Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
What could make this year different than all
those other years where you set goals, tried
really hard, but little or nothing changed? Well,
that's today on Living on the Edge. And I've
got some good news, some practical news. And
if you want to see some change this year, I'm
going to tell you. I think the Lord has given
me some help that will really help you. Stay
with me. We're just days into a brand new year
and already the gym memberships are signed, the
diets have started, and the ambitious goals are
written down. But here's the hard truth. Most
of those resolutions will be abandoned by February.
So what will make 2026 different? What will make
this year stand out from all the rest? On today's
edition of Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram reveals
it's not about trying harder or having more willpower.
It's about applying biblical principles that
actually work, principles that set the stage
for God to do His best work in us, transforming
our hearts from the inside out. Chip titled today's
message, How to Make This Year Different. Well,
as we opened the program, I asked that question,
what will make this year different than last
year? Or for some of you, maybe the last few
years. Because what we all know is that people
are going to sign up for the gym. I'm going to
lose five pounds, 20 pounds, 30 pounds. I'm going
to get in the Bible every day. I'm going to join
a small group. You know what? I'm going to set
goals and I'm really going to work. I'm going
to make partner this year. Or you know what?
I'm going to get my license. You know, I'm finally
going to go back to school. And it goes on and
on and on. And in about two weeks, there'll be
less people in the gym. There'll be a lot of
diets that started that have fizzled out. In
about a month or six weeks, the gym will be back
to normal of those people that get up really
early and do it or hit it right after work, and
it's a part of their life they almost never miss.
And what I want to talk to you today about is
how life change can happen in your life, but
maybe it doesn't happen the way you think it
does. And maybe you've been kind of running the
wrong software or trying to execute a game plan
that doesn't work. And you've decided that you
can't change or something's wrong with you or
you're down on you or you have areas of relationship
or your relationship with the Lord or with your
weight or some habit or maybe it's smoking or
maybe it's logging off the Internet or it's shopping.
I don't know what it is. What I know is that.
If any man or any woman is in Christ, we become
new creations. The old things pass away. Behold,
all things become new. And some become new immediately,
and some are a process of what the Bible calls
sanctification, where there's a journey where
God delivers some things dramatically. And others,
it's kind of over time, and it's incrementally.
We're completely changed. But we begin to experience
that change as we cooperate with him. The mind
of a man plans his way. The Lord establishes
our steps. And so I'm going to share maybe some
mistakes that I've made that you don't need to
make or don't need to keep making. And rather
than if you're expecting like a teaching time,
think of today as it's January 2nd. It's Friday.
Chip asked if we could grab a cup of coffee together.
That's what we're going to do. I got a coffee
right here. And if we were sitting across the
table from one another and you said, you know
something, I really do want to change in some
areas. There's a lot that are really going well.
Or, man, I'm really, really challenged in one
area and I want to change and I've tried to change.
And I just don't seem to be able to. Chip, any,
I mean, you know, you're older than me probably.
So if you have any insight, any help, any wisdom
from God. And I like to suggest that maybe over
time or maybe over the years or maybe just our
time together, that God will help you. I have
a little practice I've done. This sounds crazy,
but maybe for three decades at least. And when
I get near the end of the year, or even though
it's Friday, right? You've got Saturday, you've
got Sunday. January 5th, I believe, is going
to be on Monday, but most schools won't start.
Work for some of you, you'll be back into it,
but it's not going to really take, I mean, full
throttle until the following week. So if you
really wanted to block off some time this weekend,
maybe later today or sometime next week, I believe
you could. Because here's what I'm going to tell
you. My practice has been threefold, and I'm
going to focus on the first two. The first is
I look back. Second, I look up. And then third,
I look forward. And here's what I mean by that.
There was a quote that I read many, many years
ago about Socrates. And not that he's on the
same level of the Bible, but, you know, a philosopher,
Plato, others. greatly respected. And Socrates
said, the unexamined life is not worth living.
And I think that we often jump into what needs
to change without doing something that every
business does, right? If things aren't going
very well or good businesses, if things are going
really well, what do they do? They pause. They
evaluate. Maybe it's a very specific SWOT analysis
or they look at, you know, the last quarter,
the last year, the last three years, year over
year, what are our KPIs? In other words, what
are those key performance indicators? But I find
that even people in business, even executives
often who will do that in their business life
don't do it in their personal life. And so one
of the things I've learned over the years, it
says the fear of the Lord. is the beginning of
knowledge. And then later in Proverbs, Solomon,
the wisest man in the world, will say the fear
of the Lord is also the beginning of wisdom.
