Having A Thankful Heart By: Dr. Pete Norris

So he said, "Always be full of joy in the Lord." Now you're thinking, "I'm going to always be happy." That's nobody saying. You're full of joy because you got Holy Spirit inside you. It didn't what you're feeling, it didn't what you're thinking. It's none of that. It's who you are automatically because he made you and gave you the joy of the Lord. It's your strength, and I ate them. So the joy of the Lord is your strength. You want to have strength in your life, you've got to keep it joy. And joy is not a feeling, it's the decision you make. Think about it. Welcome to Power in the World. We live in a country with so many blessings, yet we lack one main thing. That's thankfulness. So today, Dr. Norris approaches thankfulness from the perspective of our relationship with Christ, which is the foundation of all thankfulness. It's a great message, so you stay with us and be encouraged. And I begin to study a little bit and the Holy Spirit begin to speak to me something. So I want you to go into Genesis chapter 1 verse 31 and having a thankful heart. What does that look like? Now, I know we're thankful for our children, we're thankful for our grandchildren, we're thankful for you, we're thankful for one another, we're thankful for the blessings that come upon us. But isn't it amazing how easy we get focused on that one thing that's wrong with us. Think about it. How easy it is to get focused on that one thing that's not perfect in our lives. But let's see how Jesus did it. Genesis 1 and 31. And God saw everything that He made and indeed it was very good.

So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Now I've heard people say that God said everything that I've made is very good. That's not what He said. It said He saw everything that He had made and indeed in reality it was very good. He said it was very good. Did He say it was very good? No, everybody said He said it's very good. He didn't say it was very good. He said everything that He made and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Now think about it just a minute. What did He make on the sixth day? Man. And so the creation that He created, He saw that everything He made was very good but He didn't say it was very good because He knew it was the image of Him so what was on the inside of Him was what He made. And so He knew that it had to be very good because He was very good. So if we understand what's on the inside of us everything that comes out of us is going to be very good. And everything that's going to come out of us is going to be thankful. So we see Him, He created everything but if you'll notice something He said He created the evening and the morning now Jewish calendar starts at six o'clock PM and goes to six o'clock the next day. That's one full day. So He said the evening and the morning and He said that all six days but He didn't say it after the seventh day because we missed the whole purpose. Now I want you to stay with me today because I'm going to shake your theology because everybody's told us Genesis is creation of God and that's absolutely incorrect. There's three days of creation and there's three days of things that were made. So He created some stuff and then He made some stuff from some stuff that was already

there and the Scripture is going to prove that. So we see here that God saw that everything that He made and He indeed in reality everything He made was good because God don't make anything bad, right? Okay, now go to Genesis chapter two verse one. So look at somebody and say you got to be good. But if you'll notice in reality the only thing that He said that He didn't say but the only thing that was very good was man because nobody was made like man because nobody had the breath of God, nobody had the image of God, no one had the heart of God, no one had the reflection of God, no one had the mercy of God. God spoke something to me sitting in a chair with about 23,000 people on Saturday in 117 centuries and here's what He said to me very plainly, I'm looking around and there's people I mean there's people everywhere, there's people for acres, acres, listen 25,000 people in a field like Woodstock, there were people everywhere you looked but the Holy Spirit spoke to me and He said there's people sitting all around you that's looking at answers. The Spirit that's on the inside of you has resurrected thousands of people. Well that went off like a tidal wave inside of me, think about it. What's inside of you has already erected thousands of people and said why can't it fix you? Now let's go to Genesis chapter two, "Thus the heavens and the earth and all the hosts of them were finished." So He had finished everything right, the heaven and the earth and all the hosts of the earth were finished. look at verse two. And on the seventh day, God end. He had done nothing to smoke, and God said, and God said, and God said 10 times in the book of Genesis, and God said, and God said, and then when I was at 10 times, 'cause 10's man's responsibility, the number 10 means man's responsibility. So what he had done, he had fixed it

where you didn't have a responsibility again, he'd put everything inside a man which was himself. Now, stay with me, watch this, this is powerful. And he rested on the Sabbath day from all his work which we had done. Look at verse three, and God blessed the Sabbath day. And God blessed the Sabbath day. Who's the Sabbath today? He was. And separated it and set it apart, because in it, in what? The Sabbath day he rested from all of his work which he had created and made. So where did he rest? In his creation. So he was resting in Christ which he had blessed, and me and you were now in Christ before the foundation of the world. So when he was creating everything and making everything, he was gonna rest inside of his creation. It has nothing to do with the Sabbath, the first, second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh day. He's talking about he was resting inside of Christ. And the fullness of who we were was manifested in Christ, but no one knew to Christ a thousand years later. And so we didn't understand it for the foundation world. You and I were made, accepted it and called and chose it in him before the foundation of the world. So he fixed everything, blessed everything, empowered everything to prosper,

not in the Sabbath day, but in the person of Christ. And now, having a thankful heart, we can't have a thankful heart, because thankful heart is not doing this. Thankful heart is knowing who I am in him and knowing what I have because of him. And the discovery is, do I have a really thankful heart? Yeah, I'm thankful for my children. Yes, I'm thankful for others, but am I thankful for who I am in Christ? That's what praises to him. That's what worship is to him. That's what anointing is to him. That's what lives are changed about. So you gotta believe that this is only inside of you. This walk is not an external walk, it's an internal walk that's included in Christ. And now because of that, you and I live and move and breathe and have our being in him, because now he lives in us. So the desires that you and I are looking for are on the inside of us. So having a thankful heart doesn't mean I'm just praising him, and that's a wonderful thing if you wanna do that. But what it means is realizing who I am and what he's done for me. I want you to go to Ephesians chapter one, verse 20. Which he worked, which he worked, which he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated in him at his own right hand

in heavenly places. So which he worked in Christ and what did he work in Christ? Creation. All creation was in Christ. Guys, come on. All creation was in Christ. Your battle is not with where you're going. Your battle is you don't know where you're at now. And the struggle is not where we're going. You already arrived at where you're going. You just hadn't discovered where you're at now in your life. So if you can't discover where you're at now, you're never gonna be able to, that's your destiny where you're intended to be. So our struggle is not with where we're going. It's where we're at. Where are you? That's why he walked around so much. He said, "Peter, who do they say that I am?" So we really don't get that revelation. Who do I say that that there? Who do they say that I am, Peter? Oh, some of them say to Jeremiah. I say they were back into the law. The church is still in that mentality that I'm going somewhere. We're still under the old covenant. The old covenant was looking for a place. The church now is looking for a place. We're not looking for that person

that we've been put into before the foundation of the world that he blessed and sanctified and set apart for such a time as is. That's the revelation of who we are. It's not where we're going. It's who we are right now here. And now I live and move and have my being here because my existence no longer exists outside of him. Now my focus is not on the external, it's on the internal who I am. Give me to John chapter four. Now watch this, this is powerful. Jesus went out of his way to meet this woman at the whale. He was not supposed to be talking to this woman at all. She was a Samaritan. So he went out of his way, but you gotta understand why he went there. Where did he go? He went to Joseph's whale, right? Come on guys, what's Joseph mean? Yeshua. He was going to the grave that Joseph had existed and where Joseph was buried to bring to existence who he was. He was not there for the woman. He was there for the purpose. You don't understand. You think he went for the woman. So when you pray every day for a divine encounters, it's not changing your journey,

so you'll be in a different place. Put that, he's putting them in your journey of the steps of her righteous man has been ordered by the Lord. So now he shows up at this whale. Now look what he tells her. Jesus answered a sentence to her, "Who's so ever drinking to this water? "She'll thirst again." She didn't know what he was talking about. She was there to get some water. Look at her 14. "But who's ever drinking to the water that I shall give him? "She'll never thirst, "but the water that I shall give him shall be in him. "A whale of water springing up into everlasting life." What did he say? He said, "If you drink this water, you're gonna thirst again. "If you drink the water, I'll give you." You're never gonna thirst again, 'cause the water that I'm gonna give you is gonna shall be inside you. Out of our belly shall flow rivers of living water. He said, "Honey, you don't understand." She couldn't comprehend that she was there to meet a physical need, and he was there to meet a spiritual need. Her spiritual need was gonna override her physical need because the evidence of your physical, 'cause this first gonna happen in the natural

before it's gonna happen in the spiritual. So you and I've gotta understand that the spiritual manifest, the physical's gotta be a part of the process. He said, "Ever who drinks of this shall never thirst again." Never thirst again. Now something's wrong here, 'cause the church is thirsty. He said, "Those at thunder and hearse from me shall be filled." Maybe hope so might be, they shall be filled. In you shall be a, he said you understand. The water that you're gonna drink is you're gonna make you thirst again. But the water that I'm gonna give you, you'll never thirst again, 'cause it's gonna be inside of you continuously bubbling up and flowing out and springing out into everlasting life. See, the reality is we're not living from the inside out. We're living from the outside in. We're moved by everything that rises. We're moved by every circumstance. We're moved by every situation because we haven't discovered that on the inside of us is life. And I come that you might have life and have life more abundantly. So, where does that stop? Let's go to John 6 and 35, now what's this? And Jesus said unto them, "I am the bread of life. "He that cometh to me shall never hunger, "and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." Wait a minute, something's wrong here.

The world's hungering for truth, the world's thirsty for the life. He said it should not be that way because you're drinking, it'll be inside of you now. It'll be bubbling up on the inside of you. And so, I'm getting asked the Holy Spirit, Lord, why don't the church get this? Why don't I get it? And he said something to me. Now, go with me, go with me to Proverbs 13, 18 and four. How many of you believe Solomon's pretty wise dude? How many of you believe Solomon's one of the wisest dude ever, richest dude ever? He wrote tons of songs, tons of Proverbs, things he quoted, tons of poetry. He done all kinds of creative things. But he couldn't control his external life. He couldn't control his external life, but he had the revelation on the inside. See, that's what's happening in the world today. And he did listen to me. The anointing of God will take some people further than the character, let them stay. And so when the anointing and the character don't rise and let go to it, see, see, here's the problem I have. The problem that I have is that the anointing of God is gonna take you very, very high in your life. That's gonna create opportunities. If your character ain't ready for those opportunities, you can't stand in those opportunities

because you won't stand alone. See, I believe that Paul was the most lonely man in the world. See, we're looking to have friends to support us and strengthen us and those things are wonderful. But the Bible said if you don't have friends 'cause you ain't friendly. But the reality to that is, here's what I'm trying to get you to understand. There's some things in your life you're gonna have to walk through alone. And the process of walking through is gonna increase the anointing in your life to the dimension that God planned for you to have. But now watch this, it's just what Solomon understood. The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters. How many of you know deep waters means a thundering or a roaring, in other words, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook. So he said the words of a man's mouth are as deep waters. So what comes out of your mouth is gonna be based on what's inside you. Now he said that this is what's gonna happen. If this woman or drink of this water that I'll give her she'll never thirst again, but it'll spring out of her as everlasting life. Now what was he saying? He was saying that she had got her support system from the inside now, she didn't have to look anything else because she was never gonna thirst,

she's never gonna hunger again if she understood spiritually that what was on the inside of her was the reason to be thankful. See, you're looking for something externally to change in your life 'cause you're externalism where you live. You don't look outside for answers Spirit for as many as are led by my spirit, they are the sons of God. His spirit bears witnesses without a spirit unless us know that we're the sons of God. And the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord searching all the unreparths of the belly. So we understand the proper of 2027. So we understand the spirit that's on the inside of us is the only way God's going to speak to us. And so we're living in a society that's externally bound all the time. And so we want to live that same dimension and walk with Jesus that doesn't work. Because go with me to Proverbs chapter 20 verse 5. "Cancel in the heart of man is like deep waters." There's that word again. "But a man of understanding will draw it out." What's he talking about? He's talking about drawing out of the spirit of the pale, or the well of water that's on the inside of him. "Out of our belly shall flow rivers of living water." The Bible said in John 832, you shall know the truth and the truth that you know almost that you're free, or make you free, set you free, and operately make you free from everything in your life that's trying to stop you. See, you got to live from the inside out. God's done everything he's going to do. See, you pull out, where's the well? The overflowing that's on the inside of us, the Holy Spirit is on the inside of us. See, the Holy Spirit is the most precious thing in your life, and very few people know anything about it. Because he's a gentleman. When I send you, he is a he, okay? He's a he, he's a person, and he's part of the Trinity, and his name is Jesus, right? And the Holy Spirit is a part. That's the Spirit that you're not operating. You and I are operating in the Holy Spirit that was leading Christ, that resurrected Christ. That's the same Spirit living and moving and having His being inside of me. That's why Jesus said, "If I go away, I'm going to send my Spirit. My Spirit is going to lead you, guide you into all truth, teach you all things, bring all things you remember," So I've said unto you, then first Corinthians 2 and 11 says that what's he going to do? He's going to show us all the things he's been

freely given to us. See, the Holy Spirit is going to bear witness with our Spirit. And so when we're led by the Holy Spirit, we're not led by feelings. We don't walk by sight, we walk by faith. So I'm not moved by ever wind that blows. I'm only moved by the Spirit. See, we're moved by circumstances instead of moved by the Spirit because we can't recognize the difference in the truth. And so last week when I was sitting there, the Holy Spirit was telling me, Pete, they're looking for an answer that's on the inside of them. They're looking for it in a song, they're looking for it in a message, they're looking for it in a prophet, they're looking for it in an apostle, they're looking for it in somebody to give them a word. And the reality is a word will keep you, but a word will control you. Because here's the thing, Jeremiah said, sometimes we've got a fight for those prophetic words. Let's go to Abraham. He had a revelation from God. He was going to have a son. How long did it take him to get Isaac? Twenty-five years. He had the word twenty-five years earlier. How long did it take David after Jesse, the prophet, come and prophesied he was going to be the king of Israel. How long did it take him to get to be a prophet? It's almost 17, between 17 and 20 years. See, sometimes you're prophetic words, you've got to hold on to it. You've got to talk to yourself. You've got to walk through those valleys, you've got to walk through those peaks, you've got to walk through those times, but you've got to walk on the inside. You've got to learn to live by the inside and not be moved by the external. He said, "If you drink of the word and I'm going to give it to you never thirst again, but if you drink this word, it's usually going to thirst again." See, what are we drinking from? You've got to ask yourself, what am I drinking from? Let's go to Ephesians 1 and 3. Blessed be the God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who had past tense, right? Blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ. Now guys, listen to me. He didn't have a set of blessings for Ron and a set of blessings for Larry. He just had Jesus. And he put Jesus and his spirit on the inside of us. So the same spirit that resurrected Christ is trying to teach me and you how to walk this life out. That ain't a, that ain't a denomination. That's a revelation. And so what we're understanding is, I saw all these people last week and everybody I saw was very, very nice, very, very nice. And they said, "You'll come back." They go back. They've been coming back, it's been going off for 10 years and next year, they're predicting 30 to 35,000 people. And I won't say, what I'm saying is, is that's not my answers.

Answers is right here. Now that was good to be around people worship and exalt and lift in your hands and sing and embrace again. That's a wonderful thing. There's nothing against it. I'm totally nothing against that. without any music playing anybody in the dance with you. Or you listen to me. Because what's on the inside of me has brought me to this point, and I learned as a young man to listen to the internal voice instead of everything that's moving externally. 'Cause I heard a bunch of people tell me that I wasn't gonna make it. I heard a bunch of people say, you ain't got it. I heard a lot of people say, you know why it's gonna, it's gonna be a struggle for you. All those things are true. But here we is. (audience laughing) Why? Because greater than me, than he that's in the world. And what I'm trying to get you to understand is that here's what the enemy's doing. The enemy and the world's culture is trying to suck you in to a political arena that's gonna keep you away from revelatory revelation. - Yeah, it's serious, I agree. - And it's not about either body being right or anybody being wrong. It's about the culture of society that you and I are living in. It's easier to keep what God has obtained

than it is to try to get what you ain't got. Now listen to me, it's easier to keep what God has obtained than it is for you try to get what he has entertained. He's obtained everything all he wants you to do is keep it. You'll be exactly what you believe that you'll believe. You'll be. Go to Philippians 4 and 4 through 7 and then L.T. Always, always, always, always be full of joy. Now, how many have no joys of fruit? How many out of what produces joy? No, the Holy Spirit, y'all, read your Bible. That's a fruit. An apple tree ain't straining to have an orange. It's gonna only produce apples on that tree. Now, if it produces orange on an apple tree, that's a messed up tree, right? If you don't have fruit, then you got messed up Christian 'cause you don't have a problem producing the fruit. The Holy Spirit wants to produce love, joy, peace, gentlemen, makes, stimpers. All the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5, 22. So he said, "Always be full of joy in the Lord." Now you're thinking that's, I'm gonna always be happy. That's what he's saying. You're full of joy 'cause you got the Holy Spirit inside you. It didn't what you're feeling. It didn't what you're staking. It's none of that. It's who you are automatically because he made you and gave you the joy of the Lord

