DownshoreDrift

In each of our lives, we regularly need a new approach. We need to look at life in a fresh way.  We so easily get stuck in a rut, lose hope, and think that the way things are is the way that they will always be.  Sometimes, we just get tired. We think that what we are experiencing is all that there is and we lose our perspective.  Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months and years, and our youth is lost, and we lose hope.  Unfortunately, we develop a "faith" that tells us that this is normal.  Just keep going.  Obey the Lord.  Don't really expect to change.  Don't really expect change in your life, your marriage, your struggles.  Just hang on - heaven awaits us when our suffering will end.

Of course I am being dramatic and trying to make a point - few people actually get that discouraged.  But, it speaks to the fact that we often forget that God wants to do a new thing in our lives every day.  He does not want us to grow weary or to lose heart.  He wants us to be filled with hope and expectation.  He wants us to believe that He is near to us and will deliver us.  He wants to be our Savior each and every day.  Yes, you can change.  Yes, things can be different.  Not because you have the power or the ability, but because the Holy Spirit lives inside of you and we serve the God who says, "I am making everything new" (Rev. 21:5).

Let's look at what the Bible says about having a fresh perspective on life:

Psalm 40:1-5 talks about how God has lifted us out of the miry pit and set our feet upon the rock. He transforms our lives, delivers us, and gives us a firm place to stand. Have you experienced that? It is available to you through the power of Jesus Christ!  Not only does He deliver us, but He puts a new song in our hearts!  He fills us with joy and each day we are to worship Him in a new and fresh way!  This idea of a new song is prevalent throughout scripture. Here are some passages where it talks about singing a new song unto the Lord:

• Psalm 96:1
• Psalm 98:1
• Psalm 149:1
• Isaiah 42:10

Isaiah 42:1-10 is a messianic passage that points to the deliverance and ministry of the Messiah. The result of that is that we are to sing a new song to the Lord. He sets us free from bondage, gives us a new life in Him, and gives us a new song of praise for what He has done.

Isaiah 43:16-19 reminds us how God delivered the people of Israel in the past, but He does not want them to dwell on that.  He is the God of the present and the future and He is making a way of deliverence for them, as well as you, today!

Moving to the New Testament, in 2 Corinthians 5:17, we are taught how we are a new creation. In Christ, the old has gone and the new has come. This is not just true for when you were saved, but it is true for each day of your life because the Holy Spirit lives within you.  Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us to put off the old, be transformed in the attitude of our minds, and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.  This is something that we are to do each day and to continue progressively throughout our lives.  God does not want you to stay the same!  He wants to conform you to the image of Christ each and every day and radically change your life!  This is why Philippians 3:12-14 tells us to forget what is behind and press on toward the goal for which we have been called heavenward in Christ Jesus!  Move forward!  Give the past to Jesus - it is nailed to the cross anyway - and believe that God wants to do something fresh, new, and amazing in your life this year!  He wants to reveal Himself to you, to renew you, and revive your heart.  He wants to use you in incredible ways to bring Him glory and to bring blessing to those around you.  Our part is to believe Him, trust Him, and ask Him.

So, what does this mean for us personally?

• Are their strongholds in your life?  Jesus wants to set you free this year.
• How are your finances?  God can help you bring order out of chaos.
• How are your relationships?  God wants to work in your life to bring reconciliation to broken relationships and set things right in your marriage and other relationships.
• Do you harbor unforgiveness toward others?  God can soften your heart.
• How is your diet and exercise plan?  The body is meant to bring glory to God.  Ask the Lord to help you with discipline. This too can change.
• Are you honoring God with your time? Do you spend time with God? With your family? Serving others?  Do you take a Sabbath? Surrender your time to the Lord and ask Him to guide you.
• Are you growing in your walk? Are you discipling others?  Ask the Lord to refresh you and help you be a blessing to others.

This might sound like a lot.  But, in each of these areas of weakness there is an opportunity for God to prove Himself strong.  Remember, it is God who lives and works through us.  Jesus has the victory.  He just calls us to abide in Him (John 15:1-10).  But, our part in abiding requires faith and obedience.  New Year's resolutions are impossible and sure to fail, but living a new life in the power of the Spirit is God's will for you. Set out this year in power and confidence that things can change.  Remember Mark 10:27 that says, "with man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

So, pray!  Spend time with the Lord!  Ask Him to change you.  "We do not have because we do not ask God" (James 4:2) Engage in a new plan to read the bible, like the One Year Bible reading plan.  Join a LIFE Group or a Sunday School class at our church!  Get involved in ministry.  Ask God to refresh you and don't stop seeking Him until you have victory.  He wants us to believe and cry out to Him.

Believe that 2006 will be a year of change, victory, and experiencing Christ more than ever.  This does not mean that we will not struggle and suffer, because we will.  But, nothing can steal our joy if our joy is found in Christ.  Nothing can defeat us because we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus!