Do you want a New Beginning? Part 2

Transcription

1 TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY! If you read Part 1 on this teaching, you know that God is the God of new beginnings. His mercies allow us to have new beginnings every moment of the day. I want to share 4 points on just how we get to the place where we can have a continuous flow of new beginnings in our life. For every person it is different because every person s situations and circumstances are different, but there are a few points that I believe will help us all. Before I get to my points, let me take a short side trip to share with you some personal situations and circumstances that could have stopped Rick and I from receiving a new beginning last year. We believe that by the hand of God, we moved to Leicester, North Carolina in May of Oh, it was going to be such an adventure! We purchased a piece of land and started construction on a new home. In the meantime, we are living in a 5 th wheel camper during construction. Oh, I forgot we were living in a 5 th wheel camper with our youngest college-aged son. You might say it was just a little cramped. It wasn t two months into the project when things started getting tough real tough! Hope and dreams started falling apart. Financial problems developed in the middle of the project. Possibly, we hadn t quite counted the cost! We thought there would be plenty of money for construction from the sale of our previous home in Georgia with some left over. However, all of a sudden we were out of money, the house being only half way finished with us living in a 5 th wheel camper. Several terrifying events began to take place. Rick is self-employed. He lost a viable client that he had had for years taking with it a large chunk of our income. Another was Hurricane Ivan, which came through (while we were in the camper) with force severely affecting much of Western North Carolina. However, we pleaded the Blood of Jesus and were supernaturally protected! Then Rick s health began to

2 decline for no apparent reason. He began to lose weight rapidly and developed a general overall weakness in his body. Now, remember, we are self employed, so if Rick is unable to work, we have no other income coming in. The doctor s discovered a tumor 6-8 inches in diameter, covering his right kidney and it was cancer. What does one think at this moment? As if there hadn t already been enough attack, now the devil is trying to take my husband. But, even in the midst of the storm I could not bring myself to believe anything other than, God will take care of us. A peace filled my heart. I didn t know exactly how He was going to take care of us, I just knew He would. It was one day at a time. Yes, there were hours of fear and discouragement, but then, Praise God, His mercy, loving-kindness and compassion would come flooding in. Looking back, I know we made it through what seemed like impossible situations and circumstances because of our great God. We are today going forward in the mission/ministry God has called us to. Rick is healed minus one kidney, but he is well and strong. So, as the joke goes, He s going to heaven one part at a time! Our house is finally built and we have moved in and it feels so good. The 5 th wheel camper is parked beside the barn where it belongs! Rick did have the audacity this last summer to suggest that we go camping. The look on my face gave him my instantaneous answer! I said all of that so you will understand that we too have been through horrific things in our lives. If I wanted to, I could tell you horrible story after story about my life, but what does it matter now? Who cares? I don t! Those days are gone! Praise God, gone forever! Hallelujah! I never have to have another thing to do with them. Ever! The only thing that awaits me is a promising future in Christ Jesus! And, it can be what awaits you, too. Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full, (John 10:10). I am ready and willing to begin to live in the full life Christ offers me! Thus, I don t want a single thing to hinder, let alone junk of the past.

3 Unfortunately, many love to keep their troubles close to them you know where they can get to them at a moments notice! Some keep all the bad events of their past sins, situations and circumstances packed in a nice emotional suitcase (the kind with wheels for easier mobility for easier transportation!) and drag them around with them day after day. In that respect, they take their past with them wherever they go and let it dictate everything they do from making bad decisions and mistakes to the point of stealing their future. It s time to dump that baggage! Have you done that? If so, you can start a new beginning right now? I want to take some tips from our farmers friends. Here are 4 points that may help you have a new beginning. 1. Prepare the ground by plowing or tilling up the soil to loosen it and turn it over. Ground often gets hard where it has not been plowed. New seed cannot grow on top of hard unloosened soil, it will wither and die. Has your heart become hard because of sin, situations, circumstances, bad decisions, or the like in your life? If so, it s time to put your hands to the plow! It s time to loosen and turn over the soil of your heart to make place for the new. Jesus explains this to us in Luke 5:36-39 when He teaches about putting new wine in old wineskins. I suggest that you read and meditate on this passage. Plow up sin! Let it go repent! Don t make it such a big deal. You know when you have sinned, just deal with it. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), that s why we have Christ Jesus in the first place to bring us back into God s glory! (And, if you haven t already, this is a good time to ask Jesus Christ into your life give it to Him. Give the author of your life control of your life (you re not doing such a great job of it!).