And in Hebrew, the word wisdom isn't like being
smart. There's a difference between being smart
and being wise. Wisdom is understanding how God
has arranged or orchestrated life to work. how
relationships work, how money works, how goals
work, how people work, how he's designed life
to work. And wisdom is lining your life up with
the way that God has lined life to work. And
so you know what's the right thing to do in each
season, the right reason that you're going to
do it, and then how to actually do it. All that
is involved in wisdom. And so the first thing
you need to do is push the pause button. And
before you get all focused and, you know, write
out a new set of goals for 2026 and sign up for
the gym and, you know, you're checking and scrolling
about, okay, am I going to go with the keto diet
or I'm going to go with this diet or that diet?
Am I going to go the intermittent fasting route?
And, you know, we just want to hack to change
things overnight. Please pause and evaluate.
You may not keep a journal. I keep one. I've
done it actually since college. I'm a verbal
processor, so this sounds funny, but I often
actually don't know what I think until I say
it or I write it. And I found that my denial
level can be so high that I actually lie to myself,
but it's really hard to lie to yourself if you
write it down. And then over the years... You
know, when God has been speaking to me, I actually
don't write my journal every day. I use it as
a tool. So probably every third day, sometimes
it's a week, and sometimes it'll be, you know,
four or five days in a row. I'm not so much writing
down what happened yesterday, the day, the day
before, but I'm writing much more about... this
is what I'm sensing. This is what I'm praying.
This is where God is leading. Here's the top
three or four challenges that I'm facing. And
I might write a little box and turn those into
a prayer request. And so when I read back over
the whole year, and I do that, kind of that time
between Christmas and the new year or the first
few days of the new year. I find a corner, and
it might be in a couple, three different journals,
depending on how much I wrote that year. I will
slowly, just without judgment, read back over
the year. And some themes will emerge. You know,
God was speaking to me about maybe an area in
my marriage in March. And yeah, that's right.
I probably need to be more sensitive in that
area. You know, in July, that same area pops
up. And, you know, then October, it pops up again.
And then I realize I'm thinking about 2026. And
at least three or four different times, God spoke
to me about maybe that area of my marriage or
that practice about, you know, my health or this
relationship that I keep. you know, kicking the
can down the road in order to, you know, I need
to deal with that relationship. I need to improve
it, whether it's forgiving or whatever it needs
to be. There's something about pausing and looking
back over the year that gives you perspective.
We too, too often start acting about what we're
going to do next without really trying to get
a sense of where are we. And then the flip side
of this, Some of you are so driven or you have
such a sensitive conscience. You may not keep
a journal, but if you did, you would just highlight
everything you did wrong. You would highlight,
I didn't do this. I should have done this better.
Should have done this better. Should have done
that better. And you make yourself crazy. And
you have this view of God that his arms are crossed
and you don't measure up. And he has like these
scales and like has a microscope into every thought
and every action. with the goal of being down
on you instead of a heavenly father, an elder
brother making intercession for you every day,
the Spirit of God living inside of you, wanting
to lift you and guide you and direct you. And
so I would encourage you as you look back that
you, yes, Lord, is there some things I need to
address? But also that you list some things,
this went well. I really made improvements. Wow,
you know something? I did work out more regularly
than in the last several years. Or, you know
something? You know, I had a troubling or a difficult
or a concerning relationship at work. Or, you
know, if you're married, maybe it was with one
of your children or with an in -law. And you
kind of look at that and you say, you know something?
Great progress was made. Because see, once you
look back, you want to evaluate and then what
I call looking up, you want to take what you
think and then kind of look up and say, Lord,
you know, whether it's in your mind's eye or
if you don't keep a journal, maybe you go through
the calendar and you just look at your calendar
or scroll back over maybe some key texts and
just say, wow, what went well? Where did I see
God show up? What would I give thanks for? And
what were some areas that seemed to be some themes?
And can I say, don't overthink it. The Lord really
longs to help you more than you and I often want
help. And if you're not quite sure, Lord, would
you bring to my mind? And so you evaluate. That's
step one. And when I do that, I do have a list.
And so I'll ask myself, you know, in 2025, did
I have a growing, vital, fruitful relationship
with the Lord? Would I say my marriage is like...
On a scale of 1 to 10, was it a 4? You know,
we made it through. Was it a 7? You know, are
we flourishing? Have we had one of those like,
wow, wee, it was a 9. However you want to do
it, but I think it's important to not get too
narrowly focused. Obviously, we know from all
the research that people are. a little over the
top on their weight and on getting in shape.
