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January 25, 2026 – Month of Repentance
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January 25, 2026 – Month of Repentance
Continue exploring
Connected by scripture or shared themes.
We started this year declaring January our month of repentance—a time to look back, examine our work in the Lord, and identify the things we have done wrong that need correction. This is how we ensure that the blessings of 2026 will not elude us.
But now that we have repented and given our lives to Jesus Christ, we must remember: we did not give our lives to any man or woman. We gave our lives to Jesus Christ. We surrendered our will to the will of God. This morning, we are being reminded that as we journey to heaven, we must focus only on Jesus Christ—the one to whom we have surrendered our lives. This is the only way we will make it to the end.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
This is our topic: looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
I know that for some of us, the reason we gave our lives to Jesus Christ is so that our prayers will be answered, that we will receive miracles, that He will deliver us in trouble, heal us when we are sick, provide jobs, and bless us. But let me remind you: your reason for giving your life to Jesus Christ is far more than that.
If only in this world we have hope, we are of all men most miserable.
Yes, it is good to have hope here. It is good to be blessed here. It is good for our prayers to be answered. But let your primary hope be in the fact that you want to reign eternally with our Lord Jesus Christ. Your eternity is the only eternal reason for giving your life to Jesus Christ.
Having surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ and having examined ourselves during this month of repentance, we must continue to examine our lives daily. We must know whether we are truly on the journey, on the race to heaven. The Bible says: if you say you do not know whether you are in faith or not, you are deceiving yourself, because you know the work that you are working. You know the quality of your work with the Lord. You know your life in secret and your life in the open.
So we constantly examine our lives day by day, because we are focusing on heaven. We want to reign with Jesus Christ at the end of our journey. The Lord will help us.
The only way to make sure that we make it to heaven is by looking only unto Jesus Christ as our miracle, by focusing only on Jesus Christ as our example. He walked this way before us, and so it is more than enough to mirror as we journey to heaven. The Lord will uphold us to the end. We will reign with Him.
When you do this—when you look only unto Jesus Christ—it does not matter what things are happening around you. You will have challenges. You will have trials. They are part of the journey. But one good thing in our lives as believers is that it does not matter what we go through—we are not alone. He is with us. And at the end of the day, we will prevail.
It does not matter the challenges you are going through. It does not matter the misbehaviors all around in Christianity today. It is not your business, because Jesus is your focus. Jesus is your mirror—not any man, not any woman. It does not matter the bad surprises that come our way. It does not matter dirty secrets or fake powers and different other things that are going on. As long as you are focused on Christ, all these things are not enough to discourage you. Nobody should be strong enough to disappoint you in your determination to follow Jesus Christ. Why? Because no man, no woman is your focus. You are following Jesus Christ and Jesus only. The Lord will uphold us to the end.
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:13-14 about the patriarchs—men of faith of old such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They made up their minds to walk the walk of faith. They were so focused that even today when we pray, we say, "God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob." They knew that they were exiles on earth. They knew that they were pilgrims on earth. They knew that they were strangers on earth.
Brethren, we also are exiles. We are strangers. We are pilgrims. We have a far country where we are going, where we will at the end of the day reign with the Lord Jesus Christ. When you are in Christ, this place is not the end of your journey. You are walking toward that beautiful country that can never be compared to anything here.
Jesus helped the people of old, and brothers and sisters have gone to be with the Lord. They received the help of God. And the Bible says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. If God helped some people, that same God is available to help you and me. We receive the help of God today.
Only Jesus Christ is the author of your faith and no one else. He is the author. He is the creator. He is the originator. The work of the cross—He did it. The finisher, the perfector of the work of your salvation—He started it, He finished it, not assisted by anyone.
Because of the price that Christ paid, we are all equal. We can all go to the throne of grace and mercy and say: because we belong to Jesus Christ, we are privileged. We are blessed. We can decree. We can bind. We can loose. We have power. We are victorious. Do not miss what you have. To God alone be the glory because He finished what He started.
It is time for every one of us to grow up in Christ Jesus. The same way I can go to the Lord in prayer, you are privileged. If you are in Christ, you can go to the Lord in prayer. There is nothing you want to decree because you are a child of God—your decree is established unto you.
