Finish the Year Strong and Reach Forward

The Thanksgiving Holiday is over. Christmas is fast approaching. And we’ll soon replace the calendar with 2026.

It’s customary to think about New Year’s Resolutions and turn the page, both literally and spiritually, to begin fresh and improve our lives.

But why wait?

Don’t allow the busyness of the season to sabotage your spiritual goals or to delay changes you need to make? A good question for each of us to ask as 2025 winds down is, “How am I finishing the year spiritually?

You don’t have to wait for an arbitrary date on the calendar to begin reflecting, evaluating, making plans, setting goals, and making changes to improve your life.

The mindset of the apostle Paul is helpful at a time like this. “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal…” (Phil. 3:13-14).

Even as an aged man in a Roman prison, Paul wasn’t coasting, letting up, or slowing down. He was stretching and straining forward with every ounce of his spiritual being toward the finish line. Toward the heavenly prize. Such an attitude will help us finish the year strong and prepare for what is ahead.

A.W. Tozer captured this same spirit when he wrote, “We must walk on, go forward, and press on in faith. God never leaves us where He finds us.” Wherever you are in your walk with God, now is a good time to pursue your spiritual goals and your relationship with the Lord with fresh resolve. Don’t allow inertia to drift you into a spiritual malaise in these final few days. Press on. Reach forward.

As we reflect on the past year, we recall both successes and failures. At times, our spirit was strong, our faith active, our hope anchored, and our love for the Lord a brightly burning flame. At other times, we may have drifted, been distracted, succumbed to temptation, become discouraged, or allowed life’s busyness to divert our attention from spiritual priorities.

The Bible often compares Christian living to a race. Athletes know it’s not how you begin the race, or where you were at the halfway mark, but it’s how you finish. December reminds us that we can still finish strong.

Consider these suggestions for finishing strong and reaching forward.

#1 Renew your focus.

While December is a month for shopping, parties, traveling, and family obligations, it can also be a month to re-center your heart. Your focus. Your spiritual priorities. Slow down a bit. Take time to pray. Read scripture. Worship. And think about Jesus.

#2 Rekindle your faith with renewed obedience.

Is there something you’ve been putting off? Is there a habit that you need to release? A person you need to forgive? A sin you need to confess? A service you need to render? A ministry you want to begin? A challenge you ought to accept?

Don’t wait until January 1 to start. Obedience doesn’t need a date on the calendar. “The obedience of faith” is fueled by a willing heart. The word of the Bible is “Today.” “Today if you will hear his voice” (Heb. 3:7). Elisabeth Elliot reminds us, “It is today for which we are responsible. God still owns tomorrow.”

#3 Energize your Resolve with some action steps.

(1) Begin with Prayerful Reflection

When you evaluate 2025, what did you learn? How have you grown? Where have you struggled? What do you want your life to look like in 2026?

(2) Pick a personal theme to embody your resolve.

Too many resolutions may scatter your focus. Here are a few suggestions:

• “Seek First the Kingdom.”
• “Walk in the Spirit.”
• “Live with Holy Intentionality.”
• “Grow in Prayer.”
• “Courageous Obedience.”
• “Fixing My Eyes on Jesus.”
• “Do good and Share.”
• “Love More. Give More”

(3) From your theme, set 3-5 meaningful, achievable goals.

Set your goals and break them down to include all areas of your life–Spiritual, Personal, Relational, and Financial. Focus on what you need to grow, not what sounds good.

(4) Start small with one habit now.

Again, don’t wait for January. What can you begin today? Renewed scriptural reading? An act of kindness? Prayer time? Reading a devotional book? Stewardship improvement?

Starting now provides momentum for the new year.

(5) Let go of what’s holding you back.

Is it a draining commitment? A harmful habit? A schedule that’s too full? Anger? Guilt? Procrastination? Indecisiveness?

Be honest. Examine your heart (2 Cor. 13:5). And be willing to let go and let God.

(6) Create your plan for January.

Even in the busyness of December, find time to plan ahead. If you wait until the new year, the first week will be over before you realize it… maybe even the whole month. Build your environment for success for 2026, and be ready to go from day 1.

(7) Rely on the Lord for strength to grow.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding (Prov. 3:5) is a good motto to live by to achieve your goals.

Remember how God has blessed you in the past, and He will continue to bless you, provide for you, and help you in the days to come.

Know this: “{God is} able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20).

Finally, believe this. In the words of Warren Wiersbe, “The future is your friend when Jesus is your Lord.”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman