As we stand on the edge of a new year, it is natural to think about change. Many people are talking about fresh starts, new habits, and new goals. But the truth is, a new year doesn’t automatically produce a new you. Real change doesn’t come from turning the page on your calendar. It comes from God working in your heart.

The Bible shows us that when God is ready to bring about real transformation, he doesn’t start with behavior. He begins with atmosphere, identity, and surrender. And there is a powerful picture of that process in the life of Saul before he ever becomes king.

Listen to the Word of the Lord from 1 Samuel 10:1–7.

“Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, ‘Has not the Lord anointed you, leader over his inheritance?’ When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin” (1 Samuel 10:1–2).

“They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?” (1 Samuel 10:2).

“Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them” (1 Samuel 10:3–4).

“After that, you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying” (1 Samuel 10:5).

“The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you” (1 Samuel 10:6–7).

This is not just a story about Saul. It is a picture of how God brings about real change. As we step into this new year together, God invites us into that same atmosphere of transformation. And so, let’s talk about what New Year/New You really means, because real change doesn’t start with a date; it begins with a change in the atmosphere.

In other words, what we are standing in right now is not just the end of a year. It is an atmosphere of change. You can feel it. Things are shifting, old systems are shaking, and familiar patterns are being disrupted. That does not mean God has lost control. It often means God is getting ready to move. Scripture reminds us that shaking is not random; it is purposeful,

“He has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken… so that what cannot be shaken may remain” (Hebrews 12:26–27).

God moves when things are unsettled, when people are uncomfortable, and when what used to work no longer does. Shaking is not the absence of God; it is often the evidence that God is at work. This is not about hype, resolutions, or promises we make to ourselves. This is about recognizing what God is doing right now.

Before Saul ever becomes king, God changes the atmosphere around him. And before anything changes outwardly, God begins something inwardly. And so, the question is not what day it is on the calendar, but whether we are aware of what God is doing in us.

Before God changes what Saul does, he changes how Saul sees himself. When Samuel pours out the oil on Saul’s head, Saul is still thinking like the son of Kish. In other words, he hasn’t caught up to who he is, but Samuel says,

“Has not the Lord anointed you leader over his inheritance?” (1 Samuel 10:1).

That’s important because you cannot live a new life while clinging to an old identity. You cannot step into a New Year carrying an outdated view of yourself. God often anoints us for who we are becoming, not for who we think we are.

“When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The Lord is with you, mighty warrior’” (Judges 6:12).

Saul is being pulled into a new season, but his mind is still rooted in the old one. And that is where many people struggle at the turn of a year. We want new outcomes without allowing God to reshape how we see ourselves. We ask God to change our circumstances, but we cling to what is familiar.

That’s why God immediately begins addressing Saul’s identity. He sends him to Rachel’s tomb, not as a random act, but because Rachel symbolizes sorrow, loss, and unresolved pain in his family. The Bible says,

As she breathed her last… she named her son Ben-Oni, meaning son of my sorrow. But his father named him Benjamin, meaning son of my strength (Genesis 35:18).

It is the same child, with two names, coming from two different perspectives.

New Year/New You does not mean pretending the past did not happen. It means allowing God to reinterpret it. God confirmed his word to Saul at a place that once symbolized sorrow, demonstrating that suffering was not in vain, for the story was not over.

And so, before Saul ever steps into his new authority, God settles his identity. Similarly, before you step into what God has ahead, he wants to address how you see yourself right now, because if your identity doesn’t change, your behavior will not last.

Israel is confused and unstable, doing what seems right in its own eyes. There is no king yet, no clear direction, and no sense of unity. Right in the middle of that, Samuel begins to pour out oil on Saul; he is not stopped by the chaos; Saul is anointed in a season of turmoil.

That tells us something important about our lives. God doesn’t wait for everything to be in order before he starts something new. He doesn’t set his plans aside until conditions improve. Often, the anointing flows even when things are still messy.

Many people think they need a break in the storm before change can happen. We believe we need peace, stability, and clarity before God can move. But Scripture shows us that God often releases his anointing right in the deepest dark of night. And so, Peter says,

“Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28).

