Verse of the year 2026: John 8:32 | Ian Davies | 4th January 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Knowing Jesus’ truth brings freedom and joy

As you step into 2026, hold fast to this: when you know the truth about Jesus, freedom follows. It is often simpler to believe than to resist, because his love, choice, and forgiveness over you are solid. Believe that you are loved and valued, chosen and created, saved and forgiven. Standing with Jesus, you can face what tries to distract or disrupt with calm confidence. There is real joy in believing, because his truth does more than inform—it liberates. [02:32]

John 8:31–32: Jesus said to those who were beginning to trust him, “If you remain with what I teach—letting it shape how you live—you’ll come to truly know what is real, and that reality will unchain you.”

Reflection: What one false story about God or yourself do you want Jesus’ truth to replace as you begin 2026, and how will you keep that truth before you each morning?

Day 2: Choose to believe and confess Christ’s truth

Faith is God’s gift; believing is your decision. When you agree with God and say with your mouth what he has placed in your heart, you make real progress in believing. Start answering every nagging untruth with the truth Jesus speaks over you. You have the mind of Christ; let that be the confession that reshapes your thinking. As you believe with your heart and confess with your mouth, joy rises and old lies lose their grip. [11:52]

Romans 10:9–10: If you openly acknowledge Jesus as Lord and trust from the depths of your heart that God raised him from the dead, you are saved. Trust from the heart brings right standing with God, and confession with the lips brings rescue.

Reflection: What untruth have you been repeating about yourself, and what simple, Jesus-centered confession will you begin speaking aloud this week to replace it?

Day 3: Take a higher step toward miraculous partnership

This year, take a higher step in your believing. Jesus invites you to roll away stones he could move himself, because he loves to partner with you. As you step, his anointing rests, his presence comes, and the impossible begins to shift. Expect healings, changes in circumstances, and answers to prayer—not as hype, but as the fruit of simple trust. Believe, act, and watch the glory of God break in. [27:49]

John 11:39–40: Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, objected, “Lord, by now there will be a stench—it’s the fourth day.” Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you trust me, you will see God’s glory?”

Reflection: What “stone”—a practical obstacle or first step—can you move this week as an act of trust, partnering with Jesus to make room for a miracle?

Day 4: Repent of unbelief; go to the throne first

Jesus wept at a tomb where grief and unbelief mingled. He understands tears, yet he also calls us beyond resignation to trust him even when it’s been “four days.” If unbelief has quietly settled in, simply turn and say, “Lord, I am sorry—teach me to trust You again.” Make a new reflex: before you pick up the phone, go to the throne. It is never too late for Jesus, and his truth can still change what seems beyond hope. [23:51]

John 11:33–35: Seeing their weeping, Jesus was deeply stirred and troubled within. “Where have you placed him?” he asked. “Come and see,” they answered. Jesus’ eyes filled, and he wept.

Reflection: In which situation will you choose to “go to the throne first” this week, and what words will you pray when you turn to Jesus before calling or texting someone?

Day 5: Believe together for freedom in our community

Jesus is positioning his people to stand alongside him—calm, confident, and full of joy. When we believe who we are in him—redeemed, washed, belonging—love, peace, and victory become visible. As a family that simply believes, we carry the truth that sets others free. Your measure of faith is enough for the assignment God gives you, and together our faith multiplies impact. Let the joy of believing spill into streets, workplaces, and homes until thirst for Jesus rises around us. [31:18]

Romans 12:3: By the grace given to me I urge each of you: don’t inflate yourselves, but think with clear judgment, in line with the portion of faith God has entrusted to each.

Reflection: Where in our community do you sense Jesus inviting you to stand with him in quiet, joyful confidence, and what small action will you take to carry his freedom there?

Sermon Summary

With gentle pastoral warmth and clear conviction, this teaching sets the tone for 2026 under a single banner: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The call is simple and strong—be a people who believe the truth about Jesus, and discover the joy that flows from such believing. A vivid vision is offered: Jesus standing before anything that would distract, disrupt, or destroy, and the church standing beside Him—calm, confident, Spirit-filled, and unafraid—because truth has made them free.

Faith is God’s gift, but belief is a decision. God supplies a measure of faith for every assignment; people must choose to agree with Him. That agreement takes shape in confession and heart-level trust: believe with the heart and confess with the mouth that Jesus is Lord, and the pattern of life begins to change. Lies lose power when confronted with truth spoken aloud—truth about identity, calling, and Christ’s sufficiency. Real examples make this concrete: trading a long-standing insecurity for the mind of Christ, and watching freedom and joy take root.

