A New Beginning Awaits: Step Forward with Purpose

Dear Brothers in Christ,

As we step into 2026, the calendar offers us something both ordinary and profound: a threshold. Behind us lies a year of lessons, victories, failures, and grace. Ahead lies open ground, unmapped territory where God invites us to grow, to stand firm, and to become the men He has called us to be.

This new year is an invitation.

It is an invitation to pause, to assess, and to recommit ourselves to what matters most: our relationship with Christ, the covenant we have made to our families, and our responsibility to the community of faith that surrounds us.

But here is something crucial that we need to understand from the start: the Bible teaches that God's transforming work in our lives is progressive, not instantaneous. Jesus taught us: "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much." (Luke 16:10, ESV) This means that genuine change happens through the repeated practice of small, faithful acts. It means you do not become a biblical man by a single decision or a grand gesture. You become a biblical man through a thousand daily choices made in the direction of obedience. You become a biblical man through habits formed over time, through disciplined practice, through the slow and patient work of the Holy Spirit conforming you to Christ's likeness. This is what the Bible means when it speaks of sanctification: not a moment of transformation, but a lifelong process of being changed from one degree of glory to another. (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV) This is the work of God's Spirit in you, carried on gradually, over years, through small acts of obedience repeated daily until they become the fiber of who you are. So do not despair if you cannot change everything at once. The goal is not perfection in 2026. The goal is progress. The goal is faithfulness in the small things, knowing that these small things, accumulated over time, will make you a profoundly different man by the end of this year.

The Gift of Assessment

How often do we stop and honestly evaluate where we stand spiritually? Most of us press forward without reflection, checking boxes and surviving the days. But the new year offers a divine opportunity for self-examination.

Paul urged the Corinthian church: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV) This is not metaphor. It is an invitation to see yourself as God sees you: renewed, redeemed, and equipped with fresh mercies for the journey ahead.

Consider these questions seriously:

With Christ: Where is your prayer life? Are you consistently in God's Word? What has the past year taught you about following Jesus?

With Family: Are you present? Are you leading spiritually? Have you spoken your love and commitment to those who depend on you?

With Church Community: Are you connected, encouraging, and serving? Are you helping others follow Christ?

The apostle Paul wrote, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2, ESV) Renewal begins with honest reflection. It begins with asking hard questions and telling yourself the truth about where you actually stand.

Renewing Your Commitments: One Small Step at a Time

Once you have assessed where you stand, it is time to recommit. But not with the fleeting resolve of most New Year's resolutions. With something better: covenantal seriousness rooted in God's character and His promises.

Joshua faced a similar moment of decision when he challenged the people: "Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness... choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:14-15, ESV) That is the spirit we need. Not a half-hearted attempt to be better, but a decisive commitment that echoes through our homes, our workplaces, and our churches.

Here is what we need to remember as we renew our commitments: the Bible teaches that spiritual transformation happens through repeated, consistent actions formed into habits over time. The writer of Hebrews tells us: "But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant use to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:14, ESV) Just as an athlete builds strength through daily training, not through a single workout, so a Christian builds spiritual maturity through daily acts of obedience, daily prayer, daily reading of Scripture. You do not build a house by laying one enormous brick. You build it one brick at a time, mortared together, until suddenly you have walls and a roof. That is precisely how spiritual growth works too.

1. Your commitment to Christ

Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) tells us: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Do not try to transform your entire prayer life in one week. This year, pick one small habit. Perhaps it is five minutes of prayer each morning with your coffee. Perhaps it is reading one verse during lunch and praying about what it means. Perhaps it is listening to a worship song on your drive home and talking to God about your day. Pick something small. Make it a habit. Commit to it for thirty days until it becomes part of your rhythm. In six months, you will be amazed at how that small habit has changed you. In twelve months, you will be a profoundly different man in your relationship with God.

2. Your commitment to Family

Ephesians 5:25-26 (ESV) calls men to love their wives as Christ loved the church: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word." This is not something you do all at once. It is something you do every single day through a thousand small actions: speaking kindly, asking how her day was, noticing when she is tired and offering to help, praying for her, being present when she talks to you. Your children need the same. Colossians 3:21 (ESV) instructs, "Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged." This is built through small moments of attention, small words of encouragement, small acts of presence.

Start small this year. Pick one new habit in your family life. Commit to being fully present at dinner. Commit to one conversation a week with your wife where you put the phone away and truly listen. Commit to one affirming word spoken to each of your children each day. These small things, done consistently, will transform your family.

3. Your commitment to Church Community

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) urges us: "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." You need the church. The church needs you. You do not serve the church with one grand gesture. You serve with many small acts: showing up on Sunday morning, greeting the man you do not know, texting a brother to ask how his week was, offering to help someone move, praying for a friend who is struggling. These small things, woven together, build a strong and vibrant church community.

What is one small way you could serve your church community this year? Commit to that thing.

