Living Downstream | Thanksgiving Service | Pastor Scott Thomas

hello hello friend thank you so much for

tuning in with us here at Free Life

Chapel where we help you discover and

live the free life in Christ my name is

kotti and I'm so glad that you decided

to tune in with us hey if you ever get a

chance to come to the central Florida

area come visit us we would love to

connect with you face to face but until

then visit our website freelive

chapel.org to find out more about what's

happening at your church today there's a

phenomenal message in store just for you

I hope you're encouraged I'm so glad

you're here tonight on this Thanksgiving

Eve Eve service uh I I I know I know we

we could do it tomorrow night but y'all

going to be cooking turkeys and stuffing

stuffing and and getting potato pies and

sweet potato pies and yams and cranberry

sauce and all that stuff and uh Cindy

and I are coming over for dinner tonight

we're just letting you know we're coming

um but I hope that you've got some great

plans and if it's just your plan to stay

at the house lock the door close the

blinds and binge watch Netflix good for

you just go Crush that to whatever it

looks like I hope that you've got a some

time scheduled on Thursday to celebrate

but being here being here tonight

matters I believe especially as Christ

followers this this time this season of

the year I mean this should be alive in

our hearts all year long but it's good

to hit a crescendo and just come back

together and be reminded why we're here

and why we're doing what we're doing

Caleb and Elizabeth are my my son and

and daughter they are in in the phase of

teaching Malachi and tah my grandson and

granddaughter to say thank you have you

know that's a good

thing I know some adults that still

haven't learned that

yet uh teaching them to say thank you

and and like it's like it it's just what

do you say thank you thank you thank

because thank you has to be taught it's

not normal in case you didn't know uh it

it's a virtue that has to be taught it

doesn't naturally come out of you and

what's funny is we we go to restaurants

now we we were we were at a restaurant

two Sundays ago after service and and

then this past Sunday uh we're we're

sitting at a restaurant eating and the

the server comes up and and and delivers

our drinks and both kids canu

canu and and and the server the server

like okay and and and like they're

walking away and TOA until somebody

responds TOA is not stopping canu canu

canu

and and the servant go you're welcome

you're welcome they bring a fork back

you know they just canu canu like like

like the guy like I told him I said

listen you don't have to say you're

welcome at everything cuz it's going to

be all day long canu canu I don't even

like the word thank you I like canu that

that just sounds a whole lot better to

me this is where Malachi and tah are but

you know what's what what's really

interesting about that is their stated

gratitude even though even though we're

not even sure that they feel it they

just know they're supposed to say

it at one and a half and almost two

years old it's almost three years old

thank you two almost three they're

demanding a response from somebody who's

almost three times as old as they are

right three times three EX 10 10 times

10 times like 30 years old a 2-year-old

and he's having to stop and turn around

and respond because gratitude Demands a

response right gratitude never just goes

into the atmosphere and disappears it

does something when someone tells you

thank you I hope you feel a nudge to say

at least welcome I mean something should

come out of you because someone

expressed some

gratitude gratitude is not just this

feeling that we have it's it's an

intentional attitude towards our

approach in life like like I I want to

wake up great F I want to work grateful

I want to drive grateful I want to eat

my food grateful I want to be with

friends and family and I want to do it

gratefully gratitude gratitude is

recognition and confession that I have

received

something from someone

else do you realize that all that you

have and where you are right now you did

not get here alone somebody paved the

way for you to get here no one's living

in a vacuum as good as you are you're

not that good would you turn to someone

help me turn to someone tell them

somebody helped you get here just just

go ahead and just tell somebody helped

you get

here parent friend uh somebody believed

in you and no I got that car by myself

no but you had to get a job before you

could afford to buy that car and someone

has someone educated you you need to

thank a teacher right now thank an

educator for I me we we can go down the

line and we see how our life has

intersected with so many and gratitude

is the recognition and admitting that I

am the total of not just my decisions in

life but what people have poured into me

and I'm a product and a result of a lot

of that we have to admit that Isaiah 43:

19 hits a verse that's really good in

fact read this read this with me if you

if you don't mind it's coming out of the

NIV here's what it says see I'm doing a

new thing now it Springs up do you not

perceive it I am making a way in the

wilderness and streams in the

Wasteland streams in the

Wasteland

streams in if you want to translate that

desert places I'm making water run

through that place like like when life

looks its worst there's still a resource

that's flowing through it anybody glad

that God just gives you some favor you

don't deserve and you he just has a way

of getting you through when you should

have shut down a lot of us in this room

didn't think we would have made it to

December of 2024 because of some things

we were facing and going through but

look where you are right now and quite

possibly your life has actually taken a

turn it's getting stronger it's getting

better as the year moves there's

something changing in 25 look out here

we come but but but we we're recipients

of God working on our behalf but this is

what's interesting streams you know

something interesting about a stream I

enjoy going to the woods I enjoy

spending time outside and one thing

about a stream that I've learned is it

doesn't flow every way it flows one

way it flows from the top to the bottom

there's a headat and then there's

Downstream there's upstream and there's

Downstream and here's what I need you to

understand tonight and I need this I

pray that this gets just tattooed in

your heart and your mind everyone under

the sound of my voice you're living

Downstream you see whatever you put in

the stream flows

down you and I are living

Downstream from a God who is

upstream and he's putting things in the

Stream that's making its way to where

you are you didn't go after it it's

coming after you he has targeted you

with some resource that is coming your

way you didn't ask for it you didn't

earn it you couldn't create it and he's

sending things your way he's sending

things my way in order to empower our

life to strengthen us this is who he is

this is what he does he is The Giver of

Life he is the source of all that you

are the Next Breath You Take right now

is a gift from

God everything that we have today and

and it's so easy to become so

self-sufficient that I just write God

off but I promise you turn my age and

wake up one day and let a left knee

start and you wonder when did that

happen oh my God and you realize you're

not as fallible or as strong as you

thought you

were I need all my folks over 50 to help

our brother out right

now there we go there we go enough said

right

there if we're not com careful though

we'll forget all that we're receiving

we'll stop when I was growing up in the

church we had the song Count Your

Blessings name them one by one okay

that's not going over very well but

that's that's that we like the same

talked about it but if we're not careful

we won't live it grateful we'll live it

complaining you ever been around

somebody who their default is to

complain man the sun is out yeah but I'm

sure it's going to rain well oh my

God God bless

you like I mean just they they can slide

a complaint into every conversation

somehow I won the lottery yeah well it

could have been more like like there's

always something they can they just

they're just good at that right Israel

and the Bible were the ultimate

complainers Israel as a nation complain

complain they they complained they're

just like us complain complain as a

nation complain they they had been in

they had been in bondage 430 years God

sends Moses to go bring them out 10

plagues hit God gets involved Miracles

happening he brings them out out of

bondage splits a sea walks them through

on dry ground they're at a mountain God

comes down speaks to the whole nation

they hit the ground some wet their pants

I'm sure they get back up again God says

I got a Promised Land I'm going to send

you to and three months into the

journey do not look at your spouse right

now keep looking this way keep looking

this way

you know but it's the Book of Numbers

The Book of Numbers in your Bible

Genesis exell Leviticus Numbers the book

of numbers that talks about these

Journeys it is filled with Israel just

complaining about everything complain

complain complain complain complain and

then destruction would hit they'd repent

and then go back to complaining again

they just lived in fact it's so critical

that numbers chap 11 the subheading of

of of the Book of Numbers Chapter 11 is

Numbers 11 · chapter mention

literally entitled The the people

complained they could have said that

about my house well I'm we're going to

work that out here we're going to work

that in fact no no listen listen listen

numbers 11:10 y'all this is in your

Numbers 11:10

Bible I do not have a fake Bible this is

in your Bible numbers 11: 10 Moses heard

all the families standing in the

doorways of their tents whining and the

Lord became extremely angry and Moses

was also aggravated isn't that beautiful

sight of Victory in Jesus right

there Moses got attitude upset God's

upset over here like y'all it's a mess

you talk about Funk and dysfunction they

had it going on they're complaining

about the Mana that's falling from the

sky they I mean like God's feeding them

angel food and they're mad about it and

then they say we Mana we're tired of

Mana we want meat so God Reigns Quil he

RS meat on him then they get mad about

that they said it would been better if

we just stayed in Egypt that when they

were getting the Mana we should have

stayed in Egypt at least there we had

meat then God starts giving them meat

and they just continue to complain now

they're complaining about their leaders

we don't like the leader you gave us

Moses going oh great great that's just

wonderful like complain complain and

then they started complaining that we're

not even strong enough to handle the

Promised Land once we get there oh yeah

we can't handle that we're not strong

enough there's Giants in they complained

about

everything and God took their bad

attitude

serious it wasn't just

cute it wasn't something oh

one I you know God doesn't put us in

timeout

no God took the bad attitude serious

their attitude was it was a lack of

gratitude

and numbers 14: 29 this is in your Bible

too listen to what God Said read it with

me you will all drop dead in this Wilder

Hallelujah because you complained

against me every one of you who is 20

years old or older and was included in

the registration will die amen Happy

Thanksgiving

[Applause]

