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? Today
on Living on the Edge Weekend Edition, 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 open the program,
I ask 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 5 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. 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 so I'm going to share
maybe some mistakes that I've made that you don't
need to make. Don't need to keep making. I have
a little practice I've done. This sounds crazy,
but maybe for three decades at least. 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 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
I will slowly, just without judgment, read back
over the year. 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 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, but 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. 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 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 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 LA 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, 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. refused to tackle all of them.
I was talking to someone close to me. We, you
know, got a, 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.
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 Weight 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 in dependency. And as 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 of 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, P
.O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. Our address
again is P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024.
You can also call 888 -333 -6003 or give online
at livingontheedge .org. I'm Dave Drewy, urging
you to join us to hear more practical Bible teaching
from Chip Ingram next time on the Living on the
Edge Weekend Edition.