New Beginnings in Christ
Welcome to the start of a new year! It is our prayer that your year will be grounded in the truth of God’s Word and that each day you will be reminded of God’s unfailing love for you. May this new year unfold new beginnings in Christ.
Every new year, we find ourselves making resolutions, praying for things to change, and setting new goals in the quest to shape how our year will unfold. However, if we are honest with ourselves, without inward change, our outward actions soon begin to fade. By May, we often find ourselves slipping back into old habits.
This year, we would love for us to take a journey together—holding each other accountable for growth in Christ. We are reminded in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV): “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Joshua 3:5 (NKJV) says: “And Joshua said to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.’” The greatest decision we can make is to come into Christ and receive the newness of life that comes from the Father.
In Joshua 3, Joshua reminds the people of Israel to “sanctify” themselves, which means to set themselves apart for God’s use. Without accepting Jesus Christ, walking in His Word, and allowing Him to fill our hearts, we cannot experience the newness that comes from the inward transformation He offers.
Fresh new beginnings are available to us, friends. If we want to see the wonders of God in our year, I encourage us to partner together in knowing and sanctifying ourselves for the Father to lead us. Your year will be the best year you’ve ever had when you begin to let the Holy Spirit lead you into His truth and His plans for your life.
SCRIPTURES TO MEDITATE ON
As we begin this new journey of growth in God, here are a few scriptures we would love for us to meditate on this month:
Philippians 3:13-14: “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Isaiah 43:19: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Habakkuk 2:2-3: “Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end, it will speak, and it will not lie."
PRAYER FOCUS
Lord, help me to walk in alignment with the love You have shared for me, so that I can fully embrace the new life You have provided for me.
Lord, help me to see the vision You have for my life, so I can embrace Your truth and what Your Word says concerning me.
Help me to walk worthy of the call. I want my life to be a witness to what You’ve done for me on the cross, so that I can truly give You glory.