Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. Mark 8:6 (NLT)
Mark 8 tells the story of a time when a crowd of over four thousand people gathered to listen to Jesus speak. Jesus had compassion for these people because they had been following Him for about three days and they didn’t have anything to eat. What He did next was interesting.
Jesus’ disciples found seven loaves of bread and a few small fish— not much to feed a crowd of four thousand. The first thing Jesus did was give thanks for it. He didn’t complain that it wasn’t enough or worry that the crowd would have to go hungry. He just thanked God for what He had. And what happened next was astounding.
The disciples served the bread and fish; everyone ate until they were full, and then they gathered up seven baskets of leftovers.
Before you see increase in your life—whether that is increase in your finances, health, influence, business or any other area—you need to be grateful for what you currently have.
This principle is a key to God’s blessing in your life. Continually thanking God for your home, friends, family, church, job and the finances you have makes your heart open to increase.
It might make more sense to thank God after you get your answer to prayer, but that is a backward approach, biblically speaking. Jesus thanked God before the loaves and fish were multiplied. Decide to tell God how thankful you are before you see any change in your life. Be grateful for where you are, and then watch God increase it beyond your wildest dreams.