Thanksgiving Gratitude Over Tradition in the End Times

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A nation can feast and still miss the feast’s heart. We open the door to a deeper Thanksgiving—one rooted in remembrance, forged in hardship, and sustained by a God who has been faithful in every generation. From Plymouth’s fields to a divided Civil War, gratitude wasn’t about plenty; it was a public act of praise in the middle of pain. That same posture still transforms homes today.

We explore how hurried routines and vague “thankful” posts have stripped the holiday of its spiritual center, and we make a case for bringing the Giver back to the table. Drawing from Scripture—“Be thankful in all circumstances”—we frame gratitude as both a command and spiritual warfare. Bitterness starves in a thankful heart. Comparison loses oxygen when we name real blessings. Entitlement breaks when we remember who provides breath, bread, and belonging. You’ll hear a tender story of quiet mercies—a father who wakes early, sees the ordinary glow again, and leads his family in a simple, steady prayer. Nothing flashy. Just faithful love, seen at last.

By the end, you’ll have clear, practical ways to lead your home: speak Jesus’ name over the table, remember answered prayers, count open doors you didn’t earn, and thank God for the protections you never saw. Gratitude warms cold love and sets a people apart in noisy, uncertain times. If He was faithful then, He’ll be faithful now—and a grateful church can spark renewal that no trend can match.

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The Intro/Outro music is Are You Ready? by Floodgate. From the Album, Are You Ready? copyright 2002 OffBeat Ministries, Inc.
Floodgate is available on Apple Music and iTunes.
Music used with permission.

Thank You. I Love You!

SEE YA!

Rick

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:27):
Today on Renewed Mindset, it's strange how the
whole nation can celebrate aholiday and still miss the heart
of it.
We gather around tables, wecarve the turkey, we laugh, we
travel, we post pictures offood.
But if we're honest, a lot ofpeople celebrate Thanksgiving

(00:49):
without ever stopping to thankthe one who gave the breath in
our lungs.
I think that's why God keepscalling his people to come back
to remembrance.
Because gratitude is not just aholiday, it's a mindset, it's a
spiritual weapon.
And in these end times, when thespirit of entitlement is rising
all around us, the children ofGod must fight back with

(01:12):
grateful hearts.
Let's go, boys.
Hey, welcome back to RenewedMindsets.
I'm Rick and I'm so glad you'rehere.
But today we're going to take ajourney.
We're going to go from thefields of Plymouth to the modern

(01:32):
Thanksgiving table.
We're going to look at what Godintended then, what God desires
now, and why gratitude is somuch bigger than a single day in
November.
Today is about remembering whowe are and remembering who He is
and who He's been through everygeneration.

(01:58):
A lot of people don't know thedepth behind the first
Thanksgiving.
This was not a celebration ofcomfort.
It was not a feast becausethings were easy.
It was a feast because Godcarried them through things that
should have destroyed them.
Half of the pilgrims died thefirst winter.

(02:18):
Disease, cold, starvation.
But instead of abandoning faith,they leaned into it.
They gathered together, not tocelebrate their strength, but to
thank God for his mercy.
His faithful love enduresforever.

(02:40):
That is the heartbeat of thefirst Thanksgiving.
Not abundance, but gratitude inthe middle of survival.
God was present in those earlydays.
He was the reason they made it.
Thanksgiving was never meant tobe about plenty, it was meant to

(03:01):
be about praise.
And as the nation grew,presidents and leaders continued
the tradition of pausing toacknowledge God.
George Washington declared anational day of thanksgiving,
calling the people to humblethemselves before the Almighty.
Abraham Lincoln set Thanksgivingas an annual observance during

(03:24):
the Civil War.
Now think about that.
In the darkest, bloodiest, mostdivided time in our nation's
story, the president asked thepeople to stop and thank God.
Gratitude in the middle ofnational pain.
That was the spirit behind it.
From the beginning, Thanksgivingwas not a celebration of what we

(03:47):
had, it was a reminder of whoheld us.
America has never been perfect.
But she once knew she had aprovider.
Now, here we are, modern times.
A nation full of blessings butstarving for gratitude.
Families gather but leave Godout.

(04:10):
People pray over the meal, butthey forget to pray over their
hearts.
Social media posts talk aboutbeing thankful, but they met
they never mention who they'rethankful to.
We replaced humility with hurry,reflection with routine, worship
with tradition.

(04:31):
And in the process, wedisconnected a national holiday
from its spiritual foundation.
But here's the good news thechurch can bring it back.
You your home can bring it back.
Your heart can bring it back.
Thanksgiving is not lost, itjust needs to be reclaimed.

(04:53):
God never moved, He's stillwaiting on his people to return
to gratitude.
You see, gratitude is notoptional for the believer, it's
a command.
1 Thessalonians 5 says, Bethankful in all circumstances.
This is God's will for you whobelong to Christ Jesus.

(05:15):
Thanksgiving is it's spiritualwarfare.
The enemy cannot thrive in agrateful heart.
He wants bitterness, comparison,entitlement.
He wants division.
Gratitude destroys all of that.
When we thank God, we remind oursoul who's in charge.

(05:39):
When we praise him, we shift ourthoughts from what's missing to
what's already provided.
When we slow down and name theblessings, the burdens get
smaller.
Thanksgiving is not just aholiday, it's a discipline that
strengthens your spirit.

(06:00):
Jesus said in Matthew 24 thatthe love of many would grow
cold.
Cold love is a sign of the endtimes.
Cold love produces coldgratitude.
People stop seeing God'sgoodness because they stop
looking for it.
But the faithful remnant, theones who keep their hearts warm

(06:23):
with worship, they will shinebrighter as the world grows
darker.
Yeah.
Gratitude is a way of standingapart.
It's a way of saying, I stillsee you, God, even when society
is blind, even when the world isnoisy, even when the future
looks so uncertain.

(06:45):
Thanksgiving reminds us thatGod's been faithful in every
generation.
He was faithful to the pilgrims,he was faithful to the early
colonies, he was faithfulthrough wars and droughts and
storms, he was faithful throughyour own life.

(07:06):
If he's been faithful then,he'll be faithful now.
I want you to take a moment andreally think.
What has God carried you throughthis year?
What prayers has he answered?
What doors has he opened thatyou didn't deserve?
What protection did he give youthat you didn't even see?

(07:30):
Thank him today.
Not because it's a holiday, butbecause he's been good.
Sit with your family, pray outloud, say his name, bring Jesus
back to your Thanksgiving table.
Let your home be one of the fewthat remembers the giver, not

(07:50):
just the gifts.
Here's something I wrote aboutThanksgiving.
The year had been long, harderthan most.
Bills had piled up, work hadworn him down, several
friendships had shifted, andeven though God had been
faithful, life just felt heavy.

(08:11):
On the morning of Thanksgiving,Mark woke up before the sun.
The house was quiet.
The kids were still sleeping.
The smell of coffee driftedthrough the kitchen.
He sat at the table andwhispered a simple prayer.
Lord, I want to feel gratefultoday.
But I feel tired.

(08:33):
Help me to see your goodnessagain.
He didn't hear a voice.
He didn't see a sign, butsomething happened.
His eyes opened to what had beenright in front of him all year.
First he noticed the sunlightcoming through the window.
Warm, gentle, a reminder thatGod gives a new morning no

(08:56):
matter how yesterday felt.
Then he heard his daughterlaughing in her sleep down the
hall.
That sound snapped him back tothe truth that God had protected
his home.
When his wife walked into thekitchen a few minutes later,
hair messy, eyes half awake, butsmiling, she wrapped her arms

(09:17):
around him and said, HappyThanksgiving, babe.
And in that moment, heremembered every trial that
they'd walked through togetherand how God held them through it
all.
As the morning went on, thehouse filled with the sounds and
smells of Thanksgiving.
The oven door opening, therattle of pans, kids running,

(09:38):
football playing in thebackground.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing extravagant.
Just life.
Blessed life.
When the family finally gatheredaround the table, Mark looked at

the food (09:53):
turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, pumpkin pie.
He realized something.
Last year they didn't have thismuch.
Two years ago, they almost gaveup hope.
Three years ago, they werepraying for a breakthrough that
looked impossible.
But here they were.

