Building a spiritual life is not a New Year’s resolution you power through on willpower; it is the daily choice to seek God first, and in this message Pastor Paul Hohman shows why that choice is the cure for worry, fear and anxiety. Working from Jesus’ words in Matthew 6 and the call in James 4 to submit to God, resist the devil and draw near, he explains how believers grow from little faith to a strong, confident walk with God.
Below you will find the full video, a structured summary of the sermon, the Scripture behind each point (linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway), a timestamped outline, and practical steps for building a spiritual life this week.
Sermon at a Glance
This message was preached at NTC Ministries at the start of 2024 and posted on January 30, 2024. It runs about 58 minutes and includes communion and a closing blessing. Pastor Paul opens by thanking the church for its commitment, from the worship, sound and technical teams to the ushers and greeters, and by asking who wants more from God in the new year for their family, workplace and relationships.
If that is the goal, he says, the church needs to build itself up spiritually. He is candid throughout that he deals with the same flesh as everyone else, and he repeats that the promises he shares are promises of God, not promises of Paul.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Speaker | Pastor Paul Hohman |
| Series | Single message (New Year 2024) |
| Main text | Matthew 6:25–34 and James 4:1–10 |
| Key theme | Seeking God first builds the faith that overcomes worry and fear |
| Length | About 58 minutes, including communion |
Why Resolutions Fail Without the Spirit
Pastor Paul begins with New Year’s resolutions: eating better, cutting sugar and caffeine, getting healthier. He cites a statistic he had seen, while asking the church not to quote him on the exact numbers, that roughly 38 percent of people make a resolution and many of them quit within the first month. It is good to try, he says, but everyone needs help.
Doing it with a spouse helps, because you hold each other accountable at the checkout line where the impulse buys wait. The body cries out for what it has been fed. As the sugar starts to die off, it screams “feed me, feed me,” and either we give in or we push through. Fasting works the same way, he says: when we fast and pray, we starve our flesh and build our spirit.
The world tries mind over matter and willpower, and that only goes so far. In our own strength, he says, we start strong and a week and a half later we are back to the same old same old. Christians learn instead that they can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13). You can smile and be the nicest person on the planet, but unless Christ is your Lord and His strength is in your life, you hit a wall.
He notes that everyone has struggles behind closed doors, even people who look happy in public. Jesus said that in the world we will have trouble, but to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). If He has overcome the world, Pastor Paul asks, shouldn’t we draw near, get to know Him better and build our relationship with Him?
Do Not Worry: Jesus and Little Faith
The main text is Matthew 6:25–34. Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about what they will eat, drink or wear. Look at the birds of the air, He says; your heavenly Father feeds them. Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Pastor Paul points out that Jesus had to deal with this because worry and anxiety are real feelings that Christians and non-Christians alike experience.
Sickness and disease are also real, he says, otherwise Jesus would not have shed His blood. He was wounded for our transgressions, and by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus was in the flesh too and had no place to lay His head, yet He knew His Father would take care of Him. That is what He was teaching His anxious disciples: seek first the Father who already knows what you need.
When Jesus said “O you of little faith,” Pastor Paul explains, He was not making a dig. He was pointing out their lack of confidence in God’s ability. That is why studying the Word matters: by my God I can run against a troop and leap over a wall (Psalm 18:29), and with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). The feelings may be real, but we do not have to give in to them or ponder them.
God has given every believer a measure of faith (Romans 12:3), and it is up to us to grow in it. He answers the “good worries” about family and bills with a question: doesn’t God take care of them too, and doesn’t He supply all our needs? He points to Dr. Hohman’s series on the names of God, Jehovah Rapha the God who heals, and to the promise that no weapon formed against us will prosper (Isaiah 54:17).
Seek First the Kingdom, Often and in Between
Verse 33 is the turning point: seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. God wants to give us the desires of our heart, Pastor Paul says, though those desires need to line up with His will. The point is not a bigger house, nicer clothes or a better car, but growing so we can give more to those in need, since giving to the poor is lending to the Lord (Proverbs 19:17).
Seek first does not mean seek God when it is convenient or when you have time. In his words, “I’ve learned in building a strong spiritual life to seek first to seek often to seek in between to seek later to seek in the middle of the night.” He seeks God at work, while teaching the children to pray, and while carrying water to fill the church humidifiers, thanking God that His presence is in the building.
Idle time is where everything else comes into the mind. Driving to work, he says, he does not need to listen to what the world is saying; he needs to listen to the Spirit of God and pray. It does not matter whether it is five minutes or fifty. What matters is taking the time to build yourself up spiritually.
Jesus repeats Himself in verse 34: do not worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about its own things. Pastor Paul hears that as Jesus saying it plainly to His followers: don’t do it, it isn’t worth it. To seek first is the alternative to worry, not just an addition to a busy life. This is the core of building a spiritual life, he says: choosing God first again and again.
Made in His Image, Not Given a Spirit of Fear
Pastor Paul then quotes 2 Timothy 1:7: God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. If God did not give it, he asks, why would we let fear one iota into our lives? When the mind wanders into what other people might be saying, he tells his own mind to stop playing tricks. He has quoted that verse since he was a child afraid of the dark.
Instead of giving in to worry, be like David and cry out to God for help. He will build your faith in who He is, Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides, just as He provided a ram caught in a thicket for Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22:13). God wants to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). The names of God he draws on in this message are summarized below.
| Name of God | Meaning as taught | What Pastor Paul declares |
|---|---|---|
| Jehovah Rapha | The God who heals | I am healed by the stripes of Jesus Christ |
| Jehovah Jireh | The God who provides | You are supplying all of my need today |
| Jehovah Tsidkenu | The Lord our righteousness | I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus |
In Genesis 1:26, God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit say, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness,” and give him dominion. “God doesn’t make seconds,” Pastor Paul says. You are the best of His creation and you were put here with purpose. That is why he can say every morning that he is the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
He still makes mistakes, he admits, but he does not dwell on them. He is the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13), and God forgives our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). When you seek first the kingdom, the old cravings and cares start to melt away, and he even finds himself eating right without trying.
Building a Spiritual Life: Submit, Resist, Draw Near
The second main passage is James 4:1–10, which Pastor Paul reads from the NIV. Fights and quarrels come from desires battling within us, just like the battle at the checkout over an expensive coffee drink or a king-size candy bar. We do not have because we do not ask, or we ask with wrong motives. Putting family, friends, work or hobbies ahead of God, he says, is what James calls adultery.
That does not mean having no unsaved friends. It means not putting time with them above time with God. You cannot live on a steady diet of the world, because then you are no longer influencing them; they are influencing you. God calls His people to come out and be separate (2 Corinthians 6:17). Yet God gives more grace, which he defines as unmerited favor: it is okay to stumble while you are getting free, though it is not a license to live there.
God resists the proud, and pride, he explains, is anyone saying “I have a better way.” The way forward is the three steps of James 4:7–8, which he later says sound a lot like 2 Chronicles 7:14: if My people will humble themselves, pray, seek My face and turn from their wicked ways.
| Step | What it means as taught | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Submit to God | Voluntarily placing yourself under your superior | Humbling yourself and letting your pastor pray with you |
| Resist the devil | Refusing his lies and temptations | “Not today, Satan” at the checkout line and in your thoughts |
| Draw near to God | Acknowledging that He is always with you | Morning thanksgiving, prayer and the Word every day |
Submitting looks like Maxine calling for prayer, or the food pantry, where Pastor Paul gives people food and then a spiritual blessing; many now expect prayer every time. Resisting means believing that greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). To draw near starts the moment he wakes, often before the alarm, with “good morning Heavenly Father, good morning Holy Spirit, good morning King Jesus.”
God will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5–6), so we may boldly say the Lord is our helper. Pastor Paul calls Him a 24/7 personal trainer. Contentment rooted in His constant presence, he teaches, overcomes covetousness, fear, worry and anxiety. The Word is living and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12), and Jesus came as a light so that whoever believes should not abide in darkness (John 12:46).
