It's great to live in a nation that has an official day for giving thanks. But the act of thanksgiving was originally God's idea (Ps. 50:14, 95:2, 100:4).

However, instead of entering God's courts with praise and thanksgiving, we often come before our Heavenly Father with a list of gimmes. There's nothing wrong with telling God what we need and what we're believing for. But before we start asking God for things, we should tell Him how much we appreciate and love Him.

Here are five different ways we can express gratitude to our Heavenly Father, as well as how to make thanksgiving a lifestyle every day of the year.

1. Make it a habit

Some bad habits can be physically, emotionally, and spiritually harmful to us. Giving thanks to God, on the other hand, is a good habit! In fact, we should be in such a habit of expressing thanks that we do it automatically. We should be so filled with appreciation for everything God has done for us that we just can't keep silent.

2. Be courteous

We expect people to say thank you to us, and we should return the courtesy to others. The same holds true with God. He has done so much for us and has given us countless blessings.

3. An act of worship

Expressing thanks is an integral part of worship for every believer. The Bible is filled with examples of individual people and the Church as a corporate body giving thanks to God. The psalmist David worshipped God with thanksgiving for what He did and was going to do. Likewise, we should always give thanks to God as an act of our individual and corporate worship.

4. An act of faith

Expressing thanks is an act of faith because we are declaring our belief that our present blessings came from God. We're also giving thanks because we believe the future blessings we desire are on their way! Giving thanks keeps our faith active.

5. An act of love

Thanksgiving can be a way of saying I love you. True love doesn't take things for granted. When we love God, we don't take Him or His blessings for granted. We then express our love and gratitude by giving Him thanks!

As we approach Thanksgiving, let's be thankful for all the blessings God has poured on us. But let's not forget to give thanks to God every day of the year. We will see amazing changes in our lives when we consistently live a life of thanksgiving!

Want more?

Watch Kenneth W. Hagin teach on giving thanks to God for His goodness in his message "The Power of Thanksgiving."