Do You Need a Fresh Start?

Have you ever noticed all the people throughout the Bible that God gave a fresh start?

• Moses was an old man before he had an encounter with a burning bush and was called by God to lead a nation.
• David, a humble shepherd boy, was anointed to be the king of Israel.
• Peter, the apostle who denied Christ, was forgiven and called to spend the rest of his life preaching and glorifying God.
• And Paul, who once persecuted God’s people, was transformed on the road to Damascus and ended up writing much of the New Testament.

When you think about all the people throughout the Scriptures whom God forgave, redeemed and used in mighty ways, can you doubt that He is able to do the same for you?

Need a “Do Over”?

Our God is the God of “do overs,” second chances, fresh starts and new beginnings. And He doesn’t have any limit on how many you can have.

But sometimes, we lose sight of what God can do because of something in the past. We’re stuck, unable to move forward with the wonderful plans He so desperately wants to reveal to us.

For me, it was the memory of sexual abuse I experienced as a child. For many years I was stuck in a place of anger and bitterness because of what had happened to me. I had a big chip on my shoulder and wanted someone to pay for it, and everybody around me felt it.

I felt guilty most of the time because I was this way. I would get on my knees and pray over and over again “Please forgive me, Lord.”

Then finally one day I heard God speaking to my heart, saying, “Joyce, I forgave you the first time you asked Me. Now you have to forgive yourself and move on.”

I had to receive His free gifts of love and grace so I could release my past, and little by little, move on from it.

Refuse to Stay Stuck in a Moment in Your Past

Maybe you’re stuck, frozen in a moment. It might be past abuse or a personal failure of some kind or something completely beyond your control, like an illness or the death of a loved one. Perhaps you’ve been disappointed by something that didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to, and you’re thinking, It’s over. It’s too late for me.

But it’s never too late to have a fresh start when you have life in Christ. If you refuse to give up hope, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you out of your “stuck” place, not only will God restore what you lost, but He will make your life even better than it was before!

God is a God of healing and restoration. Joel 2:25-26 says He wants to restore all we’ve lost and fulfill our lives with His love and provision.

The Life God Has for You!

In Christ, you have a bright future waiting for you. Your past does not have to determine your destiny!

God promises us that He has plans for good and not for disaster, to give us hope for our future (Jeremiah 29:11). If you’ll choose to trust Him and follow His lead, you’ll get there, slowly but surely.

Remember that all things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26). If you will refuse to give up, you will have the new beginning and amazing plan He has for your life. Just keep going, one step at a time.