He closes the teaching with 1 Peter 5:5–11: be clothed with humility, cast all your care on Him because He cares for you, and resist the devil, who walks about like a roaring lion. The devil is not worried about the world, Pastor Paul says, but he is worried about you, because you carry the life of God. Psalm 27:1–3 adds that though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear.
Building a Spiritual Life This Week
Before communion, Pastor Paul invites the church to make a New Year’s resolution of a different kind: to be more like Jesus, to submit, resist and draw near, and to seek first His kingdom. Here are practical steps drawn from this message on building a spiritual life:
- Greet God before the day starts. Thank Him for the day and the breath in your lungs, and expect to thrive, not just get through.
- Seek first, and in between. Turn drive time, chores and quiet moments into conversation with God, even for five minutes.
- Read for quality, not speed. If you are new to the Bible, start in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and stay in a chapter as long as God is speaking.
- Say no at the checkout. Practice resisting small impulses; it trains you to resist the devil in bigger things.
- Join others in prayer. He invites the church to the Wednesday prayer hour, 6:00 to 7:00, and says it changes lives.
- Find a Spirit-filled church. If your church feels dull, pray for your pastor, worship team and elders; where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17).
Bodily exercise profits a little, he adds, but godliness is profitable for all things (1 Timothy 4:8).
Timestamped Outline
- 0:00 Building a strong spiritual life in a new year
- 0:46 Why most resolutions fail
- 2:18 Thanking a committed church
- 3:51 Matthew 6: do not worry about your life
- 5:44 Consider the lilies of the field
- 6:35 Little faith and the measure of faith
- 9:37 In our own strength we fail
- 10:44 Seek first the kingdom of God
- 12:32 Seek first, often and in between
- 14:32 2 Timothy 1:7: not a spirit of fear
- 17:38 Jehovah Jireh and Genesis 1:26
- 20:35 Dominion and purpose
- 22:49 Getting to know Jesus in the Gospels
- 25:03 James 4: desires that battle within
- 31:39 God resists the proud
- 34:25 Submit, resist and draw near
- 37:25 Not today, Satan
- 39:47 A morning prayer of thanks
- 41:38 Hebrews 13:5–6: I will never leave you
- 42:39 2 Chronicles 7:14
- 45:43 1 Peter 5: cast all your care on Him
- 48:47 Psalm 27 and the call to communion
- 53:09 Bodily exercise and godliness
- 55:19 Communion and closing blessing
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it wrong to make a New Year’s resolution?
No. Pastor Paul says it is good to try to change, and he encourages exercise and taking care of the body, which he calls the temple. His concern is trying to change in your own strength. He suggests doing it with your spouse for accountability, and above all seeking God first, because the strength to follow through comes from Christ, not from willpower alone.
Does seeking God first mean I can’t have friends who aren’t Christians?
No. He says plainly that we all have unsaved friends and that this is fine. James is warning against putting time with the world above time with God. The problem is a steady diet of the world’s influence, where they shape you instead of you shaping them. Keep friendships, he says, but keep God first.
What should I do if God feels far away?
Pastor Paul says it is not God who moved; God does not go anywhere. Part of how we draw near is letting God know you are aware that He is there and acknowledging Him, whether the situation is tough or great. He suggests simply thanking Him for His hand at work in the middle of whatever you are facing.
Scripture References
All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:
- Matthew 6:25–34 — do not worry; seek first the kingdom
- James 4:1–10 — submit, resist and draw near
- 2 Timothy 1:7 — not a spirit of fear
- Genesis 1:26 — made in His image
- Hebrews 13:5–6 — I will never leave you
- 2 Chronicles 7:14 — if My people will humble themselves
- 1 Peter 5:5–11 — cast all your care on Him
- Psalm 27:1–3 — whom shall I fear?
- 1 Timothy 4:8 — godliness is profitable
How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.
Watch More Messages
If this message encouraged you to seek God first, there are hundreds more teachings from NTC Ministries waiting for you. Browse the full sermon archive and keep building your faith one day at a time.
