Seven
Days of Creation: A New Beginning With God (2026)
A New Year
Devotional Series on YouTube
By Dr. James L. Cartee III
(This picture of my family and I was taken at a tree farm in December 2025, just before New Year’s Eve.)
The beginning of a new year can feel loud. Goals stack up. Expectations increase. And somewhere in the middle of it all, many of us quietly wonder, Am I already behind?
That quiet question is more common than we admit.
In January 2026, I released a seven-part devotional video series on my YouTube channel titled Seven Days of Creation: A New Beginning With God. This series walks carefully through Genesis 1–2, not as a debate about origins, but as an invitation to restoration.
Genesis does not begin with human striving. It begins with God’s steady voice. Creation unfolds with intention, not panic. With rhythm, not rush. And when we move through these seven days slowly, something beautiful emerges: this is not only the story of how God formed the world. It is a picture of how God restores a weary heart.
This blog post serves as an introduction to the full devotional video series available on my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@jamescarteeiii). While you will find Scripture passages and brief summaries below, the deeper reflection, pastoral encouragement, and practical application are found within the videos themselves.
I encourage you to watch all seven devotions in order. Each day builds upon the last. Light leads to order. Order leads to stability. Stability leads to purpose. Purpose makes space for abundance. Abundance clarifies identity. And identity makes rest possible.
You do not have to conquer the year ahead. You are invited to walk it with God — one holy day at a time.
🌅 Day 1: LIGHT — God Speaks Into Darkness
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/ANhJz-1cUMA
Scripture
Genesis 1:3–5 (NIV)
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
Psalm 27:1 (NIV)
The Lord
is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
Summary
Before God organizes, fills, or explains anything, He speaks light into darkness. That detail matters for our everyday lives. Many of us begin a year carrying quiet darkness—confusion, grief, unanswered questions, anxiety about the future. God does not shame darkness, and He does not wait for it to improve before He enters it.
Light does not eliminate every shadow instantly, but it interrupts it. It shifts the atmosphere. It helps us see what is real instead of being ruled by fear. David does not say fear disappears; he says fear loses authority when the Lord becomes his light.
This devotion invites you to ask: Where do I need clarity—not total resolution—right now? Light is enough for today. You do not have to finish the whole story. You only need enough light to take the next faithful step.
🌊 Day 2: ORDER — God Separates Chaos
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/KBQ6s-YRed4
Scripture
Genesis 1:6–8 (NIV)
And God
said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” So
God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above
it. And it was so.
God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the
second day.
1 Corinthians 14:33 (NIV)
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
Summary
After light appears, God does not rush forward. He separates. He creates boundaries within what once felt overwhelming. Chaos in our lives often looks like too much happening at once…too many expectations, emotions, responsibilities, or fears pressed into the same space.
God’s response to chaos is not panic. It is precision.
Order is not control. It is protection. It is space to breathe. It is the mercy of God saying, “This does not belong together right now.” When Paul reminds us that God is not a God of disorder but of peace, he is reminding us that confusion is not our permanent home.
This devotion gently asks: What needs space right now? Not everything requires your attention at once. Sometimes peace comes not just by gaining strength but also by allowing God to create boundaries.
🌱 Day 3: GROUND — God Creates Stability Before Growth
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/ON3rwHkMBvs
Scripture
Genesis 1:9–13 (NIV)
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
Psalm 1:3 (NIV)
That
person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.
Summary
God creates ground before He commands growth. That is deeply comforting for anyone who feels unsteady. Before fruit appears, there must be stability. Before productivity, there must be footing.
God does not demand fruit from instability.
Psalm 1 reminds us that fruit comes in season. Roots deepen before results become visible. If you feel like growth is slow in your life, perhaps God is not withholding fruit. Perhaps He is strengthening ground.
Small signs of stability returning—healthy habits, prayer, counseling, restored routines—are not insignificant. They are sacred. Stability is not delay. It is preparation.
🌅 Day 4: PURPOSE — God Establishes Rhythm
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/L8bnhtaT79s
Scripture
Genesis 1:14–19 (NIV)
And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
Summary
Many Christians struggle with feeling late in life.
Late in
calling.