Jesus replies, “Come.” And Peter steps out of the boat and walks toward Jesus on the water.

In other words, the oil flows in chaos because God’s work is not dependent on your environment. It depends on his presence, so what matters is not whether everything around you has settled down, but whether you are responding to what God is doing right now. The new you doesn’t require perfect conditions; it requires a willingness to let God work in the middle of less-than-perfect conditions.

When Samuel anointed Saul, it was a messy moment. In the Scriptures, oil was not sprinkled; it was poured on the head, running down the beard, and down on the clothing (Psalm 133:2). So, Saul was drenched, his hair was soaked, his robes were wet, and there was no way to hide it.

That is important because real change is rarely neat. God does not anoint us in a way that leaves us untouched. But when God begins a new work in you, it affects everything, disrupts routines, challenges comfort, and leaves evidence because it is a messy work.

Now, most of us like the idea of a New Year bringing improvement, but God is after transformation. Improvement lets you stay in control, but transformation requires total surrender because oil does not ask permission where it flows. Once it is poured, it leaves its mark on you.

This is why New Year’s resolutions often fade quickly because they rely on discipline without surrender. But when God anoints, it leaves a residue that sticks with you. You can't just wipe it off and go back to how things were.

And so, Saul continues on his journey, still greasy. And that is important, because God does not wait for you to clean yourself up before he continues working. He advances, moving you forward while the oil is still fresh.

And before Saul ever reaches Bethel, God confirms his Word at Rachel’s tomb. Saul doesn’t stop there to mourn or to relive the pain; he is simply passing by, and God speaks.

Rachel’s tomb represents loss, sorrow, and unanswered questions. It is a place where something ended before it felt finished. God deliberately sends Saul past her tomb as if to say, “I am aware of where you came from, but I am not pulling you back. I am moving you forward.”

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up…” (Isaiah 43:18–19).

And so, in verse two, the men Saul meets tell him that what he was worried about has already been handled. The donkeys have been found, and his father’s concern has shifted. And so, God takes care of the unfinished business without dragging Saul back into it.

As we stand on the threshold of this new year, many people want a fresh start but are still negotiating with old grief, old regrets, and old concerns. God doesn’t deny the pain, but he doesn’t rehearse it either. He confirms his word without reopening old wounds.

And so, God confirms his calling to Saul with movement, not in mourning, but he lets him know, “You can move forward. I’ve got this.” And after the confirmation, Saul reaches Bethel.

This is the turning point in the journey, because Bethel was not a place of instruction. It is a place of worship. Bethel means the house of God. It is where people go to meet with the Lord. Jacob cried out:

“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it… How awesome is this place” (Genesis 28:16).

Saul meets three men going up to Bethel in verse three; they’re not looking for directions or asking questions; they’re carrying offerings. Three young goats, three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. They’re going to worship. This is covenant language.

But then something unusual happens, Samuel says,

“They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them” (1 Samuel 10:3–4).

This is the first time in this passage that Saul is not told where to go or what will happen. He is simply told to accept what is given, because God is teaching Saul that before he does anything new, he must learn how to receive.

As we talk about the New Year, many people want signs and reassurance, but confirmation alone does not change us. Consecration is what changes us. Consecration is when you stop saying, “God, help me with my plans,” and start saying, “God, I belong to You. Do what You want in me.”

And so, at Bethel, Saul receives bread meant for worship, and God says to him, “You are not just anointed; you belong to me, and you have been set apart.” So this is about alignment, because the new you will never be sustained without consecration.

This is where we want to begin to shift, to get into alignment, where moving toward the Lord’s table becomes natural. Because communion is not about striving, it is about receiving bread. It is not about proving ourselves; it is about remembering what Jesus has already done.

After leaving Bethel, Saul does not immediately assume leadership but instead enters an atmosphere of worship. The Bible says that as he approaches Gibeah, he will meet a group of prophets. There is music and worship, and they are prophesying. In that atmosphere, something will happen that Saul cannot manufacture. Samuel says,

“The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power” (1 Samuel 10:6).

This is where the real change takes place, because Saul begins to prophesy, and the Bible says he is transformed into a different person. Note the order: God does not first give Saul authority; he gives him a new heart.