Standing Firm in Conviction

The world is not friendly to biblical manhood. The culture whispers, and sometimes shouts, contrary messages about what a man should be. You will face pressure to compromise, to soften your convictions, to blend in rather than stand out. The world will mock biblical faithfulness. It will make fun of commitment, sacrifice, and virtue.

This is where the theme of standing firm becomes essential.

Paul gave clear instruction to the church at Corinth: "Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13, ESV) And to the Ephesians: "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." (Ephesians 6:13, ESV)

Standing firm does not mean being rigid or unkind. It means being rooted in Scripture and unwilling to bend on what is true, even when it costs you. It means being a man who keeps his word. It means being faithful to your marriage vows even on days when it is hard. It means being honest in your business dealings even when you could make more money by cutting corners. It means raising your children according to God's Word even when the culture mocks you. It means being pure in mind and body even though the world says that is impossible.

Jesus promised His disciples, and He promises you: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9, ESV)

You will not stand firm alone. God is with you. Your brothers in Christ are with you. We are standing firm together.

The Physical and Spiritual Discipline

Biblical manhood is not disembodied. We are not souls floating in space; we are embodied beings. How we steward our bodies matters. The apostle Paul wrote, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, ESV)

The writer of Hebrews reminds us: "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11, ESV)

This year, commit to taking care of yourself physically. But remember: you do not do this all at once. You do it through small, consistent habits. Again, the pattern is the same. Small acts, repeated, form the substance of your transformation.

• Sleep. Actually prioritize getting to bed on time. Your mind, body, and spirit need rest.

• Movement. Walk. Lift. Run. Play. Care for the body God gave you. Start with thirty minutes three times a week if you do not exercise now. If you are already active, challenge yourself to something new.

• Nutrition. Eat well. Again, do not try to overhaul your entire diet at once. Pick one change: swap out your soda for water. Cook one home-cooked meal per week instead of eating out. Add vegetables to one meal a day. Small changes, done consistently, transform your health.



• Stress management. Find ways to manage anxiety and tension. Pray. Spend time in nature. Have honest conversations with brothers. Read. Take a walk. Small daily practices of peace reshape your entire nervous system over months and years.

When you care for your body through these small, faithful actions, you strengthen your capacity to care for your family, serve your church, and stand firm in your faith.

What It Means to Be a Biblical Man

As we close, let us be clear about what we are building toward. A Biblical Man in 2026 is:

• Christ-centered. His deepest identity and allegiance belong to Jesus, not to his job, his appearance, or his achievement.

• Covenantally committed. He takes his vows seriously: to God, to his wife, to his church, to his word.

• Spiritually disciplined. He reads Scripture. He prays. He seeks counsel and accountability. He pursues spiritual maturity through small, daily habits of faith.

• Sacrificially loving. He loves his family as Christ loved the church: with presence, provision, and protection.

• Courageously faithful. He is not ashamed of the Gospel. He stands on biblical truth even when it is unpopular.

• Physically stewarding. He takes care of the body and health God entrusted to him.

• Community-building. He helps others follow Christ. He encourages, serves, and strengthens his brothers.

Notice that not one of these things is built in a single moment. Each is cultivated through a thousand small decisions, small habits, small acts of faithfulness. As Peter exhorted the early church: "Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love." (2 Peter 1:5-7, ESV) This is the work of a lifetime. But those small steps, accumulated, become an entire transformed life.

An Invitation to Step Forward

Brothers, 2026 is an invitation. Not a guarantee, but an invitation. God offers you this year as a gift: a fresh start, a new beginning, a blank page.

• How will you use it?
• Will you step back and honestly assess where you stand spiritually?
• Will you renew your commitments to Christ, family, and church?
• Will you stand firm in biblical conviction even when the culture pushes against you?
• Will you care for yourself, your mind, your body, your spirit, so that you can lead well and serve faithfully?

This is the work of Biblical Men. This is what we are called to in 2026.

As Isaiah promised: "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31, ESV)

But here is the thing: that renewal and strength come through faithful, daily dependence on God. They come through small habits of prayer. They come through consistency in Scripture reading. They come through showing up for your family, your church, your brothers, even on days when you do not feel like it. They come through taking care of your body. They come through refusing to compromise your convictions. They come through a thousand small decisions made in the direction of Jesus.

Let us step forward together. Not waiting to be perfect before we start. Not waiting for the ideal moment or the perfect circumstances. Starting right now, with one small step, and then another small step, and then another.

Twelve months from now, we will be men transformed by the patient, progressive work of God's Spirit in our lives.

Coram Deo

P.S. If you would like to discuss your spiritual journey, please reach out and schedule a time to talk. If you want resources for Bible study, prayer, or personal spiritual discipline, we are here to help. Remember: you do not have to do this perfectly. You just have to be faithful in the small things. We are here to help you become the man God has called you to be. "For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13, ESV)