(10:15):
God had provided again.
He cleared his throat and said,Before we eat, I want to say
something.
Everyone turned toward him.
He swallowed hard.
This table is covered in God'sgoodness, not because we
deserved it, but because he hasbeen faithful even in the hard

(10:38):
seasons, even when we did notunderstand.
Every blessing on this table isa sign that God never left us.
His wife wiped her eyes.
His kids bowed their heads.
He prayed, Lord, thank you forbeing steady when life was not
steady.
Thank you for guiding us,protecting us, and giving us

(10:59):
strength.
Thank you for this food.
Thank you for this family.
And thank you for being goodalways.
When he said amen, the room feltdifferent.
Lighter, warmer, holy.
That was the moment Markrealized something important.

(11:20):
Thanksgiving was not a holiday,it was a reminder.
A reminder that God has beenfaithful all along.
A reminder that blessings oftenarrive quietly.
A reminder that even tiredhearts can find joy when they
stop long enough to see the handof God.
And that night, as the housesettled and the dishes were

(11:43):
done, Mark whispered one moreprayer before bed.
Thank you, Lord.
Today I saw you again.
Pray with me.
Father God, I come before youwith a thankful heart.
You've carried me through thingsI didn't have the strength to

(12:05):
carry myself.
You've been faithful in everyseason, in every battle, and in
every quiet moment when no oneelse saw what I was facing.
Today I pause to give you thegratitude you deserve.
Forgive me for every time I'verushed through life and forgot
to thank you.
Forgive me for the moments whenI complained more than I

(12:28):
praised.
Teach me to walk with a gratefulheart.
Teach me to see your hand ineverything.
Thank you for my family.
Thank you for my church.
Thank you for the breath in mylungs.
The strength in my body.
And your presence in my home.

(12:49):
Thank you for the blessings Isee and the blessings I never
noticed.
Lord, fill my heart with joytoday.
Let Thanksgiving rise up in me.
Let my attitude honor you.
Let my life point others back toJesus.
I choose to praise you.
I choose to trust you.

(13:10):
I choose to thank you.
You have been good and you willcontinue to be good.
In Jesus' precious name.
Amen.
God is not waiting for a perfectnation.
He is waiting for a gratefulpeople.
People who remember, people whoworship, people who say, Lord,

(13:35):
you have been faithful and wesee your hand.
Thanksgiving started withrevival, and I believe it can
still spark revival today.
A grateful church is a powerfulchurch.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Seriously.
Happy Thanksgiving to my RenewedMindsets family.

(13:57):
May your hearts stay full.
May your homes be filled withthe presence of the one who
deserves all the glory.
See you next week.
The executive producer ofRenewed Mindsets is Christy
McCurry.
That's all for today, but I'llbe back with more unfiltered

(14:21):
biblical truth and undeniableprophecy.
The time to wake up is now.
If today's episode challengedyou, don't keep it to yourself.
Tell someone, please, text thema link.
Share the truth while there'sstill time.
Visit renewedmindsets.com tostay connected and to listen to
past episodes.

(14:42):
And check out our merch atrenewedmindsets.store.
Jesus is coming soon.
Stay watchful.
Stay holy.
Stay renewed.
Until next week, I'm Rick.

SPEAKER_00 (15:01):
Be an encourager, not a discourager.
I love you.

SPEAKER_01 (15:15):
The intro and outro music for the Renewed Mindsets
podcast is Are You Ready byFloodgate.
From the album Are You Ready?
Copyright 2002 OffbeatMinistries Incorporated.
Bloodgate can be found on AppleMusic and iTunes.
Music used with permission.