Scripture: Exodus 20:2, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

Devotional Thought: Every January, we start chasing goals: better health, more time, and stronger relationships. Those are all good things. But what if the one habit that changes all the others isn’t in your planner? God told Israel, “I am the Lord your God… who brought you out.” Before He gave commands, He reminded them: I rescued you. I know what’s best for you. Awe begins with remembering who God is and what He’s already done. When you start your day with awe, it sets the tone for your decisions, relationships, and priorities.

Reflection:

• What has God brought you out of this past year?
• What would change if your days started with gratitude and awe instead of stress or striving?

Prayer: Father, help me start this new year by remembering Your goodness. Before I chase goals, let me chase awe and let it change everything.

Action Step: Write down 3 ways God has brought you through difficulty in the past year. Read the list aloud and thank Him for each one.

Scripture: Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Devotional Thought: Worship isn’t just singing or praying; it’s whatever you give ultimate value to. And whatever you worship… You eventually become. God didn’t tell us to worship Him because He needs the attention. He told us to worship Him because He knows we are shaped by what we worship. Success, your kids, your health, they’re good things. But none of them can hold the weight of being your god. When awe for God is your anchor, everything else finds its rightful place.

​Reflection:

• What are you most tempted to elevate to “supreme value” in your life?
• How have your priorities revealed what you actually worship?

Prayer: Father, I confess that I often chase things that seem urgent or important, but don’t last. Re-center my heart in You, the only One worthy of my worship.

Action Step: Draw a triangle with “God” at the top, and other good things (career, family, goals) below. Use it as a visual reminder today to keep God at the top of your values.

Scripture: Exodus 20:5, “You shall not bow down to them or worship them…”

Devotional Thought: God warned Israel not to bow to man-made images. Not because art is bad, but because anything we can create is too small to carry our worship. The same is true today. When you worship success, you become anxious. When you worship your kids, you become controlling. When you worship health, you become self-obsessed. But when you worship God, you become grounded, gracious, and whole. Awe reminds you how big He is and how small, yet deeply loved, you are.

Reflection:

• Where are you most tempted to displace God in this season: work, family, health, image?
• What might be the cost if you keep worshiping something smaller than God?

Prayer: Jesus, I’ve made some things too big in my heart. Help me bow only to You, and let awe for You displace every lesser thing I’ve been living for.

Action Step: Today, pause once during your busiest moment. Take 30 seconds to breathe deeply and say: “God, You are bigger than ______.” Fill in the blank honestly.

Scripture: Matthew 16:25, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

Devotional Thought: Self-help says, “Fix yourself.” Jesus says, “Lose yourself, for Me.” Why? Because when you are at the center, life gets heavy. But when He is at the center, life gets holy. Jesus didn’t come to kill your joy. He came to lead you to real life. But you can’t hold on to your plans and experience His peace at the same time. Cultivating awe reorients your focus from self-preservation to surrender.

Reflection:

• Where are you still trying to “save” your life instead of surrendering it?
• What might “losing your life for Jesus” look like in a practical area this year?

​Prayer: Jesus, I’ve been holding on too tightly. Teach me to loosen my grip, lay down control, and live a life centered on You.

Action Step: Write down one thing you need to surrender in 2026: a goal, a relationship, or a fear. Pray over it and ask God to replace it with awe and trust.

Scripture: Matthew 16:26, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

Devotional Thought: You can win at life and still lose your soul. You can check every box, hit every goal, and still feel empty. Awe is what keeps your soul full. It reminds you that you’re not the center, and that’s actually a relief.  And cultivating awe isn’t complicated. It starts with two small rhythms:

1. Be grateful once a day (take at least 5 five minutes).
2. Find your smallness once a week.

Those two habits may seem insignificant, but they align your soul with the size and goodness of your God.

Reflection:

• What small daily practice could help you stay rooted in gratitude?
• What weekly rhythm reminds you of how big God is and how safe that makes you feel?

​Prayer: God, I don’t want to gain the world and lose my soul. Teach me to live in daily gratitude and weekly humility. Let awe be my anchor this year.

Action Step: Choose a time each day to practice gratitude and a weekly moment (walking in nature, sky-gazing at night, reading scripture, consistently volunteering at church or a local non-profit) that reminds you of your smallness, yet of how loved you are. Put both on your calendar. If you want 2026 to be different, start here: Be grateful at least once a day. Embrace your smallness once a week. Let awe of God shape everything in between.

