Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV) “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.”

Whether last year was a good year or a very challenging year for you, today is a new day. It’s the first day of a new year and as followers of Christ, there is much to look forward to. But first, we need to deal with the past year. If it was a good year, then praise and thank God for it and move on. Don’t fail to be thankful like the nine out of the ten lepers who Jesus healed. Only one came back to thank Him and that was the one that Jesus said his faith had made him well. This implies more than just a physical healing but implies spiritual healing as well. Thank the Lord for His faithfulness and goodness and get ready for whatever new thing the Lord is going to do in your life.

If the past year was not a good one in your estimation, or even if it was a very difficult year, you can still praise and thank God. You can praise Him for the fact that although you experienced momentary troubles, according to the scriptures they were achieving an eternal glory for you that far outweighs them (2 Corinthians 4:16-17). You can also thank God that you made it through it all and are still standing by the grace of God. But now it is also time for you to leave the past year behind and look forward to the new one. No matter what kind of year you had, it is time to move on. But what are you moving on to, you may wonder?

What you are moving on to is the new thing that God is doing. God is always moving and doing a new thing. The new thing will never change what He has already declared in His Word. The new thing confirms and affirms what He has already said. The new thing that He is doing is making new paths in this troubled life and a fresh supply of living water in previously dry places. What the Lord is speaking to us from this passage is that we have a living hope for whatever the new year brings us. As long as we stay on the straight and narrow road of following Jesus without getting sidetracked or distracted, then we will have all that we need and then some to make it through another year not only intact, but in full victory. Endeavor to put all your trust in Jesus this year and don’t worry about understanding it all. As you do that, Jesus will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). Those paths will include a way through the difficult times (the wilderness) and streams in the spiritually dry places (the wasteland). That means that you are not only guaranteed to make it through this new year, but that you will make it standing tall in victory through Christ Jesus. Let’s thank the Lord together today for a new beginning. A happy and blessed New Year to you all!

Pastor Joey Vazquez