Late in marriage.
Late in career.
Late in healing.
Day 4 reminds us that God establishes seasons before He establishes outcomes.
Purpose unfolds inside rhythm.
This video challenges the cultural lie that faster equals better. If God is unhurried, then hurry may not be holiness. Some seasons are for planting. Some for pruning. Some for resting. Some for visible fruit.
If you constantly compare your timeline to others, this devotion will help reframe your thinking. God measures alignment, not acceleration. Living faithfully in your season is success in the kingdom of God.
🕊️ Day 5: ABUNDANCE — Life Flourishes Again
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/EbMTb_MNErY
Scripture
Genesis 1:20–23 (NIV)
And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
John 10:10 (NIV)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Summary
Some seasons leave believers emotionally numb.
You are functioning but not flourishing.
Day 5 reminds us that God delights when life returns.
Abundance is not excess. It is vitality. It is laughter returning. It is creativity reawakening. It is worship feeling alive again. It is hope resurfacing after loss.
This video speaks to those recovering from burnout, depression, disappointment, or spiritual dryness. It gives biblical permission to receive joy without guilt. Joy does not betray grief. Life can coexist with healing.
If you feel like something inside you has gone quiet, this devotion helps you recognize and receive the gentle return of spiritual life.
👤 Day 6: IDENTITY — You Are Still God’s Image
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/cdRvG12tNi8
Scripture
Genesis 1:26–27 (NIV)
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)
But now,
this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who
formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by
name; you are mine.
Summary
Day 6 may be the most personal.
Before humanity does anything, God declares who humanity is.
In a world that defines worth by productivity, performance, social metrics, or financial success, Genesis anchors identity in God’s image — not achievement.
This video speaks directly to believers battling shame, self-doubt, comparison, and the lingering effects of failure. Hard seasons often try to rename us: broken, behind, not enough.
But God still says, “Thou art mine.”
If you have been carrying a label God never gave you, this devotion helps you release it and rest in a secured identity. Your worth is not fragile. It is divinely spoken.
🌿 Day 7: REST — God Stops and Calls It Holy
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/oVLRMDgFrTo
Scripture
Genesis 2:2–3 (NIV)
By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Matthew 11:28–29 (NIV)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Summary
Day 7 confronts modern exhaustion.
Many Christians feel spiritually committed but chronically tired.
God rests not because He is tired, but because the work has reached a sacred pause. He blesses the day. He calls it holy.
Rest is not laziness. It is trust.
This devotion teaches believers how to stop striving for outcomes, how to release timelines, and how to rest in Christ while burdens are still present. Jesus does not offer rest after everything is solved. He offers rest in the middle of the weight.
If you are weary in body, mind, or soul, this final video will help you receive rest as worship… not weakness.
🌟 Final Reflection: A New Beginning With God
When you step back and watch all seven days together, something powerful emerges:
God rebuilds patiently.
He speaks
light before clarity.
He creates order before strength.
He restores ground before fruit.
He establishes rhythm before purpose.
He allows life to return before asking for more.
He declares identity before achievement.
And He sanctifies rest before anything else begins.
This is not just the story of creation.
It is the story of restoration.
If you are entering this year carrying anxiety, grief, fatigue, comparison, burnout, identity confusion, or simply the quiet weight of responsibility — this series was created with you in mind.
Each video is designed to move slowly and thoughtfully through Scripture, offering pastoral encouragement and real-life application. They are meant to help Christians walk with God in their everyday existence…not just on Sundays, but in offices, kitchens, classrooms, counseling rooms, late-night prayers, and early-morning worries.
I invite you to watch the full seven-part series and walk through it day by day.
And if these messages encourage you, please subscribe to my YouTube channel so you can receive future devotionals and faith-based reflections:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/@jamescarteeiii
My New Year’s prayer for readers and viewers of this blog is the following:
May you
notice His voice in the light,
His order in the chaos,
and His rest in the middle of your unfinished work.
#SevenDaysOfCreation #NewYearDevotional #ChristianEncouragement #GenesisStudy #FaithWalk #SpiritualGrowth #RestInChrist #IdentityInChrist #BiblicalWisdom #ChristianYouTube
