cavs. -- a busy weekend for the cavs. it's getting to be late. 135 and he did it without three shooting 0-11. it took a while to get it going. they missed them first 14 shots. lebron the big dunk. it 26 points. lebron hits the three-pointer. hi10 the most in franchise history. the big three combined for 90 points. kevin love with the big day hits 25 points and 11 rebounds. another double double. lebron cleans it up. 45th career triple-double, 13 assists. cavs by 14 in this game. third member of the big three, kerry irving with a huge fourth- quarter guest in the first lead

cavs win 112-108. they won four straight seven of their last eight. there are 13-2. take a look at a busy week ahead tuesday. home versus the clippers. friday, that's when the cubs jersey was. the buckeyes remain number two out today bets their playoff fate is in the hands of the committee as ohio state will championship game. penn state wisconsin with the buckeyes, resume is stellar. in the coming back to be third beat third -ranked michigan. the game-winner double overtime, they make it may be good. the buckeyes don't play next week. they can't lose. others say how can they make it if they don't win the big ten championship? let's enjoy that epic buckeyes fifth straight win over michigan. >> that's one of the classic

i know as well as anybody. that's right in there. nothing is the greatest because that's this respectful to other great players. it's instant classic against two great teams. >> meyer has been asked over and over what is a casino get the ball more. yesterday he saved the day facing overtime. prices in 39 at the michigan 24. he found his way out of the trouble with an incredible 8 yard gain on is screen pass the senate the fourth and one samuel won the game the 16 yard touchdown. everybody understands what's at stake. and i can make a play. we went in at halftime. we had to come out at second half and make some plays. it would depend on our defense. >> the sound of the final weekend five local high school to all teams. still alive and chance to win a state title review it next.

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final week of the high school football season coming up so amazing to be practicing during your chance to win a state title. five local teams have that opportunity for the wildcats are back in the game after meeting and changing the ready return for-14. they play xavier this at how i stadium. so be the first trip to the state finals since winning it all into thousand 11. they're going to their 12th so, that's division i is to take a look at the schedule. in division ii that's on thursday in division iii. akron bishop kopin and can central catholic and cayuga congrats to them. congratulations and good luck to all the teams. jim donovan with his take. i'm day.

[music] >> joel osteen: well, god bless you. it's a joy to come into your homes and, if you're ever in our area, please stop by and be a part of one of our services. i promise ya, l feel right at home. i like to start with something funny and i heard about this wealthy man. he was known for being eccentric. he was having a big party at his house and in his backyard he had this huge swimming pool filled with sharks and alligators. he announced to his guests, "anyone that will swim across my pool, i'll give you anything you want." in a few minutes, there was a big splash. this man was in there going 90 to nothing, dodging

made it to the other side just in the nick of time. got out as quickly as he could and the wealthy man said, "wow, you're the bravest person i've ever met. i can't believe it. now, what would you like me to give you?" the man said, "what i want more than anything else is the name of the person that just pushed me in." i wanna talk to you today about "taming your tongue." one of the main reasons people get stuck in life is because they haven't learned how to control their mouth. they say hurtful things, they put people down, they argue, they gossip. they don't realize their tongue is keeping them from rising higher. god won't promote you if you don't have the character to back it up. you don't have to be perfect but we shouldn't be where we were 5 years ago. we should be improving. pay attention to what you're saying. sometimes we've done it so

become harsh, condescending, sarcastic, saying things just to please our flesh. and paul said in ephesians 4, "let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, only that which is beneficial to the progress of others." and before you say something, you need to ask, "is this going to be beneficial to someone? is it going to build them up or tear them down? is this comment going to make my spousel themselves or is it just going to feed my ego?" some people, the only thing that's holding them back from a healthy marriage, from good relationships, from a promotion, is their mouth. they're talented, they're skillful, but they pop off. they're sarcastic, they stir up strife. you can't say everything you feel. your emotions will get you into trouble. and when somebody gets on your nerves and you feel

of popping off and saying things that you know you're going to regret later, you need to step back, take a deep breath, pause for 30 seconds. think about what you're going to say. don't speak out of your emotions, let your tongue run wild. that's the easy way out. you have to be disciplined and tame your tongue. the scripture says, "be quick to listen and slow to speak." let your emotions calm down, you'll realize some things are better left unsaid. you don't have to win every argument. you don't have to comment on every situation. you don't have to straighten everyone out. you may know they're wrong and you're right but you have to ask yourself, "is this worth starting world war iii over?" just bite your tongue and walk away. i've heard it said, the

supposed to listen twice as much as we speak. do you know how many headaches you could save yourself if you just zip it up, not say things you regret later? it's easy in the heat of the moment to make hurtful comments. it takes 10 seconds to say it but 10 years later, the pain is still being felt. it's like a burn. the fire goes away, but the mark is still there. and we can apologize, say "we're sorry." that's good. that's the right thing to do but it doesn't remove the scar. doesn't make the pain go away. it's much better to tame your tongue, be slow to speak, not say things out of our emotions. that damages relationships. you've heard the saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me." that's not a true statement.

words can tear people apart. words can make them feel inferior, insecure. and there are people today not reaching their potential because of hurtful words spoken over them. they heard their parents over and over, "you can't do anything right. you're not smart." or a spouse, "you're unattractive. you're not talented." now, those words are limiting their life. david prayed in psalm 64, "god, protect me from the sharp tongues that people wield as swords." he referred to hurtful words as swords. are you building people up with your words? or are you cutting people up with your words? are you encouraging them, making them stronger, more confident? or are you pushing them down, leaving them wounded and scarred? many times, we recover from a physical wound much quicker

and parents, we have a responsibility to speak words of life, faith, encouragement, into our children. and yes, we have to correct them but don't do it angry, in a disrespectful way. don't say derogatory things to your children that are going to damage their self-image. even small children, you should never say, "you're a bad boy," "you're a bad girl." don't get that into their spirit. they've been made in the image of god. he bhe them. they may have bad behavior at times but your children are good. correct them in a loving, kind way. don't start cutting them up early in life with hurtful words. they have enough to overcome already as it is. they have enough people, circumstances, coming against them. let's be parents that speak life into our children, that push them into their destiny, that help release their dreams.

and with that gift comes a responsibility. god is counting on us to guide them, to nurture them, to help them become who they were created to be. see, taming the tongue starts at home. husbands, make sure you're treating your wife with respect and honor. if you're saying hurtful, demeaning things, pushing her down, really you're pushing yourself down. you're not just hurting her, you're hurting y the scripture says your prayers won't be answered if you're not treating your wife right. you won't reach your destiny, you won't accomplish your goals, if you're always cutting her up. i read a study that said one of the main reasons women fall into depression is because they don't have the blessing from their husband. they don't feel valued and appreciated. now i know men that treat strangers better than they treat their own spouse.

sarcastic, condescending to their own family. and jesus said in matthew, "we will give an account for every idle word that we've spoken." idle word means negative, condescending, hurtful words. and when we come to the end of life, god is going to ask, "what did you do with that spouse i gave you? did you help them grow to become more confident? did you challenge them to reach to the next level?" if your spouse is not better than before you met them, you need to step it up a notch. check up on what you're saying. are you speaking the blessing? every time you tell your wife, "you're beautiful," she shines a little bit brighter. every time you say, "i love you. i'm so glad you're mine," not only is your marriage getting stronger but she's getting stronger. when you tell your children, "i'm proud of you. you're gonna do great things

kind words. those are seeds that will move them toward their purpose. and if you had to give an account now for your spouse, your children, your friends, are they better today than they were 5 years ago? are they stronger, happier, more fulfilled, more successful? if not, you need to make some changes. god gave them to you. he's expecting you to give them back better. after being married to victoria going on ea now, i would hate to have to tell you that--y'all should clap better than that. me having to put up with her for 30 years! [congregation laughing] but after being married to her going on 30 years, i would hate to have to tell you she's not as happy as before we met. she's not as confident, not as secure, not as fulfilled. the problem is that wouldn't be her fault. it would be my fault. as her husband, as her covering, it's my

encouraged, to keep her strong, to keep her fulfilled. to keep her passionate about life. the scripture says, "the wife is a reflection of the husband's glory." if your wife is not shining, if you're harsh, condemning, sarcastic, it's not only making her look bad, it's making you look bad. and for some people, when they have to give an account, it'll be a sad day. god will look at their spouse, their children, their wounds, cut up from sarcasm, cut up from disrespect. cut up from condescending remarks. don't let that be you. use your words to bless people. use your words to build them up and make them feel better about themselves. and in relationships we all have conflicts, things that we don't like. i'm not saying, you should never have a disagreement, no tension, no stress. i'm saying, in the heat of

