October 2, 2026
Introduction
I asked my good friend Ken Malone to write today’s post, and what an important word it is. I was convicted as I read it; you may be, as well. Ken’s title is:
The Power of Giving Thanks
Each morning at the office, my staff and I pray together. We pray for our nation, President Trump, the United States Congress, and the Supreme Court. At times, the Lord leads us to pray specifically for individual justices or members of Congress.
We pray for Governor Ron DeSantis and his family, the Florida Legislature, and, at times, the Florida Supreme Court. We regularly pray for our church, for the lost, and for prodigals to come home. We cry out for awakening and revival in Florida. As Holy Spirit leads, we also pray for specific cities throughout our state and for pastors with whom we have a relationship.
Over the years, we’ve learned to release the governmental authority of Christ, functioning as His Ekklesia (Matthew 16:18-19). There are times when rather than simply asking God for something, we make decrees based on what He has revealed in His Word and by His Spirit. Job 22:28 says: “You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you.”
The Hebrew word translated as “thing” is omer—a word, utterance, promise, decree, or command.(1) When we know what God has said, we can come into agreement, declare His promises, and align our prayers with what Heaven has spoken. Obviously, we also bring our needs and the desires of our hearts before the Father.
Something Was Different
Today’s prayer time went in an unusual direction, however. As I opened my mouth to pray, something different gushed from my heart. Almost immediately, I sensed the pleasure of the Lord upon it. What was it? Thanksgiving.
My prayer began by simply thanking Yahweh for our relationship with Him. “Father, I thank You that we have a relationship with You. You are the desire of our hearts. Lord, I want to know You—to know You in the power of Your resurrection and the fellowship of Your suffering.”
As I prayed, thanksgiving continued to swell within my heart. I wasn’t asking Him for anything. I wasn’t focused on what we needed. I wasn’t decreeing. This moment was about Him. I began thanking Him for who He is, for our relationship with Him, for what He is doing in me, for what He is doing in Florida, and for what He is doing in America. There was something refreshing about simply saying: “Father, thank You.
I began thanking Him concerning the governmental leaders who will serve following the November elections. I thanked Him for Florida’s government, America’s Congress, the Speaker of the House, and our President. Instead of filling my prayer with requests, I found myself filling it with thanksgiving. And I was genuinely grateful.
What About the Supreme Court?
As I write this, I am convicted about something else. I’ve prayed many prayers concerning the United States Supreme Court. Some of those prayers have probably sounded more like complaints. But how often have I simply stopped and thanked Yahweh for what He is doing on the Court? So I want to do that now
Lord, I give You thanksgiving for working in the nine justices serving on the United States Supreme Court: Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Father, I thank You for encountering each one of them. I pray that Your wisdom would guide their hearts and decisions. May Your purposes be accomplished in our nation. Thank You, Father.
Have We Made Prayer Too Much About Us?
How many times have we missed something in prayer because we made the entire prayer about ourselves? “Lord, I need this.” “Lord, give me that.” “Lord, change this.” I know I’ve done it.
Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:10: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” What if we sometimes prayed that from a posture of thanksgiving?
“Father, I thank You that Your Kingdom is coming and Your will is being done in the lives of my children.”
“Father, I thank You that Your Kingdom is coming and Your will is being done in Washington, D.C.”
“Father, thank You for Your work in America.”
Enter His Gates With Thanksgiving
Praying with thanksgiving does not mean we stop asking. It does not mean we stop decreeing. There is a biblical place for asking, intercession, supplication, declaration, and decree. But there must also be a prominent place in our prayer life for THANKSGIVING. This changes the posture of our hearts.
Psalm 100 says:
“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”
First Thessalonians 5:18 tells us: “In everything give thanks…” Thanksgiving and praise turn our attention from ourselves to the goodness, faithfulness, and greatness of our Father.
Remember to Thank Him
As we walk through this election season in America, let’s pray, ask, intercede, and decree according to God’s Word. But let’s also not forget to thank Him.
Pray with me:
Father, we thank You for what You have done in our lives. Thank You that we can know You personally and walk in relationship with You. Thank You for working in our families. Thank You for our nation and for those entrusted with positions of governmental responsibility. We pray for President Trump, his family, his administration, Congress, the Supreme Court, our governors, state legislatures, and all those who serve in authority. And thank You for what You are doing in America.
Teach us to not only ask You for what we need, but to recognize what You have already done. Teach us to enter Your gates with thanksgiving and Your courts with praise. May thanksgiving become more than something we do occasionally. Let thanksgiving become the posture of our hearts. We pray all of this in Yeshua’s name. Amen.
Our decree:
We decree the priestly blessing of Numbers 6:24–26 over our nation (do so for Your nation, as well):
“The Lord bless America and keep our nation; the Lord make His face shine upon America and be gracious to us; the Lord lift up His countenance upon America and give America peace.”
You can learn more about Ken Malone on his Facebook page by clicking here.
I’ll be speaking for Ken tonight, Oct 2, in Satellite Beach, FL. You can find more information about this event on our website calendar.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 6016.
Lord of Great Giving, Thank YOU for the ministry of Give Him 15 with the leadership of Dutch Sheets and his friends!!
The most important word God ever gave me was this: "Give thanks at all times, and especially when you don't feel like it". This was many years ago, but yesterday I told it to my friend ... it was important to reaffirm.