4 Plow up yesterday. Let go of yesterday, let go of the negative, hurtful, and discouraging events that happened yesterday. Let go of unforgiveness, let go of bitterness, let go of hate, of anger. Let go of devastating situations or circumstances that are out of your control anyway. It s over! Plow them up! Let go of whatever it is that is stopping you from going forward. There are also other things that you may need to plow up, such as, superstitions, horoscopes and other encounters with darkness, negative relationships (with friends and family), bad habits, a negative attitude, and the like. Plow them up and get the ground of your heart ready for new things! You might say, I don t have any of those things and I still don t seem to go forward. If that is the case, if you are unable to go forward to accept a new beginning every day, then there is something in your heart that needs to be plowed up. I suggest that you get some alone time with God and ask Him to show you what needs to be plowed up in your life so that you can go forward in a new beginning. Ephesians 4:22-24 says, Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard you old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; 23 and be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude]. 24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness. Your former nature or old unrenewed self is talking about the YOU that was developed (cultivated, grown, ripened) from your past sin and the old environment that influenced you, your nature, your actions, your thinking before you came to Christ. Sin, situations, circumstances, bad decisions, etc., from the past all affect our development. They not only affect, but tend to rule, our nature, our actions, our thinking before we come to

5 Christ. The Word tells us to strip ourselves, put off, discard all the things of our former/old nature. If we do not they become corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion. Selah! Think about and ponder that! Let s look at Ephesians 4: 22 a little closer:... which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion... when we first read this we automatically think about the sin of lust and desire and of course, that is what the passage is referring to. However, what is lust and desire? One can lust after more than sex, money or power. Lust is anything that controls our desires (good or bad). Past junk in our life can become lust and control our desires sometimes even unknowingly if we re not aware, tuned in or discerning. Some people don t want to let go of the past and plow up new ground because the old has become lust in their life. God wants us to have a fresh mental and spiritual attitude. We can t if our mind if filled with sin, devastations of the past, bad decisions and the like and be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude]. 24 And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God s image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness. A fresh mental and spiritual attitude is a new beginning! 2. Plant new seed. One year I was planting a new flower garden and I had some seeds left over from the previous year, so I thought, Hey, I ll plant these! Guess what? They didn t come up. Looking back, they did look kind of moldy!

6 What is new seed? The Word of God the Bible. God s Word is new (and powerful) seed to be planted in plowed up (ready to receive) ground. But, you can t look at it as just the Bible you must look at as fresh revelation meant just for you! God speaking to you! His Word to you! The only way we can renew our mind is with the Word of God the Bible. Romans 12:2 says: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is His good, pleasing and perfect will. God s Word is infallible (perfect, reliable, dependable, fail-safe, surefire, flawless) seed. It will produce a good, bountiful crop in and through you. You can t go on what someone else is telling you about the Word (old seed), you have to get it for yourself. Now, I m not talking about what your pastor taught on last Sunday, but at the same time, you need to take what he/she taught last Sunday and examine, explore and study it for yourself so that it becomes revelation knowledge to you! In other words, a personal word to you! 3. Fertilize. Fertilizer is plant food. It s food supplied to the seed in the ground. Fertilizer is power-food that causes the plant to become stronger and healthier, producing a greater crop. Prayer is fertilizer that feeds the Word of God planted in you. Prayer is communion, communication, connection with Almighty God. Prayers prayed in faith will lift you to the throne room of God! Prayer helps the Word grow and become stronger in you. Thus, as the Word increases in you, things begin to change. You begin to grow healthier spiritually, which will flow

7 over into your mind and then to every other area of your life. And you will produce a great crop! 4. Water. One of the symbols of the Holy Spirit in Scriptures is water Living Water. Jesus compared the Presence of the Holy Spirit in the Believer's life as being like "Rivers of living water." On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me as the Scripture has said, streams of Living Water will flow from within him. By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified (John 7:37-39). Today, the one who is filled with the Holy Spirit has this "living water" flowing from his innermost being. This analogy is found in the Old Testament too; "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants, (Isaiah 44:3). And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, (Joel 2:28-29). Just as water is important for existence, so too is the Holy Spirit if we are to grow in our spiritual life. The Holy Spirit s living water washes, purifies and refreshes wherever it goes. This is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Let the Holy Spirit have His way in your life leading and directing you in the will and ways of God in every situation and circumstance of your life.

8 As we let the Holy Spirit direct us, our lives will take on new meaning. Our lives will take on God s plan for us. Our lives will take on a new beginning. TIS THE SEASON TO BE JOLLY As you approach Christmas this year, are you jolly? Are you cheerful, happy, jovial, and bright? You should be! Christmas holds a strong meaning. The word, Christ is a Greek word that means The Anointed One and His Anointing. The word, mas, means celebration. Thus, Christmas means, the celebration of the Anointed One and His anointing. The word, anointed, means being rubbed in and on. Jesus told us that being anointed was having the Spirit of the Lord upon us. It is God s supernatural empowerment in our lives. It is God s Super on our natural! As Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit, we have the Anointed One and His Anointing in us! We have God s supernatural empowerment in us! Grab a hold of that! That anointing gives us a new beginning every time we need it! Is that not reason enough to celebrate God s greatest Gift to you? Is that not reason enough to be jolly? If not, I encourage you right this moment to implement a new beginning in your life: Plow, plant, fertilize and water! Do it while it is still called TODAY! (Hebrews 3:13) Friend, do not let another moment pass.

9 Pastor Rick and I love you and pray that God will draw you to Him through our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, this Christmas and that He will richly bless you in all ways as you accept the life of fullness He came to give us all. In Christ We Serve, Pastor Debra Jack