✝️Your old man is dead

Good morning, my brothers! This year, let’s not just try to be better men. Let’s step into the new life Christ has already made possible for us. The old habits, shame, and fears don’t define us anymore. As we kick off 2026, it’s time to surrender, embrace transformation, and live as the men God created us to be. Let’s go!

This week: 5-minute, 9-second read

The Chrysalis Life: Entering 2026 as a New Man in Christ

My mother-in-law loves butterflies. Monarchs, specifically. She loves them so much that she is publishing a children’s book this year, telling the story of a monarch’s life.

For years, I never really understood her fascination. Butterflies are beautiful, sure, but I never spent much time thinking about them. That changed recently as I was writing this article. I called her to ask why butterflies had captured her heart so deeply.

She paused for a moment and then spoke from a place only experience and wisdom could produce. She said that it was never just about the butterfly. It was about the absolute, complete transformation.

The caterpillar does not slowly improve itself. It does not become a slightly better version of what it already is. It enters the chrysalis, and the old life ends. What emerges is entirely new. Once it becomes a butterfly, it can never return to crawling on the ground again.

That image struck me. It made me think about my own life, the years I spent crawling, trying to fix myself with effort, discipline, and good intentions.

I tried to polish the man I was before Christ instead of letting him die. I tried to be a better version of that “old man”, failing to remember that I was a new man in Christ. It never worked. It only left me frustrated and exhausted.

The Chrysalis Is Not Improvement. It Is Death Before New Life

There is a reason the stage between caterpillar and butterfly is called a chrysalis. The word comes from the Greek chrysós, meaning gold. Early observers noticed the chrysalis often appeared radiant, almost precious, long before they understood what was happening inside. They could not see the process, but they recognized its value.

Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar does not simply rest or grow stronger. Its former structure dissolves. What once defined it no longer exists. The chrysalis is not a place of improvement. It is a place of death that gives way to resurrection.

That is exactly how Scripture describes life in Christ.

The old man is not polished or managed. He is crucified. Hidden with Christ. Laid down so something entirely new can emerge. This is why the Christian life so often feels uncomfortable, unseen, and slow. God does His deepest work in places no one else can observe. He does it in our hearts, in our minds, and in the quiet moments we spend with Him reading the Word, journaling, and praying.

We must die to self and live by, through, and for Him.

Our old lives must be reckoned dead so the new life in Christ can flourish.

The Old Man Is Dead. The New Man Is Alive

As we start fresh in 2026, we know this is not about setting a few goals or making promises to yourself. Those are just ways of crawling a little further. Caterpillar-life. This is about stepping into the new life Christ has already made possible for you. Butterfly-life.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul writes,

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.”

The new man is not a slightly improved version of who you were last year. He is a man whose foundation, source, and identity are rooted in Christ. The old life - the pride, shame, addictions, fear, and comparisons - has been crucified, buried, and gone. What emerges is gold. Precious. Radiant. Alive in a way that cannot be reversed.

Why the Chrysalis Feels Uncomfortable

Transformation hurts because it requires surrender. Like the caterpillar, we must enter a stage where we cannot control the process. We cannot speed it up. We cannot force the outcome. The chrysalis stage is hidden work. God is removing what needs to die so He can shape what will rise.

This is why so many men feel restless or frustrated in their faith. We want results immediately. We want the transformation to be visible. We want to crawl back to familiar ground when the work feels slow or painful. But the man who emerges from the chrysalis does not crawl back. He flies.

Entering the Year as a New Man in Christ

Many men step into a new year with lists of resolutions. But the first resolution that matters is surrender. To be honest, surrender can feel less like victory and more like loss, especially initially. We feel stripped, vulnerable, and exposed. But that is precisely where transformation begins. Here’s a link again to our Prayer of Surrender:

👉[Download the MTM Prayer of Surrender]

God does not call us to incremental improvement. He calls us to surrender, death, and resurrection. He calls us to live that life daily, not occasionally.

Ask yourself, what old habits, attitudes, or fears am I clinging to that the new man in Christ no longer needs? What part of me must die so God can do His deepest work? These are not one-time questions.

They are daily invitations to surrender. The new man is nurtured in prayer, Scripture, and obedience. He is fed by God’s Spirit, not by willpower alone. He is a man who does not return to the ground he once crawled on because he has tasted the wings of freedom Christ provides.

Practical Steps to Embrace the Chrysalis Life

1. Daily Surrender: Lay down the old man each morning. Confess, release, and invite the Spirit to guide your day. Transformation is a moment-by-moment process.

👉[Download the MTM Prayer of Surrender]

2. Meditate on the Word: Feed your mind and heart daily. Philippians 4:8 reminds us to dwell on what is true, noble, and praiseworthy. This is how the new man thinks.

3. Journal the Process: Record victories, struggles, and moments of surrender. The chrysalis is hidden, but journaling makes the process visible.

4. Accountability: Find brothers who will speak truth, hold you to your commitments, and remind you of who you are in Christ. Transformation is often catalyzed by community.

5. Celebrate Emerging Wings: Recognize milestones of growth. Even small victories are evidence that God is at work shaping a man who cannot return to the old life.

The Invitation of the New Year

A new year is a symbol. It is a reset. It is a chance to look at the calendar and say, “This is the year I will live as the man God has made me to be.” But it is more than a symbol. It is a call to remember who you already are in Christ.

The chrysalis stage is ongoing. Some men will crawl for years, believing transformation means better habits or more effort. But the new man in Christ knows something different. The old man is crucified, the new man is alive, and nothing - shame, fear, or failure - can reverse that reality.

Entering 2026, do not resolve to improve. Resolve to surrender. Resolve to remain in Christ even when it feels uncomfortable. Resolve to trust God with the hidden work of your heart, confident that the result will be radiant, precious, and permanent.

Once a butterfly emerges, it never crawls again. Once a man is made new in Christ, he is never meant to live like the old man again.

This year, step into the gold. Step into transformation. Step into the life you were created for.

Reflection Questions:

1. What parts of your old man do you need to surrender fully to Christ this year?

2. How can you embrace the hidden, uncomfortable work God is doing in your heart instead of trying to control it?

3. What daily practices will help you live as the new man rather than revert to old habits?

4. Who can walk with you in accountability as you enter this new year transformed in Christ?

5. How does understanding the chrysalis metaphor deepen your confidence in God’s work in your life?

-Will