Letting God Lead Us In 2026

Introduction

Happy New Year Y’all! Can y’all believe that we haven’t been here together since last year…

Well, it’s that interesting part of the year where we transition from the old to the new. We go from the end of year review lists, the Spotify wrapped (which by the way, said my listening age is 82 years old). And we turn our focus to the future and we look to who we want to become and the changes we need to make in our lives to in order to get there… Of course we call these goals and changes “New Years Resolutions”

Are there any New Years Resolution folks here? — These resolutions are interesting, various studies have shown that 80% of people give up on their new years resolutions, often giving up at some point in February. Roughly 25% give up within the first week of January. And About 43% give up by the end of January. Only about 9% achieve their goals over the coarse of the entire year.

Isn’t crazy, that so many people can identify areas in their lives where they need to make a change or at the very least would really like to change but yet, very few actually make those changes?

You see at it’s core a resolution requires some contemplation and personal reflection, where someone has to recognize where they are right now, where they want to be in the future, and what they need to do in order to get there. — These goals or resolutions are not just about behavior modification. They require intentionality, because real change comes from sowing down so our patterns and habits can be evaluated to determine whether or not they are aligned with who we want to be.

And it seems like it is a really good thing that people want to work on themselves and improve. But then why do the vast majority of people fail?

Some of the most common new years resolutions have sound something like this year I want to exercise more, or I want to get in better shape, or I want to save money, read more, get that promotion at work, get better grades in school, or whatever else it may be, you get it.… And none of those things are bad things… but they’re all about “me, me, me.” It’s this year “I want this” or “I want that”

When our sense of purpose and direction is rooted in this “me-first” individualistic thinking, it is not sustainable. — All that comes from this is a temporary, shallow, and unfulfilling sense of pride when we succeed, and a overwhelming sense of shame and guilt when we come up short. Much more often than not, when when we run into the realization that the pride of success is not fulfilling or when the shame of falling short is too much too bear, we give up and its just another year and another failed new year resolution.

New Years resolutions fail because they are often rooted in in self interest, not in Christ— The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

It’s okay to want to be better! It’s okay to want to improve! But ultimately what we should want as Christian is to glorify God in all the things we do and experience the joy of being in a relationship with the Lord. — We can pursue both of those things by trusting in God and obeying his word!

Psalm 16:11 says “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

John 15:10–11 says “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Trust in God. abide in him, obey his word. This is the way that leads to glorifying him in all that we do and experiencing true and lasting joy in him.

Instead of looking to simply try and improve ourselves, we should look to trust God and let him lead us.

We let God lead us through having a close relationship— where the emphasis is not working for God or doing more, but the focus is on simply being with God —> When our attention is on being with God it allows the Holy Spirit to compel and direct us.

God leads us when we surrender and he meets us in prayer. — If you want to be transformed and realize your full potential and be who you are supposed to be then surrender your goals to God! The Holy Spirit will either redirect your goals or empower you to achieve these goals, aligning them with God’s perfect will.

God leads us further when we rely on his strength rather than our own. Isaiah 64:6 says “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”

— we are not strong enough on our own. Our own effort does not lead to transformation. We are transformed only by the grace of God. There is no amount of grit and determination that we can bring to the table that can substitute God transforming grace!

And remember God leads us with his wholly good and perfect will. He cares about every detail no matter how big or small. He guides our paths for what he has planned when we submit to him.

— Look, it’s not wrong to want to improve. If you want to be healthier or get smarter and read more, that’s awesome! But all of our goals and resolutions should seek to glorify God. Think about hopes and goals that if done through God’s strength help cultivate a deeper relationship with him. Instead of simply making a list of ways you want to improve YOURself, trust in God, let Him guide you. Release your hopes and goals to him.

— Focus on being—Not just doing! Really focus on being with Christ. Look to let your relationship with the Lord grow deeper rather than simply working on self-improvement.

— Maybe you didn’t make any new years resolutions. Maybe you did. Maybe you did and you already gave up. That’s okay! God’s grace is limitless… and he sees you. He knows you… He wants to be close to you… So this year seek him in all that you do. Seek to give him all the glory. Experience the joy and the fullness that only comes from being close to the Lord. Everyday… Everywhere you go… lets do that together. Praise God.

Let’s Pray