that damages relationships. "well, joel, if my spouse wouldn't push my buttons, then i wouldn't say things i know i shouldn't. if my kids would just straighten up. if these co-workers wouldn't get on my nerves, then i wouldn't be so disrespectful." these are tests that we have to pass. the people in your life are never going to be perfect. you have to learn to tame your tongue. that means you don't say everything you feel. you may think it but you're disciplined enough to zip it up. maybe your boss is rude to you and you're about to let him have it, tell him what you think. here's the problem. he's the boss and you're not. after you speak out of your emotions, after you give him a piece of your mind, you'll be on a high for about 10 minutes, feeling good, giving high fives, then you'll realize, "he still has his job and i don't." it's much better to tame your

to live in regrets, thinking, "oh, man, why did i say that? what was i thinking?" love makes allowances for people's weaknesses. love overlooks a wrong that was done to it. you have to rise above these petty things that are pulling you apart. give people room to have a bad day every once in a while. if they're rude, don't sink down to that level. be an eagle and rise above it. life is too short to live at about things that don't matter. some people have to have the last word in every argument. they're so hard-headed, they'll argue for 27 days just to have that final word. let it go. you have a destiny to fulfill. you have an assignment to accomplish. those are distractions trying to pull you off course. don't waste your valuable time and energy on something that's not moving you towards

you'll end up saying something you'll regret later. a 10-minute argument can set a relationship back 10 years. you have to learn to walk away. you're not going to accomplish anything positive in a heated, disrespectful situation. let them have the last word and you keep your peace. you keep your joy. "well, joel, that made me look weak." it's just the opposite. the strongest person is the steps away. the scripture says, "you overcome evil with good." you don't overcome disrespect with more disrespect, insults with more insults, shouting with more shouting. the way you do it is by taking the high road, by being the bigger person, by staying respectful. proverbs says, "avoiding a fight is a mark of honor."

get the last word, to put the person down." the honorable thing to do is not start the fight in the first place. in the scripture, when david was a teenager, his father sent him out to take lunch to his brothers. they were in the army on the front lines where it was exciting. david was stuck in the shepherd's fields, taking care of his father's sheep. and when david's oldest brother, eliab, saw david, he said in front ofry "david, what are you doing here? and with whom have you left these few sheep?" eliab was condescending, sarcastic, trying to pick a fight with david. and some people will make it their agenda in life to try to bait you into conflict. they see the favor on your life, they know you're going to do great things. instead of being happy for you, knowing that god has a

draw you into conflict. don't take that bait. david felt like telling his brother off. his emotions said, "let him have it." i'm sure he had his speech all lined up, "eliab, you think you're hot stuff. you're nothing. god anointed me to be king. you're just jealous. you're gonna end up serving me." he could have lit into him but david understood this principle. he didn't get in there and fight. he didn't curse his brother. he didn't try to have the he kept his mouth closed, turned, and walked away. no wonder david took the throne. no wonder god entrusted him to do great things. he had the character to back up the anointing on his life. and god can give you a great anointing. he can have a big future in store for you. but if you don't develop your character, you won't step in to all that he has. and taming the tongue is a

destiny. because our mouth more than about just anything else, gets us into trouble. you can't use your words as a sword, cutting people up, being disrespectful, sarcastic, and expect to reach the fullness of your destiny. and i wonder how much higher we would go if we would do like david and not have to have the last word, not have to be right, not cause some big scene. instead, we just keep quietly honoring god, taking the high road, staying respectful. you do that and god will fight your battles. that's putting yourself in position for promotion. [congregation applauding] david faced a lot of opposition in his life. he had plenty of opportunities to get upset and lose his cool and tell people off. but he prayed an interesting prayer in psalm 141. he didn't ask god to defeat his enemies. didn't ask him to remove all

he said, "god, take control of what i say. keep my lips sealed." he was saying, "god, i have a lot of people coming against me and i know i'm gonna be tempted to be rude, to be sarcastic, to be argumentative. so god, i'm asking you in advance, help me to keep it zipped up." what a great prayer. every morning when we wake up, "god, help me to not say things that are going to get me into trouble. disrespectful, argumentative, condescending. lord, help me to keep my lips sealed." this is especially important when we're in stressful times. the traffic is bad, you're dealing with a difficult co-worker. when you are in these pressured situations, when you know you're gonna be tempted to say things that you shouldn't, you need to decide ahead of time that you're going to watch your words carefully. all through the day, like

