132 New Beginnings!

For a first-time commitment consider the Words of Jesus 

• John 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
• John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

And this is how to become born-again, believe the promise:

• Eph 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
• Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 
  13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

You see, all that is required is to believe that Jesus is who He says He is and receive the gift of new life. With that gift is the promise that the Hoy Spirit of God will come into your life and help you fulfill the hopes and dreams that Jesus puts into your heart.

For a re-commitment consider the following Scriptures, Return to me… (Backslider)

Jeremiah 3:14, “Return, O backsliding children,” says the LORD; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.”

Jeremiah 24:7, “Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.”

The prophet Jeremiah has something to say to those who are far off from God, Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

You may be feeling weak and tired but listen to what Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

And don’t forget Isaiah 43:18, “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth.”

Beginnings!

A new beginning can start at any time, but there is no better time than now! I find it interesting that in the Old Testament the first book of the Bible, Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Then in the New Testament the first chapter of the Gospel of John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

New beginnings for a Christian Believer.

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.”

You are not defined by your past, good or bad, but you are defined by your relationship with Christ! Look at your life and figure out what has been holding you back. Those weights may be sin and preventing you from moving forward. Remember you are forgiven and keep marching in His direction. The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 4: 20, “But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true the righteousness and holiness.”

Every person knows what things are preventing them from moving forward with the Lord, and it is up to them to walk away from those strongholds that are holding them back. Every person in Christ must make the decision to be completely committed to the cause of Christ. You can’t be halfhearted you must be “all in” to reap the benefits of an overcoming life on earth. 

There are times when we don’t quite know what to do, it is in those times we must turn to the scriptures. The Old Testament contains three books that are classified as Wisdom books, they are Job Ecclesiastes and Proverbs some scholars also include two more books Psalms and Song of Solomon. The Wisdom books give practical everyday advice and direction. They are the building blocks of a life focused on the Lord. 

Psalm 23

For instance, a very familiar passage would of course be Psalm 23. I believe that Psalm 23 is a good guide for planning for the new year. It gives us instruction and promises; if we follow God’s instructions, He will fulfill his promises.

Psalm 23 is a psalm of David. David is described by God as “a man after my own heart”, which means that David wanted to do only one thing, please God! This doesn’t mean that David was perfect, but it does mean that his desire was to please the Lord. As believers, our desire should be to please the Lord in all that we do. 

There are times when the Lord reveals to us His purpose and plan for our lives and then there are times when we must make our own decisions in life. It is in those times of making decisions that the wisdom of the scriptures becomes an important guide for living. That is why we are encouraged to read and meditate on the Word of God. You see it is not just about knowing the Lord’s intentions and will for us, it is the ability to obey and follow through the Lord’s direction. How are we to know God’s will unless we spend time in His Word. We can count on the Lord to help us in our ability to hear and obey because the Lord has placed His Holy Spirit in us to be a guide, teacher, and comforter.

Psalm 23 instructs us to acknowledge that the “Lord is my shepherd” and that “I shall not be in want.” The Lord promises to fulfill all of our “needs”, but not necessarily all of our “wants” because sometimes our wants lead us away from the Lord and His plans and purposes for our lives. 

Verse 2 promises that if we trust Him, He will make our path easy and not troubled. “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.” All of this speaks of His provision. Remember Matthew 6:30, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” These “things” are the things you need for life and godliness!

Verse 2 is about physical needs, but the Lord is concerned about your emotional needs too and we see that in verse 3. “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Philippians 4:6 says, “6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Peace in this case is the peace that does not depend upon circumstances it is the peace of knowing Him and knowing that you are known by Him as well.

Verse 4 is the promise that regardless of what is going on around me I do not need to be in fear. Fear causes us to doubt the Lord and doubt is the enemy of faith. Remember we are learning to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). No matter what you are going through God is with you. He will protect you and guide you.

Verse 5 is another expression of God’s protection and abundant provision. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.” As Christians, we face enemies both spiritual and physical and we must remind ourselves that God has promised to “never leave us or forsake us.” The Lord is ours and we are His. That will never change.

Finally, the conclusion to David’s Psalm to the Lord, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.” Here we have a reaffirmation of the Lord’s promise that He will provide and protect and that we will also spend eternity with Jesus our Lord and Savior in Heaven

Let me close with this final scripture from the Apostle Paul which should be our personal mission statement:

Philippians 3: 12, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 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, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”