Think of a driver who wakes up and gets into his car early in the morning, full of energy and determination. He starts the engine, steps on the accelerator, and speeds off with confidence. He’s driving fast, overtaking other vehicles, making good time. But he never checks if he’s on the right road. Hours later, when fuel is almost finished, and the sun is setting, he realizes he’s been travelling in the wrong direction all along.

All that speed, all that fuel, all that time wasted, simply because he didn’t confirm his route before he started moving. Many of us make a similar mistake as we approach a new year.

In our excitement and energy, we set goals, write down our plans, and hit the ground running in January but we forget the most important question: “Are we just speeding down our own path, or are we on God’s road?” As we approach 2026, the question is not whether you have goals, but rather whether God is guiding your path.

When you look through scriptures, we see a consistent pattern among those who walked closely with God, and it’s that they consistently sought God before taking any step or making any decision and this act shows their total dependence on God.

1 Samuel 23:1-2
New King James Version
1 Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.”

2 Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”
And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”

When you take a look at this verse above, David already had an opportunity and a logical reason to act. Yet, he did not assume God’s approval; he inquired of God. David didn’t rush into battle fueled by courage or military calculation. Instead, he said: ‘Shall I go and attack these Philistines?’ Also, take a look at what David did in

1 Samuel 30:7-8
New King James Version
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

8 So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”
And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

In this chapter, David and his men had just gotten back to their camp and they found out that they had been invaded. He was greatly distressed, and the people with him wanted to stone him. He could easily have decided to invade, but instead, he asked the Lord again if he should go. Before every major decision, before every battle, before every step forward, David stopped and asked God for direction. David understood something profound: that God is not to be briefed on our plans; He is the Commander whose plans we execute. David’s inquiry wasn’t about getting approval for his actions and plan; it was about discovering God’s plan entirely.

Another profound example of a person who sought the will of God before making a decision is Nehemiah.
Nehemiah 1:1-3
New King James Version
1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah.
It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel,

2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.

3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”

Take a look at what Nehemiah did after hearing this news
Nehemiah 1:4-11
New King James Version
4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

5 And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments,

6 please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now, day and night, for the children of Israel Your servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinned against You. Both my father’s house and I have sinned.

7 We have acted very corruptly against You, and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, nor the ordinances which You commanded Your servant Moses.

8 Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations;

9 but if you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.’

10 Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand.

11 O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”
For I was the king’s cupbearer.

Nehemiah’s response to the broken walls was not immediate strategy but prolonged prayer. He allowed the burden to be processed in God’s presence before it became a plan. He did not rush to assemble a team. He “sat down and wept and mourned for days, and continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven”.

For days, Nehemiah poured out his heart, confessed the sins of his people, and sought God’s face before he approached the king with a request.
Nehemiah’s prayers weren’t rushed. He positioned himself to hear from God before he positioned himself before man. The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem did not begin with bricks and mortar but with brokenness and prayer.

Also, take a look at Jesus, our perfect example in:
Luke 6:12-13
New King James Version
12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:

Before choosing the twelve disciples who would carry His mission forward, Jesus prayed all night. Not a quick blessing over a predetermined list, but hours of communion with the Father, ensuring His choices aligned with Heaven’s purposes. If Jesus, God made man, felt the need to withdraw and pray before making such a significant decision, how much more do you need to seek God’s face before writing your goals for 2026? The main idea drawn from these biblical examples is that effective strategy, decision-making, and assignment execution all depend on aligning with God’s plan. It shows that no matter how well-intentioned and meticulous your plans and goals are, they must come from a place of seeking and submitting to God’s will.

Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:10
New King James Version
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

This verse turns the typical approach of going to God with your plans around because God has already prepared works for you; yours is to align yourself with His preparation. This means that effective planning begins with listening first to what God would have you do.

Alignment with God’s will must precede your plans, decisions, and actions. When you reverse this order and plan first, then pray second, what you are doing is inviting God to bless your plans rather than asking Him to reveal His. You are making Him a supporting actor in your story instead of recognizing that you are a character in His.

The most dangerous plans are not the ones that fail but the ones that succeed outside of God’s will. You can achieve every goal on your list, climb every ladder you’ve leaned against the wall, and still miss out on God’s plan. Success without divine alignment is just well-executed wandering.

As you prepare to write your goals for 2026, pause and ask an honest question: “Where is God in my plans?”
Is He acknowledged at the beginning but missing from the execution?
Is He confined to “spiritual goals” while your career, finances, relationships, and personal ambitions run on autopilot?

There is a difference between putting God first on your list and putting Him first in everything on your list. When God is only a category, large areas of life remain self-directed; but when He is at the center, your career reflects His assignment, your finances reflect His stewardship, your relationships reflect His love, and even your health reflects honor to Him.

Before you write anything down, surrender your plans to God. This is not passivity or lack of ambition; it is allowing God to redirect your ambition toward His plans.

Prayer Point
Lord, I surrender my plans to You. Align my desires with Your will and lead me into all You have already prepared for me.