Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser
Make a quality decision to step out into the new things God has for you. Never assume that where you’ve been or where you are is as good as it can get. When your goal or your situation seems impossible, keep in mind that nothing is impossible for God. Even as bad news and negative reports become the ‘new normal,’ you can still expect your best days to be ahead of you. It’s easy to be worn down by hopelessness, but regardless of who you are or what condition your life is in, you can’t function successfully without faith in God. Whether you’re anxious about the future or going through a personal storm right now, let your mind stay on God and have faith that the best is yet to come.
Break free from wrong believing that holds you back from your blessed future in Christ. Having faith in the all-powerful God is always vital. It has been vital throughout the ages and it’s just as vital today. A new year calls us to reflect on where we’ve been, and to look to where we’re going. Everyone knows 2022 was a painful year. There were so many distractions and every one of you reading this has a different story to tell. A lot has happened within your life, family, marriage, finances, work situations and even where we are in the world at such a time as this. You may just have worry and fear and even anger at different things that have happened.
After such a difficult year, full of change and uncertainty, we’re all holding out for a fresh start in the new year, even though there is still so much uncertainty. The situation around the globe has changed a lot since Russia invaded Ukraine. This has led to an economic crisis. People are losing their jobs, prices at the markets and shops are rising sharply. Many families struggle to afford food. Across some countries, the Ukraine war and subsequent cost-of-living crisis means that the poorest children are even less likely to access essential services and are more at risk of child marriage, violence, exploitation, and abuse.
You need to have faith when situations or circumstances seem hopeless and believe that it will be well because we serve a God of new things. Let me refer you to a text of scripture which reminds us that our God is a God of new things. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV). These verses from the book of Isaiah promise something brand new and God encourages us to keep our eyes open to see it.
We all need newness in our lives. We yearn for it and we must continually seek out the new to replace and refresh the old. No matter what happened last year or even last night, God is faithful to His word. God is in the business of providing “new things.” As He says, “behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?” (Isaiah 43:19). It’s hard to put things behind us, especially things that have troubled or upset us deeply. If you read this text of scripture in context, the prophet Isaiah was writing to God’s people who had been taken away to another land as slaves. He was encouraging them to look to the future because it was time for new things, new ways to go; there was a new hope.
In a wilderness, there is no path to see, and you can’t be sure which way to go. Do you return to the start or find a new destination? The landscape all looks the same. If you are in a place that feels dark and confusing like the wilderness, He is the God who makes way in the wilderness. Have faith in God. He is a God of new things. If you are in a place that feels hopeless and barren, He is the God who causes streams to flow in wastelands. A wasteland bears no fruit and doesn’t seem to sustain much life, but when a stream flows, life returns with an abundance of animals, flowers, and fruit. Have faith in God.
" Whatever “new thing” you need, expect it. Look for it, and move toward it. "
He is a God of new things. Don’t let anybody tell you that the future is bleak. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV).
What does a “new thing” look like for you? Did you know that God longs to do a new thing in and through you, not just once but every single day? Today, or this week, or this mouth, not only presents us with the gift of a new year. It presents us with a gift of a new day, a new week, a new month and God is about to do a new thing, so have faith in Him. Neither you nor I know what this year will hold, but we do know that God is calling us to look ahead of us and forget the former things. Don’t dwell on what you can’t change. Simply receive the new thing God is going to do in your life this year. It is through Jesus that we can build our faith and confidence and seek a fresh start. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). There are new ways, new opportunities, and new hope. A future that is rooted in Jesus provides a clear pathway in the wilderness and life to the wasteland to enable us to flourish, bear fruit, see new opportunities, and make a difference.
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me “(John 14:6). Now He is the one to put our trust in, the one for a sure future. Jesus is our sure foundation as we move into a future assured of hope and a fresh start in Him and through Him. Whatever “new thing” you need, expect it. Look for it, and move toward it. I encourage you to re-adjust your focus and ask God to show you what He is doing. What kind of “new thing” do you want? More than ever before, God wants you to trust Him to do great things in you and through you. He is your only hope because He is the God of new things. And I want to encourage you to have a brave, bold, confident faith in Christ to step out and do whatever He calls you to do, especially when you don’t understand everything He’s doing. It is amazing what can happen when we courageously venture out of our little worlds and begin to embrace God’s wider kingdom. Ask God to surprise you with his goodness and favour. He is God of more than enough. He is God of surprises. He is God of new things (see Eph. 3:20).
God is inviting you into something new that He is about to do in your life. He will guide, lead, and strengthen you to cooperate with Him in His grand plan for your life. It’s easy to say, “God is doing something new in my life this year,” but that doesn’t mean we can just sit back and do nothing while we watch God do a miracle. We are partners with God. Our part is to believe what He says and do anything He asks us to do to cooperate with His plan. God’s part is to do what you cannot do. God wants us to stir up our faith and start believing He will do new and greater things than we’ve known in the past. He wants to do miracles in your life! But you must put your trust in Him, release your faith, and keep believing God, trusting that He can and will make a way for you when there seems to be no way.
“This is what the Lord says – he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:16-19 NIV)
