Welcome to 2026! Some of you will be glad to see the end of 2025. Some will miss last year. Across church it was a mixed bag of celebration and grieving.
But what are your hopes for 2026. Have you made any resolutions?
This year holds some exciting things for Barbie and I personally. We shall be grandparents again. Barbie has a special birthday (not allowed to say).
There are three missions trips planned for this year as I accept invitations to minister. Spain: Ellie and Kit and some of the youth will join me. Bulgaria: a few of the YA will join me. Zambia: Jess and others will join me.
We have some excellent series and teaching planned for you this year. Also some amazing guest speakers lined up:
- February, Brian Greenaway from Moaz;
- April, Patrick Regan;
- May, John McDonough from Paraguay;
- June, Jordan and Nitasha Christian from Japan;
- September, Billy Fenning;
- October, Our church weekend away with Mark and Cathy Madavan
But besides looking forwards to events and missions, what else should we be looking for in 2026?
Psalm 51:10-12: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. After the biggest falls there’s still hope. Whatever last year was like for you 2026 can be better! Here’s how:
1. A Recreated Heart
10: Create in me a pure heart, Oh God.
The heart is the seat of emotions. The Bible equates heart with our reasoning, feeling and our being.
The question this year is are you going to allow the Lord to change you?
In 2025 were you reactive or proactive in your relationship with God or in life?
Reactive Christians: reactive expressions to external stimuli – anything in our surroundings that happened. We need a heart that first leads us to reflect before we react to any circumstance we face in life.
Our reaction should be to trust in God’s sovereignty when we cannot understand everything that happens to us.
Proactive Christians: It is our proactive expressions to internal stimuli – anything in our thinking that we want to happen. We need a posture that bubbles up joy and inner strength when we brace ourselves to serve God in the ministry.
- A posture of worship:
Psalm 16:11: You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Worship is not just what we do here. It is our life.
- A posture of witness:
1 Peter 3: 15-16: But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Witness is not what we do but who we are. We have limited opportunity for to witness. Time is getting shorter to Jesus’ return.
- A posture of discipleship:
Psalm 51: 10: Create in me a pure heart, Oh God.
Discipleship displays itself in six ways:
- Telling - Matthew 28:19-20 (Great Commission),
- Loving - John 13:34-35 (Love one another),
- Denying (self) - Luke 9:23/Matthew 16:24 (Deny self),
- Taking up - Luke 9:23/Matthew 16:24 (Take up cross),
- Holding on - John 8:31-32 (Hold to teaching),
- Passing on - 2 Timothy 2:2 (Entrust to others).
- Praying up- 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (pray continually).
Our proactiveness, will trust in God’s power to bravely journey into the unknown as long as God directs it.
For us to have the fulfilment of our New Year’s dreams we need a heart that is recreated by the power of God!
2. A Renewed Spirit
10b: Renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Steadfast: being unwavering, firm, and resolute in faith and purpose, fixed on God's will even amidst trials, temptations, and change.
It's about inner strength, constant commitment to God's path, and a deep, unshakable trust in Him, rather than fleeting emotions or outward religious show.
- Steadfast Christians are not easily shaken:
Psalm 16:8: I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken
They keep their focus on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2)
- Steadfast Christians are not double minded:
James 1:6-8: But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
- Steadfast Christians are people of conviction, not convenience:
Joshua 14: 6-7ff: Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions…
Other spies made the hearts of people grow faint, but Caleb held onto the promise. Life was not easy as he trudged through the desert for 40 years with all those who doubt, but his conviction not his convenience kept him going!
3. A Relational Presence
11: Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me
In these unpredictable times, we need the presence of God.
- His presence is our protection:
The presence of God in our lives does not mean that we will never experience hardships and difficulties in this world. Sufferings are a part of our human experience. They teach us how to trust God in a higher level of dependence.
Isaiah 54:17: no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.
People may say bad things about you, weapons may be forged against you, but they will not prevail (prosper, NKJV)
- His presence is our provision.:
Philippians 4:19: And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
It is not how much we hold in our hands that make us sufficient. It is how much we have in our hearts that make us abounding in God’s provision – that is the measure of abundant life.
- His Spirit is our source of power:
Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
You want to power through 2026 then you’d better power up! We need the presence of the Spirit in our lives - the evident presence leads us to be bold in our faith - to be His witnesses.
Landing:
We need to start this year bowed before God.
Allow Him to create a new heart in you.
Allow Him to renew your spirit to be steadfast.
Allow Him to fill you with his presence.
Comments
Post a Comment