First Things First: Building Your 2026 on the Solid Rock

A Message for the New Year

Introduction: What Really Matters Most?

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Picture this: You're walking through a park early one morning, and you see a woman feeding blackbirds. She's breaking up leftover Christmas cookies, and the birds are flocking to her. They're excited about these sweet treats, but here's the thing: cookies aren't what birds really need. They need real food, not holiday leftovers.

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This simple scene paints a picture of how we often live our lives. We flock to the "sweet treats" the world offers us: quick pleasures, distractions, and temporary happiness. But these things don't give us what we truly need. Just like those birds with their Christmas cookies, we're filling up on things that won't sustain.

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As we start 2026, the world around us is loud and demanding. Social media pulls at our attention. Work demands our time. Friends need our energy. And our own desires scream for satisfaction. In the middle of all this noise, Jesus gives us one clear instruction:

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"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." (Matthew 6:33 ESV)

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First things first. That's what we need this year. We need to put God first, not just when we're in trouble, but as a way of life. This message comes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the greatest sermon ever preached. And right in the middle of it, Jesus tells us the secret to a blessed life: Put God first.
 

Point 1: Listen AND Do

You're building a life whether you realize it or not. Every choice you make, every habit you form, every hour you spend—it's all like laying bricks. You're constructing something. The question isn't if you're building. The question is what you're building on.

 

Jesus tells a story about two builders. One builds his house on solid rock. The other builds on sand. When the storms come—and Jesus promises they will come, only the house on the rock stands firm. The house on sand falls apart.

What makes the difference? Both builders heard the same teaching. Both knew what they should do. The difference was simple: one did it, and one didn't.

 

Jesus says, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise person who built his house on a rock." (Matthew 7:24 ESV)

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It's not about knowing more. Most of us already know what we should do. We know who we shouldn't be texting. We know what we shouldn't be watching. We know how we're wasting time. Another sermon won't fix that.  Only doing what we already know will fix it.

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The Bible says, "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1:22 ESV) You can fool yourself into thinking you're growing just because you're learning. But real growth happens when you act on what you know.

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Point 2: Expect the Storms

Building your life on God doesn't mean you won't face problems. Jesus doesn't say:
 

"if" the rain comes. He says 

"when." The rain 

will fall. The floods 

will come. The winds 

will blow.
 

In 2026, you will face challenges. Distractions will come. Pressure will come. Temptations will come. Problems you never expected will show up at your door. That's life.

 

But here's the promise: If you've built your life on God—if you've been listening and doing—you won't fall apart when the storm hits. Your house will stand.

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Jesus says, "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock." (Matthew 7:25 ESV)

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So don't be surprised when hard times come. Instead, be prepared. Build deep foundations now, so when the storm arrives, you're ready. It's not about . . .

 

if you'll face challenges. It's about 

how you'll respond when they come.

 

Point 3: Own Your Time

God has given each of us about 42 million minutes in a lifetime. That sounds like a lot, doesn't it? But here's the truth: once a minute is gone, you can never get it back.

 

When you're young, time seems endless. When you're 13, you can't wait to be 20. But once you hit 50 or 60, it feels like you blink and suddenly you're 70. Then 80. Time seems to speed up.

 

So many people reach the end of their lives wishing they had used their time better. They say, "I wish I had spent more time with God. I wish I had invested in what really mattered."

 

The Bible says, "Make the most of every living and breathing moment because these days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16 VOICE) If you don't take control of your time, something else will. Social media will steal it. TV will eat it up. Distractions will carry it away.

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You can't say God matters most in your life if you give Him three minutes and social media three hours. Your time shows what you really care about, just like your money does. Where you spend your time is where your heart is.

 

Think about it this way: Priority means: 

 

weight. What carries the most weight in your daily schedule? That's your real priority. Friends will need energy. Work will demand time. The family will need attention. Your own desires will scream for satisfaction.

 

But only one thing holds the house together: seeking God first. Own your time. Guard it. Use it wisely. Because once it's gone, it's gone forever.

 

Point 4: Guard Your Temple

You wouldn't let someone vandalize your house, would you? You wouldn't let someone break in and destroy your belongings. So why would you let the devil vandalize your body?

