I want
to wish all of you a very Happy New Year on behalf of Hope On the
Inside and A Place Called Hope.
Isaiah 42:9
Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I
declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them."
The key word here is “new”. God constantly speaks of new things in
His Word—starting with us being a “new creation” in Christ.
And now,
here we are at the beginning of a New Year – a time for new
beginnings. But, also a time to look at what has happened in the
past year; a time to reevaluate our goals and our accomplishments —
which goals were met, which weren’t… and why not. We DON’T WANT TO
REPEAT PAST MISTAKES AND BAD PATTERNS---BUT WE DO WANT TO
REPEAT GOOD PATTERNS. WE LEARN FROM SUCCESS AS WELL AS FROM
FAILURE.
As we count down the
hours to the new year, maybe we need to make some "old year"
resolutions. For instance, there are some "old" habits in our lives
that we could certainly do without. Life would be better--not just
for ourselves, but for our families.
It's a funny thing
about habits; we often feel bad about them--while we continue to be
enslaved by them. But, we don't have to be. We can start with the
little things that detract from our lives. We can change the way we
do things one step at a time. Usually, that's not the way we do it,
though. We often set impossible goals for ourselves; goals that
guarantee failure, and then we lament over our failures and say to
ourselves "I knew I could never do it. I might as well just go on
living the way I'm living."
But, if we start with
some small things, we can succeed and build a pattern of success
that will encourage us and give us the incentive to start changing
some BIG things in our lives--one step at a time.
How many
times have we started a new year without accomplishing the goals we
had set before us or even taken the time to evaluate why those goals
weren't made? Perhaps this is a time to make a few lists. But, once
we know what we’ve done—what we should do and what we shouldn’t
do—it’s time to move on and look toward the future.
We
cannot live on yesterday's successes and blessings nor should we
dwell on yesterday's failures and disappointments. This is a time to
forget the past and move forward into the present and the future.
We’re not just taking a mindless, purposeless journey; we’re in a
race to the finish line. Our journey has a destination point.
Philippians 3:13-14
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I
do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to
those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize
of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
THIS IS
A TIME TO MAKE NEW CHOICES AS WELL AS REAFFIRM THE OLD ONES THAT
CAUSED US TO OVERCOME.
Many
people all over the world are in the process of making New Year's
resolutions, of which many of them will never come to pass.
For us,
as Bible believing Christians this is an opportunity to look back
over the past year to see if we were able to make all of the desired
changes we set out to do.
• The
beginning of a New Year can be a season of new beginnings for us.
New hope
for better health—whether through medicine or a miraculous healing.
wE
• It's a
time to look ahead with a sense of anticipation and excitement
towards the new things God wants to do in our lives.
New Hope
for God to help us accomplish our purpose—opportunities for
ministry.
Also for business opportunities right from our home if we
cannot
Get out.
• It is a
season of setting new goals and putting into effect those things you
have been putting off doing.
• It can
be a day of new beginnings for each one of us.
In the
Lord, every day should be a day of new beginnings, but we can look
to this season as a time to reflect and re-evaluate where we are and
where we are going in God.
2 Corinthians 4:16b
Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is
being renewed day by day.
I
believe God wants to create a sense of newness in each one of our
lives. I believe it is always God's desire that we be filled with a
sense of newness and freshness of what He desires and wants to do in
our lives. He desires greatly for us to be filled with a renewed
sense of purpose and destiny. In other words, before we go on, we
need to consider what we are going on to...and then, begin the
journey anew.
Isaiah 43:18-19
“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you
not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in
the desert.
The
wonderful thing about serving God is that we don't have to live our
lives in guilt and condemnation for our failures and un-achieved
goals. We get to wipe the slate clean and start over—not just at the
beginning of the year, but every day. God doesn't hold our past
against us as long as we repent and continually ask for His
help--and press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of
God in Christ Jesus. We are a new creation in Christ every day of
our lives.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things
have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Let’s
continue to praise God and thank Him for the blessings He gives us.
What an amazing thing it is to serve Him. The world may see us as
disabled—sick---in prison—homeless—poor—but God sees us as mighty
warriors—His own blessed children, redeemed at a great cost, but
worth everything He paid.
God
never regrets giving His Son to save us. Let’s continue to praise
and worship Him.
praise
and worship click here
