it not evil? And when you offer the lame and
sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your
governor! Would he be pleased with you?
Would he accept you favorably?’ says the
LORD of hosts” (NKJV).

The same principle applies to thanksgiving

offering today. An acceptable sacrificial
thanksgiving must cost you something. As stated
in (2 Samuel 24:24 (KJV))

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"And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I
will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will
I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God
of that which doth cost me nothing. So David
bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty
shekels of silver".
So offer to God only what is honourable, that's
something that when presented to your boss in
the office, to your earthly father, or to your
earthly king will accept it from you.

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 Chapter4: Benefits of Acceptable
Thanksgiving

1.) It makes divinity to visit humanity.

That's it moves God speedily to intervene in the
in the afares of man, as seen in (1 kings 3:3-5.
KJV)

"And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the

statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed
and burnt incense in high places.
And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there;
for that was the great high place: a thousand
burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that
altar.
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a
dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall
give thee".

Much like king Solomon, God has given each of

us gifts to be thankful for during this season. But
no

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matter what our circumstances may be, we can
always be thankful for the grace God provides
for all people through Jesus Christ.

Solomon offered 1,000 burnt offerings to God

showing his complete gratitude to God. Then he
found out that you can't out give God. David
learned the same lesson. David asked to build a
house for God.

Then God promised to build him a house and

establish a royal dynasty for him. God responded
to Solomon's devotion with an offer of His own.
The Lord appeared to him in a dream that night
and told him to ask for whatever he wanted.

This was a very generous offer. There doesn't

seem to be any strings attached. God gave
Solomon a blank cheque and told him to fill in
the details. How gracious God was to Solomon.

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2.) Acceptable thanksgiving has the power to
changes hopeless situation in someone's life.

As recorded in (1 kings 17:8-15. KJV)

"And the word of the LORD came unto him,
saying,
Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth
to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have
commanded a widow woman there to sustain
thee.
So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when
he came to the gate of the city, behold, the
widow woman was there gathering of sticks:
and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray
thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
And as she was going to fetch it, he called to
her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel
of bread in thine hand.
And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I
have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a
barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I
am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and
dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it,
and die.

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And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do
as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little
cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make
for thee and for thy son.
For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The
barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the
cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD
sendeth rain upon the earth.
And she went and did according to the saying
of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did
eat many days.
And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did
the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of
the LORD, which he spake by Elijah".

This widow planned to use those two sticks to

cook a final meal for her family. She was
planning to die. In the end, she used those two
sticks to feed God’s prophet. She took those two
sticks and placed them in the hand of God and
He didn’t just supply one meal, He supplied
thousands of meals. Three people eating three
meals per day would translate to over 3,200
meals in three years time! What a miracle of

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multiplication. Here’s the point, two sticks in a
widows hand will accomplish very little. What
kind of a fire could she have built with just two
sticks? When she placed those sticks into the
hand of God, her hopeless situation changed.

3.) Opens a new season of supernatural

supply

The people of Israel had to give the Lord their

first city, Jericho as a sacrifice, when God had
stopped the manna. Then, God gave them
victory over the promised land of Canaan,
flowing with milk and honey. You don’t have to
give everything but remember you can’t take
anything with you.

We see the same thing with Abraham. Abraham

was offering his son as a sacrifice, and met
Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. This
encounter is not demonstrating just that if you
are struggling that God will provide.

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Abraham gave God a sacrifice, not a petition for
his needs. God provided a sacrifice, not money
for Abraham’s bills. God is not just the provider
of your needs; He is also the provider of your
sacrifice.

Some things God provides you with are meant to

go on the altar. We can often confuse the seed
that God means us to sow with the bread that
God gave us to eat.

The blessing is for you but the overflow is for

others. What many find themselves doing is
when God begins to give us overflow, we
increase our level of living instead of our level
of giving Him thanks.

God is not out to take. God wants to bless you

according to His riches in glory. He wants to
meet your needs and blessing because it is God’s
desire that you be a blessing, (Philippians 4:19).

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4.) Help to Stores Your Treasures in Heaven.

Your thanksgiving offerings also help to prepare

and build your mansion in heaven.
As stated in Matthew 6:19-20.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on

earth, where moth and rust destroy and where
thieves break in and steal but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do
not break in and steal"

Jesus is not against us being wise and having a

savings account. What Jesus is talking about is
not to focus on hoarding up things here while
neglecting our Heavenly accounts.

Is your heart drawn more toward Heaven or is it

more filled with earth? Are more of your time
and talents spent on earth or Heaven. When you
pass on to glory, will they say of you that you
left home or went home?

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5.) Your prayers will be answered speedily
John 11:41-44 (KJV)
"Then they took away the stone from the place
where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up
his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that
thou hast heard me.
And I knew that thou hearest me always: but
because of the people which stand by I said it,
that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a
loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
And he that was dead came forth, bound hand
and foot with graveclothes: and his face was
bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto
them, Loose him, and let him go".

6.) Multiplication of the resources at hand.

Mark 8:6-8 (KJV)

"And he commanded the people to sit down on
the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and
gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his

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disciples to set before them; and they did set
them before the people.
And they had a few small fishes: and he
blessed, and commanded to set them also
before them.
So they did eat, and were filled: and they took
up of the broken meat that was left seven
baskets".

7.) Deliverance from difficult bondages

As stated in Acts 16:25-26 (KJV)
"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and
sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard
them.
And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so
that the foundations of the prison were shaken:
and immediately all the doors were opened, and
every one's bands were loosed".

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8.) Divine peace and joy
Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV)
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus".

9.) Divine presence

Psalms 95:2 (KJV)
"Let us come before his presence with
thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him
with psalms".

10.) Complete restoration and wholeness

Luke 17:16-19 (KJV)
"And fell down on his face at his feet, giving
him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

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And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten
cleansed? but where are the nine?
There are not found that returned to give glory
to God, save this stranger.
And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy
faith hath made thee whole".

11.) The Lord will take over your fight or

challenges.
2 Chronicles 20:21-23 (KJV)
"And when he had consulted with the people,
he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that
should praise the beauty of holiness, as they
went out before the army, and to say, Praise the
LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
And when they began to sing and to praise, the
LORD set ambushments against the children of
Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were
come against Judah; and they were smitten.
For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up
against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to
slay and destroy them: and when they had

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made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every
one helped to destroy another".

Note: The attitude of ingratitude is the hallmark

of a person who takes God’s goodness, mercy,
love, provision and miracles for granted. To be
thankful as a lifestyle makes no sense to the
un-regenerated mind but it pays great dividends
to the believer. (Prov.15:8).

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