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January 1, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n Letting God Lead Us This Year<\/strong><\/span> Lee en espa\u00f1ol<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTo humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue.\u201d Proverbs 16:1 (NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n Everyone seemed to have it together but me. As I scrolled my social media feed and read about friends\u2019 end-of-year accomplishments, I thought, I\u2019m happy just to be crossing the finish line<\/em>. I\u2019d made it through December, but instead of expectant for the new year, I felt weary.<\/p>\n Over the past several months, my list of commitments with work, family, and ministry had grown. \u201cNo\u201d wasn\u2019t a word I said often. While some of the additions were necessary, others weren\u2019t. Constant running led to continuous, low-grade anxiety as I fell behind in my responsibilities. The joy I once felt was depleted.<\/p>\n I knew something needed to change, and I needed to bring my concerns to God. But I questioned, Will He be disappointed with me?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n One morning, I tried to quiet my racing mind and be still. Then I felt a conviction in my spirit: God never asked you to do all<\/strong> of these things.<\/em><\/p>\n In my people-pleasing nature, I\u2019d forgotten that life works best when I go to God first. I was adding more to my plate without seeking Him, but He always invites me to come to Him with all of it. He guides me, both in my \u201cyes\u201d and my \u201cno,\u201d to make room for the best He has for me.<\/p>\n He does the same for you. As today’s key verse reminds us, \u201cTo humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue\u201d<\/em> (Proverbs 16:1).<\/p>\n Often I let others\u2019 expectations guide me instead of God. What will this person think? Will they be offended by my \u201cno\u201d?<\/em> I tell myself God wants me to do good works, which is true. However, Proverbs 16:2 also says, \u201cAll a person\u2019s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD\u201d<\/em> (NIV).<\/p>\n What would it look like to truly surrender our plans and our motives to the Lord? To invite Him into every decision, big or small? I believe we would trade anxiety for more peace and joy. Instead of being motivated by fear of people, we\u2019d be led by God’s Spirit of Truth.<\/p>\n Here are some honest questions to guide us:<\/p>\n Friend, God loves it when we serve Him and serve others. But He also wants us to serve with healthy bodies, hearts, and minds. Let\u2019s come to Him first with our plans. Our future selves will say thank you.<\/p>\n God, You know our thoughts and motivations before we even speak. Thank You for knowing what\u2019s best for us. When we\u2019re tempted to say \u201cyes\u201d out of fear about what people will think or do, remind us that we serve You alone. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n Friend, as we step into a brand-new year, what if your next step of faith began with opening God\u2019s Word? Every time you give to Proverbs 31 Ministries, you help another woman do exactly that \u2014 meeting her right where she is with the Truth that steadies and strengthens. That\u2019s why we\u2019re so excited to start 2026 with 40 Days Through the New Testament: Knowing the Savior Who Steadies Our Uncertainty<\/em>. It\u2019s an invitation to slow down, spend time with Jesus, and let His promises stir up your faith again. When you give your best gift now, you\u2019ll help more women experience God\u2019s Word \u2014 and as a special thank-you, we\u2019ll send you 40 Days Through the New Testament.<\/em> Let\u2019s begin this year rooted in Scripture and ready for all God wants to do.<\/p>\n Do you spend more time spiralling in your head than responding to God\u2019s voice? Learn more about Abby\u2019s new book, Surrendering Certainty<\/em>, and connect with her on her website.<\/p>\n Let go of patterns of insecurity and regret in the new year with Abby\u2019s \u201c5 Days to Life Unstuck\u201d Challenge.<\/p>\n John 16:13, \u201cBut when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come\u201d (NIV).<\/p>\n When have you let others\u2019 expectations guide you in your decision-making more than God? How do you think it\u2019s affected your peace? Tell us about it in the comments.<\/p>\n \u00a9 2026 by Abby McDonald. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n Proverbs 31 Ministries January 1, 2026 Letting God Lead Us This YearABBY MCDONALD Lee en espa\u00f1ol \u201cTo humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue.\u201d Proverbs 16:1 (NIV) Everyone seemed to have it together but me. As I scrolled my social media feed and read about friends\u2019 end-of-year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[86,269,268,182,2829,84,3355,270,181,165],"class_list":{"0":"post-14643","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-devotionals","8":"tag-daily","9":"tag-devotional","10":"tag-encouragement","11":"tag-god","12":"tag-january","13":"tag-lead","14":"tag-letting","15":"tag-proverbs","16":"tag-today","17":"tag-year"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
ABBY MCDONALD<\/span><\/p>\n\n
OUR FAVORITE THINGS<\/h4>\n
ENGAGE<\/h4>\n
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