So, here we are right in the middle of the time between Christmas and New Year’s. I had no idea that this period had a name: It’s commonly called “Twixmas.” Another name is “Festive Gap”, but by far my favorite (and most appropriate for the Woods’ Home), it’s called “Feral Week.”
If you’re anything like me, you certainly don’t accomplish much during this time. It is a time for relaxing, watching TV in your pajamas, and eating like garbage! It’s also a time to avoid responsibilities, or as much as you’re able at least! It’s easy to become a procrastinator during Feral Week and allow “future you” to worry about it later. We all need time to slow down and catch up.
I also pray that while you’re in between binge – watching TV in your recliner, eating Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes, napping, and playing with your new toys, you’ll be sure and spend a bit of time with God this week. After all, this is a good time with the slower pace to sit with the Lord and take an inventory of where we stand. It’s a good time look backward to the past, to see what we learned, and to look within ourselves and see where we stand physically, emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually. We humans are what are called “tripartite” beings and if any one of those parts (physical, emotional, spiritual) are out of whack somewhere, it affects the others sooner or later. It can often show up in broken or lack of sleep.
The last few weeks, I’ve had an awful time of sleeping thru the night. There are some nights I’m sure I see every hour of the clock. Then, there are others where I might wake up at 2 AM and stay awake a couple of hours. Usually, if I don’t fall back asleep pretty quick, I lay there on my back and just say, “Okay, Lord, I’m listening. What is it?” Regrettably, some nights He’s silent.
Then, there are nights like earlier this week, when He puts a verse on my heart that just repeats itself over and over. This week, it was the words of Joshua: “... Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) This being one of those nights where I could tell I wasn’t going back to sleep anytime soon, I threw the covers off and went to my “Secondary Office,” - my recliner. So once there, I turned to the 24th chapter of Joshua and I’d like for us to do that this morning as well.
As you turn there, understand that by this time, Joshua, far advanced in age, has called all the tribes of Israel together– their elders, officers, etc. – to this place called Shecham. As I was reading what ends up being Joshua’s Farewell Address, I wondered about how many battles lie in the rearview mirror of this old warrior. Well, a quick study revealed that over a span of 7 years he defeated 31 kings, conquering their cities and fought no less than 13 major battles on behalf of Israel. Let’s now read this great warrior’s last speech to his people whom he’s fought so hard for.
[ Read Joshua 24:1-28 ]
Now, here towards the sunset of his life, just as we are at the sunset of 2025, Joshua first looks backward, then looks within and makes a decision, then lastly, looks forward to the future! That’s what I would like us to do this morning as well.
The first thing we need to do is….
1. LOOK BACK!
We’ve got to look backwards and see where we’ve been. Looking backwards can serve to make sure our path is straight. We can’t always know what the future holds, but we certainly remember the past. I don’t know what 2026 holds for any of us, but rest assured, God is already there! There won’t be a thing happen to you in 2026 that isn’t for God’s purposes!
As you think back, hasn’t He been so faithful to us? You are sitting here this morning 100% proof that God has brought you thru every storm successfully this year has hit us with! As I said last week, every storm has an expiration date… Every dark night eventually turns into day! True, some are longer lasting than others, but always remember, “… this too, shall pass!”
Maybe at some point this year, you were heading into a category 5 financial hurricane… a sickness or health hurricane… a legal hurricane… a relationship hurricane… but by God’s grace, you’re still standing! As long as there’s breath in these lungs, there is still fight! God’s not done with us yet! He’s undefeated in battle! Never once failed or forsaken us! Not now… not ever! And let me tell you this morning, He’s going to walk every step of the way with you in 2026! Trust Him!
Also, in looking back, we need to be honest with ourselves and get rid of things from 2025 that took our focus away from Him. What stumbling blocks do need to remove?
One of the Satan’s many tools in his bag are stumbling blocks. What are they, you ask? Stumbling blocks are anything that causes us slow down, use up our energy, or even fall. They are basically anything that gets in the way of our growth or progress as a Christian. What were your stumbling blocks in 2025? If we ask God to help us identify them, we can get rid of them!
They can be internal stumbling blocks such as doubt, fear of failure or the unknown, pride, self-centeredness, anger, envy, laziness, hypocrisy, lust, addictions…
They can be actions or habits such as gossip, lying, too much time given to hobbies or the pursuit of financial gains…
They can be spiritual laziness that looks like isolating from your brothers and sisters here at church and/or neglecting prayer and Bible study. You ever notice that one of a lion’s main goals is to separate an individual from the herd before moving in for the kill? Satan wants to do you the same way! Is it any wonder the Bible says he prowls around like a lion, looking for someone to eat alive? Whether you’re in denial or not, it’s so much easier for him to do that if he can separate you from the herd here… From their prayers, encouragement, nurturing…
Can I tell you that all of us have some things we need to turn a loose of in 2026?
Did you know there’s an old trapper’s tale that says you can catch a raccoon with a shiny new coin or with something as simple as a piece of aluminum foil?
They say that all you should do is find a hollow log or design a trap with a hole just barely big enough for the coon to reach his hand in.
Then, just place the coin or foil piece down inside and the flashiness and shininess will be too much for the coon to resist! He reaches his arm in there, grabs the item in his little fist, but lo and behold, he can’t pull it out of the hole without releasing the object.
They say he’ll fight, claw, scratch, and whine but will not release that coin! His greed and focus on the wrong thing becomes his downfall.
If only he’d let go of what has him trapped! He’s too stubborn and blinded by the shiny things to realize that freedom comes from letting go!
As you look back on this year that has been 2025, what battles in your life have been won by the hand of God…?
What stumbling blocks do we need to eliminate in our lives…?
Where can we gain freedom by letting go…?
So, the end of the year is a great time to look back, but also, it’s a great time to…
2. LOOK WITHIN!
Just as Joshua challenged the Israelites to decide – to stand with the Lord or not, we must look within ourselves and make the same decision!
We do you personally stand with God this morning? I’m not talking about the act you put on for others. I’m talking about where do you stand with Him if it were only the two of you alone!
All relationships should be progressive. Shouldn’t it be the goal of all relationships to learn more about one another and to grow closer as time goes by?
Think of a marriage… What would it be like if two people got married and rarely spoke to one another or spent time together? Wouldn’t that be a disaster if the day after they got married, the bride rarely talked to the groom anymore? What kind of relationship would that be if the bride never came home except 2-3 times a year? We laugh but we do that all the time to God! The Bible says we are the Bride of Christ, does it not? What a shame when the Bride of Christ has a million other things to do rather than spend time with God…
Did you know one of the signs that something is living is that it can grow? What happens when something stops growing? The answer is it begins to die!
Not only do we need to look within ourselves and see where we stand with God, but we also need to be concerned about where our family stands with God! Our families are under attack like no time before! God created the family unit as the basic unity of society. Weak families lead to weak societies!
Can I tell you why our society is weak? It’s because our men are weak! Men, it’s time to draw a line in the sand! What man is it that allows his family to be under attack and not stand up for them?
I got news for you – you family is under attack right now! The enemy comes thru the doors of your fortress in the form television, music, and internet! He comes in thru the form on seeds of rebelliousness and defiance planted in the minds of our young people!
A long-held Texas tradition says that Alamo commander William B. Travis, during a break in the constant cannon shelling of the Alamo on March 5th by the Mexican army, called everyone together, took his sword and drew a line in the Alamo dirt.
He said that any man willing to fight to death if needed, cross the line. That fateful day, only 1 chose to not to cross.
It’s way past time we drew a line in the sand! The only problem is, we don’t have men with enough grit in their belly or the backbone to fight for their families anymore! You and I as men have a God-ordained role as the spiritual leader of the home and when we refuse to take a stand, it forces our women to have to take on a role that wasn’t designed for them!
This leads to her rightfully loosing respect for him, getting overwhelmed and frustrated in a role that she shouldn’t be having to fill, and guess what happens next? Chaos… disunity… in-fighting… and eventually the death of the family quickly follows!
We men, by and large, have failed miserably! We are either leading our family towards God or away from Him! There’s no sitting on the fence? Where are you leading?
Our families need lions! Not house cats! Our churches need dragon slayers, and us men in the church have cowed down for far too long while the dragon’s hot breath has suppressed our churches!
The line has been drawn in the spiritual battle! Do you accept the challenge or will we sit back in 2026 and allow the enemy to gain the ground that our forefathers fought so hard to win?
The choice is ours to make! And choice wisely because our families… our churches… our city… our state… and our nation depends on it!
And for you ladies out there; demand a warrior and never settle for a weakling or a coward! And if you need a model for what a warrior should be... If you need a picture of the bravest and toughest man who ever walked the plant, look no further than Jesus!
So, the end of the year is a perfect time to look backwards… to look within ourselves… and finally to…
3. LOOK FORWARD!
With that line drawn in sand, we are called now to make a commitment in 2026! No matter what the world does… no matter the consequences… no matter what it takes, choose this day who you’ll serve in this new year! As for me and my house, we’re going to serve the Lord! What about yours?
Now, before you decide, understand now that “serve” is a verb - an action!
In 2026, let’s hold one another accountable! If we see one of us stumble, reach down and pick them up! We spend entirely too much time even as Christians kicking one another! The lost world sees that!
In 2026, commit to pray, pray, and pray some more for one another and this church!
Wrestle and agonize in prayer for one another!
Go to the foot of the God’s throne on behalf of one another! I’m talking about intercessory prayer! Pray for one another like it’s a life and death matter, because it is!
When one is hurting, we all hurt! When one rejoices, we all rejoice!
Commit to one another! Commit to this church! Why is it that we can commit to many things in life except God?
Look to either side of you. Look behind you and in front of you! These are our brothers and sisters… warriors in the spiritual battle! A coward would leave them behind to fend for themselves!
In 2026, as Thomas Street Baptist Church, let’s battle! Even as small a number as we are, we can still shake the very gates of Hell!
In 2026, we had better be proactive instead of reactive! I want us as a church… warriors in the spiritual battle… to gain some ground rather than just hoping and praying we can hold what we’ve got!
We’ve been just holding it for far too long! Let’s take the fight to the enemy… put some fear in his evil heart!
I’m ready for 2026 and what God is going to do! But I can’t do it alone! I need you with me!
INVITATION
Let me close with this challenge:
In 2026, you’re going to serve something or someone! You’re either going to serve yourself, this fallen world, or your flesh nature, and any of these are on the losing side of Satan!
But as for me and MY house, in 2026, we will serve the Lord!
What about you?