The action plan is bold: take a higher step in believing this year. Expect healings. Expect changed circumstances. Expect unmistakable answers to prayer. Not presumption, but alignment—confessing Jesus’ lordship, embracing what Scripture says is true, and walking as people who belong to Him: redeemed, washed, in Him. It isn’t enough to believe that Jesus died; learn and trust what He promised. The Gospel of John pulses with the verb “believe,” and that emphasis becomes a compass for daily life.

John 11 grounds the appeal. At Lazarus’ tomb, Jesus’ grief is not confusion about death but sorrow over unbelief. The invitation is to repent of unbelief, to go “to the throne before the phone,” and to partner with Jesus as He says, “Take away the stone.” Nothing is too late for Him. The refrain returns: “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 2026 is set apart to be a year of believing—standing with Jesus, speaking His truth, and entering the joy of a freedom only He can give.

Key Takeaways

1. Know the truth; live free Truth is not an idea floating in the air; it is the Person of Jesus made known in Scripture and by the Spirit. When His truth is received, lies that bind the mind and heart begin to break. Freedom is not the absence of trouble but the presence of Christ’s clarity within it. The result is deep, durable joy. [02:32]
2. Faith is gift; belief is response God places a measure of faith within every believer, sufficient for what He calls them to do. Yet the decisive step—choosing to agree with God—is ours. Belief is the moment the heart says “Amen” to what God has already initiated. That alignment opens doors for grace to work. [06:27]
3. Confession reshapes identity and mind Confessing Jesus as Lord trains the tongue to agree with heaven, and the heart follows. Speaking Scripture over identity (“the mind of Christ”) disarms well-worn accusations and mental ruts. Over time, confession becomes formation; what is said in faith becomes how one lives. [10:11]
4. Step higher; expect the miraculous Higher believing is not hype but surrender to what Jesus wants to do now. He often invites participation—“take away the stone”—before displaying power. As we obey in ordinary, doable steps, His anointing meets our action, and His glory is seen in healing, provision, and change. [25:20]
5. Repent of unbelief; seek Him first Unbelief grieves Jesus because it misjudges who He is, not because He is unwilling to act. Repentance here is a return to trust—going to the throne before the phone, bringing needs directly to Him. This reorders reflexes of the heart and restores expectancy. [23:51]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:34] - Remembering Hazel and funeral details
[01:57] - Entering the year with Scripture
[02:52] - Vision: Standing defiant with Jesus
[04:05] - The joy of believing
[06:27] - Faith is gift, belief is choice
[08:12] - Deciding to obey God’s call
[09:45] - Confess and believe (Romans 10)
[11:30] - Renouncing lies; mind of Christ
[13:26] - Higher step of belief in 2026
[16:35] - Beyond the cross: believing promises
[19:21] - Lazarus and the pain of unbelief
[23:51] - Go to the throne first
[25:20] - Partnering with Jesus: move the stone
[27:49] - Believe and see God’s glory

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- John 11:32-44

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
“Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
“Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Observation questions

In John 11:32-44, what specific commands does Jesus give at the tomb, and how do people respond to those commands?
What emotions are described about Jesus in this passage (deeply moved, troubled, wept), and what in the story seems to prompt those emotions?
What words of belief or unbelief do Mary and Martha speak in this scene, and how does Jesus answer them?
A picture was given of the church standing beside Jesus—calm, confident, Spirit-filled, unafraid. What does that posture look like to you, and why? [03:26]

Interpretation questions

If Jesus is moved by the unbelief around Lazarus’ tomb, what might that reveal about how unbelief misjudges who He is and what He can do? [20:26]
Jesus could have rolled the stone Himself, yet He told others, “Take away the stone.” What does this teach about partnering obedience and God’s power working together? [25:20]
“Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.” How can speaking truth aloud (about Jesus and about identity in Him) reshape the way a person thinks and lives? [10:11]
“Go to the throne before the phone.” What does this say about the first reflex of a trusting heart, and how might that change the way a community carries its needs? [23:51]

