S.H.A.P.E. Up Spiritually in 2026

January 1, 2026

At the start of each year a lot of people set goals to get in shape physically. They want to lose some weight and tone up their bodies.

In 2026 why not set the goal to shape up spiritually? 1 Timothy 4:8 NLT tells us that, “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

Today I want to use the letters of S.H.A.P.E. to give us some Bible verses to remind us to stay in spiritual shape in 2026.

S – Seek the Lord with all of your heart

Isaiah 55:6 – Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

Seeking the Lord with all of our hearts is the key to being in shape spiritually. Time and time again the Bible tells us that if we seek God with all of our hearts we will find Him. How do we do this? Through prayer, through Bible reading, through Mass and the Sacraments, through quiet time alone in His presence.

H – Hold on to the promises of God

Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

One of the great things we have as Christians is hope. A hope of an eternal future with God where there is no more sickness, no more tears, no more pain and no more death. The letters of H.O.P.E. is an acronym for hold onto promises eternal. God can be trusted. His promises are yes and amen.

A – Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you

Galatians 5:16 – So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

For us as Christians we have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who helps us live the Christian life by giving us gifts that empower us to do God’s work. The Bible tells us that it is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11). A simple prayer for guidance is “Holy Spirit, what do You want me to do now?”

P – Present yourself as a living sacrifice

Romans 12:1 – And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Sacrifice is a common theme throughout the Bible. In Old Testament times they sacrificed animals for the temporary covering on sin. In the New Testament we see Jesus sacrificed Himself as a once and for all sacrifice for us. Now God wants us to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice. God wants us to live wholeheartedly for His Kingdom.

E – Explain your faith to others

1 Peter 3:15 – Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.

Our last thing we have to do be in spiritual shape is explain our faith to others. This verse starts with worshipping Jesus as our Lord as the foundation. From that flows our hope we have in Him. A simple story of how you came to faith or why you believe in Jesus might be all it takes. Be open to letting God use you.

Remember staying in physical shape is important. But spiritual training has benefits in this life and the life to come. Let us purpose in our hearts to stay in spiritual shape in 2026.

The 21 church councils explained

February 14, 2026

I just watched a really good overview of the church councils over the past 2000 years. These councils were called to make decisions on doctrine, heresy, church life and leadership and responding to an ever changing world. The 15 minute video below gives a really good explanation of them all and why they were called.

If you are interested you can find it here on YouTube.

Refiner’s fire song

February 10, 2026

When I first became a Christian the Refiner’s Fire song was just released. It quickly became a favourite and a prayer of my heart.

I have not heard it for years, but I started singing it during my devotions this morning. Many years later it still speaks to my heart. It is still a prayer for me.

Looking back I can see how it shaped my life. In church I could hardly get through it without crying. Even now it is hard to fully sing it through.

If you are interested you can find it here on YouTube.

What early Christians thought about communion

February 9, 2026

I just watched a really good video from Matt Fradd from the Pints with Aquinas YouTube channel. In it he talks about the beliefs of early Christians and how they saw the Eucharist or Communion.

In the video he quotes the early church fathers and other leaders down through the ages who all agreed that the elements truly become the body and blood of Christ once prayed over.

For most of my 36 years as a Christian I held the memorial only view of Communion. In the last few years after reading the early church fathers and church history I have changed my view. I now believe that Christ is truly present in Communion or the Eucharist.

If you are interested in what the church has believed down through the ages I would encourage you to watch the 14 minute video. It is well researched and presented. You can find it here on his YouTube channel.

Healing verses from the Bible

February 2, 2026

Below are a number of Bible verses that talk about healing. I used to read them out loud everyday when I was really sick with Rheumatoid Arthritis. They helped to fill me with hope and faith.

Exodus 23:25 – Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.

Psalm 103:1-3 – Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits– who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases

Psalm 107:20 – He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

Psalm 118:17 – I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

Proverbs 4:20-22 – My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.

Joel 3:10 – …Let the weakling say, “I am strong!”

Matthew 8:2 – When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured

Mark 11:22-24 – “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Philippians 2:13 – For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

James 5:14-16 – Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

1 Peter 2:24 – He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Gifts from the God for service

January 31, 2026

All of us have a purpose from God. We were born at this time in history to fulfil our God given purpose. God has made us and gifted us all to do His work.

The great news is we do not have to fulfil His purpose alone. He gives us His Holy Spirit to empower us and the Holy Spirit gifts us to complete our tasks.

In the Bible we see there are four main places that talk about gifts from God to individuals to serve and gifts to the church for equipping.

The first group of gifts is found in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. These are often called the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit decides who gets what gift.

[4] There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. [5] There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. [6] God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. [7] A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. [8] To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. [9] The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. [10] He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. [11] It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

The second group of gifts is found in Romans 12:6-8. Bible scholars sometimes call these the gifts of the Father. In this list it tells us the gift and the importance of using them well.

[6] In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. [7] If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. [8] If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

In the third list of gifts it talks about different roles within the church. These are sometimes called Christ’s gifts to the church. These gifts are found in Ephesians 4:11-12. The purpose is to equip the church for service.

[11] Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. [12] Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

In the final list of gifts it only lists two gifts, but it gives us information on how to use them – for the good of others and to use the strength and energy God provides. It also reminds that the reason for our service is to bring glory to God. This list is found in 1 Peter 4:10-11.

[10] God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. [11] Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.

I really find these lists of gifts helpful in our service of God. God has a purpose and destiny for each of us. Just like God said to Jeremiah, He knit us together in our mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5). He made us and gifted us to serve Him in this time.

As Christians we have the Holy Spirit within us as and this is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead (Romans 8:11). He gifts us to serve God, by serving others, and He empowers us to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8).

Today I would like to remind us all that not only were we made by God for this times in history, but He made us to serve Him by giving us gifts and power from heaven. Let us purpose in our hearts to use our gift well.