And if you're a follower of Jesus, it's, you
know, time in the Bible and prayer time. And
those are all really, really important. But I
would encourage you to say, okay, where am I
at in my relationship with the Lord? Where am
I at in those most important relationships? If
you're married, obviously your mate. If you have
children, obviously your children. Then you may
ask yourself physically, I mean, if my body's
the temple of God, You know, let's be honest,
you know, if it's been sort of a lot on the couch
and a lot of potato chips and a lot of pizza
and a lot of like you've been planning on changing
or maybe you're on the other end where, I mean,
you're just so self -focused because your body
has to be just perfect and, you know, you've
got to work out at this nth degree and it's taken
over your life. You know, part of evaluation
is realizing, you know, there's some good things
that can become idols as well. And then I would
look at other relationships. You know, how are
you doing with friends? And I don't mean just
casual, but I mean, are they growing? Are they
going deeper? Do you feel like you have people
that you can really be open and honest with?
And maybe the flip side, are you that kind of
a friend to someone? Work is obviously a big,
big part of your life and my life, and it takes
up a huge chunk. And we usually do better at
goals at work. But to ask yourself, what are
your goals this year? And maybe the goals are,
I'm going to work less. Maybe it's, I have a
real specific goal for a promotion that's a God
-given, this is a desire or a dream. Maybe it's
like, you know, I've talked about going back
to school for like five years. No, it's six years.
Oh, actually, it's been seven years. And I took
one class and get focused and decide what you're
not going to do. I mean, if you're going to go
back to school, fantasy football goes out the
door. If you're going to go back to school, you
know, the Tuesday, Thursday bowling league, whatever
it is, you can't do everything. The big lie is
we think we can do far more than we can. And
then I would be remiss if I didn't ask you to
evaluate your personal ministry. I don't mean
just you go to church. I mean, that would be
a good one to look at. When we survey people,
you know, we have Barna or others do some surveys
for us at Living on the Edge. You maybe you wouldn't
be shocked. I'm shocked that what people report,
how often they go to church or how often they
read the Bible or how they're doing spiritually
is is like 25 to 50 percent better than reality.
And I don't think they're consciously lying.
I think it's just like, well, yeah, you know,
we yeah, we're regular. Well, except for during
the traveling. team season. And we're regular
except for in the summer where we've got a place
at the lake. And pretty soon you start adding
the holidays. Well, when people come in town,
it's not really so good to go to church. My whole
point is not whether you do or whether you don't
at this point. It's being honest with where are
you really at. And I think the final one that
is really important is ask yourself to evaluate.
Where am I at emotionally? I mean, am I an anxious
person? Am I someone who worries? If I sort of
tried to evaluate, what's my joy level? What's
my peace level? What's my love level? And then
no evaluation is complete by doing it just by
yourself. I would encourage you to, as much as
you can, do a little bit of a 360. If you're
married, you know. Get prepared, but ask with
a real desire to hear, what do you think I'm
really doing well? Don't ask for everything.
Could you give me two areas you think I could
improve? And if you have children, a little riskier,
but you might ask them. What about some close
friends or someone in your small group? And even
at work, regardless of your role, to just a couple
people like, you know, I'm evaluating this year.
And I look back on last year and, you know. They
probably will not be as honest, but you might
be surprised. And so you might be saying, Chip,
you're spending a lot of time on evaluation.
That's because knowing where you are is the prerequisite
to moving from where you are to where you and
God want you to be. You know, you can get in
the car and say, man, I'll tell you what, we're
going to Philadelphia. But if you don't know
you're in L .A., you know, instead of Las Vegas,
or you don't know you're in LA instead of New
Orleans, it's a very different road to get there.
I have some great news to share. So many of you
responded to our year -end match, sending your
gift before the December 31st deadline. Your
investment is already at work, reaching the next
generation, supporting pastors who feel alone,
and helping believers grow deeper in their faith.
Because you gave, 2026 will be a year of expanded
ministry impact. On behalf of Chip and the entire
Living on the Edge team, thank you. We'll now
back to today's message called, How to Make This
Year Different. Again, our Bible teacher, Chip
Ingram. And now, let me give you, if you will,
some real practical ways that I think will kind
of help. Once you get that list, And you're looking
at it. If you don't feel overwhelmed, you probably
haven't done a great job. So you want to summarize
and prioritize. This is where I'm doing well.
This is what needs to change. And then list them.