as your strength near my eight then. So the joy of the Lord is your strength. If you wanna have strength in your life, you gotta keep it joy. And joy is not a feeling, it's a decision you make. Who gave you love? See, that's why I love such a tough thing for people. Well, I don't feel it. People come to me all the time. Well, you know, I love them, but I ain't in love. What's the world's that mean? (congregation laughing) There's been moments in my leaders' life I ain't been in love with her either. And I can tell you there's been some moments she ain't been in love. (congregation laughing) What we made of this season, you hear what I'm saying? So what I'm feeling has nothing to do with our relationship. See, here's the thing, you follow your feelings and then you speak it. That's what gets you in trouble. Well, I didn't want to, yeah, you did. Yeah, you did. Always be full of joy in the Lord. And again, I say rejoice, rejoice in what? That you're full of the joy of the Lord. You ain't gonna get up every morning and say, this is just the glorious day. I'm so happy. Glory to God.

Hallelujah, look at him here. And this is just a lovely day. And that's people like that, but they faking. Ain't nobody happy every minute? They lying like a dog. Sometimes you just gotta fight through some things to get your happiness. And happiness is based on feelings, but joy is the joy of the Lord. He said, always be full of joy. He wouldn't have told you to always do it if he wasn't gonna make you give you the fullness of the joy. And then he said, again, I say rejoice in that. And rejoice in what? That you got the full of the joy of the Lord. Look at verse five. Let everyone see that you are considered in all that you do. Remember the Lord's coming. Verse six, don't worry about anything. Don't worry about anything. Here's what, now you gotta go back and read four to be able to keep five and six. If you don't know that you got the full joy of the Lord, and again, I say rejoice in that full joy, then you're gonna worry all the time. What can you do about anything? So, what am I saying to you? Pray about everything. Tell God what you need,

and then thank him for all he has done. See, some of you don't like your children getting older. They got an alternative. Here's the thing, they're gonna get older. They're gonna walk out of your house. They're gonna live and go get their own lives. That's the external part of me, but the reality is all that tells me is that peace you like to be in control. You don't wanna trust the Lord with all the blessings he's given you. Bring him up in the ways of a Lord, and then you trust the Lord with him, right? Now think about it just a minute. How about you? step out of the box? Why don't you want to grow? Why don't you want to prosper? Why don't you want to believe? Why? Because all these things takes you out of your comfortable place. People love familiarity. I read a thing this week, 38% of people live within 30 miles of where they grew up. And if they don't go stay there, they go back there at the end of their life. Why? Because we love familiarity. How many of you just pray for change? Tell God what you need and then thank Him for all He has done. Now, you think about it a minute. Do you think Him? And look at verse seven. Then you experience God's peace, which exceeds anything you can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and guard your minds as you live where in Christ Jesus. What am I saying? Do you have a thankful heart? Go meet a first Peter chapter five. Therefore humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Now, what does

humble humility mean? Humility means in the actual Greek, line yourself up with the word and stand on it. It doesn't mean coming to the auto crime and weeping and saying, you're sorry, ever 13 seconds. God is not moved by your crime. He don't even he don't even pay attention. He's got every tear that you've ever shed in the book in the proper proper. He got away in a bottle. That's how much he loves you. Cause he gon show him to him and say, you didn't have to cry. I had you under the mighty hand of God. And he will exalt you. There's one key two words here. In due time. See, we don't like that part. In between exalt you in that end is a preposition. It's E in and it means in two. In other words, in then there's to do and then there's a time. He's going to exalt you. He said, he's going to exalt you. Remember this, if man exalt you, man can take you back down. If God exalt you, man can't stop you. So watch this verse seven. I want you to see this. Casting all your cares upon him. He cares for you. This is to me. What are you concerned about? Now, people call it spiritual and it's revelation, but it's really not. If you're worried you stand up at night. It's the same time. The society is the easiest in the world to live today. But our minds are being bombarded with all kinds of stuff that keep us away from our peace. And the Bible said that if we'll cast our cares upon the Lord, we'll experience His grace that will guard our minds and our hearts in Christ Jesus. See, we've got to stay fixed in Christ Jesus. That external thing does not change one thing about your intimacy in him. He's obtained everything. All you have to do is maintain what he's obtained. Thank you so much for joining us today at Power and the Word. All of us here at Harvest Fellowship Church want you to know

that God is not mad with you, but He loves you so very much. And He has a plan for your life. Please feel free to contact us here at Harvest Fellowship Church at our website harvestfellowshipchurch.net. So until next week, please remember there's power in the Word. [Music] [Music] [BLANK_AUDIO]