What's Your Fix in 2026?
When Doing Your Own Thing Leads to Spiritual Famine
There's something deeply unsettling about the opening verses of the Book of Ruth. A man named Elimelech—whose name literally means "my God is king"—finds himself in an uncomfortable situation. There's a famine in Bethlehem, the "house of bread," and instead of trusting God through the difficulty, he packs up his family and moves to Moab.
This decision seems practical on the surface. When there's no food where you are, you go where there is food, right? But here's the problem: Elimelech was moving away from God's presence and into a cursed land. He was choosing temporary comfort over spiritual obedience. And that decision cost him everything—his life, his sons' lives, and left his wife Naomi in devastating circumstances.
The Statistics That Should Wake Us Up
Consider these sobering numbers: Only 45% of U.S. adults say they're members of a local congregation—down from 70% just 25 years ago. Approximately 60% of Americans who once attended church no longer attend regularly. Among young adults ages 18 to 29 who grew up in church, 64% stop attending for a significant period.
These aren't just statistics. They represent real people who once knew the fellowship of believers but drifted away. They represent families where spiritual legacy is being lost. They represent the enemy's subtle but effective strategy to isolate believers from the body of Christ.
The Danger of Doing Your Own Thing
Elimelech's story isn't ancient history—it's a mirror held up to our modern lives. How often do we make decisions based on comfort rather than conviction? How frequently do we choose what seems practical over what God has actually commanded?
When we do our own thing instead of God's thing, we're essentially creating an idol out of ourselves. Anything that receives all our love, attention, money, and time becomes an idol. And when we prioritize our comfort, our plans, and our solutions over God's direction, we're saying, "I know better than You do."
The irony of Elimelech's name haunts the narrative. "My God is king," he was called, yet he lived during the time of Judges when "everyone did what was right in their own eyes." His very name was a testimony to God's sovereignty, yet his actions revealed a heart that trusted in self-reliance rather than divine provision.
The Missing Piece vs. The Prince of Peace
We spend so much energy looking for the missing piece in our lives. We think if we just had a better job, more money, different circumstances, or fewer problems, then we'd finally have peace. We make New Year's resolutions to fix ourselves, improve our situations, and solve our problems.
But here's the truth: we're not missing a piece. We're missing peace—the Prince of Peace.
Ninety percent of New Year's resolutions fail within 60 days. Why? Because we set goals that are too big, we don't understand our true motivation for change, and most importantly, we're trying to fix ourselves through our own strength rather than surrendering to God's transforming power.
Real change doesn't come from willpower alone. It comes from recognizing our desperate need for God and allowing His Spirit to work in us. It comes from fixing our eyes on eternal things rather than temporary circumstances.
The Church Is Not About You
There's a dangerous trend in modern Christianity: we've made church about us. We come in, find our favorite seat, sing (or don't), listen to a message, and leave thinking about lunch or the game. We treat church attendance like a box to check rather than a community to belong to.
But the church—the ecclesia, the "called out ones"—was never meant to be about individual consumption. It was always about community, discipleship, and mission. You cannot grow spiritually in isolation. You cannot hold yourself accountable by yourself. You cannot fulfill the Great Commission alone.
If you're in Christ, you ARE the church. Not just on Sunday mornings, but Monday through 485 traffic, Tuesday in that difficult meeting, Wednesday with your family, and every moment in between. The question isn't whether you attend church—it's whether you ARE the church wherever you go.
Acting on What You Believe, Not What You See
Back to the Book of Ruth. After tragedy strikes, Naomi hears that "the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread." Notice how she heard this: through prayer, through remaining connected to God despite her circumstances, through not abandoning her faith even when everything seemed lost.
Naomi acted on what she believed rather than what she saw. What she saw was tragedy, loss, and devastation. What she believed was that God remained faithful to His promises. And because of her resolve, we witness one of the most beautiful redemption stories in Scripture.
Ruth, a Moabitess from a cursed nation, comes to faith in the God of Israel. She becomes part of the lineage of Christ Himself. God took a terrible situation born from one man's poor decision and brought forth blessing that would echo through eternity.
Lost people don't read Scripture—they read you. What story is your life telling?
The Resolution That Matters
The Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
If Paul—who was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, snake-bitten, and rejected by those he loved—could call his afflictions "light," what does that say about our perspective on our circumstances?
The promise never left Naomi. The promise never left Elimelech—he chose to leave it. The promise never leaves you. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Don't disregard that promise just because you're uncomfortable or things aren't going the way you planned.
So here's the real resolution for this year: Stop doing your own thing. Surrender to the One who knows you better than you know yourself. Fix your eyes on Christ and Christ alone. Act on what you believe, not just on what you see.
The question isn't whether God is on the throne. He is, and He always will be. The question is: Is He on YOUR throne?
There's something deeply unsettling about the opening verses of the Book of Ruth. A man named Elimelech—whose name literally means "my God is king"—finds himself in an uncomfortable situation. There's a famine in Bethlehem, the "house of bread," and instead of trusting God through the difficulty, he packs up his family and moves to Moab.
This decision seems practical on the surface. When there's no food where you are, you go where there is food, right? But here's the problem: Elimelech was moving away from God's presence and into a cursed land. He was choosing temporary comfort over spiritual obedience. And that decision cost him everything—his life, his sons' lives, and left his wife Naomi in devastating circumstances.
The Statistics That Should Wake Us Up
Consider these sobering numbers: Only 45% of U.S. adults say they're members of a local congregation—down from 70% just 25 years ago. Approximately 60% of Americans who once attended church no longer attend regularly. Among young adults ages 18 to 29 who grew up in church, 64% stop attending for a significant period.
These aren't just statistics. They represent real people who once knew the fellowship of believers but drifted away. They represent families where spiritual legacy is being lost. They represent the enemy's subtle but effective strategy to isolate believers from the body of Christ.
The Danger of Doing Your Own Thing
Elimelech's story isn't ancient history—it's a mirror held up to our modern lives. How often do we make decisions based on comfort rather than conviction? How frequently do we choose what seems practical over what God has actually commanded?
When we do our own thing instead of God's thing, we're essentially creating an idol out of ourselves. Anything that receives all our love, attention, money, and time becomes an idol. And when we prioritize our comfort, our plans, and our solutions over God's direction, we're saying, "I know better than You do."
The irony of Elimelech's name haunts the narrative. "My God is king," he was called, yet he lived during the time of Judges when "everyone did what was right in their own eyes." His very name was a testimony to God's sovereignty, yet his actions revealed a heart that trusted in self-reliance rather than divine provision.
The Missing Piece vs. The Prince of Peace
We spend so much energy looking for the missing piece in our lives. We think if we just had a better job, more money, different circumstances, or fewer problems, then we'd finally have peace. We make New Year's resolutions to fix ourselves, improve our situations, and solve our problems.
But here's the truth: we're not missing a piece. We're missing peace—the Prince of Peace.
Ninety percent of New Year's resolutions fail within 60 days. Why? Because we set goals that are too big, we don't understand our true motivation for change, and most importantly, we're trying to fix ourselves through our own strength rather than surrendering to God's transforming power.
Real change doesn't come from willpower alone. It comes from recognizing our desperate need for God and allowing His Spirit to work in us. It comes from fixing our eyes on eternal things rather than temporary circumstances.
The Church Is Not About You
There's a dangerous trend in modern Christianity: we've made church about us. We come in, find our favorite seat, sing (or don't), listen to a message, and leave thinking about lunch or the game. We treat church attendance like a box to check rather than a community to belong to.
But the church—the ecclesia, the "called out ones"—was never meant to be about individual consumption. It was always about community, discipleship, and mission. You cannot grow spiritually in isolation. You cannot hold yourself accountable by yourself. You cannot fulfill the Great Commission alone.
If you're in Christ, you ARE the church. Not just on Sunday mornings, but Monday through 485 traffic, Tuesday in that difficult meeting, Wednesday with your family, and every moment in between. The question isn't whether you attend church—it's whether you ARE the church wherever you go.
Acting on What You Believe, Not What You See
Back to the Book of Ruth. After tragedy strikes, Naomi hears that "the Lord had visited His people by giving them bread." Notice how she heard this: through prayer, through remaining connected to God despite her circumstances, through not abandoning her faith even when everything seemed lost.
Naomi acted on what she believed rather than what she saw. What she saw was tragedy, loss, and devastation. What she believed was that God remained faithful to His promises. And because of her resolve, we witness one of the most beautiful redemption stories in Scripture.
Ruth, a Moabitess from a cursed nation, comes to faith in the God of Israel. She becomes part of the lineage of Christ Himself. God took a terrible situation born from one man's poor decision and brought forth blessing that would echo through eternity.
Lost people don't read Scripture—they read you. What story is your life telling?
The Resolution That Matters
The Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
If Paul—who was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, snake-bitten, and rejected by those he loved—could call his afflictions "light," what does that say about our perspective on our circumstances?
The promise never left Naomi. The promise never left Elimelech—he chose to leave it. The promise never leaves you. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Don't disregard that promise just because you're uncomfortable or things aren't going the way you planned.
So here's the real resolution for this year: Stop doing your own thing. Surrender to the One who knows you better than you know yourself. Fix your eyes on Christ and Christ alone. Act on what you believe, not just on what you see.
The question isn't whether God is on the throne. He is, and He always will be. The question is: Is He on YOUR throne?
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