Everyone has the right now to approach the throne of grace and mercy because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. It does not matter your gender. It has nothing to do with that. It does not matter your color. It does not matter your height. It does not matter your pocket. These things do not determine the power you have to go before the Lord, because that price has been paid. You are qualified automatically. It does not matter your age. All that matters is the fact that you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. Now you are His own. Therefore you can go to the Lord in prayer.
Now, I do not want you to misunderstand me. There are still spiritual authorities ordained of God. But my point is: do not be deceived by men and women so much so that they become your mirror. You will be disappointed if you make man or woman your mirror. Your disappointment is sure, and it is very, very close.
This journey of salvation is not complicated—except when we make it so by not being focused. If you are branching here and there today, branching there tomorrow, branching somewhere else, you are complicating your journey.
But listen to what Jesus Christ Himself said:
I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)
There is no point branching here, branching there. That is when it gets complicated and when we run into trouble. Jesus Christ said, "I am the way." So if you know the way and you know that this way is the route taking you to where you are going—heaven—if Jesus is that route, what are you looking for to your right? What are you looking for to your left?
Jesus Christ said by Himself: "I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. I am the way." What are you looking for? Are you looking for truth? It is in Christ Jesus only. Are you looking for life? Jesus Christ is the only life. You have everything in Christ Jesus. We are complete.
He is the crucified redeemer. He did all. He completed the work, and He said, "It is finished." So there is no running about for you. There is no going out to seek help anywhere. Everything you want is complete in Christ Jesus.
Number One: He has journeyed this way before. People say experience is the best teacher. Jesus journeyed the way before us, and because it ended well for Him—and the patriarchs of old ended well—we too will end well.
Number Two: Man is mortal. Jesus is immortal. Why should you focus on someone who will die? When the one you are looking onto dies and goes to glory, what will you do? Will you exit your race? That is why it is better for you to be focused on the immortal One.
Number Three: Any man can make an unexpected mistake. Will you go back because of someone else's error? Is that how to run your race? Grow up. Focus on Christ and Christ only.
Number Four: Man may not be available for you in time of trouble, but Jesus Christ is always available. When you call Him anytime, He is available, and anytime you call Him, He is ready to answer you. Whatever you are trusting Almighty God for this year 2026, I pray that as you call on Him, the immortal God, He will answer you, and you will testify.
Number Five: Man can change. Man that you had always admired, that you had always listened to, that you had always looked onto can decide to change his preaching. What if his life changes and then he wants to twist the word? That is what they call heresy. Man can backslide. He can decide to preach the opposite of the truth. Is that the one you want to mirror?
Another reason you should look unto Jesus: you may not be sure of the spirit with which that man is operating. Trust in the Lord. Do not go put your head where you are not covered properly. You do not know. You are not sure. You can only be sure of yourself. You are not sure of the spirit with which that man is operating. Why is he your mirror? Why is he your example?
The Bible says: Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.
Another reason why you should look only unto Jesus is because He is the only one that paid the price of your salvation. Nobody else. He did this work. He completed this work of Calvary without assistance by anyone else. I pray that the grace to be truly and genuinely focused, with every distraction consumed by fire, will rest upon every one of us as we journey to heaven.
But sometimes people leave church where God has ordained them to be because they say the pastor said something he should not have said, or because a minister did something or did not do something. But people who walk in that kind of complaint have not started to walk their own journey. They are still walking in the journey of other people. They do not have their own calling.
Make sure you have your calling. Make sure that if you have your calling, you are focused. You are not looking at the mistake of that man. You are not looking at the mistake of any woman. You are focusing on Jesus Christ, the author and the finisher of your faith.
I always say something: I do not know anything that any man or any woman would do that will discourage me from following the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because my mind is made up and I know who I am following. I am not following any man. I am not following any woman. So how can I be disappointed? How can anybody discourage me? Jesus cannot discourage you. He can never disappoint you.
So if you follow Him, if you mirror Him, if He is your focus, then I wish you congratulations on your journey, because you will surely end it well.
