A New Thing

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."

In Philippians 3:13-14, the Apostle Paul tells us that he did this one thing; "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." Pressing forward, moving ahead...what keeps us from living the life God wants us to live for His glory? What keeps us from serving God in the way that He desires to use us? More often than not, the one thing that stunts our spiritual growth, and hinders our walk with God is that we keep looking back and refusing to let go. When we find ourselves in those seasons where God is quiet, we immediately revert back to rehearsing in our minds all our mistakes, bad choices, and our past sinful behaviors. Even in the seasons when God is trying to move us forward, we play tug-of-war with God, holding on to the past, to relationships we should let go of, habits that we keep holding dear to us, and seasons in life that have already come to an end. I read an illustration this morning that shed some light on letting go. Every year, in certain parts of the country we experience the beautiful colors of the Fall season. The bright colors that artistically paint the landscape leave us in awe, but in the back of our minds, we know that it is also the indication that one season has already passed, and this one is about to end. We then enter a season where there is cold weather, bare trees, and a dreariness that for many of us makes us yearn for the season where we begin to see the budding of new life. Amazingly, we see God bring about that new season with new life, every year. The Christian life is no different. God tells us that there is a season for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Yet, we often get stuck in the dreary, depressing, and unproductive season, because we refuse to let go of things that hinder our relationship with Jesus, or the past that He already forgave. Letting go, and starting a new chapter or season can be an intimidating, and scary thing. Maybe God is trying to move us to a new way of serving, or a new location where we can serve a new circle of influence. Whatever the reason, know that God is still in control. We need to let go of the things we continue to hold on to, and give God control. When we insist on holding on, we stand the chance of forfeiting blessings that God is desiring to give us, if we would just let go. So...it is time to take inventory of our lives, walk with Jesus, and make the decision to let go, so that God can be God, and do the new thing He wants to do in our lives.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).