by Tammy Phillips
December 31, 2025
BE THANKFUL. (Col 3:15 NKJV emphasis)
In every situation [no matter what the circumstances] BE THANKFUL and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1Th 5:18 AMP emphasis)
BE THANKFUL to Him. (Psalm 100:4 AMP emphasis)
Being thankful in not a new concept, but simply a reminder of God’s will and His best way of living for us.
Imagine stepping into the new year with one resolute focus: BE THANKFUL in all things. Picture what would happen if we made being thankful our day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute stance. I am not talking about an occasional thought, nor a national day of observance, but just a way of walking out life with God.
Being thankful begins with surrender. It is choice to recognize that God is faithful in joy, in pain, in the difficult, and in the mundane. Thankfulness is not simply a feeling that rises when life is smooth, and everything is going our way. It is a posture. It is a choice. It is a way of walking, standing, and living before God. When we commit to thanking Him in all things, we align our lives with His will. We acknowledge that He is working even when we cannot see it.
God’s word repeatedly invites us to stop, look to Him, and BE THANKFUL. Gratitude is recognizing the receipt of something good from another. In our pause we acknowledge the unfailing goodness of God, His mercy, and the steadfast faithfulness of the Lord. His mercy doesn’t fade or weaken because God is not old, but eternal. He is eternally merciful, faithful, loving, giving, and forgiving. When we stop to consider His goodness, being thankful comes easy.
A year of thankfulness means choosing to approach God with a grateful spirit every single minute of every single day. It means coming into His presence not with complaints first, but with praise. It means pausing long enough to notice smallblessings, celebrating answered prayers, trusting Him with what is still unresolved and not understood. We will begin to see blessings in places we once overlooked. Gratitude opens our eyes. Being thankful reminds us that we are held, led, and loved by a Father who is both kind and ever constant.
Thankfulness aligns our hearts with the truth that no matter what, God has never failed, and He never will. When we choose gratitude in every season, we walk out God’s word and will for our lives. A thankful heart doesn’t ignore life’s difficulties. It simply recognizes that God is greater than them all.
As we give thanks continually, not just for the pleasant things, but for ALL things, our perspective shifts. We begin to see God’s hand in the ordinary and in the average.
Let’s all choose to be thankful in 2026. Exercise and practice intentional gratitude. Look for His fingerprints everywhere. Declare thanks out loud and often. Celebrate the goodness of God, morning by morning, from glory to glory, from strength to strength and from faith to faith. Do not let being thankful be a practice, but a new way of living.
I enCOURAGE you to let being thankful become your lifestyle. When you choose gratitude for a year, you will enter 2027 a changed person. Being thankful with will transform your heart, renew your mind, draw you closer to the God and change your life. Gratitude will open your eyes. It will strengthen your faith. It will soften your heart.
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 118:29, Psalm 136:1 (NKJV)
“Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20 (NKJV)
A year of gratitude is not a one-time declaration. It is a daily commitment. Giving thanks “always” means looking for God’s goodness in every moment. Some days it will be easy; other days it will be a sacrifice. Every day…BE THANKFUL.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Complete in Him 