Three Choices That Will Change Your Life | All and Everything | Pastor Jen DeWeerdt

So glad that each and every one of you are here. Welcome, it's gonna be a great day. And if you will join me one more time in an applause in welcoming all of our City First location, Cape Coral, Janesville, God Behind Bars. Guys, we love you so much. So grateful to have you be a part. Well, we are in this series called Three Choices That Can Change Your Life. And as Jaren, I'm sure you know, we're praying and planning these few messages together. We thought it would be fun to talk about three things that we have personally learned in our faith journey. And then we put those things into practice and how those things have literally changed our lives. And so there is a lot that we have done in our lives that we would change. If we wish we could go back and do over, we would. But the three things that we're gonna be talking about are things that we would do over and over and over again. And last week, Jare talked about the message, leave the edges, leave the edges. And it was profound, you guys. So if you have not gotten a chance to listen to that message, I encourage you to. I know I'm like leaving you a cliffhanger. What does leave the edges mean? But I'm telling you, it's good and you'll wanna take a listen to it. So obviously, as we're talking about choices,

So obviously, as we're talking about choices, the biggest choice that has changed our lives, and the same is true with many of you who are in the room, is that we decided and made the choice to follow Jesus. And we made him the leader and the forgiver of our life, the Lord and Savior, and that changed everything. And the choices that we're gonna be talking about these few weeks flow out of that big decision, that main decision. Today, I would almost guarantee you, okay, if I was a betting woman, that you would not guess what I'm gonna talk about. Because I think, when we think about the title, okay, it's like so epic, right? Three choices that can change your life. Our minds can tend to easily and immediately go to things that are big and profound. And what is the big thing, Jen? But as I look at this idea of change, I believe that the majority of change that happens in our lives doesn't come from one big decision but rather a series of small choices that affect this, gradual change, gradual change. And I'll tell you, I don't like this because I don't want to wait for change. I want it to happen when? Now. We are living in a time of history when you don't have to wait very long for what you want. And I have one word to prove it, Amazon, right?

You want that item, you need that item, well now, you can have it delivered to your house between four and eight a.m. the next morning. Four and eight a.m. Think about this, okay? I was kind of thinking, like, how do I even contrast how, like, crazy that is? All right, and this is what I came up with. 100 years ago, many Americans still hitched up a horse to go where they needed to go. Just 100 years ago. And now, in 2026, all we have to do is tap a screen and we expect a package to come before sunrise tomorrow. Right, I mean, that's crazy. We no longer have to wait. And this has affected our psyche. So when we talk about change in our lives, we can transfer our Amazon mindset to our lives in our circumstances. And then what happens? We get frustrated, right? When we're still struggling with that sin, that habit, that hangup, that thing that you just wish would just, you could get over it. We get frustrated, then we become impatient with ourselves and then sometimes with the people in our lives, right? Because we want things different now. And we can also become discouraged when change to us and change in us and around us takes longer than we want it to.

We would all prefer, okay, let's just say it out loud, we would all prefer to ask God for, you fill in the blank, what it is you want or you need, and then by the next morning, it arrives on your doorstep. That would be so nice, right? But we find in scripture that it's a different story. Change comes differently. More times than not, change within us and around us happens through small, daily, In this word, non-glamorous choices that bring about the change that we desire to see. And there's this verse in Proverbs that kind of speaks to this. It's found in Proverbs chapter four, and it says this. Ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure. Ponder the path of your feet. What does that mean? It means this, one step at a time. How do I get from plan A to plan B, or point A to point B? One step at a time. The direction of your life is determined by your daily decisions. Ponder the path of your feet, then what does it say? Your path will be made sure. So today, I wanna talk about one small daily decision you can make that will change your life and make your path sure,

just like that proverb said. It's something incredibly simple that you can do each and every day that can have a profound effect on you and also those closest to you. It can have a deep impact on your relationships, on your marriages, on your parenting relationships, on your coworkers, your coworker relationships, and it can have, and it's crazy even, and we'll look at this in just a second, it can even impact your mental health and even your physical health, what I'm about ready to talk about. And I know what you're thinking, Jen, it sounds like you're trying to peddle the spiritual version of GLP-1s here at church today. But what I'm about ready to say, it's not glamorous, but you might not even believe me when I tell you what it is, okay? You're probably gonna, now you're like, you're like, Jen, I'm waiting with bated breath. What is this thing? I can't wait to hear what it is. What is gonna change my life forever? Here's the word, okay, you ready? Gratitude. See, no big, oh my gosh, no way, Jen. Gratitude. And I am telling you that gratitude

is something that has changed my life. And Jer and I have been walking through, I have mentioned it, I think when I spoke on Mother's Day, this teenage years with our third son, Paxton, and there have been some challenging moments, like with any child, and we've had some frustrating, hard days. And so it was one of these days that I was like, I gotta go for a walk. And so I went on a walk, and as I'm walking, I'm praying, and if I'm real honest, I was complaining as well, right? Well, I'm the only one in here that does that. And as I was walking and praying, I felt the Holy Spirit so kindly whisper to my heart this line, it's time to return to gratitude. It's time to return to gratitude. Because what I was doing is I was getting myself all frustrated, and I was focused so much on the situation. You guys, I was living with such angst in my heart. I was like, all I could see were the challenges. I literally was waking up in the morning, because these are the challenging times with Pax, morning and night, not morning and night, morning time, night time, but morning. And so I would literally roll out of bed and be like, I am dreading getting ready this morning. And the Holy Spirit so kindly was all like, it's time to return to gratitude. It's time to return to gratitude. And my challenge to us, you guys, today,

is that I think it's time to return to gratitude. I feel like this message of gratitude, gratefulness, thankfulness, right, it has been a life theme of mine, and I had to return to it. Because, here's the deal, I've seen the spiritual and scriptural principle work in my life. In the good times, because it's real easy to be thankful in the good times, right? But also in the hard times. When things are going my way and when things are going off the rails, in the mountaintop moments and even in the valley moments, I've seen gratitude shift things. The small decision, small decision to live a life of gratitude has had a profound impact. And you need to know this about me, I'm not naturally a thankful person, honestly. But early on in my faith, after about following Jesus for five years, I happened upon this verse that I'm gonna read to you, and it literally leapt off the page to me. And it has stuck with me ever since. And it was the catalyst. To me, diving into this idea of gratitude and then practicing gratitude. And here it is, it's found in Romans chapter one. And when it starts off, you're gonna be like, really, this is the verse that stuck out to you? All right, we'll get to it, all right? So it says this, for although they knew God,

they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever, amen. Amen. Now, Paul is talking to the followers of Jesus in Rome, and he's essentially giving a history of how the world has wound up like it has. People far from faith, a world full of sin, people doing their own thing, living their lives apart from God, and he lists two things which were the catalyst to this spiral. The first thing he said is they did not honor God, meaning that they didn't acknowledge him. They weren't like, God, you are God. And the second thing he says that started the spiral is that they did not give thanks to him. Listen, of all of the things that Paul could have said caused the downfall, of all the things he could have said, he says just two things. They didn't honor God, which makes sense to me. If you don't think God is God, well, then you're gonna go down a spiral. But then the second thing, they didn't give thanks to God. And this shocked me. This sent me on a journey of learning

and then committing myself to the principle of gratitude and thanks. Because I don't want my life to be futile. I don't know about you. I don't want my life to be futile. I know you don't either. I don't want to have a darkened heart. And I wanna be wise. I don't wanna be foolish. Does anybody else want that kind of life here? Me. And so I'm like, this is what is fascinating about gratitude. You know, that science actually is beginning to prove what scripture has been preaching for thousands of years. In 2023, there was a systematic review of about 64 controlled trials involving this idea of gratitude. And researchers found that people who practice gratitude experience these things, okay? Better mental health, higher life satisfaction, pleased with their life more, reduced anxiety and depression symptoms, and more positive emotions overall. And then one study even reported, I kind of alluded to it earlier, fewer physical symptoms and problems. Literally, people started to physically feel better because they practiced gratitude. There are secular books now written about gratitude.

