Before the Clock Strikes Midnight: A New Start for a New Year

Can you believe we’re just one day away from a brand-new year?

2026 is knocking, and if I’m honest, part of me is still processing everything 2025 brought with it, the highs, the lows, the breakthroughs, and yes, even the breakdowns. Maybe you're like me and asking, “Where did the time go?” Or maybe you're just ready to say good riddance to this year altogether.

Wherever you are emotionally or spiritually right now, I want to speak this truth over you: God is still making all things new.

That’s not just a feel-good statement; it’s a promise.

Revelation 21:5 says, “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ Then He said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

He didn’t say, “I might make some things new.” He didn’t say, “I’ll make things new if you’ve had a perfect year.” No, He said, “I make all things new.”

And that includes you.

Your past doesn’t disqualify you. Your pain doesn’t define you. Your setbacks don’t stop your purpose.

If we let Him, God will use every part of the old to shape the new.

2025 May Have Shaken You…

…but it didn’t break you.

That’s okay.

Revelation isn’t always comfortable, but it’s always necessary for transformation.

2026: A Year of New Wine

I believe 2026 is going to be a year of new wine, new clarity, fresh revelation, and deeper surrender. But hear me: new wine can’t be poured into old wineskins. Jesus said in Luke 5:37-38, “No one pours new wine into old wineskins... new wine must be poured into new wineskins.”

That means we can’t take old habits, old thinking, and old bitterness into a year where God is trying to do something fresh.

Let this be the year you unclench your fists and let go of what you thought had to happen.

Let this be the year you stop trying to “fix” things on your own and instead follow God’s lead, even if it’s unfamiliar, uncomfortable, or slow.

Let this be the year you start over, not just by writing goals in a journal, but by asking God, “Lord, what are You saying? What are You doing in me?”

Clean Slate, Same Savior

I’m grateful we don’t have to wait for January 1st to start over. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23), but there’s something sacred about closing the chapter on one year and opening the next with God at the center.

So before the clock strikes midnight, take time to pray. Not just for change, but for clarity.Not just for goals, but for God’s guidance.Not just for a fresh start, but for a faithful heart.

Because 2026 isn’t just another year, it’s another opportunity to live out your purpose in Christ.

And friend, if you’ve been through the fire this year, know this: God is refining you, not rejecting you. You’re stepping into this next season stronger, wiser, and more surrendered.

So, lift your head. Loosen your grip. And lean into what God is about to do.

Because He will make all things new.

Happy New Year.

With love, —Lisa