You know, just get them out of your head because
they're going to mess with your brain and with
your emotions. Just list. Here's all the things
I'm doing well. Here's all the things I think
I need to change. And right. Once you get past
about two or three, it's like, oh, my gosh, I
need to change, change, change. Just write them
down to get them out of your head. And then you
take those lists and you look up and you bring
them before the Lord and you say, God, you know,
I. There's no way I can address all those issues.
And I need to strengthen the things that I'm
doing well. Would you give me real wisdom from
you, Holy Spirit -led, of where do I need to
stay focused in my strengths? And then what one
or two things? It's just January, right? There's
12 months in this year. What one or two things
do you want me to begin to address? Please, please
refuse to tackle all of them. I was talking to
someone close to me. We, you know, got not a
huge organization, but a number of different
people in it. And I was looking at someone's
goals. And I mean, it was like, you know, I'm
going to read the Bible every day. I'm going
to lead a Bible study. I'm going to memorize
so many scriptures. I'm going to, I mean, it
was like, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And I
told this particular person, I said, you really
don't want to go there. No, no, no, no, no, I
think I can do it. And then we do, rather than
yearly, three times a year we do evaluations
at Living on the Edge. And so the evaluation
time came and this person came to me and said,
oh my, I really, I bit off way too much and then
I could chew. Then I felt defeated a lot of the
time. It was so overwhelming. Then I realized
halfway in, I can't do all this. I actually made
some good progress, but because I tried to do
everything, it was overwhelming. It was negative.
I've got to scale back and just come up with
what's realistic. And here's what all the research
tells you. And whether you read a book like Atomic
Habits or others, consistency is much more important
than setting a big goal and keeping a big goal.
If you say, you know, I really want to get into
God's Word and I want to develop that habit or
I want to work out, I want to tell you. That
if you would do it every day and if the day you
don't want to do it, it feels terrible. There's
no way I'm going to open the Bible. You say,
I can open it for five minutes. Set your watch
even. Open it for five minutes and read for five
minutes and then shut it and go on. most times
you'll end up doing it a bit more than five minutes,
but the habit of doing it five minutes will lead
to 10 or 15, and you'll build the rhythm and
the habit in your life that's far more important
than, I spent a half hour with God when you were
doing nothing or little. You know, then I did
this, then I did that, and then you look up and
you haven't done it in a week, then you feel
defeated. A consistency. Look, try to lose like
one pound. a week or every two weeks. And he
goes, Chip, it'll take me six months to get where
I need to be. Yes, it will. And it'll stay off
and you won't be binging. You know, the key,
start small, develop habits, progress and consistency.
And so you're not going to try to do everything.
And here's when you think about prioritizing
things. Jesus was teaching in the Sermon on the
Mount. And by this time, he's talked about prayer.
He's talked about fasting. He's talked about
his word. He's talked about not lusting. And
when he gets to the end of chapter six, and this
is before there's a pretty big summary about,
you know, chapter seven opens with, you know,
the two kinds of people. And there's one kind
that talk about and hear God's word that don't
put it into practice. And then there's the kind
who hear from God and put it into practice. And
one is built on the rock. application, consistency,
obedience. And the other is, I heard it, I intended
to, I convinced myself I am doing it, and it
ends like built on sand. And in chapter 6 of
Matthew, verse 33, he says, but seek ye first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and
all these things will be added to you. And it
was the concern about clothing and food and the
necessities of life. And so what Jesus was teaching
there, that there is a really clear priority.
And I would say this, you may need to get in
shape, get in shape spiritually before you get
in shape physically. It's not necessarily an
either or, but what I know, if you get in shape
spiritually, you'll hear from God. As you hear
from God, you get grace. Grace is both the want
to and the power and the ability to obey and
do what he wants you to do. So that's just a
priority with me. You know, there's times I don't
work out as much as I want to, but I have diligently
made the habit over many decades now. I meet
with God every morning. I have an honest conversation.
And if your soul gets healthy, the rest of you
will eventually get healthy. The next thing I
would say is don't go it alone. you will fail.
I mean, there's a reason that whether it's AA
or Jenny Craig or White Watchers or you name
any group, Al -Anon, they all have discovered
the biblical principle that a cord of three is
not easily broken. Proverbs 13 .20 says, He who
dwells with wise men will be wise, but the companion
of a fool will suffer harm. You can't go it alone.
You have to verbalize your goals. You need someone
in your corner. And if it's an area that's a
struggle for you, like dieting or working out,
probably your mate is not going to be the best
person because it feels like when we do that
for the person that we're married to, that we're
becoming the junior Holy Spirit, and then they
feel it. Don't go there. If you're a woman, find
a woman that can speak into your life. If you're
a man, find a man who speaks into your life.
And when it comes to devotions and physical exercise,
don't go it alone. Even if you have to say, hey,
we're going to text each other at the end of
each day when we do this practice or don't do
this practice. Once a week, maybe it's your closest
friend is across the country. Hey, can we Zoom
for 15 minutes? There is plenty of ways to be
successful and to connect, but don't go it alone.
And then the last thought, or next to the last
thought maybe, is John 15, 5. Jesus says, abide
in me. I'm the vine, you're the branch. Apart
from me, you can do nothing. Refuse, refuse to
think somehow that willpower and habits and hacks,
and I'm going to do it this way. The only one
that can live the Christian life, are you ready,
is Jesus. He's asked you to abide. The only one
that can overcome every temptation is Jesus.
And he lives in you. Your body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit. Jesus dwells in you. His
power that raised him from the dead dwells in
you. It's independency. And he has you depend
on him through his word, through the community
of God's people. And just say, Lord, I can't
do this. You never said I could. but you can
work in me and through me. And I would say the
final thoughts that I think over the years that
I've met with people and in my own life where
I've so failed is refuse to compare yourself
with other people. The Apostle Paul would say
in 2 Corinthians 10, verse 12, For we are not
bold to class or compare ourselves with some
of those who commend themselves. For when they
measure themselves by themselves and compare
themselves with themselves, they are without
understanding. Comparison always leads to carnality.
You always find yourself comparing up or comparing
down. If you compare up, you're a nobody, you're
worthless. If you compare down, you get arrogant
and you're a jerk. You are you. Don't compare
yourself. The only one you compare yourself with
is God's standard before the living God who loves
you and is for you. And how are you comparing
with what you did before? And the last thing
is refuse, and this is my lifelong one, refuse
to be a people pleaser. In Luke 16, 15, Jesus
was talking to the Pharisees, and he said to
them, he was speaking about money and wealth
and some other areas, but the principle is true.
He says, you know what, you all? That which is
highly esteemed among men is detestable in the
sight of God. Fame, likes, what you drive, the
handbag, the watch, where you vacation, there
is so much stuff. whether so -and -so went public,
so -and -so got a promotion. It's not just comparison,
it's pleasing people. And even people that are
very, very close to you, you and I need to first
and foremost please God. Paul would say in Galatians
1 .10, if I were still seeking to please people,
I wouldn't be a bondservant of Christ. And so
let me encourage you, this year can be different.
But it's not going to be different by trying
harder, by trying to do too much. Evaluate. Look
back. Then look up. Prioritize. And then say,
Lord, 633, I'm going to seek you first and your
righteousness. And I'm going to abide and I'm
going to do it with you in the community of a
friend or two that I can really be honest with.
And I'm just going to take baby steps in a couple
areas. You do that in January, you'll see progress.
And then maybe you want to add one in February,
or you may want to increase what you're doing.
That's how long -term transformation happens
from the inside out. I hope this is a help, and
I would love to hear from you. It's chip at livingontheedge,
one long word, dot org. Chip at livingontheedge
.org. Let me know how it's going. With a special
message designed just for the new year, you're
listening to the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram,
and this is Living on the Edge. I'll reinforce
what Chip said a moment ago. He'd love to hear
your story. And you can send an email that'll
reach Chip's desk by writing to chip at livingontheedge
.org. To hear today's message again or to share
Chip's thoughts with a friend, you can readily
access the audio file by downloading the Chip
Ingram app. Then search for the message titled,
How to Make This Year Different. And as we wrap
up today, I want to express our profound gratitude
to those who gave to our December match, where
every gift was doubled in size and impact. While
it's too early for a final tally with mail still
arriving, I can tell you this, the response has
been overwhelming. Your extraordinary generosity
means we're entering 2026 with momentum and confidence,
ready to expand our reach and deepen our impact.
And if you intended to give but missed the December
31st match deadline, there's still time to make
a difference. Your gift today will help us build
on this incredible foundation. Here's where to
send your contribution. Living on the Edge, PO
Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. Our address
again is PO Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024.
You can also call 888 -333 -6003 or give online
at livingontheedge .org. Well, I'm Dave Drewy,
grateful to have you along today and urging you
to join us to hear more practical Bible teaching
from Chip Ingram, Monday on Living on the Edge.