They're talking about how thankfulness can shift your thinking on popular podcasts. All the while, the concept, the spiritual principle of thankfulness has been written on the pages of ancient scripture. It's almost as if God knew. It's almost like if he knew, hey, I know how I wired you up. And I know this world is gonna be crazy. And I know what some of you are thinking. Jen, I'm not buying this this morning. I need something more profound when I was tuning in or when I walked through the doors of this church. You're like, I know scripture says it, science is proving it, and specialists are touting the praises of it. But sitting here listening right now, you're thinking about what you are personally carrying, and hello, the state of our world. You're like, with what I'm carrying, and then when I look at the news, you want me to be thankful? You want me to be grateful? There's a war, there's strife, there's financial stress, and I know many of you are carrying things personally, health issues, personal struggles, conflicts, kids going through challenging times, because I see the prayer requests that you send in. And I hear the stories. So you're going, Jen, with what I'm carrying,

and then what you're asking me to do, they don't line up. Now, I understand that this concept of being thankful when we are walking through challenges can make us scratch our heads and go, really? Are you serious? But I want you to hear me out today. Or rather, I want you to hear God's word out today. Because my hope and prayer, and I prayed it even as I walked yesterday, and prayed about this message and prayed for you yesterday. My prayer is that by the end of this message, the loving Holy Spirit will have revealed the power of gratitude to you. That you wouldn't see it as just, oh, that's a cute little journal that they're selling at Target. Or it's not just a cute concept for, you know, I don't know, writing a thank you card for a gift I got. No, no, no, it is powerful. And the Apostle Paul who wrote the Romans verse that we read just a little bit, we're gonna talk about a few other verses that he shares and a few other letters that he shares and the power of gratitude. He gives us this instruction, okay, in the book of 1 Thessalonians chapter five. And he says this, he says, "'Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, "'give thanks in what? "'All circumstances.

"'For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.'" This is crazy talk, right? Give thanks in all circumstances. And I want you to notice something, okay, he doesn't say give thanks for all circumstances, but rather give thanks in all circumstances. You don't have to give thanks for the state of the world. Not like, woo-hoo, this is amazing, I love all this junk that's happening. I'm so grateful for it. No, no, no, you don't have to give thanks for the state of the world or for your personal heartbreak or for that unseen circumstance that you're walking through or for that health struggle or that relational tension. Sometimes when we are in the hardship and the struggle and the heaviness, we think, right, we think we gotta maybe thank God for it. No, thank God in it. In it, you're in it, it's swirling around you. You don't have to give thanks for it, give thanks in it. And sometimes when we're dealing with the things that we are, we can start asking ourselves these kind of questions. What do I do here with this, right? I mean, almost every day I'm like, God, I don't know what to do in this situation. I don't know what to do with the state of the world. God, I'm not real sure how I should respond. I'm not quite sure how to navigate this situation.

And Paul tells us right here, we just read it. We rejoice, we pray, and we give thanks. And then how does he end that scripture? He says, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. It's the will of God. God's will for you in your circumstances is to give thanks. Ouch, I will be real honest with you. Even on this subject, I wanna do my will, not his will. Right, I want to do the exact opposite of be thankful in situations. What is the exact opposite of being thankful? It's this, complaining. Uh-oh, I love you guys. Uh-oh, she's gonna go there today. We're gonna talk about complaining. Well, you can't talk about what to do and not talk about what not to do. Complaining, complaining. When I am going through struggles or just having to encounter the negativity in our world, it is way easier to complain or grumble than it is to give thanks. I would say it's our mother tongue. It's so easy to complain, to murmur, to grumble. It's so easy to complain about our spouse, about the weather, about our coworkers, about our boss, about gas prices, right? That person that drives you crazy, it's easy to complain about them,

