December 27 2025

Saturday December 27

Preparing To Seek the Lord Daily in 2026

Ephesians 4:25-27

Therefore, putting away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. "Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.

Welcome to Pastor’s Chat. Today we’re looking at Ephesians 4:25–32, the closing section of the chapter. Here the Apostle Paul gives us very practical instruction on how to put off the old man and put on the new—how to live a life that pleases God, a life that is distinctly different from the Gentile world, the lost world, around us.

Paul highlights five specific sins that must be put away from our lives. Even as believers, we still have to deal with these tendencies—these sins—that can destroy unity in our families, unity in our churches, unity in our communities, and even unity in our nation. We see these sins rampant all around us today. The first sin Paul addresses is lying. He tells us plainly to put off lying and to speak the truth to one another. We live in a country today that is saturated with lies. It almost seems as if people breathe them out. Proverbs speaks of this more than once, where Solomon says that the wicked “breathe out lies.” When I read that in the ESV, it paints a vivid picture—it’s as though they cannot even breathe without a lie coming from their mouth.

My friend, that should never be said of believers. Believers speak the truth because we know the truth. We live in the truth. We walk in the truth, as First John and Second John tell us. Truth is foundational to the Christian life. That truth is found in Jesus Christ and in a life committed to Him.

This becomes especially important as we prepare for a new year. As believers, we must ask the Lord to give us hearts that truly seek after Him. Scripture tells us to seek the Lord with all our heart, to lean not on our own understanding, and that we will find Him when we search for Him with all our heart (Read Proverbs 2:1-5; 3:1-5; Jeremiah 29:13). That means intentionally setting aside time each day to seek God.

I was thinking again about something we mentioned yesterday—the tyranny of the urgent. Urgent things demand immediate attention: taking the children to school, picking them up, getting meals prepared, making phone calls, changing diapers, washing dishes, cleaning the house, getting ready for work, mowing the grass, fixing the plumbing, paying the bills, and a host of other things. These are important responsibilities—but they are not the most important thing. It is so sad that so many of us will spend a lifetime staying busy doing the urgent things and then realize that we never took care of the important things. Usually this is because the urgent things demand immediate attention while the important things can be put off till tomorrow!

My friend, I remind you that the most important thing we should be doing every day is seeking and knowing the Lord and His righteousness (Read Matthew 6:24-34). We do this by daily spending time with God, placing value on the people around us, encouraging them, and living a life that truly makes a difference in the world. The only way we can live that way daily is by being filled with the Holy Spirit. And when we are filled with God’s Word, we will also be filled with God’s Holy Spirit.

As we approach a new year, I cannot encourage you enough to take at least 15 minutes a day to get alone with the Lord. Wake up 15 minutes earlier. Find a quiet place. Spend time asking God for direction for your day. Read Scripture. Use a devotional. We post devotionals on our Facebook page and on our website (https://www.pmiministries.org/), along with a daily Bible reading calendar. Even while driving to work, you can listen to Scripture through your phone—there are so many ways available today.

As you fill your mind with God’s Word, it replaces other voices, other influences, and you begin to walk in the truth and speak the truth to yourself and others. So first, Paul tells us to put off lying. Instead, we are to speak the truth, because the truth lives in us through the Word of God. That’s my encouragement to you today.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at the next sin Paul addresses—anger. In Ephesians 4:26, he says, “Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” It’s amazing how closely anger is connected to lying, and we’ll talk more about that next time.

God bless you as you prepare for a New Year in 2026—as you walk in the truth, as you live the truth, and as you seek after God through His Word and through prayer.

Have a wonderful, wonderful day, and a happy, happy New Year.

God bless!