I'm killing all of

you that's the point that God reached

you're

complaining is a

cancer I've blessed you I've opened

doors for you I brought you out I've

provided for you I've given to you I've

had patience with you now you're

complaining about the things that don't

even exist now I've promised you stuff

and you're complaining before the

promises even here that we can't hand

your your your your mindset is so toxic

it is so cancerous and here's what

resulted Israel's enemies did not delay

them from reaching the promised land it

was their lack of

gratitude it's a scary thought that my

lack of

thankfulness could delay my future in

Jesus

that my attitude

of just that that little Edge you ever

been around somebody who just walked

with that

edge it's like you just kind of look at

him front they reaching for a blade like

oh my God what in the world like they

just just on the

edge the Bible says it was a lack of

gratitude that stopped them from moving

into the place of promise that God had

said watch the Wilderness should have

taken 11

days instead it was 40

years and everybody who first came out

of Egypt that was in all

that God said y'all going to make me

lose my mind up in here up in

here I'm killing all

y'all he's God you know you know he can

do that kind of thing I ain't saying

nothing about it whatever you want big

guy like that's that's what he's

complaining is

dangerous complaining is costly a lack

of gratitude is hurting us in ways that

I would say ladies and gentlemen that

that we we don't understand when my

mouth and my attitude have gotten out of

order and I'm just heavy and I'm down

and I get mad at people for trying to

bring me out of my bad mood and put me

in a good like when I'm just complaining

have you ever been in a bad mood and you

were just enjoying it and you don't want

anybody to bring you out yeah we got to

get out of

that Philippians chapter 2:14 says this

watch this do

everything without complaining and

arguing do

everything with it

complaining is the anti- gratitude

complaining is just the push back it

delays promises it kills a

generation do you realize that if Mom

and Dad are negative our kids are going

to be

negative that what I spew in the house

is going to grow in the house attitudes

mindset reactions response they see

Mercy they they react in Mercy if you

raise your hand to pick something up up

and they're flinching there might be a

problem with that right like like we

like there there should be some rest in

the

house complaining it distracts from the

flow of Heaven I live as a victim it's

all they're all against me and it's

always everybody else's fault that

you're going through what you're going

through and when we complain we're

literally saying this God is not good to

me God is not taking care of me God

lied he he's he he just he can't keep up

he doesn't care about me I deserve

better maybe I'm better at running my

own

life this this really is what it is

because gratitude is a is an admission I

I recognize and I have to admit that God

is good to his promises and he brings me

through and even though I don't like the

season I'm in now I've got to give it a

moment and give it some time because

he's not going to drop me and so I know

he can turn around I'm going to keep

looking to him and trusting in Him

because going back Wards is not an

option there's no answers back there

I've got to keep my vision forward so I

choose to bless the Lord at all times

his praise will continually be in my

mouth my soul will make her boast in the

Lord The Humble will hear thereof and be

glad oh magnify the Lord in me and let's

exalt his name together David was

continually encouraging himself not

because he was having great days the

king had put 21 attempts on his life to

kill him but he chose to keep praising

God because if he let somebody get in

his head it would delay or or end his

Destiny ladies and gentlemen don't turn

your mind over to anybody right if you

don't wake up and decide what your day

is somebody else will decide your day

for you and I refuse to give anybody

control over my life that way no when

you can when you can be around that that

complaining and that negativity and

refuse to let it pull you down and keep

your head high and just got bless you

I'm praying for you but I'm walking this

way you you got to put some distance

there but I will not come down and get

in the cess pool with you I know that

God is good just any moment this is

going to change too we have to stay in

that moment now instead we live our

lives saying God gives streams in dry

places and there's something on my way

from the head headst stream that's

coming down to where I am not anything

that I could earn not anything that I

could deserve not anything that I could

put together no God is sending some

things my way Downstream living puts us

in a position of receiving you and I

have to be looking in order to receive

you can't receive what you don't see

right it's it's possible to be sitting

beside uh somebody who is trying to

offer you $10 million but if you don't

see them you don't get

it it's called The Law of recognition

what you don't see in your life will

exit your life and it will go to

somebody else and somebody else can can

take advantage of it and as long as

we're complaining I've closed my eyes to

what God's possibilities are and I'm

living in my own negativity and I'm

trying to run my life but the moment I

stop focusing on me and get my eyes back

on him I'm living with the headstream

rushing at me and I can see every gift

that's on the way in my life and then we

can receive

it let me ask you something do you have

a warm bed to sleep in

tonight oh you are a blessed man and

woman

let me ask you this have you ever seen a

beautiful

sunrise some say no I don't get up that

early well there is one and so I I

recommend

that do you have somebody in your family

a friend that loves you that supports

you that's around you that's there for

you you're blessed you ever had success

at work do you have an accomplishment

you can look at and say man you ever had

a moment where you just laughed I mean

you belly laughed like like to the point

like you got that weird laugh everyone

hates it but it's cute you almost pee

when you do it like it's all that like

you got like that laugh you have the

ability to learn the ability to grow

like like you're not where you were

things are advancing you've got a church

to attend a church to connect in a

church to grow your faith in yes you're

a blessed person I know I know you've

got frustrations we have challenges it

happens I'm not saying we stick our head

in the sand and act like everything is

good there is a proper complaining when

Injustice is done we have to speak up

and talk out we do speak in truth there

is a proper place for that we just can't

create a cesspool that our world gets

swallowed up in and we can never see

where we're going in life you know I had

a flat tire but you have a

car you know that only 12% of the world

own

cars you're in the top 12% globally if

you own a car don't complain change the

tire

my coworkers on my nerves yeah but you

got a

job don't think that's a blessing go

without one for a while and just check

that

out spouse burnt the

toast one out of 11 people didn't have

enough food to eat

today burnt toast sounds pretty

good it it really we have to take a

different look this house is so loud but

you have a house and you have a

family you've got some things there

upset because my team lost at least

you're not a Cowboys fan it's okay I'm

I'm sorry it I I just I I shouldn't let

me get back to this let me get let me

get back to this hold on it's

Thanksgiving hold

[Applause]

on 20 and 24 is almost over I got to get

them all in while I can watch this watch

it let let let me start to finish this

watch this H have you have you

experienced anything good in life wave

your hand you experienced anything good

yeah watch this watch this James 1:17

James 1:17

says every good and perfect gift is from

above above yeah the

headat it's above and it's coming down

to you every good and perfect gift well

Scott what if things are not good well

I'm glad you asked because Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28

