Words have power, don’t they? I bet if I asked, you could tell me something kind someone said to you when you were a child. You can probably also repeat something unkind. Words stick with us. Amazing how much impact they have—to inspire, to encourage, to comfort, to praise, to instruct… And, of course, they can also defeat, discourage, hurt, criticize, or harshly demand. With the Spirit’s help, we can make our words impact people in positive rather than hurtful ways.

If you look back at this week’s devotions, you’ll find five ways we could strive to mature spiritually during 2026: grow deeper in faith, be a blessing in Jesus’ name, stand firm in faith, keep a closer rein on our tongue, and choose our words carefully. I pray every believer will seek to mature in his or her faith during this brand new year.