2026 - The Year to Move Forward

Written on 01 January 2026.

2026 - The Year to Move Forward

Even If It Looks Impossible

by Rita Langeland
Exec. Dir. – Hidden With Christ Ministries

In the Old Testament, we find the story of the children of Israel surviving 400 brutal years of slavery in Egypt. The Book of Exodus narrates how Moses led them out of that land after a series of seven devastating supernatural plagues convinced a stubborn Pharoah to let them go.

There is no doubt that great rejoicing took place as the Israelites marched out of Egypt. They were finally free! Carrying all their earthly possessions along with gold and silver given to them by the Egyptian people who were desperate for the horrible plagues to end, they probably danced as they headed out. But the joyful shouts stopped suddenly when the thunderous sound of an approaching army of horses, chariots and foot soldiers reached their ears. Pharoah had changed his mind (again) and decided he could not allow his free labor force to leave the country. So, he sent his army to recapture his former slaves and drag them back to Egypt.

Moses and the estimated 1 million Israelites were in a desperate situation. The vast Red Sea was in front of them, Pharaoh’s army was hot on their trail and not one of the men in their group was a trained soldier or carried weapons of any kind. What on earth could they do?

When the people of Israel cried out to God (Exodus 14:10) the Lord instructed Moses to tell them to do something that sounded nonsensical to the human mind.

The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me?
Tell the sons of Israel to move forward [toward the sea].
Exodus 14:15 Amplified

God instructed Moses to have the people STOP CRYING and MOVE FORWARD toward the impossible barrier (the Red Sea) that stood before them. They had no boats to convey them over that body of water, and they certainly couldn’t swim across – so there appeared no rational reason to move toward the Red Sea. As far as they could figure – they would be trapped with nowhere to go, and the Egyptian army would soon be upon them.

If you have walked with God for any length of time, you may have noticed something about His ways. He loves to deliver His people from difficulty and danger, but He requires the agreement and trust of those He helps. We see this principle throughout the Bible. Consider the following two scriptures.

Amos 3:3 asks this rhetorical question: Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? (NLT) If you are going to walk with God and receive His help – you must agree to go in the direction He specifies, even if it looks ridiculous to you or makes you look foolish to others!

Proverbs 3:5-6 lays out three simple steps required to receive God’s specific guidance:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)

According to this scripture, to receive God’s divine direction, He requires 1) complete trust in Him 2) a willingness to surrender our natural minds in favor of His supernatural wisdom 3) a willingness to acknowledge His superior ways in every area of our lives. If we continually choose this lifestyle - God promises to direct our paths.

Even if you are the smartest person in the room, you will never be as wise/all-knowing/or able to see the future as God. That is why it is never foolish to surrender your decisions in life to God’s wisdom. The wise person chooses to follow God’s ideas over his own.

Moses was such a man. He immediately followed the instruction God gave him without argument and ordered the Israelites to move forward toward the Red Sea. Because of this trust and obedience, God supernaturally intervened in the Israelites’ impossible situation.

God did a series of four miracles that saved the Israelites. First, He caused the pillar of cloud that had been leading the Israelites to stand between them and the Egyptian army, so that it became pitch black to the enemy, but was light for God’s people. The Egyptians could not see a thing and did not move another step toward Israel all night. (Exodus 14:19-20) Secondly, God had Moses stretch out his staff toward the sea and the waters began to divide. The water became like two walls, and dry ground appeared so that the Israelites could walk through the Red Sea. (Exodus 14:21-22) Thirdly, when morning came and the Egyptians decided to chase after the Israelites, Exodus 14:25 tells us that God “took off their chariot wheels.” Lastly, God again had Moses stretch out his rod over the sea, and God caused “the sea to return to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.” (Exodus 14:27) These miracles were a direct result of Moses being willing to MOVE FORWARD toward the very barrier that seemed to block his way.

God is calling you to MOVE FORWARD toward fulfilling His will for your life in 2026. Every single person has a divine assignment from God during their lifetime. It is the purpose for which you were created. God wants you to MOVE FORWARD toward that purpose, even if it looks impossible!

All of us are at different stages in life. Some are in the DISCOVERY PHASE. You are still trying to discover God’s divine assignment for you. Some are in the PREPARATION PHASE. You have a sense of what God is calling you to do, most likely not the full revelation of it, but God will reveal it as you take steps to obey Him during your preparation phase. Some are in the ASSIGNMENT PHASE – you have begun walking in the assignment God purposed for you since you were in your mother’s womb. But even in this phase, you must be careful to listen to and obey every instruction from the Lord (just like Moses did) to be able to fully complete God’s assignment for you on this earth, before you die.

A common reason people do not move forward in their lives is because they are still mourning past disappointments. This may involve disappointment with people (what others did or did not do), disappointment with self (what you did or did not do) or disappointment with circumstances (what should have happened but didn’t, or what happened that should not have happened). Remaining focused on any of these disappointments will immobilize you – and prevent you from moving forward.

How do you get free from past disappointments? Everything in life involves CHOICE. You can choose to follow God or not. You can choose to forgive people who have hurt you or not. You can also choose to surrender every disappointment you have ever experienced to God – or you can choose to continue to mourn those disappointments. Your choice will determine whether you move forward in 2026 or whether you remain stuck.

If you desire to move forward – but need help releasing disappointments – then I encourage you to do the following:

Ask God for His grace to help you (grace provides supernatural power to do things God’s way)
See yourself taking each and every past disappointment and laying it at Jesus’ feet
Pray – “Lord, I surrender each disappointment I have experienced in others/in myself/ and in past circumstances into your care. I also choose to forgive every person who has hurt or disappointed me including myself. I refuse to meditate on past hurts, disappointments or failures any longer. From today forward I choose to turn my back on past disappointments, and I choose to move forward toward your divine assignment for my life. Now I ask You to reveal to me the first step I should take to move forward this year.”

Once you have prayed, you can take the first step toward the impenetrable-looking barrier. Apply for the “impossible job.” Submit the application you are sure will be rejected. Start/continue writing that book even though you can’t see how you will have the time to complete it. Make steps toward starting your own business. Do whatever it is that God directs you to do even if it looks foolish. Remember, He can move mountains, take off the enemy’s chariot wheels or part the Red Sea on your behalf. STOP CRYING over past disappointments and MOVE FORWARD in 2026!