my lips sealed." this is what jesus did. toward the end of his life, he knew he was coming in to one of his most difficult seasons. he knew he would be betrayed, sold for 30 pieces of silver. he knew that he would be arrested, mistreated, crucified. he said to his disciples in john 14, "i'm not going to be talking with you much anymore because my hour has come." he was smart enough to realize that he was going to be under incredible pressure so he let them know, "i've already made up my mind, i'm not going to be talking a lot." he was saying in effect, "i've already decided i'm not going to complain when i'm betrayed. i'm not gonna be rude to judas, i'm not gonna argue with the soldiers. i'm not gonna be condescending to my accusers. i'm going to be careful with my words."

stressful situation at work, before you leave the house you need to decide, "i'm not going to say everything i feel today. i'm going to be extra careful." when you're going to be discussing a sensitive issue with your spouse, decide ahead of time, "i'm not gonna lose my cool. i'm not gonna open the door to strife, to arguing. if jesus, the son of god, who has all power, said, "i'm not pressured situation," how much more should we be careful what we say when we're under pressure? and it's easy to make excuses. "well, joel, i was rude to them 'cause they were rude to me. well, i said some things i know i shouldn't have but it's 'cause i was under a lot of stress." no, you had the grace to be where you are and not be rude, not complain, not say hurtful things. you can either feed the flesh

can feed your spirit and keep your mouth closed. the problem is if you keep feeding the flesh and saying everything you want, you won't grow up. you will stay a baby. and the scripture says, "even though you're an heir, even though god has an incredible inheritance that belongs to you, joy, peace, favor, promotion, abundance, as long as you stay a baby, that inheritance will not be released. and taming the tongue is not just about being disciplined. it's about growing up. it's about seeing the inheritance that has your name on it released in your life. and i know people, they're 47 years old, but they're still a baby. they haven't learned to control their mouth. and sometimes, it's not big things that keep us from god's best. it's small things. in the big picture, it's a small thing to not argue with a spouse. it's a small thing to not be

god's not asking us to give away our belongings, to move to a difficult place. he's simply asking us to tame our tongues, to use our words to bless and not curse, to use them to build people up and not tear them down. this is one of the reasons the israelites didn't make it into the promised land. god brought them out of slavery. they were headed to the land flowing with milk and honey but along the way, when they of taming their tongue, they started complaining, criticizing moses. "moses, why did you bring us out here in the desert to die?" it was an 11-day journey to the promised land. but because of their negative words, they went around the same mountain for 40 years and never did make it in. if you can't say something beneficial that's going to edify, build up, do yourself

it's not only affecting the other person, that's keeping you from your destiny. and god will put us in situations to test us. if we're harsh, critical, complaining, condescending, we have to take the test again. we have to go around the same mountain. don't do like they did and go around that mountain for the next 40 years. next time you're tempted to say something that you shouldn't, pause for a moment. under your breath, "god, help me to control my mouth. help me to keep my lips sealed." if you'll be slow to speak, and ask god to help you, you'll start passing these tests. as you grow up, god will release more of the inheritance that belongs to you. you will see more of his favor. but the point here is, you can't be critical and make it into your promised land. you can't be disrespectful to moses, to the boss, to your

that's why proverbs says, "life and death are in the power of the tongue." are you speaking life over your future or are you speaking death? one time, moses' sister, miriam, didn't like who moses was about to marry. this young lady didn't meet miriam's approval. she was an ethiopian girl, came from a different nationality. miriam started talking bad about moses, stirring up trouble, sowing discord. it's interesting, the scripture says that god heard miriam being disrespectful. he heard her hurtful, critical words. and all of a sudden, miriam was stricken with leprosy. her skin became as white as snow. leprosy was contagious. she immediately had to leave the camp. and it will help us to have the right perspective when we remember that god hears what we say. he hears when we bless people

he hears when we encourage, compliment, push them forward, and when we're harsh and disrespectful. isaiah said, "we will eat the fruit of our words." this means if you sow disrespect, you'll reap disrespect. if you sow discord, sarcasm, judgment, you'll reap those things. but when you sow kindness, compliments, encouragement, mercy, then people are going to be good to you. our son jonathan had a away at college and i sent him a text early that morning wishing him a happy birthday and telling him how proud i am of him. i went to my office to start preparing my message for this weekend and i went over notes for a couple of hours but couldn't seem to get any clear direction about what to share on. usually, something will jump out at me but nothing seemed inspiring. it felt kind of dull and then when i came across these notes of taming the tongue, i

supposed to share. about 10 minutes later, jonathan sent me a text back and said, "thanks, dad. you're the best dad in all the world." and said a few more kind things about me and ended by saying, "i wanna be just like you." and it's amazing how those few sentences breathed new life into my spirit. i felt a lifting, a new strength, a new joy. i went from being stuck, "this is hard, nothing is coming," to being excited, passionate. ideas started flowing, all sparked from a few kind words. james said, "the tongue is like a fire. one spark can set a whole forest on fire. one word can start a major problem. one word can start a major blessing." i'm asking you to start some good fires. ignite people's dreams. ignite their hopes. ignite their passions. your words have the ability to put people on their feet,

be a healer, be an encourager. be a lifter. and when you're tempted to say things and we all are, to be condescending, sarcastic, argumentative, be disciplined enough to zip it up. put that sword down. don't go through life cutting people up with hurtful words. go through life building people up with encouraging words. if you'll do this, i believe and declare because you're taming your tongue, you will enjoy your life more. you will have better relationships and you will receive your inheritance and become everything god's created you to be, in jesus' name. if you receive it, can you say, "amen" today? >> joel: victoria and i will be right back to speak a blessing over you and your family. >> female announcer: as a thank you for your support of our ministry this month, joel and victoria would like to send you a copy of joel's new three-message series, "it's all good."

challenged to wake up every morning, looking for god's goodness and god's favor in your life. when you put your trust in him, god will direct your every step. his plan for you is all good. request your copy of "it's all good" today at joelosteen.com or call us toll-free. >> victoria osteen: god has a purpose for everything we go through. we may not understand it, it may be uncomfortable, but he promises all things are going good. the difficulty? it's not going to defeat you. it's going to promote you. >> joel: god knows how to take what was meant for harm and use it to our advantage. request this resource. it will help you keep the right perspective, knowing that it's all good. and thanks so much for watching today. victoria and i are praying for you and your family and we appreciate your prayer and support of our ministry. thanks so much to our champion of hope partners for all you do to make the ministry possible.

you can go to the website and we can take hope around the world. together, we can make a difference. but we never like to close the broadcast without giving you an opportunity to make jesus the lord of your life. would you pray with me? just say, "lord jesus, i repent of my sins. come into my heart. i make you my lord and savior." if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. get in a good bible-based church and keep god first know that we love you, you're not average, you're not mediocre. you're a child of the most high god. >> announcer: number one new york times bestselling author joel osteen delivers his newest book, "think better, live better." >> joel: how you think determines how you live. many people are being held back by wrong mindsets. you can't think negative and live a positive life. i'll show you how to delete the wrong thoughts, and program your mind for the victorious life that belongs

>> announcer: "think better, live better,"now available. pick up your copy at

>> male announcer: god calls his followers to be a thankful people, for gratitude is a practical response to what god has done for us. join dr. david jeremiah today on "turning point" for his message "thanksgiving is supernatural." >> dr. david jeremiah: hello, i'm david jeremiah. welcome to "turning point." as much as i love america's annual thanksgiving celebration i'm saddened by one thing. it has lost much of its original focus. you see, the first thanksgiving was first celebrated in 1621, and president lincoln made it an official holiday in 1863. throughout the years, the focus of this special day has been the same, not just giving thanks, but giving thanks to god, from whom all blessings flow. in today's special thanksgiving message titled

we will discover why god should be the object of our gratitude. you see, everything god has given us are reasons for us to be grateful, thanking him for his spirit, his word, his peace, his plans, and his answers to our prayers. please join me for today's thanksgiving edition of "turning point" as we direct our thanks to god. >> female announcer: god's word spans the generations. no matter the season of life, the uncertainty of current events, or the condition of the culture, the bible is timeless and relevant. it speaks to any age, any problem, in any era. dr. jeremiah's vision to provide a bible for every generation started with the jeremiah study bible, now available for the first time in the new international version, the most widely read translation of the english bible, perfect for both adults and teens. this new edition comes

and genuine leather. also available in the original new king james version in both standard and large print, the jeremiah study bible continues to be cherished by believers today. and to take the same easy-to-understand bible strong teaching of dr. jeremiah to a new generation, "turning point" presents dr. jeremiah's "airship genesis legendary bible adventure kid's study bible." this complete bible is overflowing with enriching original content to help children understand scripture, to launch them onpi that only god can provide. these bibles are always available from "turning point," but order this weekend only until tuesday, november 29, and receive free shipping plus guaranteed delivery by christmas. provide your entire family with solid bible teaching this holiday season. for pricing and more details, call or go online today.

>> david: well, it was december of 1914, and thomas edison's great laboratories in west orange, new jersey were almost entirely destroyed by fire. in 1 night, edison lost $2 million worth of equipment, and the record of much of his life's work. edison's son charles ran frantically about, trying to find his father, and finally came upon him standing near the fire, his face in the glow, and his white hair he said, "my heart ached for my dad. he was no longer young, and everything he was doing en hspotted me.oyed. and he said to me, 'where's your mother? find her. bring her here. she has never seen anything like this, and she's never gonna see anything like this again as long as she lives.'" and the next morning,

of so many of his hopes and dreams, thomas edison mused, "there's great value in disaster. all our mistakes are burned up. thank god we can start all over again." what a perspective on life. for many of us, to be thankful in the midst of such a tragedy would seem almost impossible. we know for sure it's unnatural. but for edison, thankfulness was how he gained victoryov we know that the bible speaks very strongly to the christian about the importance of a grateful spirit. in fact, the word "thanks" and its various cognate appear over 150 times in the old and new testament. and the command to give thanks appears 33 times in the bible. but it may surprise you that the bible often,

links the spirit of gratitude with victory in the christian experience. i don't know if you've ever connected these thoughts, but twice in the new testament i've found this to be true. first of all, in 2 corinthians 2:14 we read these words: "now thanks be to god who always leads us in triumph in christ." so gratitude and triumph are together. and in 1 corinthians 15:57 it's like th"b to god, who gives us the victory through our lord jesus christ." have you ever thought about the fact that a grateful spirit and triumph and victory in your christian life go together in the same package? victory and triumph in the same context with gratitude. you show me somebody who's experiencing spiritual victory, who exudes a sense of triumph, and i can promise you, as you get to know that individual, you will find a man or a woman

of gratitude. gratitude, you see, is one of the evidences that god is in us and that he is working in us. why do i say that? because in the world in which we live today there are so many reasons to be ungrateful. we can find a reason almost every hour to complain or be ungrateful. so if the spirit of god is in us, that's the supernatural element of our lives. and it's the spirit of god in us that enables us to have victory, of our situations and our circumstances. he can give us victory over the negative, self-pitying thoughts that so often wanna take over in our lives. i wanna show you how prominent this concept is in the new testament. i'm gonna give you five principles that will wrap all of this together around the core of these truths. first of all, the bible teaches that when you are controlled by the spirit of god,

listen to the words of ephesians 5:18 to 21: "and do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the lord, giving thanks always for all things to god the father in the name of our lord jesus christ, submitting to one another in the fear of god." now, i don't know if you noticed it, but in the scripture there are four different words that end in i-n-g. so let's have a little grammatical lesson here this morning. those words are what we call participles. and a participle is a word that modifies the statement that goes before it. so in the text it says, "be filled with the spirit," and then you have

telling you what that means, "giving thanks, making melody, submitting to one another." and what it says is that when you are filled with the holy spirit, one of the things that will be true for you is, first of all, you will be filled with joy. you will have a desire to sing, even if you don't have a good voice. you'll want to express your worship to the lord. the bible even says that, "when you are filled with the spirit of god, you will have a submissive attitude toward other people." you won't always be up on your high horse, wanting your own rights. "when you're filled with the spirit of god," the scripture says, "you are submitting one to another." gang together with these two words is the expression, "giving thanks." "giving thanks always for all things to god to father in the name of our lord jesus christ." so what does that mean if you say that the other way around? if you don't have a spirit of gratitude, what is that saying about us? that we are controlling

and not the spirit of god. here's the second one, and this one takes us to the book of colossians chapter 3, verses 16 and 17. and here we learn that when we are committed to the word of god, thanksgiving is the result. these two passages aresult. very much alike, except for one difference. see if you can figure it out when i read it. "let the word of christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another sa and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the lord. and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the lord jesus, giving thanks to god the father through him." in ephesians we're told that, "when you're filled with the spirit, then you're thankful." in this verse in colossians it says, "when you're filled with the word of god, then you're thankful." so when you're committed to the word of god, thanksgiving is the result.

is a scripture-filled christian. you can't be filled with the spirit without some relationship with the word of god. someone once said that, "the holy spirit uses the bible as his toolbox. it is the instrument he uses to change us and conform us into the image of our lord." and paul is saying that when you spend time, as a spirit-filled christian, reading the bible, you will come out a grateful person. it's the natural result of being filled a british preacher that i read about named r.e.o white observed, regarding the fullness of these commands, he said, "the surest sign that that you're carrying a full bucket of water is wet feet." whenever we attempt to carry a full bucket to clean the floor or wash the car, we always get wet feet. and when the bucket of our lives is filled by the spirit of god and the word of god,

will spill out all around us. full pails cannot help but overflow. have you ever been around somebody like that? i have. there's some people in my life that i know that are just like that. you get around 'em, you nudge 'em, and thanksgiving, and gratitude, and excitement just spills out from their lives. we should all covet to have that as our goal, to be thankful people who just spill out from the overflow of our lives, reflecting on all thatod has done for us, and so grateful to god for what he does. but there's a third one. let me show you the third one. when you are controlled by the spirit of god, thanksgiving is the result. when you are committed to the word of god, thanksgiving is the result. and number three, when you are characterized by the peace of god, thanksgiving is the result. here again,g is the result. in the book of colossians, we read these words: "and let the peace of god rule in your hearts,

i am so shocked at how many times that shows up in the new testament literature, that god wants his people to be a thankful people. when a person is characterized by peace, he has that peace because it's one of the fruits of the spirit. peace is a fruit of the spirit. when you're controlled by the spirit, you have a sense of peace. it's one aspect of the fruit of the spirit. and everywhere paul talks about peace, he talks about it in the context of thanksgiving, the spirit plus the word plus peace all surrounded by an attitude of gratitude. i have to laugh when i think back to the early days of my preaching, when i would be studying the writings of paul in his letters. i would be studying my way through a passage. and, as you probably know, i love to outline. i love to diagram passages. and they're always, the new testament's a very logical book.

paul's the most logical. but every once in a while, paul would go on a rabbit trail. and you know what that is. i've been on a few of those along the way as your pastor. but he would go on a rabbit trail primarily for one reason. paul would be writing a letter to one of his churches and he would write something that would remind him of his conversion, and he would go off in this praise to god for all that god had done for him. he would just explode in praise to the lord. y that's a worthy rabbit trail, and paul would often do that. do you ever stop and think where you would be without christ? did you ever stop to think what your life would look like now if you had not received jesus christ into your heart? where would you be? what would you be doing? what would your family be like? i promise you, every good thing that you have as a believer is due to the fact that you joined forces with the god of heaven and accepted his wonderful plan for your salvation. amen?

so when you're controlled by the spirit of god, thanksgiving flows. when you're committed to the word of god, thanksgiving is the result. when you're characterized by the peace of god, thanksgiving is the result. here's the fourth one. when you're constantly in prayer to god, thanksgiving is the result. here's that wonderful verse we all know. philippians 4:6: "be anxious by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to god." now, most people read that verse without really reading it carefully, and it comes out like this: "in everything by prayer and supplication, and thanksgiving," but if you look at the verse, that is incorrect. the word is not "and." the word is "with."

"in everything by your prayer and your supplication," and then the writer inserts a different word. he uses the word "with," which means that thanksgiving is just not one of the many kinds of prayer, but thanksgiving is to be the spirit and the attitude of all of our prayer, whether it's prayer, or supplication, or intercession. however we pray, it is always to be undergirded with this spirit of gratitude to god. and then the let me go through them again so we stay together. when you're controlled by the spirit of god, thanksgiving is the result. when you're committed to the word of god, thanksgiving is the result. when you're characterized by the peace of god, thanksgiving is the result. when you're constantly in prayer to god, thanksgiving is the result. and here's the last one, when you're concerned with the plan of god, thanksgiving is the result.

a lot of people, especially if they're goin' through some tough things. it's 1 thessalonians 5:18, and this is what it says:, "in everything give thanks: for this is the will of god in christ jesus concerning you." i'm gonna read that again. why don't you read it with me out loud? "in everything give thanks: for this is the will of god the first thing we learn about this last principle is that god's will concerning thanksgiving is very clear. i often have people, some of you on occasion, who send me emails, or you catch me in the hallway, or we have a conversation about the will of god for your life. and it's a legitimate question, and we should be pursuing a knowledge of god's calling

already know are the will of god. god's already expressed himself, has he not? god has already said that it is his will for us to be thankful. one of the undeniable parts of god's will for every single christian is found in this verse. could the will of god be any clearer than this? "for this is the will of god in christ jesus for you." and for me. i don't know how this resonates with you, but as you see this in the greater context of the new testament, it is a powerful thought. let me show you how powerfully this is taught in god's word. for instance, in the first chapter of romans, which i think is a terrible chapter in the sense that it outlines the fall of civilization, the fall

paul is describing what it's like when civilization unhooks from the almighty. and i want you to listen to what he says: "because, they knew god, they did not glorify him as god, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. and professing to be wise, they became fools." paul told the romans, "let me tell you what happens to a culture that rejects god. they will head down, down, down. and one of the evidences of their decadence, of their rebellion against god, will be their lack of gratitude." a civilization that is coming unglued becomes an ungrateful civilization. stop for a moment and consider, where are we as a civilization when it comes to this whole spirit of gratitude? in fact, isn't it true that somebody who says, "thank you," or is grateful anymore,

it isn't a part of our culture. you say, "was it?" well, i've been around for a long time. it used to be a lot more than it is now. people today expect things. they feel entitled. it's a part of what's happened to our culture. and that's at the beginning of the process. do you wanna see where it ends up? the bible says that as this culture continues to unfold, as it continues to decline, when you get to the end of times, paul writes to timothy and he says, "this is what's it gonna be like en know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents," and what is the next word? "unthankful." ingratitude travels in some pretty bad company, doesn't it?

blasphemy, disobedience, ingratitude. when we are controlled by the spirit of god, gratitude will start to exude from our lives. it may even catch you by surprise. you will certainly catch others by surprise when they notice your change in attitude. and you will know that what is coming forth from your life is not something that is naturally and normally yours. it's the supernatural evidence in your heart and at work. god's will concerning thankfulness is clear. but notice one last thing. it's also very comprehensive. in ephesians 5:20mprehensive. paul says that: "the spirit-filled believer gives thanks always for all things to god the father in the name of the lord jesus christ." in colossians 3 he expands it:

in the name of the lord jesus, giving thanks to the father through him." so you write it down. whatever we do, whether we do it in word, whether we do it in deed, we do it all, and we do it all with thanksgiving. you see, thanksgiving is not situational. it is not circumstantial. it is not something that is in us because of that which is going on around us. some of those things are there, and we give thanks for them. but thanksgiving is a spiritual attitude that god gives us when we become christians. and when we allow that attitude to grow and develop, we can even be grateful for what god does for us when we're going through difficult times. "all these things," the bible says, "we can become more than conquerors." and the only reason that we can be like that is because of the spirit of god who lives within us. i wish i had time to give

but it simply means that when the spirit of god comes to live within you, when you become a christian, he is a resident in your heart. but when you come to him and say, "lord, i am not happy any longer with you just being a resident in my heart. i'd like for you to be the president of my heart, and i wanna give my life to you and serve you. and i will be submissive to whatever you say." and all of a sudden, when you do that genuinely, you will find yourself saying and doing things that seem unnatural to you because they are unnatural. they're supernatural. they're spiritual. you'll say, "thank you," in times when you might have complained. you'll be grateful for things that you never noticed before. "when we are filled with the spirit of thanksgiving," as someone wrote, "we learn how to count our blessings instead of our crosses. we learn how to count our gains instead of our losses.

we learn how to count our friends instead of our foes. we learn how to count our smiles instead of our tears, and our courage instead of our fears. and our full years instead of our leans ones, and our kind deeds instead of our mean ones. and our health instead of our wealth. we count on god instead of our self." here is one last practical thought about developing a spirit of thanksgiving. when you are filled with the spirit of god, not only different, but how many of you know you talk different? there's not a day that goes by, in your life or in mine, that things don't come up that would make us wanna complain, things that aren't right, things that don't go right, things that we think should've been done differently or better. somebody should've said somethin', didn't say somethin'. and what happens is you have those thoughts. and you may not be in a place where you can communicate them to everybody.