I have now come from New York to the great state of Georgia on my Walk Across America, a million-step effort to raise money for Project HOOD’s Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center in Chicago.
I realized last week that I will be spending this New Year’s Day here, and with 2026 quickly approaching, I’ve been thinking about what our nation needs most as we start a new year.
For years, I have watched brave individuals from the hip-hop community, the R&B world, pop stars, movie actors, and even everyday people come under fierce attack for simply expressing what they believe.
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You have Justine Bateman in California who goes against the grain with her criticism of political events there. You have Azealia Banks, who has been fierce in her defense of Israel and other issues. And you have artists like Nicki Minaj, who have faced backlash for speaking out about issues close to their hearts, whether it’s faith, family values or questioning the mainstream narrative.
CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Turning Point USA Erika Kirk (left) speaks with American rapper Nicki Minaj (right) during Turning Point’s annual AmericaFest conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on December 21, 2025. (Olivier Touron/AFP via Getty Images)
I know I’m leaving out countless people, but this is what we need more of in the new year: people stepping forward, refusing to be silent, and arguing from principle and Judeo-Christian morality. The fact that we have had wave after wave of these brave individuals says something powerful to me: America is waking up. People are tired of being told what to think, tired of being lied to, and are willing to think for themselves.
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I don’t mean to give the impression that I’m only focusing on celebrities here. Just this week I had the pleasure of Wenyuan Wu participating in our walk in Athens, Georgia, with my friend and fellow pastor Sean Seay. Wenyuan is the Executive Director of the Californians for Equal Rights Foundation (CFER) and fights every day for equal rights, merit-based policies and parental rights for all Americans.
She came to this country as an immigrant, but as we walked together, I was amazed at how deeply American she is. She is a woman of God who believes in the individual with all her strength. And she has been speaking out for years.
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This, my friends, is where true freedom begins – in the mind. The power of individual thought is God’s gift to each of us. He did not create us as clones marching one behind the other. He made us unique, with the ability to reason, ask questions and seek the truth. Proverbs 23:7 reminds us, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” What you allow into your mind shapes your life, your choices and your destiny.
Too often we are pressured to conform. If we don’t, we will be labeled racist or worse. Meanwhile, our nation is declining, and so is the power of the individual. Aren’t we, in a sense, betraying the gift that God has given us as Americans?
That’s why we shouldn’t be afraid to stand out from the norm in the coming year. If your beliefs – rooted in faith, common sense and personal experience – differ from public opinion, stand firm. That’s not rebellion. That is responsibility.
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I’ve seen this happen in small and big ways. If your friends turn their backs on you because you vote differently or because you stand up for Bible truth, they were never true friends. Real relationships can withstand honest differences. Stand up for what you want, what you believe in, what God has called you to do.
As I walk these roads and meet Americans from all walks of life, I am encouraged. People are hungry for authenticity. They reject groupthink and embrace personal beliefs.
This is the year to make it your resolution: prepare to think independently. Read widely, pray deeply, listen to opposing opinions – but decide for yourself based on truth and principle.
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Let’s make 2026 a year in which more and more people stand up for what is right. God honors that kind of courage – the kind that built this nation and the kind that will restore it.
After all, God does extraordinary things through ordinary people who dare to use the spirit He has given them.
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