GOD WILL CARRY YOU IN 2026
IN 2026
Isa. 46:4
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. In 2026, may your neighbors respect you, troubles neglect you, angels protect you, and heaven accept you.
2. May all your troubles last as long as your New Year resolutions.
3. Remember you can reset your resolutions on January 14th (Orthodox New Year) and February 17th (Chinese New Year). After that, even I can't help you.
4. New Year’s Eve is when the Mayor drops the ball in New York, while Congress is dropping the ball in Washington.
5. Every New Year I resolve to lose 20 pounds, and I do. The problem is that I gain 30. - Melanie White
B. POLLS ABOUT RESOLUTIONS
1. THE 8 TOP RESOLUTIONS FOR 2026. A recent poll found the top 8 U.S. New Years’ resolutions for 2026 are: 1). Exercise more, 2). Save more money, 3). Eat healthier, 4). More time with Family, 5). Lose weight, 6 & 8-> Job – better & less stress, 7). Aid environment. https://www.statista.com/chart/29019/most-common-new-years-resolutions-us/
2. DO YOU NOTICE ANYTHING MISSING? We have NO SPIRITUAL GOALS! How important are spiritual goals? When Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened, we learned that the spiritual realm is very real. When Moses had to keep his hands up during battle to win, we learned that spiritual things have power over physical situations.
C. QUESTION I ASKED AI (12-19-25)
1. “Of people who make New Year's resolutions, what % of them make permanent changes?”
GPT-4o mini answered:
a. 45% made New Year’s resolutions.
b. 20% kept their resolutions at least 6 months.
c. But only about 8% succeeded in achieving lasting results.
2. I asked how many of the successful said religion helped them. AI said... “Approximately 25% (1 in 4) of people who make New Year's resolutions report that their religious faith or spiritual practices contributed to their success in sticking to their goals.”
3. ONLY GOD CAN HELP YOU MAKE THE CHANGES YOU’RE WISHING TO SEE THIS YEAR!
D. CONFIDENCE IN FACING 2026
1. Christians, more than anyone else in the world, can face 2026 with confidence, because we serve an All-powerful God who loves us and is dedicated to our welfare!
2. Today we’re looking at God’s provision for us: “God will Carry You in 2026.”
I. GOD PROMISES TO CARRY YOU
A. BIBLICAL FOUNDATION
1. Listen to God’s awesome promise; "I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you." Isa. 46:4 NLT. GOD PROMISED THIS TO YOU!
2. GOD'S PROMISES ARE YES AND AMEN! When God makes a promise, He keeps it. When God says something, He means it. His promises are ‘yes and amen.’ 2 Cor 1:20.
B. YOU MUST BELIEVE HIM
1. God says he will carry you...not for a while, but for your entire lifetime. For this promise to be fulfilled, God asks you to trust Him, to have faith in His Word/promise.
2. Heb. 11:6, "But without faith it’s impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He’s a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him" (Heb 11:6).
3. Mark 11:24, Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” We need to have an EXPECTANCY that God will do it!
II. WHAT HAS GOD PROMISED TO CARRY?
A. YOUR WEIGHT OF SIN
1. Jesus’s come to bear your load of sin upon Himself. Isaiah 53:11 says, "[The Father] shall see of the travail of [Jesus’] soul, and shall be satisfied...for He shall BEAR their iniquities."
2. In John Bunyan’s, Pilgrims Progress, he describes Christian; "Now I saw in my dream Christian walking briskly up a highway fenced on both sides with a high wall. He began to run, though he could not run fast because of the load on his back. On top of the hill, he came to a cross. Just as he got to the cross, his burden came loose, dropped from his shoulders, and went tumbling down the hill. It fell into an open grave, and I saw it no more!"
3. Aren’t you glad Jesus came to set you free?
B. TO CARRY YOUR SICKNESSES
1. “When evening came...[Jesus] drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and CARRIED our diseases” Mt. 8:16-17 NIV1984.
2. Jesus wants you to trust Him with your diseases & sicknesses! He’s already borne them for us. Ask and trust Him for divine healing!
C. TO CARRY YOUR ANXIETIES
1. I Pet. 5:7 reads, "Casting all your care upon Him; for He cares for you." The word "care" used here means anxiety. One of my favorite corny jokes is; “What lies at the bottom of the ocean and twitches? Answer: A nervous wreck.
2. There’s plenty of anxiety around today. People are anxious about the cost of health care, groceries, the economy, their retirement fund. All this builds up pressure causing anxiety and stress.
3. When George Mueller was asked how he could be so calm during a hectic day with so many problems and uncertainties, he answered, "I rolled 60 things onto the Lord this morning."
4. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” Phip. 4:6.
D. TO CARRY YOUR BURDENS
1. Ps. 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” The word "burden" here could be translated “lot,” as in "your lot in life."
2. What’s "your lot" in life? It’s the task God has set before you. It may be to be a mother, homemaker, married, single, widow, widower, administrator, teacher, plumber, some other kind of professional? Sometimes our “lot in life” can seem to be a burden!
3. Moses and Elijah both felt overwhelmed by their assignment from God. But it wasn't their assignment that needed to be changed, but the way they were handling it!
4. Jesus said, “Come to ME, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” Mt. 11:28-30.
III. THERE’S A REQUIREMENT FOR GOD TO CARRY YOU: YOU MUST PUT GOD FIRST
1. In Matt. 6:33 Jesus said, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these [other] things will be given to you as well.”
2. Jesus had just been talking about our worries – clothes, our food & drink, the length of our lives, our treasures. He observed how we worry about our lives. He then said if we put His Kingdom first, make it our first priority, then He would give us all the other things we’re wishing for.
3. In Matt. 16:24 Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.” We learn to walk with God by reading His Word - the Holy Bible, praying, and obeying what God commands us to do.
4. Love God and your neighbor. All those who live according to His will, He carries and cares for.
IV. THE WONDER OF THIS PROMISE
A. WHEN GOD CARRY'S A PERSON
1. He has confidence of protection. Ps. 91:1 says, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” He’ll protect you from “Snare of the Fowler,” “Deadly Pestilence,” the “Terror of night,” the “Arrow that flies by day,” “Pestilence that stalks in the darkness,” “the plague that destroys at midday.”
2. When we’re carried by God, no [eternal] harm can come near anyone in his arms. The Lord carried the Israelites out of Egypt in his powerful arms. He protected the early church in his arms. He still carries the church in his arms even today.
3. The Lord will carry you through all your trials and problems in his powerful arms. WE’RE SURROUNDED! “OVER me is the blood of the Lamb; the Lord goes BEFORE me; Jesus is IN me; the angel of the Lord encamps ROUND ABOUT me; UNDERNEATH me are the everlasting arms of God, and goodness and mercy shall FOLLOW me all the days of my life!” PTL!
B. GOD’S PROMISE IS ETERNAL BECAUSE...
1. GOD’S LOVE IS UNCONDITIONAL. God sent His son to die for us while we were still dead in sin. He’s not willing for anyone to perish; He wants everyone to be saved and enjoy eternal life. He loves us with an everlasting love.
2. HIS IS A LIFETIME PROMISE. His promise isn’t just for a few days, but for your entire life on planet Earth, and then in Heaven!
2. He says He will save you. No one can take you out of His hand! Q - ARE YOU IN HIS HAND? Have you fully surrendered your life to him and accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior? That’s the price tag for His blessings.
C. FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND Mary Stevenson
1. One night I had a dream-- I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord and across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints, one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
2. When the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that many times along the path of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life.
3. This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way, But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. "I don't understand why in times when I needed you most, you should leave me."
4. The Lord replied, "My precious, child, during your times of trial and suffering, when you saw only one set of footprints, it was then THAT I CARRIED YOU!"
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUS.: WHEN GOD USED A CAT
1. AG missionaries to Cambodia, Darin and Diana Clements, told the true story of how new Christians were fed by a cat.
2. Sotee and his sister had nothing to eat. There was no food left in the house. They were so hungry that they tied their kramahs (red-checkered scarves) around their stomachs so they wouldn’t hurt so badly from the hunger.
3. Both of them were new Christians and were learning to trust God for everything in their lives. They decided to pray & ask God to give them food.
4. Later that day, their cat came home carrying a fish in its mouth! Could this be God’s way of providing them with food? But Sotee and his sister wondered where did the cat get the fish?
5. Cambodians coat their with spices and then lay them in the sun to dry so they’ll last a long time. This was the kind of fish the cat had in its mouth.
6. Sotee and his sister were afraid their cat had stolen the fish from one of the neighbors. After checking with all their neighbors, Sotee found that no one was missing a fish!
7. So Sotee and his sister gave thanks to God before eating their fish dinner that God had provided by a cat! (Don’t laugh, God provided for Elijah by ravens, and they are eat carrion too!)
8. Sotee is now married and is a leader in a church. He also teaches at a Bible school in Cambodia about God’s faithfulness. He tells how God used a cat to bring him food when he prayed. 9. God’s always faithful to those who trust in Him.
B. THE CALL
1. Can we make a new commitment to serve God more diligently in 2026?
2. What are your spiritual goals for this year?
3. PRAYER
