Ignite 2026: Resolutions to Set Your Faith Ablaze

Every December and January, patients ask me the same question. “Dr. Walt, what resolutions do you recommend for the New Year?”

Many expect me to encourage healthier eating, better sleep, routine exercise, or timely medical checkups. Certainly, these are wise habits I support. But year after year, I find myself giving a very different set of recommendations, ones not originating from me as a family physician, but ones established in Scripture from the Great Physician.

Why? Because our most complete wellness—spiritual, emotional, relational, and yes, even physical—begins not with our bodies, but with our soul, heart, and mind.  The Hebrew word shalom describes wholeness, harmony, and flourishing—health and life as God intends it. When the Holy Spirit fills us, He brings shalom to our hearts, relationships, and communities.

The Bible also teaches that “physical training is of some value, but godliness has value in all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Tim 4:8). Scripture gives us a clear, transformational path for entering any new year with purpose, joy, and holy resolve.

So here are the resolutions from the Great Physician that I most often encourage. These biblical commitments shape everything else:

1. Love God With All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength

Jesus called this the greatest commandment. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Matt 22:37; Mark 12:30). It is the foundation of all healthy life. But how do we live it?

By yielding ourselves daily to the control and empowerment of the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18). When the Spirit empowers us, He produces His fruit in us (Gal 5:22–23). Notice that the list begins with love and the remaining qualities flow naturally from it.

• “Joy” is love singing.
• “Peace” is love resting.
• “Patience” is love enduring.
• “Kindness” is love’s thoughtfulness.
• “Goodness” is love’s character.
• “Faithfulness” is love’s habit.
• “Gentleness” is love’s true touch.
• “Self-control” is love holding the reins.

A resolution to love God fully is really a resolution to surrender fully—to let God the Father form Christ in us day by day by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

2. Follow God’s Will for Your Life

Once our hearts are aligned with God’s heart, the next step is obedience. Scripture tells us we are created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph 2:10). His will is not hidden; it is revealed in His Word (Rom 12:2, 1 Thes 5:18, John 6:40, 1 Peter 2:15) and confirmed by His Spirit (Rom 8:16, John 16:13-15, 1 Cor 2:10-12, 1 John 5:6-8).

God’s will for believers shines clearly through Scripture:

• Rejoice always and give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thes 5:16-18)
• Live wisely by understanding His desires (Eph 5:17)
• Make disciples (Matt 28:20)
• Pursue peace with all people and holiness (Heb 12:14)
• Pursue sanctification by abstaining from sexual immorality (1 Thes 4:3)
• Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt 6:33)

Following God’s will may also involve seeking reconciliation, practicing forgiveness, honoring your spouse (if married) and your parents, raising children in the faith, stewarding finances wisely, deepening prayer life, and stepping out in ministry or service.

God’s will is not merely about what career to pursue or which decisions to make—it’s about becoming who He has called us to be.

Start by asking God—maybe when you first open your eyes each day—“What would You have me do today?” Then do it.

3. Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

Jesus called this the second greatest commandment (Matt 22:39)—and it cannot be separated from the first. If we love God, we will love His people and our neighbors.

The Bible defines “neighbor” as any person God brings into our life in need, regardless of race or relationship, as Jesus illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). The Golden Rule summarizes this beautifully: “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matt 7:12).

Jesus paints a vivid picture in the parable of the sheep and goats (Matt 25:31–46), where acts of compassion—feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, welcoming the stranger—are seen as acts done to Christ Himself.

What would happen in our churches, communities, and country if every believer truly lived this out? Loving others is not optional; it is a distinguishing mark of those of us who belong to Him.

4. Steward God’s Gifts: The Four Ts

God has entrusted each believer with what I call the Four Ts:

• Talent– the gifts and abilities He uniquely designed for us (Ephesians 2:10)
  • Treasure– the financial and material blessings He provides (Haggai 2:8)
  • Time – the 24 hours of each day we are told to redeem wisely (Ephesians 5:16)
  • Temple – our bodies, where the Holy Spirit dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19)

These resources are not ours to hoard; they are entrustments. And Scripture promises that as we give, God supplies abundantly: “God will generously provide all you need… and plenty left over to share with others” (2 Cor 9:8, NLT).

The world says, “If I give, I will have less.” But Jesus says the opposite: “Give, and it will be given to you… For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38).

True joy is not found in accumulating but in releasing.

A Lifestyle of Generous Giving

A blessed and healthful life begins with recognizing that all we have belongs to God. We were created not to be reservoirs but rivers through which God’s love and resources can flow to others.

Jesus urged believers to live this way, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). When we invest our lives in others, God receives the glory and we receive untold blessings in this life and the next.

The heartbeat of the gospel is loving generosity: “For God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16). God-like love always gives as God gives—humbly and sacrificially. As His children, we are called to give as He gives.

Randy Alcorn reminds us, “God doesn’t give us more to increase our standard of living, but to increase our standard of giving.” That simple truth can reorient an entire life.

Begin by asking the Lord, “What time, talent, or treasure have You given me in my temple—myself—beyond my basic needs? Who needs what I have? How can I bless them in Your name?

If we prayed that prayer earnestly, imagine how God might use us in the new year ahead.

The Healing Power of Giving

Modern research repeatedly demonstrates what Scripture has always taught: giving heals. It strengthens relationships, reduces stress, increases emotional well-being, combats loneliness, and even supports physical health. But the deepest benefits—the eternal ones—are often hidden from our sight.

When we give our time, talent, treasure, and temple for the care and caring of others, we may see immediate fruit: a comforted heart, a grateful smile, a need met, a burden lifted. In heaven, we will learn how those small acts multiplied in ways only God could orchestrate.

We never know the full impact of a meal delivered, a bill paid, a prayer lifted, a hand extended, or an hour spent listening. But God knows. And He promises that none of it is wasted.

Resolutions That Change Everything

So, what do I recommend?

• Resolve to love God more deeply.
• Resolve to obey Him more faithfully.
• Resolve to love others more sacrificially.
• Resolve to steward His gifts more generously.

If you commit to these four things—daily, quietly, humbly—you will experience the life God intended: abundant, joyful, fruitful, and eternally meaningful.

And that is a resolution worth keeping.