Winter landscape

NEW BEGINNINGS!

By Helen Jesze, 14^th January 2022

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”

Psalm 103:12 KJV

“He shall again have compassion on us; He will subdue and tread underfoot our wickedness [destroying sin’s power]. Yes, You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

Micah 7:19 Amplified Bible

“Return, O backsliding children,” says the LORD; “for I am married to you…

Jeremiah 3:14a NKJV

Every new year has a new beginning, a new season. In daily life, some things go on the same as the year before, but others change and even come to an end. God is always a God of new beginnings, a new day – not just one of 24 hours – but a new chapter, a God of sunrise and not sunset. Some things we take gladly into the new year, but others, it would be better if we left them behind us. Are you one of those who makes New Year Resolutions? Recently I heard a group of people tell of theirs, several resolving to give up chocolate!! Might be a good idea for some of us!

But going deeper than that, I am thinking of experiences from the Past which we have dragged into every new year and these are hindering us. Satan accuses us, pointing out our flaws, our sins, and we become so discouraged. Outwardly it might look as though we have it all together, but inwardly, we are becoming hopeless and feel God can’t possibly forgive us again. George used to say that when we make a mistake, the devil comes and takes a photo of it. Soon he has a whole gallery, and when we come to the Lord for something, he gleefully shows us all our mistakes, to weaken and discourage us.

I read about a pastor in Africa who had fallen into sin, and was backslidden for a while. Later he came back to the Lord and was very ashamed. He felt as though his family, life and ministry were over – that he was just a failure. In despair he cried out to God, and in the night he had a dream. An angel came to him with a big book in his hand, and showed the pastor pages from the book, then read out what was written there. “On that date you did this for the Lord; here you helped that person…”

It sounded all very positive, yet as they got nearer to the date of his downfall, the pastor got more and more nervous. To his surprise, that page was blank and several pages after it. “What happened here?” he asked. The angel replied, “On the other pages you were working for God, that’s what you did, but on these blank pages this is what he did for you!” The pastor was set free! His burden of guilt dropped off of him, as he realised God had not left him! All the time he was working by his Spirit to bring his child back! This pastor had a new revelation of God’s mercy and grace. His family and ministry were restored.

Our Scripture verses here assure us of God’s love and forgiveness for us also, when we fall back into our old lifestyle, not living as close as we should to Jesus, or perhaps even wandering very far away. Perhaps this has happened to you, and you want to come back, but you are not sure whether you will be welcome again in the Father’s Family, that your Christian life is a failure and your ministry a thing of the Past.

Let me encourage and urge you today, to realise God has been working for you on the ‘blank pages’ of your life. “The goodness of God leads us to repentance!” Throw yourself on his mercy today, experience the cleansing and deliverance of the blood of Jesus, receive a fresh revelation of this merciful God!

But it is also good to ask the Holy Spirit if there were definite reasons why we have backslidden or fallen into sin. He may reveal things where we have left a spiritual or mental door open, and Satan has had here the advantage – the walls of our city were broken down. Let us learn from the past, let God use it to change us for the better, to give us more understanding for others who have gone this way, and perhaps we have criticised them in our hearts; here too, we are told that when we think we are standing, we should take heed lest we fall. Our self-righteousness is as filthy rags in God’s sight – it is in his strength alone that we stand!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for restoring this dear pastor and so many others, us too, when we have turned away from you. Let 2022 be a NEW BEGINNING where we turn from our failures, and accept your forgiveness, walking in newness of Life with you! Thank you for a fresh revelation of your mercy and your grace, we pray, and help us to show your compassion to those around us, restoring the broken and the lost ones. We ask this in the Name of your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen.