I was preaching at Victory Makati for our last worship service of the year, and as I stood there, I became more aware than usual of the room.

Not just the lights or the music—but the people.

Some were smiling, relieved that the year was finally ending. Some looked tired, like they had been carrying more than they let on. Others were quietly hopeful, hanging on to the idea that maybe the coming year would be different.

Year-end services always feel like that. They carry both gratitude and grief. Celebration and exhaustion.

As I preached from Romans 8:1–11, I realized that what Paul was addressing wasn’t just theology—it was how people actually live. And I felt the need to share this beyond the pulpit, especially as we prepare to enter 2026.

Because this passage asks a question many of us avoid.

What Kind of Life Have I Been Living?

As the year closes, we naturally start reviewing things.

We scroll through photos. We look at calendars and bank statements. We remember goals we met—and the ones we quietly dropped.

We often ask:
Was I productive?
Did I do enough?
Did I survive the year?

But standing there that Sunday, I sensed a deeper question pressing in:

What kind of life have I been living?

Not just busy.
Not just productive.
But directed by what power?

Because you can be busy and still feel empty. You can be productive and still feel condemned. You can do all the right things and still feel tired deep in your soul.

Paul names the tension simply:
Life in the flesh.
Life in the Spirit.

And the difference between the two explains so much of our weariness.

“There Is Therefore Now No Condemnation”

Romans 8 opens with words that still feel almost too good to be true:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Before Paul talks about change, discipline, or obedience, he talks about status.

The verdict has already been given.

So many of us end the year replaying what went wrong: The conversations we wish we handled better. The habits we promised we would break. The opportunities we feel we missed.

But the gospel doesn’t invite us to step into the new year on trial.

It invites us to step in forgiven.

No condemnation doesn’t mean there were no failures. It means those failures no longer get the final word.

Grace isn’t something we earn once we get our act together. Grace is what allows us to begin again.

The Tiredness of Self-Directed Living

Paul then talks about life according to the flesh.

He isn’t just talking about obvious sins. He’s talking about a self-directed life—a life powered by control, pressure, and self-reliance.

The flesh sounds like:
I have to figure this out.
I can’t afford to fail.
I need to hold everything together.

And if I’m honest, much of our exhaustion comes from living that way. Not because we don’t love God, but because we keep trying to live the Christian life using our own strength.

Life in the Spirit is different. It’s not passive. It’s not careless. But it is no longer self-powered.

The Spirit doesn’t just give us better rules. He gives us new life.

Christ in You

One line in Romans 8 still stops me every time:

“The Spirit of God dwells in you.” Not visits you., not occasionally helps you. Dwells in you.

Christianity isn’t just about believing the right things about God. It’s about God choosing to make His home in ordinary people—people with responsibilities, deadlines, families, and fears.

The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now lives in us. That means change is not about trying harder. It’s about learning to live from what is already true.

As We Step Into 2026

As I stepped down from the pulpit that day, I found myself praying a simple prayer—not just for the church, but for myself.

As we enter 2026, I don’t just want better plans.

I want a re-oriented life.

A life not driven by guilt. Not powered by fear. Not sustained by pressure.

But a life anchored in grace. Led by the Spirit. Rooted in the truth that there is now no condemnation—and real power for new life.

Life in the Spirit doesn’t promise an easy year. But it does promise this: We don’t have to live it on our own. And that’s how I want to step into 2026.