Scripture: Mark 8:35, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

Devotional Thought: A new year often means a new plan, new habits, new goals, and a fresh chance to improve. And while personal growth is good, Jesus calls us to something deeper than “better.”  He doesn’t just want to help us optimize our lives. He wants to transform them. Jesus says that if your whole life revolves around preserving your time, building your platform, and controlling your outcome, you’ll end up losing the very life you’re trying to build.
Why? Because life isn't found in self-preservation. It’s found in self-denial.

Reflection:

• In what ways have you been trying to “save” or improve your life lately?
• Have those efforts brought lasting peace and joy, or just more pressure?

Prayer: Jesus, I admit I often try to make life work on my terms. Teach me to let go of control so I can fully follow You. Lead me into something better than self-improvement.

Action Step: Take 5-10 minutes today and list out the self-improvement areas you've been focusing on. Then write across the top: “What does Jesus want to do in me instead?” Pray over that list and invite His perspective.

Scripture: Luke 14:27, “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”

Devotional Thought: Jesus doesn’t start the new year by offering hacks to help you “improve 2026.” He begins by saying something much harder: "Carry your cross." In Jesus’ day, the cross wasn’t a metaphor; it meant death.
That’s Jesus' invitation when we choose to follow Him: to die daily to your preferences, pride, and plans, so you can live fully in His purpose. Jesus doesn’t call you to self-denial as a limiting practice. He does it to set you free.

Reflection:

• What’s something you’re still clinging to that Jesus might be asking you to die to?
• What fear or desire makes it difficult for you to surrender?

Prayer: Father, I want to follow You more fully this year. Help me to die to anything that’s keeping me from fully trusting You.

Action Step: Ask God this question in prayer today: “What’s one thing I need to say no to, so I can say yes to You?” Write it down and revisit it this week.

Scripture: Luke 14:26, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.”

Devotional Thought: This verse sounds harsh until we understand what Jesus is really saying. He’s not promoting hate. He’s pointing to influence and authority. He’s saying, “If I’m not the loudest voice, the clearest leader, and the final authority in your life, then you're not really following Me.”
Most of us want Jesus in our lives; we just don’t want Him in charge of our lives. But following Jesus means trusting Him more than anyone else, even yourself.

Reflection:

• Whose approval or opinion tends to shape your decisions the most?
• What area of your life are you most reluctant to surrender to Jesus?

Prayer: Jesus, You have the right to lead my life. I confess the times I’ve let other voices matter more than Yours. Help me choose You first.

Action Step: Throughout today, pause at key decisions or moments and ask: “Jesus, what do You want in this?” Begin retraining your heart to listen first to His voice.

Scripture: Mark 8:34, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves…”

Devotional Thought: Self-help tells you to add more disciplines, more goals, and more content until you become someone “better.” But Jesus says the secret to a truly better life isn’t adding more, it’s surrendering more. Self-improvement may make you appear put together. Self-denial lets God make you whole.
He’s not asking you to try harder. He’s asking you to trust deeper. Because what He has for you is better than better, it’s new.

Reflection:

• Are you following Jesus for what He can do for you, or what He can do in you?
• What “good” thing have you been pursuing that might be keeping you from God’s best?

Prayer: Father, I want more than a polished version of the same old life. Help me stop chasing a better me, and instead follow You into something new.

Action Step: Today, stop and name one “good” thing you’ve been chasing that might be rooted in pride, fear, or self-focus. Lay it down in prayer, and ask God what He wants to replace it with.

Scripture: Mark 8:35, “…whoever loses their life for Me and for the gospel will save it.”

Devotional Thought: Here’s the promise: If you’re willing to lose your version of life, Jesus will lead you into something far better. He’s not offering more pressure. He’s offering more purpose. The essence of following Him is not self-improvement. It’s a whole new life shaped by His cross, His love, and His Spirit. 2026 doesn’t have to be another cycle of last year “again.” It can be the year of new; if you’re ready to surrender and trust.

Reflection:

• Where have you been striving for more control instead of trusting Jesus with the outcome?
• What would it look like to lose your life for Him, not for your image or platform?

Prayer: Jesus, I’m tired of chasing “better” and still feeling empty. I give You my story. Write something new with my life this year.

Action Step: Write this declaration in a journal or on your phone: “Jesus, I choose surrender over self. Lead me into the life I was made for, even if it means letting go of the life I thought I wanted.”
​Read it aloud each morning this weekend.