Empty to be filled

Empty to Be Filled: Entering 2026 with Less of Us and More of Him

There is a holy rhythm in the Kingdom that often gets overlooked.
Before filling comes emptying. Before overflow comes surrender. Before transformation comes repentance.

Isaiah 64:8 says, “Yet You, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand.”
Clay does not arrive full or formed. It comes yielded, soft, and willing to be shaped.

As I close out 2025, I can honestly say this has been a year of intentional emptying for me. I have laid down a business, stepped back from relationships, and released a large portion of ministry. Not because any of it was wrong, but because the Lord was inviting me into something quieter, deeper, and more intimate.

Sometimes obedience doesn’t look like expansion. Sometimes it looks like surrender.

The Lord gently asked me to make room. Room to step into graduate school. Room to be fully present with my family. Room to cultivate intimacy with Him. As I look toward 2026, my heart posture is simple. Less of me. More of Him. A year marked by rest, formation, and closeness with the Lord.

The Gift of Repentance and Emptying

Repentance is not about shame or striving. It is about alignment. It is turning our hearts back toward God and releasing anything that has taken up space that belongs to Him.

Acts 3:19 tells us that repentance leads to times of refreshing from the Lord. Refreshing follows release. Breakthrough follows surrender. God fills what is emptied before Him.

Emptying is not only about sin. It is also about laying down control, identity, expectations, and even good things when the Lord asks. Anything we cling to can keep us from receiving what He longs to give.

Clay in the Potter’s Hands

Scripture reminds us that the potter reshapes the clay while it is still soft. Hardened clay resists. Full clay cannot be molded. But surrendered clay responds to the hands of the One who formed it.

This is the invitation for 2026. Not to strive harder, but to yield deeper. Not to do more, but to be formed more fully. To allow the Lord to shape us in ways we could never accomplish on our own.

Fasting as Preparation

Fasting is one of the most tangible ways we empty ourselves before the Lord. It quiets the flesh and sharpens our awareness of His presence. Jesus fasted before stepping into ministry, not to prove anything, but to align fully with the Father.

As you enter this new year, consider fasting as a way to prepare your heart. Whether from food, media, busyness, or distraction, fasting creates space for God to speak, heal, and renew.

the Invitation

As we step into 2026, my prayer is that we would come before the Lord empty, expectant, and open. That we would allow Him to search our hearts, soften what has hardened, and fill us with fresh oil.

For those who feel called to go deeper in inner healing and surrender, I will be holding Healing Pods beginning January 6th. This is simply one of the spaces available for those who desire deeper freedom and restoration.

But the greater invitation stands for all of us.

Come empty.
Come surrendered.
Come ready to be filled by Him alone.

He is the Potter.
We are the clay.

And intimacy with Him is always worth the emptying.

A Prayer of Emptying and Surrender

Lord,
We come before You with open hands and humble hearts.
We release what we have been carrying that no longer belongs to us.
Search us, know us, and gently reveal anything that needs to be laid down before You.

We repent for the places we have relied on ourselves instead of You.
Forgive us for filling our lives with good things while neglecting the best thing, intimacy with You.
Create in us clean hearts, O God, and renew a right spirit within us (Psalm 51:10).

Soften us like clay in Your hands.
Remove what has hardened, heal what has been wounded, and reshape what has been formed by fear, striving, or control.
We choose less of us and more of You.

As we step into 2026, we ask for a year marked by rest, closeness, and obedience.
Fill every empty place with Your Holy Spirit.
Pour out fresh oil for healing, clarity, and breakthrough - not for our glory, but for Yours.

We come empty.
We trust You to fill us.

In Jesus’ name, amen.