Why Your New Year's Resolutions Keep Failing (And What to Do About It)
It's the end of January 2026. If you're like most people, those ambitious New Year's resolutions are already collecting dust. The gym membership sits unused. The habit tracker app has been deleted. That thing you promised yourself you'd finally face? Still sitting there, untouched.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: the things you avoid will never change.
At Courageous Church this past Sunday, Pastor Dave tackled this head-on in a message that cuts through the usual motivational fluff and gets to the real reason why meaningful change is so hard.
The Story That Changes Everything
Pastor Dave walked us through the ancient story of Moses facing Pharaoh—not as some dusty religious tale, but as a blueprint for confronting whatever's holding us back in our own lives. Whether it's an addiction, a toxic pattern, crippling loneliness, or a fear that keeps you stuck, we all have our own "Pharaoh."
And here's what most of us miss: you cannot change what you don't confront.
Five Hard Truths About Real Change
The sermon revealed five uncomfortable realities about facing what we've been avoiding:
1. It Gets Harder Before It Gets Better
When Moses first confronted Pharaoh, things didn't improve—they got worse. Pharaoh doubled the Israelites' workload. But this difficulty wasn't a sign of failure; it was part of the process. God doesn't just want to get you out of something—He wants to get something out of you.
2. Real Change Causes Trouble
Confronting your Pharaoh will disrupt the status quo. Your friends might accuse you of judging them when you make healthier choices. People invested in your staying stuck will push back. That's not a bug—it's a feature.
3. Keep Going Back to God's Promises
Moses didn't hear God speak once and coast on that forever. He kept returning to what God had said. For us, that means getting God's promises from Scripture into our daily lives—maybe on our phone's lock screen, on our bedroom door, or in alarms throughout the day.
4. Never Negotiate
Pharaoh tried multiple times to offer Moses partial freedom: "Worship here," "Don't go far," "Leave the women behind." Bondage always wants to negotiate. But God's promise is full freedom, not half-freedom. Where are you settling for "good enough" instead of pressing in for breakthrough?
5. Let God Fight the Battle
This wasn't Moses versus Pharaoh—it was God versus Pharaoh. Each of the ten plagues systematically dismantled an Egyptian god, exposing the lies behind their oppression. The same is true for us. Behind every Pharaoh we face is a lie: "You can't live without this," "Nobody would want you," "It'll just keep happening." God wants to expose and destroy those lies.
The Freedom on the Other Side
God didn't just want to get Israel out of Egypt—He wanted to get Egypt out of Israel. The challenges weren't random; they were designed to break the spiritual lies that kept them in bondage.
Whatever Pharaoh you're facing in 2026, you don't have to fight alone. You just need to show up, day after day, declaring truth over lies, refusing to negotiate, and holding onto God's promises.
The freedom you're looking for is on the other side of what you've been avoiding.
Courageous Church meets in Charleston, SC. Whether you're new to town, new to church, or done with church, you're welcome here. Real people. Real struggles. Real freedom.