The only way you can end well in this wonderful race that we are running is to do the following:
Number One: Face your own front. You want to see Jesus at the end of the day. You want to end strong. You want to end well. Face your journey. If you have started this journey of heaven, then face your front and stop finding fault in people. You have your own faults anyway. No one is perfect yet. God is taking every one of us from glory to glory. He is still working on us. He is polishing us. So if you want to end well, face your own front.
Number Two: Mind your own business. If you have a business, mind your own business. Mind your journey. Face your own front.
Number Three: Run your own race and stop running the race of other people. Some of us have not even started this race. We are in church, but we have not started the race. And you cannot continue to waste time because you do not know when the Lord will come. Run your race, mind your business, focus on Christ.
Number Four: Look only unto Jesus. I want to repeat this so that you will get the summary of what the Lord is saying today.
Face your own front. If you have a journey, if you have started your journey to heaven, face your front. You will always find reasons why this brother is not doing that, or why the pastor is not doing that—it is because you do not have a race for yourself that you are running. That is why you are finding fault in the race of other people. You are so busy. There are things to do as you are journeying to heaven. Face your own front. Mind your own business. Examine your own work by the day. Know the things that you are supposed to correct. Get better in your walk with the Lord.
Run your own race and stop running other people's race.
And look only unto Jesus Christ that paid the price.
Brethren, this is the only way you can end well and you can end very, very strong.
I pray this morning that Almighty God will enable every one of us. He is the only One that can enable one to start and to finish. The greatest enabler that does not disappoint will enable everyone of us that have started this journey to end well and strong.
And as many as are listening to me today that have not started this journey to heaven: please do so before it is too late. You must make heaven. Everything does not end here. Jesus came. He died for you.
The Bible says:
Be ye therefore ready also, for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not. (Luke 12:40)
You may think you have so much time. Maybe not. Maybe not. Maybe not. Honestly, maybe you do not have so much time today. If you have not repented, if you have not completely and genuinely surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, please do so today.
As the word of God is going on, I pray that the Lord will meet you at your point of need. It will serve the purpose for which God is sending this word into your life. You need Jesus Christ in your life if you have not surrendered to Him.
And if you have surrendered to Christ Jesus, then face your front as you journey to heaven in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We started this year declaring January our month of repentance—a time to look back, examine our work in the Lord, and identify the things we have done wrong that need correction. This is how we ensure that the blessings of 2026 will not elude us.
But now that we have repented and given our lives to Jesus Christ, we must remember: we did not give our lives to any man or woman. We gave our lives to Jesus Christ. We surrendered our will to the will of God. This morning, we are being reminded that as we journey to heaven, we must focus only on Jesus Christ—the one to whom we have surrendered our lives. This is the only way we will make it to the end.
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-3)
This is our topic: looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
I know that for some of us, the reason we gave our lives to Jesus Christ is so that our prayers will be answered, that we will receive miracles, that He will deliver us in trouble, heal us when we are sick, provide jobs, and bless us. But let me remind you: your reason for giving your life to Jesus Christ is far more than that.
If only in this world we have hope, we are of all men most miserable.
Yes, it is good to have hope here. It is good to be blessed here. It is good for our prayers to be answered. But let your primary hope be in the fact that you want to reign eternally with our Lord Jesus Christ. Your eternity is the only eternal reason for giving your life to Jesus Christ.
Having surrendered our lives to Jesus Christ and having examined ourselves during this month of repentance, we must continue to examine our lives daily. We must know whether we are truly on the journey, on the race to heaven. The Bible says: if you say you do not know whether you are in faith or not, you are deceiving yourself, because you know the work that you are working. You know the quality of your work with the Lord. You know your life in secret and your life in the open.
So we constantly examine our lives day by day, because we are focusing on heaven. We want to reign with Jesus Christ at the end of our journey. The Lord will help us.
The only way to make sure that we make it to heaven is by looking only unto Jesus Christ as our miracle, by focusing only on Jesus Christ as our example. He walked this way before us, and so it is more than enough to mirror as we journey to heaven. The Lord will uphold us to the end. We will reign with Him.
When you do this—when you look only unto Jesus Christ—it does not matter what things are happening around you. You will have challenges. You will have trials. They are part of the journey. But one good thing in our lives as believers is that it does not matter what we go through—we are not alone. He is with us. And at the end of the day, we will prevail.