That is the heart of the new you. You can change habits without changing the heart. You can adjust behavior without transformation. But God’s work goes deeper; He changes us from the inside out. He says,

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Now, Saul didn’t plan for this to happen; he didn’t practice it, he wasn’t seeking it, but he stepped into an atmosphere where God was moving, and God did what only God can do. He began to reflect the Lord’s glory, being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).

This is a work of the Spirit, which is why transformation is not something we can schedule. It happens when we place ourselves in God’s presence and allow the Spirit to work. The same Saul, once unsure and unqualified, now speaks with confidence and power. In other words, as he surrendered to God’s presence, the atmosphere changed, and the heart changed.

By the time Saul reaches this point, nothing around him has officially changed. He’s not wearing a crown, he’s not sitting on a throne, and the nation still looks the same. But Saul is not the same; he’s been transformed into a different person. That is the tension we have to acknowledge as we stand at the end of one year and the beginning of another. A new date does not create a new person.

Time alone does not transform us. You can step into a New Year and still carry the same fears, the same patterns, and the same struggles because God is not moved by our calendar; he is interested in our hearts.

Saul’s change did not come because a season had shifted; it came because the Spirit of the Lord moved upon him.

“God changed Saul’s heart” (1 Samuel 10:9).

In other words, before Saul does anything for God, God moves in Saul. This is not self-improvement; correcting bad habits; it is about spiritual transformation.

You see, the new you is not about trying harder; it’s about surrendering deeper. It’s about allowing God to finish what he started, because the anointing without consecration fades. Passion without surrender wears off. But a changed heart will sustain the work of God.

And that brings us to this final movement of this moment. The new you doesn’t begin tomorrow; it begins right here, in surrender, in remembrance, and in covenant with God.

Saul is still a mess; he is greasy when he arrives at Bethel. The oil has not dried, the anointing has not worn off, and he hasn't had time to clean up or get himself together. And that matters because Bethel was not a casual place. Bethel was the house of God. Bethel was where Jacob met God in the middle of his mess. Bethel was the place where heaven touched the earth (Genesis 28:16–17).

And so, Saul walks into Bethel still covered with the anointing oil.

The men he meets are on their way to worship; they are carrying what belongs to God: some bread, some wine, and a sacrifice. These were not casual items; they were holy offerings, consecrated to God, but something unusual happened. They take what was meant for God, and offer him two loaves of bread, which he accepts from them (1 Samuel 10:3–4).

And so, Saul receives the bread that was meant for worship as the Lord had commanded. And in that moment, God was signifying, “I am consecrating you. I am setting you apart. I am confirming that what I started in you with the anointing, I will sustain with the covenant.”

This is the covenant that the Lord has made with him, and Saul must understand this, because lasting change is not found in feelings, emotions, or great worship; real change is sealed by surrender. And that is why this moment matters for us right now as we stand at the end of one year and on the threshold of another.

As we close, we're going to celebrate communion, and this table reminds us that change does not come from a calendar; it comes from our covenant with God. It comes from the body that was crucified and the blood that was poured out. It comes from a Savior who invites us to receive before we have figured it all out.

In other words, the bread Saul received pointed forward to a greater bread that we are to receive. Jesus took the loaf of bread and said,

“This is my body given for you” (Luke 22:19).

The wine Saul encountered pointed forward to a better covenant as Jesus took the cup and said,

“This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20).

This morning, as we come to the table, this is our Bethel. This is the place where God meets us again. This is the place where our identity is reaffirmed, where hearts are realigned, and where our commitment to complete surrender is renewed. This is not about having a better year; this is about becoming a different person.

So, as we come to the Lord’s table, we are not coming because we have it all together. We are coming because God is still working. We are coming because we have been called, chosen, greasy, and anointed. We are coming in surrender, saying, “Lord, finish what you started in me. I offer myself as a living sacrifice. Change my heart. Consecrate my life. This is not just a new year, but a new me, holy and pleasing to God.”

Graphics, notes, and commentary from LifeChurch, Ministry Pass, PC Study Bible, Preaching Library, and Sermon Central. Scripture from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.