Application questions

Where have you quietly concluded, “It’s too late”? Bring that place to Jesus this week. What simple, doable “stone” can you move as an act of trust? [27:49]
Name one lie or label that has followed you. What Scripture truth will you confess morning and night for the next 30 days to replace it? Be specific with the words you will say. [11:30]
“Go to the throne before the phone.” What is your plan to make first prayer your new reflex—what trigger, what cue, what small change will you make? [23:51]
Take a higher step of believing this year. In one concrete area (healing, provision, reconciliation, guidance), what will you ask God for—and what act of obedience will you pair with that prayer? [13:54]
Choose three “in Christ” truths (for example: I belong to Jesus; I am redeemed; I am washed; I am in Him). How will you speak these over yourself and your home this week? [14:58]
Where might Jesus be grieved by your hesitation or unbelief? What would repentance look like in action over the next seven days? [23:00]
Make a simple prayer target list: one person for healing, one situation for turnaround, one neighbor who needs freedom. Commit to pray daily and share any movement next meeting. What small step of participation will you take alongside those prayers? [30:04]

Sermon Clips

``it just made me think where I go in my prayer. I often ring Lorraine up and say, darling, we need to pray about this. And bless her, she'll always go and pray. But I just felt the Lord say to me, Ian, come straight to me. Don't go to the phone. Go to the throne. Yeah? So I now I go straight to the throne and say, Jesus, here I am. You know, I know you're the truth and the way. This is what I wanna speak to you about. Yeah? [00:23:23] (44 seconds) #PrayToTheThrone

So I want to say to any of you this morning, stop accepting and listening to the negative untruths that are being said over you that I had to do, because I believed with all my heart and confessed with my mouth that Jesus is lord, and the truth about him has set me free from thinking that I have a joy in my believing because I know the truth of Jesus, and that has set me free. [00:11:59] (30 seconds) #ConfessJesusSetFree

And, church, I am convinced that we will see the miraculous work of Jesus. We will see miraculous healing. We will see miraculous change of people's circumstances. We see a miraculous answer to prayer. We see a miraculous blessing over his this his church because we are confessing with our mouths and believe with all our heart that Jesus is lord of all, and he has set us free. And he has set us free. He is the truth, the one that can set everyone free. There's joy coming church in our believing in 2026. Amen? [00:13:51] (42 seconds) #ExpectMiracles2026

Bible says that I belong to Jesus. Bible says I am redeemed in him. We are saved in him. We are washed in his blood. We are in him. At times, we may not look like him, but we believe in him and his truth. And what I'm saying is that when we believe in him, we believe in these truths that set us free, our world and our community will just be transformed because we are walking in love. We're walking in peace, in joy, in victory. There is joy in our believing church because the truth of Jesus has set us free. [00:14:55] (43 seconds) #IdentityInChrist

And for me, I think, it's easier to believe than not believe. Yeah? We need to believe that we are loved and valued by Jesus. We need to believe that we are chosen and created by Jesus. We need to believe that we are saved and forgiven by Jesus, and those truths have set us free. And that is the joy of our believing as we walk into 2026, this this this year. [00:05:44] (31 seconds) #ChosenAndLoved

Then I saw this is really important. Okay? I saw Jesus, and I saw all of us standing alongside him. Okay? And we were standing really defiant like this. You know? We weren't caring. We weren't worried. We was just standing defiant with Jesus because I sense the holy spirit has filled us all with such confidence that we know the truth about Jesus and the truth that Jesus will set us free. Amen? [00:03:18] (35 seconds) #StandBoldWithJesus

I think there is a difference. Okay? Because faith because the bible talks about faith and belief. And I think faith is a gift from god. God gives us faith. What we have to do is make a decision to believe it. Believe to decide to make a decision that we know the truth, and the truth has set us free. Romans 12 verse three talked about us being given a measure of faith. [00:06:19] (33 seconds) #FaithIsAGift

God has given you a measure of faith. And that what that means, church, is that whatever God has called you to do, he will give you the faith to do it. Yeah? He will give all the resources to do it. He'll give all the people to contact to make you do it. What we've got to decide is to believe it. We've got to decide, to, believe it. [00:06:51] (27 seconds) #CalledAndEquipped

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Verse of the year 2026: John 8:32 | Ian Davies | 4th January 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Knowing Jesus’ truth brings freedom and joy

Day 2: Choose to believe and confess Christ’s truth

Day 3: Take a higher step toward miraculous partnership

Day 4: Repent of unbelief; go to the throne first

Day 5: Believe together for freedom in our community

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Verse of the year 2026: John 8:32 | Ian Davies | 4th January 2026

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