Listen First: Your Covenant with God for 2026

Introduction

A new year is beginning, and Pastor Cathy, from Elim des Nations church, chooses to open 2026 with a precious appointment: entering once again into covenant with God. She takes us into the book of Deuteronomy, that great book of new beginnings, where the people of Israel stand on the banks of the Jordan, facing the promised land. A new generation is preparing to cross over, and Moses (just before his death) reminds them of a simple word that will shape everything: "Listen." Listen to God, place his word on your heart, love it, live it out. That is the secret of a year that moves forward. And through Jacob's ladder and the person of Jesus (John 1:51), Cathy shows us that this covenant is offered today, personal and intimate, for you, this year again.

Message outline

1. A new start: God gives new beginnings

• God, in his grace, sows both great and small beginnings into our lives. A marriage, a birth: these are great beginnings, and we prepare for them a long time. But God also gives small beginnings to renew you, to give you fresh courage, to let you start over. 2026 is one of them. The great beginnings of the Bible are there to encourage us: creation, the flood and Noah's ark, the call of Abraham, the coming of Jesus at Christmas, the birth of the Church at Pentecost. Every time, God begins again, he opens a way.
• "Maybe you're telling me: I'm still stuck in the same mess, it's been going on for years." Cathy answers gently: walk by faith, because you are on his schedule. Persevere and stay confident. It is the Lord who will bring you out of the tunnel, and he is the one who decides the timing. Do not judge God's faithfulness by your own clock.
• 2025 may have left you with a mix of successes and failures, joys and sorrows. Some days you got back up; other days you fell. That is all right. 2026 is a new beginning, and God wants to lead you further into his plans. This year again, he wants to bring you into the inheritance he has prepared for you.

2. The setting of Deuteronomy: a new generation, a renewed covenant

• The book of Deuteronomy (the fifth and last book of the Pentateuch) takes place on the plains of Moab, on the eastern bank of the Jordan, facing the promised land. The people are coming out of the wilderness after forty years. Moses is about to die. Joshua will take his place. And it is there, in this very special moment, that Moses delivers his five great speeches to prepare the people to enter the land.
• The word "Deuteronomy" means "second law." But it is not a different law: it is the same covenant announced again to a generation that had not personally lived through Sinai. The older generation, the one that heard God's voice like a devouring fire, that trembled at Sinai and asked Moses to speak in their place, that generation had died in the wilderness. Those listening to Moses now are young people, many of them born in the wilderness. They did not see; they need to hear again.
• Cathy stresses this truth: every generation must have its own personal experience of God. "God has no grandchildren." Our children, each one of us, must meet God directly. Faith is not passed down like a family inheritance: it is received personally.
• In Deuteronomy 1 to 3, Moses reviews the past: the failures, the rebellions, but also God's faithfulness, his deliverances, his interventions. A real, honest assessment. This year, we too should take stock: what succeeded? What failed? And above all, why? And how can God do better through me in 2026?

3. A land full of blessings… and pitfalls

• The promised land is good. Moses describes it as a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8; Deuteronomy 6:3), a land of mountains and valleys, a land of abundance, where the manna will stop because bread will be within reach. Houses will be built there, cities inhabited. These are the good things of the promise.
• But that same land is full of traps. Pagan nations, idols, battles to be fought town by town, place by place. And above all, a danger Cathy names precisely: materialism. When you become wealthy, you start believing "I earned all this myself, because I'm capable." You become proud, and you forget God.
• Cathy says it with humor and truth for us: "We're not doing badly, it's a place where even without a budget you can still get by. The supermarkets are full, we have plenty of choice, we live in heated homes." And little by little we start to believe we no longer need God, that it's enough to depend on the government, on comfort, on the system. We become independent, rebellious, self-centered. It is not the fault of abundance: it is the fault of a heart that has forgotten who it owes everything to.

4. The secret: entering into covenant with God

• How do you make 2026 count? The secret, Cathy says, is to enter once again into covenant with God. A covenant is a contract between two parties who commit to specific terms. We make covenants when we sign a phone plan, a lease, a marriage. It is a "user manual" for making the relationship work. Like your car: for it to run, you need to read the manual, know when to change the oil.
• But the biblical covenant goes further. It is not reducible to a signed contract: it engages the disposition of your heart. That is the secret. If you honor this, you have won. The key verse of Moses' great speech is this one:
• "Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and to the ordinances which I teach you, to do them, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, gives you" (Deuteronomy 4:1).
• The first word is essential: listen. Above all, listen. Open your ears, lean in. Receive the word into your heart, meditate on it, let it sink in, not just into the text, but into the heart. Remember that before you stands a God who speaks. A living God, whose word carries the power to transform your life.
• Christianity is not a religion of moral rules like any other. At its center is a living God who invites you into a living relationship. If you do not listen, you will not understand, and everything you do risks being your own will rather than his. So first: listen. Then: practice. Then: live. Then: walk. It is a way of life, a manner of living that pleases God and brings you into his plans, into his inheritance.

