Happy New Year! "I WILLS TO INSTILL" in the New Year // I Will Give Thanks

Kicking off a new year, join me (Tosha Williams) as we focus on adopting the powerful "I will" mindset. In this new conversation series, we're going to look at multiple "I WILLS" from Isaiah chapter 12, starting with "I Will Give Thanks." Giving thanks can deepen our understanding of what God is doing in and around us. Let's start this year with gratitude then seek to instill that mindset into those entrusted to us! Listen in on this podcast episode, then consider the following devotion driven discipleship conversation from Isaiah 12:1 as you "Seek Him Speak Him":

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I WILLS TO INSTILL:  I Will Give Thanks

“On that day you will say:  ‘I will give thanks to you, Lord, although you were angry with me. Your anger has turned away, and you have comforted me.’” Isaiah 12:1 CSB

SEEK HIM: Devotion is Meeting with God in Our Own Lives! We live in a world of what we can’t do, could do, might do, ought to do, or should do. However, as we begin a new year, let’s talk about what we will do. This is about our deliberate desire to initiate action in our lives. Let’s seek God about this, starting with the mindset, “I Will Give Thanks.”  

WHAT:  What is God saying through this Scripture?  Isaiah 12:1 is a prophecy about how God’s people will respond when Messiah begins to reign. Their first reaction will be to thank and praise God. ~ What is something you are determined to do this new year? Is Jesus in ruling in your life right now; why or why not? 

WHY:  Why does this Scripture matter? Gratitude affects our perspective about everything, including how we see God. Sometimes God gets angry over things that should make us angry, too - things like dishonesty (Proverbs 11:1), injustice (Proverbs 17:15), and wickedness (Romans 1:18). We can focus on what we don’t like about Him, or we can seek to understand Him and His ways. ~ Is there something about God that you don’t like or understand? Is He doing anything in your life right now for which you can be thankful? Has He comforted you in any way?  

HOW: How does God want us to respond to this truth? Scripture says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV). God’s will is for us to focus our will on Him with thankfulness and gratitude. ~ What if this month we start each day intentionally thanking God for something? What can you thank God for right now? 

SPEAK HIM: Discipleship is Making God Known to Others! A thankful heart is one that looks to see the blessings rather than the burdens, the miracles instead of the mess, God’s Presence instead of the problems. What we “will to instill” in our own lives is what we can then instill into those entrusted to us. If you determine “I WILL Give Thanks” this new year, then let your grateful heart impact someone else today.

© 2024 Tosha Lamdin Williams 

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The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
New Year's resolutions.
We're full of them, right?
We have so many goals of how weintend to live this year better
than we ended last year.
Right, I'm going to eathealthier, I'm going to work out
more often, I'm going to spendless time on my phone, etc.

(00:20):
Etc.
Etc.
I have my personal list of goals, and I'm sure that you do too,
but in my life I've found thatwhen I consider something and
think I might do that, I usuallydon't.
Or when I consider somethingand say, well, I could do that

(00:41):
again, I usually don't.
When I give thought to how Iought to do something, very
seldom have I found that thatought leads to accomplished.
At least in my own life, I findthat most of the time, the only
time I actually do somethingchallenging is when I determine

(01:05):
I will, and then I live thatdecision moment by moment and
day by day.
Thing is, it's not just aboutresolutions, it's not just about
goals.
It's about decisions, decisionsthat guide my day-to-day
choices about how I will live.

(01:28):
So, as we start a new year,this is where I'm beginning in
my personal life and this iswhere I want us to start with
Family.
Disciple Me In this newcollection of conversations I'm
calling I Wills to Instill.
Last fall, as I was doing mydevotions, isaiah chapter 12

(01:51):
stood out to me as the perfectchapter from which to
springboard into these upcomingconversations about I will.
It's funny how many times,since I started working on this
series, that I've had parentssay to me I was going to talk to
my kid about this, or I need totalk to my kid about that.

(02:12):
I believe there are so manyapplicable conversations about
this with the next generation,but these I wills.
Well, they must start with us,with you, with me.
So let me encourage you topersonally take each of these
conversations to heart for yourown life this month.

(02:36):
Listen to these podcastepisodes, as you're able to then
spend some time with the Lordusing the accompanying
conversation guide.
Let God's Holy Spirit lead youinto your own prayerful
conversation where you talk withHim, then listen to His voice
about each of these scripturesand themes.

(02:57):
So now in this collection ofconversations, let's start here
with Isaiah, chapter 12, verse 1.
As we start with these I willsto instill, let's start with I
will give thanks.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Welcome to the Family Disciple Me podcast.
If you have a real relationshipwith Jesus, then you're in the
right place to be encouraged,challenged and blessed as you
seek Him, speak Him.
The mission of the FamilyDisciple Me ministry is to
inspire devotion-drivendiscipleship, which is something
we believe every Christfollower can do.

(03:39):
Discipleship starts with aconversation, so let's get going
with that right now starts witha conversation, so let's get
going with that right now.

Speaker 1 (03:52):
I've never forgotten a moment from years and years
ago when I gathered together thefemale staff and the wives of
Vanguard Church Leadership for aNew Year's celebration.
We enjoyed dinner together andthen we sat in a giant circle
talking about what God had donein our lives and our church the
year before and what we wereanticipating Him doing in the
new year.
The prior year, my husband, thepastor, had led us through a

(04:15):
series called the Gospel ofGratitude and Godliness, and
then in the new year he wasstarting another series called
Raw to Real.
Well, as we reflected on whatGod had done and what he was
about to do, one of our staffwomen said something that made
us laugh out loud, and what shesaid has always stuck with me.

