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 NLT – Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.

H – Hold on to the promises of God

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

A – Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you

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

P – Present yourself as a living sacrifice

Romans 12:1 NLT – 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.

E – Explain your faith to others

1 Peter 3:15 NLT – 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.

Remember staying in physical shape is important. But spiritual training has benefits in this life and the life to come.

Let us stay in shape spiritually in 2026.

Over the years I have been asked if we can really trust the Bible. I think this is a very good question because as Christians we base our whole faith on what the Bible says about God, life, salvation and heaven. Here are five reasons that I have found we can trust the Bible.

1. Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled – A prophecy is when a person speaks on God’s behalf and tells what will happen in the future. Hundreds of Old Testament Prophecies from the Bible have come to pass. Many of these refer to the coming, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A careful study shows that Jesus is the promised one that the prophets spoke about.
2. Archaeological Discoveries – Many of the places and cities mentioned in the Bible have been confirmed by archaeological discoveries and research. A number of these cities were destroyed by wars or the passing of time, but have been rediscovered during archaeological digs. It is interesting to note that the Bible is the only “Holy” book that consistently links people and events with places.
3. Unity of Theme – While the Bible is a collection of 66 books that was written over a 1600 year time period from 1500BC to 100AD by 40 authors (under God’s guidance), it has a unity of theme and purpose. The Old Testament (OT) tells of creation, mankind’s separation from God and God’s coming Saviour. The New Testament (NT) re-affirms the OT and points readers to Jesus Christ who was God’s Saviour for all mankind.
4. Original Manuscripts – Until the invention of printing in the middle of the 15th century, all copies of the Scriptures were made by hand. The ancient Jewish scribes copied the OT with extreme care and many of these are still existence today. Evidence for the reliability of the NT text includes about 4,500 Greek manuscripts. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947 in a cave and confirmed much of the original writings that had been handed down over time were not changed or added to.
5. Biblical Claims – The Bible itself claims to be the Word of God. A number of verses refer to it being “God-breathed” or inspired . 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. It is also interesting to note the phrase “Word of God” appears 48 times in the King James Version of the Bible.