5. The word on the heart: the Shema Israel (Deuteronomy 6:4-7)

• After reviewing the past, Moses goes to the heart of the problem: the heart. Why did the older generation fail, even though they had received all the commandments? Because there was a problem of the heart. So Moses proclaims the great Jewish confession of faith, the one every child of Israel would recite on the Sabbath:
• "Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one. You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:4-7).
• Listen (God is one), love him with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. As Augustine put it: "Love, and do what you will." When the love of God fills your heart, everything else falls into place. God is not asking you to do things for the sake of doing things. He is asking you to love.
• And this word must be on your heart. Not just in your head, not just in a book: on your heart. "My son, give me your heart" (Proverbs 23:26). Then you pass it on to the next generation: to your children, in your home, on the road, at bedtime, at waking. That is why Sunday school teachers, dads, moms who pray with their children, are doing precious work. Even if your children seem far from the Lord today, what you have sown will bear fruit.

6. The purpose of the covenant: that you may be happy

• We often hear the commandments as restrictive rules meant to limit our freedom. Nothing could be further from the truth. Cathy points to God's real motive:
• "You shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which Yahweh your God gives you forever" (Deuteronomy 4:40).
• The goal is your happiness. What God offers you is not a straitjacket: it is a path to happiness. A user's manual that makes your life work. A guarantee that your days will be prolonged in blessing. The law is not against you, it is for you.

7. Facing challenges: remember, keep your identity, do not be afraid

• Remember. Never forget what God has done for you. That is the very meaning of communion: "Do this in memory of me" (Luke 22:19). We take the bread and the cup regularly because we forget quickly. Look back: God has been faithful to you.
• Keep your identity. "Do not think, people, that you are entering the promises because you are better than the other nations. You are few in number. It is not because you are smarter, stronger, or more capable: it is because God chose you, because he made a covenant with Abraham and he is faithful" (see Deuteronomy 7:7-8). It is all grace. Never claim credit for what comes from God.
• And because you are a people set apart, do not let yourself be shaped by the values of the world. It will offer you pleasant things, but also influences that can pull you away. There is a line you must not cross. Do not walk too close to what will draw you away from God.
• Do not be afraid. Facing stronger nations, giants, oppositions, God says to you: "Do not fear them. Remember what Yahweh your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt" (Deuteronomy 7:18). Banish fear. Do not say "I won't make it." God is with you. He leads you into victory, because our God is strong.
• And do not forget that it is God who gives material goods, including your ability to work and to acquire. Cathy honors all those who give the tithe, especially young people just starting to work. Giving by faith, by love, by faithfulness, means recognizing to whom everything you have truly belongs. God is king, and God rewards.

8. The new covenant: Jesus, Jacob's ladder

• Cathy closes with a story. A young man finds himself alone, in the wilderness, fleeing for his life, because someone close to him wants to kill him. He has betrayed his family, he has run away, he is uncertain about the future. Night falls. He lies down on the bare ground, a stone for a pillow. And he has a dream: heaven opens, a ladder reaches down to earth, and God stands above it.
• Who is this young man? Jacob. It is the account of Genesis 28:10-15. God, whom he had never heard from before, says to him: "I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac." Then he gives him three promises: the land, offspring as numerous as the dust, and blessing for all the families of the earth. "Behold, I am with you, and will keep you, wherever you go, and will bring you again into this land. For I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken of to you" (Genesis 28:15).
• Jacob is comforted, reassured, relieved. He has just been deceitful, dishonest, guilty, and God still promises to love him and to carry out his plans. That is what God wants to do with you too this year. Despite the past, despite your failures, he says to you: "I am with you, and I will carry out my plans for you."
• And who is this ladder of Jacob's? Jesus himself reveals it in John 1:51: "Most certainly, I tell you, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." The ladder is him. The way between heaven and earth is him. At Christmas, God tore open the heavens, no longer in the fire and trembling of Sinai, but in the tenderest form of a baby, to invite you into a personal relationship. The new covenant in Jesus is this very intimacy offered to you. This year, commit your heart to loving him and listening to him.