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The Bible says your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Think about that. If you're a follower of Jesus, 

God lives in you. That's incredible! But it also means you need to take care of this temple.

 

"Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV)

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Some things in life don't need to be managed—they need to be run from. The Bible talks about Joseph, who was a slave in Potiphar's house. Potiphar's wife kept trying to seduce him. She wanted him to sin with her. And finally, one day when they were alone, she grabbed him. What did Joseph do? He ran. He fled. He left his coat behind and ran out of that house.

 

It cost him. She lied about him, and he ended up in prison. But he protected the temple of God. He refused to sin.

Don't flirt with temptation. Don't see how close you can get to sin without crossing the line. Some things you need to flee from, even if it costs you something. Maybe it's a job. Maybe it's a relationship. Maybe it's a website or an app.

Guard your temple. Protect it. Honor God with your body because you belong to Him.

 

Point 5: Trust God with Your Future

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As we begin 2026, none of us knows what this year will bring. There will be surprises, some good, some hard. There will be challenges we didn't expect. But here's what Jesus tells us: Don't worry about tomorrow.

Now, Jesus isn't saying tomorrow doesn't matter. He's not saying you shouldn't plan ahead. Farmers plant seeds. Birds build nests. You need to save money and prepare for the future. That's wise.

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What Jesus is talking about is 

worry. He's talking about 

anxiety.

 

Preparation is wise, but worry is not. Planning means you trust God with your effort. Worry means you're trying to replace God with fear.

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God makes an amazing promise in Isaiah: "I will bring the blind by a way they did not know. I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight." (Isaiah 42:16 NKJV)

 

In other words, God is saying, "I'll guide you. Even when you don't know where to go, I'll show you. Even when the path looks dark, I'll give you light. Even when things are crooked and complicated, I'll make them straight."

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That's the miracle we're talking about today. This isn't just about following rules and regulations. This is about God doing a work in your heart when you give your life to Him. He enables you by His grace to put first things first. He gives you the strength to seek Him first. The Holy Spirit lives in you and helps you do what God wants you to do.

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You don't have to do this in your own strength. Trust God with your future. He's got this.

 

Conclusion: What Will You Build On?

Here's where we land: You're building something whether you realize it or not. Every day, every choice, every hour, you're constructing your life.

 

The question isn't "Am I building?" The question is "What am I building on?"

 

The sand looks fine until the storm hits. And Jesus promises the storm is coming. In 2026, the rain will fall, the floods will rise, and the winds will blow. But the house built on the Rock—the life built by someone who hears God's word and does it—will stand firm.

 

If we put God first today, we'll be celebrating at the end of this year. Many of us will find ourselves far down the road when we make God our priority.

 

First things first. Seek the Kingdom first. Build intentionally. And God will not forsake you.

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Action Steps: Put First Things First This Week

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Don't just read this article and move on. Here are some practical ways to start building your life on the Rock right now:
 

• Pick one thing you already know you should do and do it today. Maybe it's spending 10 minutes reading your Bible. Maybe it's deleting an app that's stealing your time. Maybe it's having that hard conversation you've been avoiding. Don't wait. Just do one thing.
   

• Take a time audit. For one day this week, write down how you spend your time. How much goes to social media? To TV? To work? To God? Your time reveals your priorities. Be honest with yourself about what you find.
   

• Identify one thing you need to flee from. Is there a temptation you keep flirting with? A relationship that's pulling you away from God? A habit that's hurting your temple? Name it. And then make a plan to run from it, as Joseph did.
   

• Read the Sermon on the Mount. It's in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. Set a goal to read it once this month. It's the greatest message ever preached, and it will change how you see life when you really pay attention.
   

• Pray this prayer: "God, incline my heart toward You. Help me seek You first. I can't do this on my own. Give me the strength to listen and do. Help me build my life on the Rock. Amen."
   

• Share this with someone. Pick one point from this article that spoke to you, and share it with a friend or family member this week. When we talk about what we're learning, it helps us remember and apply it.
   

Remember: The storms are coming in 2026. But if you build on the Rock, you will stand. Put first things first, and watch what God does in your life this year.