(04:38):
She said well, I don't know ifI ended this past year any more
grateful than I was, but I'mdefinitely raw, so I guess I'm
starting out this year quitewell.
We laughed at what she said,her summary of the year before
and the new year.
But here we are, this manyyears later, and that still

(04:59):
echoes in my heart.
I don't know why I remember herquips so clearly, except that
her words resonated so deeply.
Reality is, it's way easier tobe grouchy than grateful, and
this raises the question am Iany more grateful now than I was

(05:21):
last year?
I may be more raw, I may bemore real, but am I more
thankful?
Thing is, the truth of God'sword is that he does want us to
give thanks, and not just duringThanksgiving month.
During November, when times aregood, god wants us to give

(05:44):
thanks always.
So this is where we begin, inIsaiah, chapter 12, verse 1.
Let me read it to you.
On that day, you will say Iwill give thanks to you, lord.
Now I can only imagine the wayyou are responding to that verse
right now.
I know because it's the way I'mresponding to it as well.

(06:19):
We skim right past the gratitudeand we get to the part that God
was angry with us.
We wonder why is he so angry?
What's he so angry about?
Why is he such an angry God?
And we go down a trail thatleads us in the opposite
direction of giving thanks andthat sets our trajectory, not

(06:42):
just for the moment or for theday, but for the year.
Here's the thing, though.
Personally, I think that Isaiah, chapter 12, verse 1, is the
perfect place to start becauseit doesn't sugarcoat what's at
stake.
It makes the wrestling reallyclear.

(07:02):
It makes the decision reallytangible.
You see, gratitude affects ourperspective about everything,
including how we see God.
We can focus on what we don'tlike or understand about Him.
We can focus on what we don'tlike or understand about him,

(07:23):
which actually is what mostpeople do, or we can focus on
who he is and what he is doing.
And yes, honestly, as thisverse says, sometimes God does
get angry, but the truth is hegets angry over things that
should make us angry too.
He hates things that we shouldhate too, and scripture tells us

(07:45):
about what those things are.
So, instead of focusing on whatwe don't like about God, what
we don't like about him, thatleads us to ingratitude, to a
lack of thankful hearts.
Instead, we should seek tobetter understand him and His
ways, and, as we will to do this, we will find more and more

(08:09):
reasons to give thanks.
Thing is, scripture is full ofadmonitions for us to be
thankful people, to be thankfulpeople.
1 Thessalonians 5 tells us givethanks in all circumstances,

(08:34):
for this is God's will for you.
In Christ Jesus, are youwilling to do God's will for you
as you enter this new year.
What does it look like for youto give thanks?
How are you giving thanks?
How am I giving thanks?
How are we beginning this yearas grateful, thankful people?
I think that all of us have achoice in this.
We get to choose whether we'regoing to be well, let's just put

(08:56):
it this way grumpy or grateful.
We get to decide whether or notwe are going to focus on the
blessings or the bothers, themiracles or the mess, the
presence or the pain or the pain.

(09:21):
What you and I will to instillin our own lives is what we're
then going to reflect, throughour attitude and our actions,
into the lives of thoseentrusted to us.
The reality is that I get toset the thermostat of gratitude
in my surroundings andrelationships, and so do you.
You may still be on a high fromChristmas bliss, or you may
have already been hit by the newyear like a freight train.

(09:43):
Either way, you get to choosewhether you're going to be angry
, resentful and bitter at God,or you can choose to give thanks
for what he has done and is yetto do.
As I look back on the highs andlows of last year, I will give

(10:04):
thanks for what God did and thisgratitude.
It fills me with so much hopeand anticipation about what he
is going to do in and throughand around me this new year.
I want that attitude to reflectinto my marriage, into my
family, into my friends, into mychurch, into my ministry.

(10:27):
I want it to overflow andsplash into their lives, flash
into their lives gratitude,thankfulness, appreciation, hope
and an anticipation of what isyet to come, when God is in
control of our lives.
I challenge you to join me inthis.
I challenge you to start thisyear saying I will give thanks,

(10:53):
whatever that looks like in yourlife.
Maybe you start a gratitudejournal.
Maybe every morning when youwake up, the first thing you do
before you check your phone isto say thank you to God for
something that he has done.
Maybe the way you give thanksthis year is by making sure that
every day in carpool, you saysomething that you're grateful

(11:16):
for and then you lead all thekids in your car to give thanks
as well.
I don't know what it is thatGod's putting on your heart.
I know what he is impressing onmy heart.
The key for all of us is toobey that we choose to focus our
attention on who he is, what hehas done, what he has promised,

(11:38):
what he has fulfilled, and thengive thanks.
In a world filled with we can't, we could, we might, we ought,
we should, I think that we willgive thanks is an amazing place
to be.
So let me close with thesewords from Philippians, chapter

(12:01):
1.
I give thanks to my God forevery remembrance of you, always
praying with joy for all of youin my every prayer, because of
your partnership in the gospelfrom the first day until now,
and I am sure of this, that hewho started a good work in you

(12:24):
will carry it on to completionuntil the day of Christ Jesus.
So, with that, go with God,friend, be encouraged, live your
purpose, seek him, speak him.

Speaker 2 (12:56):
And, every step of the way, make sure you begin
with.
I will give thanks.
God bless you Until next time,as well as word about our
soon-to-be-released app.
Sign up to be the first to knowat familydisciplemeorg.
Also, if you enjoyed thispodcast, help us get the word
out by leaving us a review onyour favorite podcast platform.
God bless you, friend.

(13:17):
Now go seek Him.
Speak Him.