that situation that is just frustrating you. And here's the Apostle Paul again, okay? I told you we're gonna read a couple verses from him. This is another book, another letter that he wrote, it's another book in the Bible, and this is what he says, Philippians chapter two. You're not gonna like this one. He says, do everything, say that word, everything, without what? Complaining. Okay, and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Wow, do what? Everything. Without complaining. Yikes, but that's what it says. Yikes, but that's what it says. You know, throughout the years, I'll get people of all ages asking me, Jen, how do I be a witness to my family? I mean, it happens all the time. I've got young people come up to me, I've given my life to Jesus and he's changing me, but my family, they're not even talking to me right now because of my decision. What do I do? What do I do? How do I be a witness to my parents,

to my friends, to my coworkers? And Paul tells us right here, when we stop complaining, we will shine like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Because guess what? Your talk will be different. It's different. Everybody around you is complaining. All those coworkers complaining. And guess what? When you choose to zip your lip, potato chip, as my mom used to say, and choose to find something, well, the coffee here ain't bad, coworkers. So that's what we're gonna focus on. I don't know what it is. There is always something to be thankful for. You guys, always something to be thankful for. And I know this is a hard pill to swallow. Be thankful in all circumstances. Do everything without complaining, right? These are all encompassing terms, because the word all and everything, they don't mean something different in the Greek. They mean all in everything. Some of you are complaining, even in your minds right now, about my message. You're like, I knew I shouldn't have come to church today. This woman preacher.

Jen, and this is why. You're maybe, you know, you're not gonna say it out loud, but maybe you're feeling it in your heart. Because some of you are thinking right now, Jen, you don't know my circumstance. You don't know how my spouse chews their food. I have to complain about it. You don't know the environment in my workplace. You don't know how hard this temptation has been. You don't know how bad, I want to be married, I don't wanna be single anymore. You don't know the stress I'm under. You don't know how my kid is acting. And you're right, I don't. I don't, but I can guarantee you that your situation falls into the category of all circumstances. And I didn't write the book, I'm just giving you the words of the good book today. Some of you might be thinking that this message borders on what the world is kind of terming right now, toxic positivity. But can I tell you, living a life of gratitude doesn't mean that you live in ignorant bliss. It doesn't mean that you don't acknowledge what you're walking through. It doesn't mean that you don't call a spade a spade. It is what it is. That child is challenging.

That workplace is toxic, it is. And if you've ever read even a little bit of the Psalms, okay, a little bit of the Psalms, you'll see that sometimes it's like the writers are actually complaining to God with a spiritual overtone sometimes, right? They're complaining to God. Scripture has a way of telling you they're complaining to God. Scripture has a word for this, okay? It's called this, lament. Lament. For example, I wanna give you an example today. In Psalm 69, David is writing extensively about how hard life is. It's actually a pretty long Psalm. And the first 29 verses, everybody say 29. 29. The first 29 verses. And if you've read Scripture before, you know 29 verses, that's a lot of verses. It's a lot. It's a long Psalm, and those are a lot of verses. The first 29 verses, he is talking about the frustration he's having. He's spilling his heart out to God about how people are trying to hurt him and sabotage him, and people are doing things wrong, and the state of the world is terrible, and he's drowning.

And this is just how he starts out, okay? I'm just gonna read you a couple of the 29 verses. Starts out in Psalm 69, verse one, he says, "'Save me, O God, "'for the waters have come up to my neck. "'I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold. "'I have come into deep waters, "'and the flood sweeps over me. "'I am weary with my crying out. "'My throat is parched, "'and my eyes grow dim with waiting for God.'" Wow. Some of you, you're like, well, if I could complain that profoundly, it would sound. a lot better, right? I mean, that is, he's straight up complaining. You can sense the exasperation, right, of the writer. This is tough, I can't even find my footing. He's raw and he's unfiltered and he's honest. He's not holding back. 29 verses, I talked to somebody, I was telling somebody what I was talking about today, they're like, well, I've got a list of 29 things I can complain about too. And I was like, I think we all do, right? If I'm not mistaken, it sure sounds like David is complaining here. And some of you are like, amen, finally something I'm good at, Jen, I can do that.

