On Christmas Day, countless families will crowd together amidst mountains of torn paper and castaway ribbons to celebrate the year's brightest moments.

Yet, on that same day, thousands of others will face the toughest 24 hours of their lives. For those people, Christmas Day will serve only as a grim reminder of loneliness and loss. It will simply mark the end of another year of failure.

What about you? What's this Christmas really going to be like for you?

How Are You Doing Inside?
You may appear to be happy enough. You may be passing out seasonal smiles and holiday greetings just like everybody else. But inside, you may be hurt. You may be disappointed. You may even feel like you can't go on.

If so, I want you to know something. All of that can change in an instant. You can start your life over today and make this Christmas the most joyous of your life!

How many times have you said to yourself, "If I could just start over, I'd do it all differently?" That doesn't have to be simply an idle thought. Jesus Christ has actually made it possible.

That's His Christmas present to you.

He paid the price for all your sins. He paid the penalty for all your mistakes, so you wouldn't have to. That's the reason He came to earth. That's the reason He was born - so you could start over!

You Must First Believe It's True
Is that hard for you to believe? Then look in 2 Corinthians 5:17 and see for yourself. There, the Word of God says, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

Now, you may look at your life and say, "But I've made some terrible mistakes. I've done some despicable things." That doesn't matter. Jesus paid the price for them all!

Isaiah 53:4-5 says,

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

What does that mean for you? It means when Jesus died on the cross, He bought your freedom from sickness and disease, from grief and anxiety and depression. The prison doors that have kept you captive are open. You can walk through them today and leave those things behind.

It doesn't matter who you are or what you've been. I don't care if you've been a prostitute, a murderer, a thief, a dope dealer, or a church-going guy who's never made Jesus Christ the Lord of his life. Today's your day to start over.

And Then Confess With Your Mouth
How can you make that new start? Romans 10:9 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." It's as easy as saying, "Jesus, I'm turning my life over to You. From this day forward, I'm Yours."

"But what about my past?" you may say. "I feel so guilty about it!" If you've been born again and made a new creature in Christ - that past doesn't belong to you anymore. And it would be ridiculous to walk around feeling guilty about someone else's past, wouldn't it?

Of course, your circumstances won't simply disappear. You may still be facing a difficult situation this Christmas. But, instead of allowing that situation to send you whimpering in defeat, you can face it boldly with joy of the Lord in your heart and the assurance of victory ahead! Can you really be joyful when things around you are going wrong?

A New Spiritual Force Is Now Active In Your Life
Absolutely! You see, joy is different than happiness. It's not dependent on your circumstances. It's a spiritual force that's generated by the Spirit of God within you. Joy will comfort you in the midst of the worst situations. It will strengthen you from the inside out, enabling you to handle circumstances that once overpowered you. Joy will put a smile on your face when there's no other reason to smile.

With the joy of the Lord in your heart, you don't have to wallow around in self-pity and grief until next year. You can start over now with a sense of excitement - knowing God loves you.

Think about that. God loves you. Sure, you've got some problems to be worked out. But, don't worry! His love is more than enough to get you through. In fact, His love is powerful enough to bring you out on top! As Romans 8:37 says, "we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

"But Brother Copeland," you may say, "I was born again a long time ago. And over the past few years, I've messed my life up terribly by rebelling against the Lord. What should I do?"

What A Time To Start Fresh!
Repent! Run to the Lord - not away from Him. Confess your sin and 1 John 1:9 says, "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Don't give those wasted years another thought - just start fresh with Jesus.

The Bible says, "Today is the day of salvation." What better time to turn your life around than at Christmas time. Right now, wherever you are, just give your life to Jesus. Then jump up and holler, "Praise God, I'm starting over!"…and have a merry, merry Christmas!