says God makes all things work together

for the good of those who love him who

are the called according to his

purpose so if it's not good he's not

done it will be

hold

hold he's going to turn it around he

promises to make it all work for your

good first Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 5:18

5:18 this verse speaks loud to all of us

and here's what it says

give thanks in every

circumstance for this is the

will for this is God's will for you in

Christ

Jesus give thanks in every circumstance

watch not for every

circumstance in

it in it everyone shout in it in it so

if you're going through hell thank him

while you're in it well why would I do

that well I found out it's a spiritual

principle it's a key I found out I

didn't I don't have to feel it in order

to praise him

right if I learn to praise him in

circumstances I don't like the Bible

tells me that he

inhabits he lives in the praise of his

people right so if I'm in a situation I

don't like

and I say Lord you got to go King James

sometimes this situation

sucketh but I praise you because you're

good and you brought me through some

stuff in March and April that I never

thought I was going to come out of you I

got to be honest with you I never

thought that and I thought I'd never get

rid of him but you finally took care of

that also and here I am now and I if you

did it then you can do it again and so

I'm hurting and it doesn't look good and

I see no way out but I call you good and

I thank you and the Bible says when you

begin to praise him he comes down into

whatever it is that you're in can I tell

you something about your God you can be

stuck in a situation but your God will

never be stuck in a situation and if you

get God in it God will blow the edges

out of it and he'll deliver you and him

together that's why the Bible says Paul

and Silas were in prison and what do

they do they begin to praise the Lord

and what happened at Jailhouse Rock all

of a sudden an earthquake kit it busted

the doors open and they walked out of

the prison because whenever they got God

in the prison God said I don't think so

and he they he be open the doors God

will bring you out when you and I learn

to keep our eyes on him not the

circumstance and that's tough that's a

decision it's not because it feels good

it's not because we're superstars it's

just a conscious choice that God I'll

praise you when I understand and I'll

praise you when I don't I'll praise you

in the good times I'll praise you

especially in the bad times

sometimes it's a a reaction because

things are good and sometimes it's

called a sacrifice of praise but I'll

bless you at all times ladies and

gentlemen when we begin to live our

lives that way our eyes are open to

what's coming down the stream and he's

going to supply everything you need

according to his riches in glory do you

know that according to according to the

the the the science and universities and

doctors and they put this together they

begin to look at what is it about

gratitude what does it do do for the

human being is there an effect yes yes

yes they say it improves mental health

reduces symptoms of anxiety and

depression what else does gratitude do

it enhances relationships stronger

connections when there's laughter and

joy and connectivity it increases

resilience you have the a greater

ability to cope with situations in life

that you don't like in order to get

through them quicker it also makes makes

gives greater life satisfaction you have

a more fulfilled build life you you see

more you enjoy more when you have

gratitude physical health benefits it

improves Your Sleep Quality lowers blood

pressure and your your immune system

operates better encouragement of

positive behavior it inspires acts of

kindness not just in you but in others

that are around you it shifts our

perspective on life it we we stop seeing

things half empty and we start seeing it

almost full all of a sudden our

perspective starts to go powerful and

positive it enhances motivation it

inspires people to pursue their goals

with a stronger determination I'm going

to get it done

gratitude it's not just a an emotionally

nice thing to do

canu it's more than we say around a

restaurant

table it's an attitude I would choose to

live in every day of my life when you