I can do that, let's go, I got this. And then others of you are thinking, am I allowed, especially if you're new to faith, you're like, am I allowed to talk to God like that? You think if you talk to him that honestly and that unfiltered and that raw, that like, you know, you're gonna get struck by lightning in one of these storms. So after almost 29 verses of lament, David then writes this, he says this. I will praise the name of God with a song. I will magnify him with thanksgiving. Now, if you kind of, I encourage you to look for this word. It's not in this Psalm, but oftentimes when you're reading through the Psalms or even other parts of scripture, when somebody is kind of giving, this is what I'm walking through, it's difficulty, there's this one word, it's called yet. Or sometimes there'll be the word but. It's like, I'm experiencing all these things yet. I will praise the Lord with a song. I will magnify him. With my thanksgiving. It's profound. See, it's okay to lament. It's okay to pour it all out before God. Not on Facebook. Amen? Oh, people.

If we could just be healed of that, it'd be amazing. Sorry, that's not even in my notes. Pour it all out, not, don't just complain to your friends about it. Lay it all out before God. Lay it all out, but then have your yet moment. Because there's really not a Psalm, at least that I've read, that there isn't at least a small shift. Where it's like, this is who it is, I'm being honest, I feel God, you're a million miles away, why are you distant, why are you discouraged? Oh my soul, why? Yet I will praise the Lord. Yet. Some of you just need to write those three letters down. Yet. Yet. Have your moment, and then have your yet moment. See, David laments, but then he praises the name of God. And then there is that line, the next line that he says, the next line that he said, that's written down, which I have never seen this before. And to me, it almost brought me to tears. I was like, God, you are so good. What was that second line he said? I'll praise the Lord with song, but then he says, I will magnify him with thanksgiving. Magnify him. I've heard this before, and I know, I'm like, I'll go, magnify the Lord with me,

let us exalt his name together, yes. But here's the deal. When you say magnify, this is, okay, a magnifying glass. When you, this scripture is saying, when you are thankful, what you are doing is you're picking up the magnifying glass. You're picking it up. What, some of you are like, ooh, I had one of those when I was little, and I'd burn ants with it through the sunshine. That's what you're thinking, this little magnifying glass. What happened when you were little, and you were fascinated with the magnifying glass, and you would, you'd be like, oh yeah, I wanna go see something. You'd go look at a flower, and what would happen? You'd bring up the magnifying glass, and you'd look at the flower, and it totally shifted the way you looked at that flower. Because now it just wasn't something beautiful that you were standing far away from. You actually got to see it in a whole different light. It shifted what you could see. You could see the pollen, and you could see the detail in the petals, and you could see the little hairs that are on the flower, like the little, you're like, whoa, this is cool. You could see the ant, and you could see its legs, and its little antenna. You're like, it really. It really does look like a bug's life.

Like, you're like, and this is just the magnifying glass. It was always there. It was always as beautiful and detailed, but guess what? When you pick up the magnifying glass, it shifts your perspective. You see things differently. You can see things more clear. You're closer to it. You're more intimate with it. And can I tell you, when we choose to say, I will magnify the Lord with my thanksgiving, when you decide to say, I'm not just gonna complain, but I'm gonna magnify. I am going to give God thanks. I'm gonna choose to be thankful, even in the circumstance I'm in. I'm gonna choose to see what is good. I'm gonna choose what you are doing as you are actually shifting your perspective. You're shifting your perspective. And I wanna just, real quick, talk to you about six things, okay? I got four minutes and you think, there's no way she can do this. I can do this. Four minutes, six things that magnifying God and just being thankful, six things that being thankful will magnify. Okay, here's the first thing. First of all, what happens is we will see God more clearly.