Key takeaways

• God gives new beginnings, great and small. 2026 is one of them. Do not judge his faithfulness by your own clock: walk by faith, you are on his schedule.
• Every generation must have its own personal experience of God. "God has no grandchildren." Faith is not passed down like a passive inheritance.
• The secret of a year that moves forward: entering once again into covenant with God, not merely a contract, but the disposition of your heart.
• The first word of Moses' great speech is listen (Deuteronomy 4:1; 6:4). If you do not listen, you cannot practice. If you do not practice, you cannot live.
• The word must be "on your heart" (Deuteronomy 6:6), not just in your head. Love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength.
• The purpose of the commandments is not to restrict you: it is that you may be happy (Deuteronomy 4:40).
• Remember, keep your identity, do not be afraid. Your God is strong and he leads you into victory.
• Jacob's ladder is Jesus (John 1:51). In him, the new covenant offers you an intimate relationship with the Father. Commit your heart this year.

Personal application

1. Take stock of 2025 the way Moses took stock of the forty years in the wilderness: what succeeded, what failed? Why? Where was God faithful even when you didn't see it?
2. Can you identify a "new beginning" God wants to open in your life in 2026: in your prayer life, your family, your work, your service, your health?
3. The first word is "listen." Do you really take the time to listen to God, or do you fill your days with noise, including religious noise, without ever letting God speak to you?
4. Is the word "on your heart" or only in your head? What concrete Bible reading plan will you adopt this year to be nourished daily by God's word?
5. Is there an area where you credit yourself for what actually comes from God's grace? An area where comfort or materialism lulls you to sleep and makes you say deep down, "I don't need God anymore"?
6. Like Jacob at Bethel, where do you need to hear God say to you: "I am with you, I will not abandon you"? Set aside time this week to receive that word personally.

Verses cited

• Deuteronomy 4:1 · listen, do them, live
• Deuteronomy 4:40 · that it may go well with you
• Deuteronomy 6:4-7 · the Shema Israel
• Deuteronomy 7:7-8 · Yahweh chose you because he loves you
• Deuteronomy 7:17-22 · you shall not fear them
• Genesis 28:10-15 · Jacob's dream at Bethel
• John 1:51 · you will see heaven opened and the angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man
• Luke 22:19-20 · the institution of communion
• Ephesians 2:8 · by grace you have been saved, through faith
• Proverbs 23:26 · my son, give me your heart
• 3 John 1:2 · that you may prosper in all things, even as your soul prospers

Frequently asked questions

Why is the book of Deuteronomy called "second law"?

The word comes from the Greek deuteros nomos, meaning "second law." But Cathy makes it clear: it is not a different law. It is the same covenant, the same Torah, announced again to a generation that had not personally lived through Sinai. The older generation had died in the wilderness. Those listening to Moses on the plains of Moab are young people, many of them born in the wilderness. They did not see God come down like a devouring fire on the mountain. They did not tremble at the sound of thunder and trumpet. So they need to hear again, and personally commit themselves to this covenant. That is the very meaning of Deuteronomy: every generation must meet God directly, because "God has no grandchildren."

What does it actually mean to "have God's word on your heart"?

Deuteronomy 6:6 says: "These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart." This is not simply reading the Bible, or even memorizing it intellectually. It means letting the word sink down into your affections, your desires, your deepest decisions. Cathy sums it up this way: "The word, but on the heart. It's the posture of the heart." Concretely, this means listening first (opening your ears, leaning your heart in, meditating, letting God speak to you personally), before practicing. It also means passing it on: talking about it at home, on the road, at bedtime, at waking, to your children. It is a way of life that lets the word flow through everything, rather than boxing it into one moment of the day.

How can I know if God is speaking to me personally this year?

Cathy insists: "God, in the Bible, is a God who speaks. He wants to give you living words, personal revelations." To hear him, you first need to make room for him. That means having a concrete reading plan, and there are countless ones available today, on Bible apps, suited to your time and your needs (healing, hope, intercession, one year, three months, and so on). It also means not running from silence: after a time of worship, take a moment to simply say, "Speak to me, Lord." And it requires perseverance: at first, it can feel boring or dry. Cathy compares it to learning a taste: "You have to learn to develop the taste, to appreciate it, before it becomes a delight, honey to you." Keep going. God rewards those who seek him.

Why is Jesus the ladder of Jacob?

In Genesis 28:10-15, Jacob sees in a dream a ladder set up between earth and heaven, with the angels of God going up and down on it. God stands at the top and speaks to him. Jesus takes up this image in John 1:51 and applies it to himself: "Hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." Christ thus affirms that he himself is the living link between God and humanity, the passage, the mediation, the way. At Christmas, God no longer comes down in the fire and trembling of Sinai, but in the fragility of a baby, to invite you into a personal relationship. The new covenant comes through Jesus: it is in him that heaven opens over your life, and that God speaks to you intimately.