find someone who lives grateful that man

that woman is a Powerhouse

cuz we all have enough reason to bail

off of that and start talking life but

when I choose to get my head above it

and say I'm coming through all of it God

is good everything's going to be all

right he's writing the story on the

other side of my card I'm about to flip

it around and show you what he did in my

life if he did it for all those folks he

can do it for you to turn to someone

tell them it's on the way just tell them

it's on the way it's on the way it's on

the way it's on the way

stand to your feet if you would stand to

your

feet this becomes one of the most

powerful principles I can share with you

tonight right now at the close of this

message this is it right

here in fact I want you to read this

with me Psalm

Psalms 78:4

78:4 let's read it

together we will not hide these truths

from our children we will tell the Next

Generation about the glory ious Deeds of

the Lord about his power and his mighty

wonders what are you talking about in

your

house are you so focused on what God has

done that you're celebrating his power

his love his favor his open doors his

goodness his Mercy is that what our kids

and grandkids are hearing is that what

our spouse hears us talking

about are we so captured by the reality

I've caught a glimpse of God's favor and

what's coming Downstream that it takes

over the conversation at the

table or are we just back to what we

don't have and what we should have and

well if they hadn't have done this we

wouldn't have can I tell you ladies and

gentlemen we get to decide what the Next

Generation knows about God and either

it's going to be he's good or he lied

and I

refuse to let my generation be the one

who drops the Baton and doesn't pass it

on and celebrate the goodness and the

favor and the and God's reality in our

life that God will bring us through

every situation you'll live better

you'll sleep better people will like you

if you'll start living in gratitude you

become that source of Hope and strength

that builds people and ladies and

gentlemen Victory is on the other side

of that attitude

father thank you for your love for us

and thank you for the principles of your

word that continues to elevate us and

refuses to leave us in a pit by ourself

there is a way out despite the

circumstance despite the situation and

and those are real and it's painful and

it hurts and and it it can be tough we

don't see ways out but if we can focus

on you and not the issues focus on your

promises and not the problem focus on

you is the answer instead of my

questions if I can get my eyes back on

you and begin to celebrate your

faithfulness in the past I know I'll see

you do it again today God I pray for all

of my friends in this room as we look to

you in this season it's we're grateful

and tonight as we stand in this room we

recognize that you're good and we see

your grace and your favor in our lives

and I will not let that go so tonight we

say thank you I want you to take 30

seconds right there where you are and I

want I want you to thank him for his

favor and his Blessing in your life

every one of you every one of you you

can CL you can bow your head you can do

it quietly but I want you to thank him

right there where you are how young you

are how old you are how long you've been

married whatever you're going through

push and let gratitude become a weapon

tonight and celebrate him we honor you

tonight God we're grateful for who

you've been in our family we're grateful

for what you brought us through thank

you that we didn't lose it throughout

this year but we're standing going into

December 2024 by your grace and your

mercy we love you tonight God and we're

grateful that things are coming

Downstream and The Best Is Yet To Come

you've not run out of resources greater

Is On The Way help us to open our eyes

and recognize all that you're sending

our way that we can live in every

promise you have we love you tonight we

bless you tonight we say thank you

tonight in Jesus mighty name everybody

say said amen amen amen can you put

those hands together and celebrate him

just real quick we hope this message

encourag you for more encouraging

messages feel free to visit our website

Freel chapel.org until then I hope you

have an amazing day