Thanksgiving Comes Early
By Lauren Hasson
Our nations ancestors survived in a new land. The losses were great. The cost more than they could have imagined. They came to the Americas with a dream of prosperity, adventure, and great hope for their families. They came for a new level of freedom than they had ever known. Many came to worship the Lord in a way that their whole beings longed for.
The first feast was a great act of gratitude.
The Wampanoag tribe was the only reason our ancestors survived their brutal first year that left only 53 of the original 102 colonists to survive. They welcomed them in. They cared for them. They helped them endure their first winter. This feast, this first act was a statement for life, friendship, and such gratefulness to be alive because of the people who helped them.
I love Thanksgiving. I laugh that there are cookers and there are eaters. You are clearly in one camp or the other. I’m a cooker. I love to spend three days making everything from scratch, enjoying the smells that are wafting throughout the house. I love sitting with my family and sharing what we are really thankful for, allowing the gifts God has given us to be seen and expressed for all to hear. This is my favorite part. This is when I tend to get teary with gratitude of the ways the Father has met each of us through times of pain and times of joy. He is the One who shines in each story.
What has He done for you this year?
Was it something you overcame? Was it friends or family who helped you survive physically or emotionally? Was it something tender and sweet..... the beginning of a dream you have held in your heart? What has flourished in your relationships? Was it a new way of understanding who He is for you right now, in this season of your life?
The sacrifice of praise prepares the way of salvation.
As you’re preparing for tomorrow, what if you sacrifice, willingly choose in spite of the pain, to praise Him for an area of your life where you have notseen breakthrough? This requires us to have extreme trust in Him that He is the One who can turn around any situation, restoring things back to His original design and intent. The beauty of this scripture is that He is validating our emotions that it is indeed difficult, beyond painful, to sacrifice our hearts and minds to Him in praise for something that in its current state is still broken. When we do this it breaks the teeth of the enemy. It literally prepares the way for Him to move us into salvation, complete wholeness in every area of our life. Wow! That’s an amazing gift that I want to receive.
Many of you know that I wasn’t able to attend our pastor’s gathering, or our last Lifestreams Regional Event with Chris Gore. The enemy wanted to mock what Chris is about, mock God’s great work of healing to have me come down with shingles the Wednesday before these meetings. Shingles on literally half my face (which was both hilarious and fascinating in itself!). “Not today Satan!”, I mocked him back. As I thanked Jesus for what would occur, amazing things started to happen. My team put the event on Instagram Live, so I was watching all that was happening from my bedroom. I put my finger on the screen praying for individuals, watching Amy pray, Sara worship, Renee prophesy, and Bob emcee. They were powerful! Chris Gore knocked it out of the park. Through it all, visitors came back to visit, and puffy shingles face and all, we prophesied, prayed and marveled at God’s goodness! The next day we prayed for some people and two miracles happened. Yes Jesus!
Two weeks later, my PIT crew is praying for complete healing and it is coming. Yay God! The neuralgia in my head is healing and I’m baking pies today. I am praising Him and believing in Him to complete the good work He’s started in me.
Tomorrow you will have many things to share with your friends and family about the glorious things the Father has done for you this year. But today, today is precious. Let’s go for the things that have not yet seen breakthrough, with radical praise and thanksgiving to God for what He’s about to do for us because of His great love He has for His daughters.
Happiest of Thanksgivings to you!
Much love and affection,
Lauren
Perfect, absolute peace surrounds those
whose imaginations are consumed with you;
they confidently trust in you.
Isaiah 26:3
Since we are receiving our rights to an unshakeable kingdom we should be extremely thankful and offer God the purest worship that delights his heart as we lay down our lives in absolute surrender, filled with awe.
Hebrews 12:28