It does not matter the challenges you are going through. It does not matter the misbehaviors all around in Christianity today. It is not your business, because Jesus is your focus. Jesus is your mirror—not any man, not any woman. It does not matter the bad surprises that come our way. It does not matter dirty secrets or fake powers and different other things that are going on. As long as you are focused on Christ, all these things are not enough to discourage you. Nobody should be strong enough to disappoint you in your determination to follow Jesus Christ. Why? Because no man, no woman is your focus. You are following Jesus Christ and Jesus only. The Lord will uphold us to the end.
The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:13-14 about the patriarchs—men of faith of old such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They made up their minds to walk the walk of faith. They were so focused that even today when we pray, we say, "God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob." They knew that they were exiles on earth. They knew that they were pilgrims on earth. They knew that they were strangers on earth.
Brethren, we also are exiles. We are strangers. We are pilgrims. We have a far country where we are going, where we will at the end of the day reign with the Lord Jesus Christ. When you are in Christ, this place is not the end of your journey. You are walking toward that beautiful country that can never be compared to anything here.
Jesus helped the people of old, and brothers and sisters have gone to be with the Lord. They received the help of God. And the Bible says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. If God helped some people, that same God is available to help you and me. We receive the help of God today.
Only Jesus Christ is the author of your faith and no one else. He is the author. He is the creator. He is the originator. The work of the cross—He did it. The finisher, the perfector of the work of your salvation—He started it, He finished it, not assisted by anyone.
Because of the price that Christ paid, we are all equal. We can all go to the throne of grace and mercy and say: because we belong to Jesus Christ, we are privileged. We are blessed. We can decree. We can bind. We can loose. We have power. We are victorious. Do not miss what you have. To God alone be the glory because He finished what He started.
It is time for every one of us to grow up in Christ Jesus. The same way I can go to the Lord in prayer, you are privileged. If you are in Christ, you can go to the Lord in prayer. There is nothing you want to decree because you are a child of God—your decree is established unto you.
Everyone has the right now to approach the throne of grace and mercy because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. It does not matter your gender. It has nothing to do with that. It does not matter your color. It does not matter your height. It does not matter your pocket. These things do not determine the power you have to go before the Lord, because that price has been paid. You are qualified automatically. It does not matter your age. All that matters is the fact that you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. Now you are His own. Therefore you can go to the Lord in prayer.
Now, I do not want you to misunderstand me. There are still spiritual authorities ordained of God. But my point is: do not be deceived by men and women so much so that they become your mirror. You will be disappointed if you make man or woman your mirror. Your disappointment is sure, and it is very, very close.
This journey of salvation is not complicated—except when we make it so by not being focused. If you are branching here and there today, branching there tomorrow, branching somewhere else, you are complicating your journey.
But listen to what Jesus Christ Himself said:
I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)
There is no point branching here, branching there. That is when it gets complicated and when we run into trouble. Jesus Christ said, "I am the way." So if you know the way and you know that this way is the route taking you to where you are going—heaven—if Jesus is that route, what are you looking for to your right? What are you looking for to your left?
Jesus Christ said by Himself: "I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. I am the way." What are you looking for? Are you looking for truth? It is in Christ Jesus only. Are you looking for life? Jesus Christ is the only life. You have everything in Christ Jesus. We are complete.
He is the crucified redeemer. He did all. He completed the work, and He said, "It is finished." So there is no running about for you. There is no going out to seek help anywhere. Everything you want is complete in Christ Jesus.
Number One: He has journeyed this way before. People say experience is the best teacher. Jesus journeyed the way before us, and because it ended well for Him—and the patriarchs of old ended well—we too will end well.
Number Two: Man is mortal. Jesus is immortal. Why should you focus on someone who will die? When the one you are looking onto dies and goes to glory, what will you do? Will you exit your race? That is why it is better for you to be focused on the immortal One.
Number Three: Any man can make an unexpected mistake. Will you go back because of someone else's error? Is that how to run your race? Grow up. Focus on Christ and Christ only.