Thanksgiving shifts our attention from what is wrong to what God is doing. David's circumstances in the psalm did not change, but his focus did, his focus did. Because when we're focused on the problem, on the frustration, guess what? That's it, it's all right there. But when we choose to say, no, I'm gonna actually magnify God with my thanksgiving, it shifts our perspective of him. We can see him more clearly. Gratitude doesn't change God. Do you know that? He's always been just as good. He's always been incredible, but it changes what you notice about God. It shifts things. The second thing that being full of thanksgiving will magnify is this, our problems look smaller. See, the problem doesn't go away, but it is no longer the biggest thing in the picture. Because the problem's still there, but when you choose to say, I'm gonna be thankful for what God has given me, I'm gonna be thankful, I'm gonna choose something. It could be, I'm grateful for coffee today. I'm grateful this morning, one of my things was God. I'm grateful that I've hit every light on the way to church this morning when I'm running late, because at least I got to catch my breath

and take a deep breath. There's always something to be thankful for. Always, listen, our problems begin to look smaller. The problem doesn't go away, but it's no longer the biggest thing in the picture. Whatever you magnify will dominate your perspective. Whatever you magnify, some of you are so, you got the magnifying glass on your problem and you can't get off of it. You're worried about it, you're fixated on it, and God's going, just shift this. Just shift it, and it'll still be there, but guess what? The problem looks a little smaller than it did before. The third thing is this, we see people differently, because this is cool. When we choose to be thankful, not only to God, but to other people, hello, this idea of thankfulness doesn't just work with God, it works with others. We begin to see people differently. When we're grateful, we tend to focus on, when we're ungrateful, rather, when we're ungrateful and we just are full of complaining, we tend to focus on what people owe us. But when we're thankful, we begin to recognize people as gifts from God. You see them differently. The spouse becomes a blessing instead of an irritation. The coworker becomes a person instead of a problem. And the church becomes a gift

instead of a collection of imperfections. Shift your perspective. The fourth thing is this, we see ourselves more accurately, amen. Thanksgiving produces humility. It reminds us that we didn't earn every blessing, that we didn't get here alone, and that God has been working in the background of your life. See, something I've noticed is that people who are thankful don't get offended easily and are more teachable, because guess what? They recognize grace. They see themselves in the light of God's glory and grace. They see things differently. It shifts your perspective, gives you an accurate perspective of who you are and your place. The fifth thing is this, we help people see God more clearly. These are some amazing benefits of thankfulness. Right? Helps people see God more clearly. Like Paul said, listen, when we choose to not complain and be thankful, guess what? People are gonna see, we're gonna shine like a bright light. Amen, you wanna be a testimony? Be thankful. Live a different, have a different perspective.

You will shine like a bright light or stick out like a, and stick out like a sore thumb. Because people are gonna be like, what is their deal? You're like, I just choose to be thankful. Choose to be thankful and the sixth thing is this, the sixth benefit of being thankful and what magnification does is it makes our faith grow. Every time we give thanks and declare thanksgiving, we are saying, God, I haven't forgotten your goodness. And each and every one of us today, I believe this. We have something to be thankful for. The breath in our lungs. We woke up this morning, the sun came up. Our family. It might not be the job that you want, but it's a job and you're going, God, I'm gonna be grateful right where I'm at and then God, I pray that you would make a way. It's okay then to be thankful for what you have but then pray for something different. It's okay, but don't let's let it be a complaint. Be thankful and so as we wrap up, okay, I have some homework for you. Aren't you happy? Super simple because this is what I want us to do. Together as a church, I want us all to, everybody can do this. It's so super simple because some of you are thinking, Jen, I don't even know where to start because complaining has been my mother tongue.

This is what we're gonna do. This is all you need. You need a cup, okay? You need a pen and you need a piece of paper. Oop, and a piece of paper. And this is what I want you to do. I want you to set this on your kitchen counter by your coffee or maybe on your bathroom counter and this is what I want you to do. Every morning, the first thing, not the very first. If you want to be, you can set it by your bedside and you can do the very first thing. Would not be bad. All right, as I want you to think as your coffee's brewing, as you're getting ready, I want you to write down one thing that you're thankful for. Just one. Doesn't have to be fancy. Some of you are like, oh, I need to go get a pretty journal to do this. No. Piece of paper. An old receipt. Although they cost cancer now. Sorry. Squirrel. It's early, guys. Just gonna write down one thing, one thing that you're thankful for.

I want you to fold it up, I want you to put it in the mug. Next morning, I want you to get up and I want you to do the same thing. And this is what I want us to do. All the way until July 1st, all right? I want all of us to do this. Go home, just set it out right now. If you skip a day, don't get down on yourself, just do it the next morning. Or you don't have to do it in the morning, do it whenever, do it before you go to bed. I don't care. Just start somewhere. And I actually got this idea from a friend of mine named Holly Wagner. She was going through cancer, crazy stuff at work, people had turned on her and betrayed her, and she felt God had one of those moments, it's time to return to gratitude. She got up the first morning and was like, there's nothing to be thankful for. She literally did write down coffee. That's all. Some of you, that's where you're gonna start. Maybe you're like, it's so bad right now, Jen, the only thing I'm grateful for is an ice cube. Then I can make my drink cold. Whatever it is, start somewhere. And then this is my challenge to you, maybe in a week or so, write down a couple things.

And let's just see what happens. And I pray that you become addicted to gratitude. Let it, you know, all throughout Scripture, it's found hundreds of times, okay? The words give thanks, give thanks. Give is a verb. You gotta do it, you gotta be intentional about it. You're gonna have to give it, give it to God, give it to other people. Express gratitude, give thanks, and let's just see what God does. Let me pray for us. Heavenly Father, thank you so much for who you are. I thank you for your goodness today. I thank you for this church. I thank you for each person who is here. I thank, I'm thankful, Lord God, that I have a microphone to preach loud. I am thankful, God, for your word, which is so full of truth. It has changed my life. I can't imagine where I would be without the instruction of the word of God, the instruction of Scripture, because literally even something like this, Lord God. Thanksgiving, something that seems so small to us, God, it has changed me. And God, I pray. I know people are carrying heavy things. I know the world is crazy right now, God,

but I pray that we would be a people that are full of gratitude, that we would magnify you with our thanksgiving. And when we choose to be thankful, I pray that you would make things clearer, that you would give us a different perspective, and that our gratitude would change our altitude. And we'd see things different, see ourselves different, see people different, see you different and clearer. God, I love you. I thank you for who you are and what you're doing in this house. In Jesus' name, and everybody said, amen, amen. Can you give Jesus a huge hand clap today? What an amazing time together. If you're watching and you just prayed that prayer to make Jesus the leader and forgiver of your life, we want you to know that we're celebrating you. This is the best decision that you could ever make. And now that you've prayed that prayer, we have a couple of next steps for you. First, tell someone about that decision you made. We're not meant to walk through this life alone. And secondly, we have a free resource that's just for you. It's called A New Beginning Booklet, and it's a simply a 14-day devotional. And so as you start growing through your relationship with Jesus, this devotional will help guide you. Yeah, and when you sign up for this resource,

you will also receive a link to a few videos from our pastors. These videos will guide you through how to pray and how to read the Bible and how to build Christ-centered friendships. And as you start this journey, please let us know if you have any questions. You can drop a line in the chat or DM us on social media, and we'll get right back to you. After you walk through the New Beginning resource, a great next step for you to take is Growth Track. Growth Track starts at the first Sunday of the month, and this is a great way to discover your God-given purpose and design. You can attend in person or online, and if you'd like more information or wanna sign up, you can visit the app or scan the QR code on your screen. That's right, and finally, if you need prayer for anything, when I say anything, I mean anything, visit the app and enter your prayer request. We have people who are praying over them constantly, and the best thing that you can do is come back to church. And when we gather together, we grow exponentially more. Well, we love you, City First fam. We're praying for you, church, and we will see you guys next week. Yep.