BE GRATEFUL FOR THIS YEAR
Gratitude is one of the most powerful spiritual disciplines in the life of a believer. It is not just a polite response to good things; it is a posture of the heart, a way of seeing, a way of thinking, and a way of walking with God. As this year moves toward its end, the Spirit of God compels us to pause, reflect, and be grateful. Not because everything went the way we planned, but because God has been present in every moment. Gratitude is not built on perfect circumstances; it is built on the perfect faithfulness of God.
Psalm 92:1 declares, “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto your name, O Most High.” Gratitude is a good thing. It unlocks spiritual doors. It repositions the soul. It aligns your heart with Heaven. When the Lord commands us to give thanks, He is not demanding payment; He is inviting us into His presence.
WHY WE MUST BE GRATEFUL FOR THIS YEAR
Every year carries its own battles, victories, surprises, disappointments, delays, and breakthroughs. Yet through it all, God never leaves His people. Gratitude forces us to look again, to see what we normally overlook when we are rushing through life.
When you look back at the year, you may see prayers that were not yet answered, opportunities that slipped away, relationships that changed, resources that stretched thin, and moments when you felt weak. But if you look again through spiritual eyes, you will also see divine protection, strength you didn’t know you had, provision in unexpected places, peace in storms, favour that shielded you, and God’s invisible hand guiding you through things you didn’t even understand.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Notice the scripture says in everything, not for everything. God never asks you to be thankful for pain, sickness, loss, betrayal, or hardship. But He asks you to be thankful in them because He is with you in every season.
Gratitude is not denial; it is recognition. It is the ability to see God’s fingerprints even in the dark places.
GRATITUDE REMINDS US THAT GOD KEPT US
Psalm 124:1–2 says, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side… then they would have swallowed us up quick.” There are things that could have swallowed you this year. But they didn’t. There are battles you could have lost, but you didn’t. There are storms that could have destroyed you, but they didn’t.
Be grateful because God kept you alive.
Be grateful because God kept your mind.
Be grateful because God kept your faith.
Be grateful because God kept your household.
Sometimes the greatest miracle is not that everything changed, but that you survived while everything was fighting you.
GRATITUDE IS A WEAPON AGAINST DISCOURAGEMENT
The enemy’s goal is to blind you with disappointment until you cannot see what God is doing. He wants you to look at what you lost so you forget what you still have. He wants you to see what didn’t work so that you overlook the things God sustained.
Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Even before God answers, He tells you to give thanks. Why? Because thanksgiving shifts your atmosphere. It breaks the power of fear. It restores spiritual clarity. It lifts your faith again.
When your mouth is filled with gratitude, your heart will be filled with peace.
GRATITUDE POSITIONS YOU FOR GREATER BLESSINGS
Whenever God is about to do something new, He checks the posture of the heart. Jesus demonstrated this in the story of the multiplication of bread. Before the miracle, He gave thanks (John 6:11). Gratitude opened the door for multiplication. What started small multiplied because thanksgiving makes the little become much in the hands of God.
Some people delay their next level because they refuse to appreciate the level they are in.
The children of Israel complained in the wilderness, yet God had rescued them from Egypt. Their lack of gratitude kept them stuck where gratitude could have accelerated them.
Do not enter the next year with the spirit of complaint. Enter with thanksgiving. Gratitude is the seed of expectation.
GRATITUDE REMINDS US THAT GOD IS NOT FINISHED
Sometimes you look at your life and it feels like not much has changed. You prayed for breakthroughs that did not come. You waited for doors that did not open. But gratitude keeps your hope alive. Psalm 27:13 says, “I would have fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
Thank God not because everything is completed, but because His process is still at work. The fact that you are still here means God is not finished. The fact that you still have breath means there is more ahead.
Gratitude helps you trust God in the middle of the story, not only at the end.
HOW TO BE TRULY GRATEFUL THIS YEAR
True gratitude begins with awareness. Sometimes God’s blessings are quiet. They do not shout. They whisper. You must slow down enough to see the subtle mercies of God.
Be grateful for the things God prevented.
Be grateful for the doors God closed.
Be grateful for the people God removed.
Be grateful for the lessons learned.
Be grateful for the mistakes that led to wisdom.
Be grateful for the tears that purified your motives.
Be grateful for the disappointments that redirected your path.
Be grateful for the waiting that built endurance.
Be grateful for the delays that protected you.
Romans 8:28 is not a cliché. It is a divine guarantee: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” Not some things. All things.
CONCLUSION
As you reflect on this year, lift your heart before God with gratitude. Do not let the enemy poison your perspective. God has carried you. God has preserved you. God has sustained you. God has led you. God has kept you from dangers seen and unseen. You have more reasons to thank Him than to complain.
Enter the next season not with fear, but with thanksgiving. What God has started, He will finish. What God has promised, He will perform. What God has spoken, He will establish. Gratitude is your gateway to the next chapter of favour.
ALTAR CALL
If you are listening to this message and you feel far from God, or you know you have lived this year without a close relationship with Him, today is the day of salvation. Gratitude begins with a surrendered heart. Come to Jesus today.
Say, “Lord Jesus, I come to you today. I acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of mercy. Forgive me, wash me, restore me, and make me new. I surrender my life to you. Be my Lord and my Savior. From this day, I choose to follow you. Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, you are born again. Walk in gratitude. Walk in faith. Walk in newness of life. God is with you, and the best is yet to come.
For Partnership, Support, Prayers and Sermons
Reach me on: fffckenya@gmail.com
WhatsApp: +254722798889