Number Four: Man may not be available for you in time of trouble, but Jesus Christ is always available. When you call Him anytime, He is available, and anytime you call Him, He is ready to answer you. Whatever you are trusting Almighty God for this year 2026, I pray that as you call on Him, the immortal God, He will answer you, and you will testify.
Number Five: Man can change. Man that you had always admired, that you had always listened to, that you had always looked onto can decide to change his preaching. What if his life changes and then he wants to twist the word? That is what they call heresy. Man can backslide. He can decide to preach the opposite of the truth. Is that the one you want to mirror?
Another reason you should look unto Jesus: you may not be sure of the spirit with which that man is operating. Trust in the Lord. Do not go put your head where you are not covered properly. You do not know. You are not sure. You can only be sure of yourself. You are not sure of the spirit with which that man is operating. Why is he your mirror? Why is he your example?
The Bible says: Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.
Another reason why you should look only unto Jesus is because He is the only one that paid the price of your salvation. Nobody else. He did this work. He completed this work of Calvary without assistance by anyone else. I pray that the grace to be truly and genuinely focused, with every distraction consumed by fire, will rest upon every one of us as we journey to heaven.
But sometimes people leave church where God has ordained them to be because they say the pastor said something he should not have said, or because a minister did something or did not do something. But people who walk in that kind of complaint have not started to walk their own journey. They are still walking in the journey of other people. They do not have their own calling.
Make sure you have your calling. Make sure that if you have your calling, you are focused. You are not looking at the mistake of that man. You are not looking at the mistake of any woman. You are focusing on Jesus Christ, the author and the finisher of your faith.
I always say something: I do not know anything that any man or any woman would do that will discourage me from following the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because my mind is made up and I know who I am following. I am not following any man. I am not following any woman. So how can I be disappointed? How can anybody discourage me? Jesus cannot discourage you. He can never disappoint you.
So if you follow Him, if you mirror Him, if He is your focus, then I wish you congratulations on your journey, because you will surely end it well.
The only way you can end well in this wonderful race that we are running is to do the following:
Number One: Face your own front. You want to see Jesus at the end of the day. You want to end strong. You want to end well. Face your journey. If you have started this journey of heaven, then face your front and stop finding fault in people. You have your own faults anyway. No one is perfect yet. God is taking every one of us from glory to glory. He is still working on us. He is polishing us. So if you want to end well, face your own front.
Number Two: Mind your own business. If you have a business, mind your own business. Mind your journey. Face your own front.
Number Three: Run your own race and stop running the race of other people. Some of us have not even started this race. We are in church, but we have not started the race. And you cannot continue to waste time because you do not know when the Lord will come. Run your race, mind your business, focus on Christ.
Number Four: Look only unto Jesus. I want to repeat this so that you will get the summary of what the Lord is saying today.
Face your own front. If you have a journey, if you have started your journey to heaven, face your front. You will always find reasons why this brother is not doing that, or why the pastor is not doing that—it is because you do not have a race for yourself that you are running. That is why you are finding fault in the race of other people. You are so busy. There are things to do as you are journeying to heaven. Face your own front. Mind your own business. Examine your own work by the day. Know the things that you are supposed to correct. Get better in your walk with the Lord.
Run your own race and stop running other people's race.
And look only unto Jesus Christ that paid the price.
Brethren, this is the only way you can end well and you can end very, very strong.
I pray this morning that Almighty God will enable every one of us. He is the only One that can enable one to start and to finish. The greatest enabler that does not disappoint will enable everyone of us that have started this journey to end well and strong.
And as many as are listening to me today that have not started this journey to heaven: please do so before it is too late. You must make heaven. Everything does not end here. Jesus came. He died for you.
The Bible says:
Be ye therefore ready also, for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when ye think not. (Luke 12:40)
You may think you have so much time. Maybe not. Maybe not. Maybe not. Honestly, maybe you do not have so much time today. If you have not repented, if you have not completely and genuinely surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, please do so today.
As the word of God is going on, I pray that the Lord will meet you at your point of need. It will serve the purpose for which God is sending this word into your life. You need Jesus Christ in your life if you have not surrendered to Him.
And if you have surrendered to Christ Jesus, then face your front as you journey to heaven in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
