2026 is here already! There are many changes in the world we live in and advances in our midst, even as we speak.  The best News is that He came to give us abundance of life and that faith, hope, and love will remain to the very end, even as we see trouble, wars, sickness, and injustices happen all around us.  We can have supernatural peace given by the Holy Spirit, because He lives within us and is alongside us. We were not left as orphans but given the peace that surpasses all understanding through knowing and abiding in Him.

                        John 14:15-18, “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.“

            As we look back on this past year and contemplate all that has come to pass, we are even more convinced that seeing the Father’s heart in the scriptures and learning to navigate the word of God are essential for this hour and season. To know that the Father’s heart was from the beginning and continues to always be for us is a profound truth beyond our human understanding. 

The best encouragement we can think of for this year or any year is to know that you are unfathomably loved and that you can know Him and the power of His Love as He came as God in the flesh through His son Jesus Christ to bring life abundantly for all who believe on His name and receive Him as their Lord and Savior. He did not come to condemn the world, but to save it!

John 3:16-17 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

            I want to say that conviction for sin is not to be synonymous with condemnation for our sin. Shame and condemnation only feeds on the oppression from the enemy. Conviction through the power of the Holy Spirit is given to bring repentance, hope, and freedom to all who come to Him. In saying that, it is not a good thing to live as one with a seared conscience that is deluded into believing they should never feel shame for anything they do and that they are always right and others are wrong. Yes, may we be convicted of sin, wrongdoing, and thinking, and come to Him in sincere repentance, as He is a merciful God full of grace and abounding in love.  May we trust in Him and be convinced that He knows what will bring great harm and ultimately steal, destroy, and kill us, as is the plan of the enemy. This is an important understanding in life. His word points the way to a life of abundance and freedom. 

            We have been given a conscience and the Holy Spirit will convict us because of His great love for us. In conviction, He gives us a way out through confession and forgiveness of our sin and when we come in repentance. He always speaks hope and life, not condemnation and/or shame.  1 John 1:9 comes to mind again. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.“

            Psalms 119:105.”Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

There is no darkness in Him! “He always speaks hope, and we can trust Him in all circumstances.  As we choose to receive Him and the truth of His word, we will hear His voice clearly.  “My sheep hear my voice and follow me”. He is the good shepherd! We are reminded this year that in the book of Revelation the foremost phrase used is this “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. “ Let us open our ears and learn how to have an ear to what He is saying to the churches this day and in the years to come. May we teach His truth and precepts to the generations ahead and leave a legacy of love.

            There are many who are hearing voices of discouragement, living without hope and even considering suicide as an alternative in this day. One of the most prevalent weapons used by the enemy is to attack our minds and build on old ways of thinking called “strongholds” So what is a stronghold?

Strongholds of the Mind!

A stronghold in this context is a way of thinking that is ingrained in our flesh and that needs to be transformed by the renewing of our minds! This is done through the supernatural power given to us through the weapons of our spiritual warfare!

From 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,” NKJV Mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. I would say “pulling down” denotes decisive action on our part to use the weapons of our warfare to pull them down! It does not seem like a passive move- but one that knows our Lord and the power and might that He gives us as we cast down the arguments and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

            Not only will repentance be our primary weapon, but replacing ungodly patterns of thinking by casting down their arguments and bringing our thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ will be the next step. Once we recognize the pattern of thinking, I believe it is important to purposefully stop the thoughts repent of that which created the stronghold, worship God with spirit-filled worship and praise, read scripture and many times speaking it aloud, and choose to actively draw near to our God. We need to replace ungodly strongholds with the truth of His word and build Godly strongholds in their place.

            The Greek word for stronghold, taken literally, means a fortress. It is often used in the Bible as a metaphor to represent things that are based only on human confidence or pride, as opposed to those that rely on God’s input and guidance. Strongholds in the positive sense are methods or devices of protection to prevent change in circumstances. In the examples of old, a fortress was a place of protection to keep out an enemy. A stronghold was a place of command and control, from which to rule over the dominion/realm beneath – a high place. The word Stronghold appears 46 times in the Old and 1 time in the New Testament (NKJV).( As I have already mentioned) Fortress appears 28 times in the Old and none in the New Testament.

Psalm 18:1-2, is a great example of a positive use of the term ’stronghold’. “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

It is our prayer that you will know the power of the Holy Spirit and His great love in increasing measures and that you will be transformed by the power of His might in this year ahead!

He is our rock, our fortress and our deliverer and He will give us strength as we trust in Him! Happy New Year 2026!

Blessings and Much Love In Him Always,