The new year invites us to anchor our souls by looking back at God's goodness. It's easy to fall into spiritual amnesia, forgetting the countless ways God has carried us, forgiven us, and answered our prayers. By intentionally remembering His faithfulness in the past, we build a strong foundation for our trust in Him for the future. This practice fuels our faith and encourages us to lean on Him no matter what lies ahead. [09:34]
Psalm 103:1-2
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
Reflection: What specific instances of God's provision or guidance from the past year can you recall and write down, and how does remembering these moments strengthen your trust for the challenges you anticipate this year?
As we step into a new season, it's vital to honestly examine our hearts before God. Repentance is not about guilt or shame, but about God's loving invitation to purify us from anything that hinders our relationship with Him. When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us, cleansing us from all unrighteousness. This act of coming clean strengthens our connection with the Lord and fills us with a clear conscience and renewed joy. [16:42]
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Reflection: Considering the past year, what specific habit or attitude have you been excusing that you now sense God inviting you to humbly confess and surrender for His purifying work?
Life is full of uncertainties, unknowns, and heavy burdens that can weigh us down with fear, doubt, and sadness. We are not meant to carry these alone. The Lord invites us to cast all our anxieties upon Him, for He deeply cares for us. Prayer is the powerful, yet often neglected, discipline through which we can honestly lay before God every concern—our health, finances, relationships, and future. This act of dependence reveals our need for Him and allows Him to carry what we were never meant to bear. [23:56]
1 Peter 5:7
casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Reflection: What specific burden or area of anxiety have you been carrying on your own, and what would it look like practically to intentionally cast it upon Christ in prayer this week?
While personal goals are good, true spiritual fruitfulness comes from anchoring our lives in Christ and His kingdom. A vital part of this is faithful commitment to the local church, which is foundational, not optional, for believers. Spiritual growth is not accidental; it requires intentional engagement with God's people and sound teaching. When we gather together, we encourage one another, strengthen our walk with Christ, and are shaped into the people God desires us to be. [32:42]
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Reflection: In what practical ways can you deepen your intentional commitment to your local church community this year, moving beyond convenience to actively participate in stirring up love and good works among fellow believers?
To truly grow in Christ, it is essential to spend time communing with Him through His Word. In a world filled with shallow teachings and distractions, we are called to consume sound doctrinal truth, not just inspirational thoughts. Deeply studying scripture and carefully learning theology provides a strong anchor when the storms of life hit, preventing a weak and easily shaken faith. This diligent engagement with God's Word makes us stable, faithful, and active disciples, grounding us in His unchanging truth. [39:12]
2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Reflection: Beyond casual reading, what specific step can you take this week to cultivate a deeper, more intentional engagement with God's Word, aiming to consume sound doctrine rather than just seeking what "tickles your ears"?
God’s faithfulness anchors the heart for a new year and calls for practical habits that shape a faithful life. The teaching opens with Psalm 103 and invites the listener to begin 2026 by intentionally remembering God’s past goodness—listing answered prayers, unexpected provision, and moments of grace—so memory fuels future trust. Repentance is presented not as guilt but as purification: confessing sin restores fellowship, clears conscience, and reinscribes dependence on a just and merciful God. The discipline of prayer is urged as the place to cast anxieties; constant dependence on Christ, not self-sufficiency, forms the spiritual posture needed to carry unknowns and losses without being overwhelmed.
Attention is also given to where life’s center rests. Practical priorities must be reordered around Christ and his kingdom rather than solely around personal goals. Regular, faithful participation in a local church and deep engagement with Scripture and sound doctrine are not optional extras but the soil in which spiritual fruit grows and resilience is formed. The teaching warns against shallow or self-affirming consumption of ideas; doctrinal depth provides stability when storms come. Ultimately, the gospel is both the means of salvation and the daily power of sanctification, and a renewed commitment to it—through memory, repentance, prayer, worship, and study—becomes the road map for spiritual growth in the year ahead.
You know what? Remember this, because prayer reveals dependence. Prayer reveals dependence. There's this weakness. We say, God, I need you. A prayerless life is not saying, oh, I'm busy. Oh, I'm I'm really busy. I'm working, so I can't I cannot pray. No. It's it says it's self sufficient. There's a lot of warning in the bible about trusting in self or learning on your own understanding or being self sufficient. The person will end up spiritually bankrupt.
[00:20:21]
(45 seconds)
#prayerDependence
``The time is not coming now. It's it's not coming out. It's here. We live in a day where there's all this shallow teaching. And a lot of Christians, I'm I'm sad to say this. Okay? But I'm gonna say this. A lot of Christians consume inspirational thoughts. That's all they do. Sports. They consume sports, money, all of it, but they lack doctrinal depth. And so they have no anchor when the storm of life hit hits. No? It's like a boat just blow goes and just flows and goes wherever the wind blows.
[00:34:41]
(40 seconds)
#doctrinalDepth
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