Prepare to Prosper: Making Room for God’s Multiplication in 2026

As we step into 2026, many people are already abandoning their New Year’s resolutions. Research shows that most people give up on their goals by the second Friday of January – aptly named “Quitters Friday.” But what if there’s a better way than making resolutions we’ll inevitably break?

Instead of creating our own goals and trying to achieve them alone, we can discover what God is doing and align ourselves with His purposes. This biblical approach has been practiced by God’s people throughout history, and it offers a more powerful path forward than relying on our own willpower.

What Does the Hebrew Calendar Reveal About 2026?

According to the Hebrew calendar, we are currently in the year 5786 – marking 5,786 years since God began dealing with humanity through Adam. The numbers 86 in Hebrew correspond to letters meaning “multiplication and abundance,” while the specific year marker 6 represents “vav” – a hook, peg, or stake used to connect things together.

This suggests that 2026 is designed to be a connecting year – a time when our choices and actions will hook us to the multiplication and abundance God has planned. It’s not just about wanting something; it’s about preparing for what God wants to give us.

Why Is This a Year of Preparation?

The theme for 2026 is “prepare to prosper.” The word “prosper” in biblical terms doesn’t just mean financial gain – it means to break forth into success in every area of life. This is a connecting year where the decisions we make and actions we take will determine whether we step into the multiplication God has promised.

Last year was a year of grace and opportunity. Some opportunities were seized, others were missed. But this year requires intention. Those who make intentional choices aligned with God’s purposes will see effects that last not just through next year, but for the next five to seven years.

What Does It Mean to Prepare for God’s Blessing?

In Isaiah 54, God speaks to His people through the metaphor of a barren woman who needs to enlarge her tent. He tells her to prepare for children she doesn’t yet have by making her dwelling place bigger. The message is clear: make room for what God wants to do, even before you see it happening.

This isn’t about God doing everything while we remain passive. It’s about partnership. God says, “If you make the preparation, I’ll come in and be the one to make it happen.” We prepare the space; He fills it with His blessing.

How Do We Spread Out and Make Room?

The first instruction God gives is to “spread out” – to enlarge the place of our tent. This means expanding beyond our current limitations and making room for God to work in bigger ways.

Spreading Out Your Heart

We must move beyond the small, selfish container we’ve created and make room for how God could use us, who He could use us with, and what He could use us for.

Spreading Out Your Mind

Many people say they “can’t wrap their mind around” God’s vision for their life. The problem isn’t God’s vision – it’s that our minds need to expand to accommodate His plans.

Spreading Out Your Expectations

We need to get rid of small thinking, narrow vision, limited expectations, and scarcity mindsets. We must make room for God in our thinking, envisioning, and the words we speak over our lives.

What About Those Who Feel Too Old for Big Dreams?

Age is not a barrier to God’s purposes. Noah, Abraham, and Caleb accomplished their greatest works in their later years. Colonel Sanders started Kentucky Fried Chicken to supplement his Social Security and built a global empire. God often uses people in amazing ways at the end of their lives, not just the beginning.

Whether you’re in your 20s or 80s, God has plans to prosper you and use you for His kingdom purposes.

Why Does Opposition Often Increase Before Breakthrough?

Throughout Scripture, just before God does something great with His people, the enemy comes in like a flood to destroy, discourage, and divide. When you begin preparing for God’s next level in your life, expect resistance.

The enemy will try to distract you, worry you, and convince you to build protective hedges that actually limit God’s work in your life. Don’t let opposition cause you to settle for a safe, comfortable existence when God has multiplication and abundance planned.

How Do We Connect Our Future to Our Present?

This year isn’t about connecting your present to your future – it’s about connecting your future to your present. Through the choices you make and actions you take today, you’re creating connection points (stakes) that will anchor the abundance God wants to release.

Just as a tent requires stakes driven into the ground at a distance to create the tension that holds it up, we must stake our claims on God’s promises and create tension between where we are and where God is taking us.

Life Application

This week, identify one area where God has shown you a vision or promise that you haven’t fully prepared for. Instead of just wanting it, begin making practical preparations. This might mean:

• Expanding your financial capacity through better stewardship
• Gaining knowledge or skills needed for your calling
• Creating physical space for what God wants to bring
• Adjusting your schedule to accommodate God’s purposes
• Changing your words to align with God’s promises

Remember, God wants to prosper you not just for your benefit, but so you can help establish His covenant in the earth. You’re living on the other side of the comma, not the period – blessed to be a blessing.

Questions for Reflection:

• What vision or promise has God shown me that I haven’t prepared for?
• Where do I need to “spread out” my thinking, expectations, or physical space?
• What stakes do I need to drive into the ground through intentional choices and actions?
• How is God calling me to be a blessing to others through the prosperity He wants to bring?
• What opposition or distractions am I allowing to keep me from preparing for God’s next level?