3 Resolutions for a Healthier Spiritual Life in 2026
As one year closes and another begins, people naturally talk about resolutions. Most of these focus on the outer life–exercise, diet, finances, habits, or moral discipline. Those are not unimportant. In fact, many of them are good and necessary. But there is a deeper issue we often overlook. Lasting change does not begin with the body or even with behavior. It begins with the spirit.
If the spiritual foundation is weak, the other resolutions usually collapse under pressure. But when the spiritual life is strengthened, many other improvements begin to follow naturally.
Tonight, I want to suggest three simple spiritual resolutions–not complicated, not new, but foundational. These are not resolutions about doing more, but about thinking rightly, loving intentionally, and walking closely with God.
I. Three Spiritual Resolutions for 2026
1. Don't Look Back
One of Satan's most effective weapons against believers is not temptation toward future sin, but fixation on past failure.
He constantly invites us to replay what we regret:
- Past sins
- Past mistakes
- Past weaknesses
- Past moments we wish we could undo
This backward gaze produces guilt, discouragement, and paralysis. It drains joy and weakens faith. Paul understood this danger when he wrote:
13Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 3:13-14
Paul was not denying the past–he was refusing to live in it.
How Do We Do This?
We remember a central truth of the gospel: the cross takes care of the past.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
- Romans 8:1
If God has forgiven us, we have no authority to keep condemning ourselves. Looking back does not make us holier–it makes us heavier.
When you resolve not to look back, something remarkable happens:
- Your eyes turn forward
- Your heart fills with hope
- Your faith regains momentum.
This is not denial. It is trust in God's completed work. You're OK. Just get on with living your Christian life!
2. Love Today
People rarely regret loving. They regret not loving enough, not loving sooner, or withholding love when it mattered most.
Love delayed is often love denied.
Scripture does not describe love as an abstract feeling but as a present‑tense action:
4Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
- I Corinthians 13:4-7
Notice something important: this passage is not written in the future tense. Love is something practiced now.
Love Today – Not Someday
"Someday" is one of the most dangerous words in the Christian life.
- Someday I'll apologize
- Someday I'll forgive
- Someday I'll show appreciation
- Someday I'll be more patient
But someday often never arrives.
Jesus taught that love is the defining mark of His disciples (John 13:34-35). And the most powerful form of love is timely love.
Love today:
- Your spouse
- Your children
- Your parents
- Your brethren
- Your neighbors
Because for God, it is always today.
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
- I John 4:8
If we want to be like God, we must love now, not later.
3. Pray Always
Prayer is not merely a religious activity. It is relationship.
pray without ceasing;
- I Thessalonians 5:17
This does not mean constant formal prayer. It means a continuous conversation with God. You need something? – Ask You're afraid or worried? – Pray You're happy or grateful? – Pray You're confused, bored, uncertain? – Pray
Prayer is not a last resort–it is the first response.
Why Pray Always?
Because prayer is a preview of heaven. God is always present, always listening, always ready. Prayer reminds us that we are never alone.
casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
- I Peter 5:7
Prayer is the avenue into a deeper relationship with God. It draws us upward and outward–from fear toward faith.
Summary
If you make these resolutions:
- I resolve not to look back. Your mind and heart will naturally turn toward the future and the glory that awaits. This brings joy, clarity, and strength.
- I resolve to love today. Love received and love given is what makes life in a sinful world bearable. If you want to reflect God's nature, love now–because God always does.
- I resolve to pray always. Prayer is always the first step: Out - of trouble, sorrow, fear, and loss Up - toward God, truth, hope, and the Spirit
Prayer moves us closer to reality–and closer to heaven.
When these spiritual resolutions are in place, many other good things begin to follow. The things that begin to show on the outside
Invitation
Perhaps the resolution you need to make tonight is not about the coming year–but about your eternal future.
You may need to begin the Christian life by expressing your faith in Christ through repentance and baptism.
Or perhaps you need to start again–seeking forgiveness, renewal, and strength after unfaithfulness or sin.
Whatever your need, we are ready to receive you. If you need prayer, encouragement, or restoration, come forward now as we stand and sing the song of encouragement.
