We are in a new year, a "way" we have not passed before. As the new year unfolds, many of us resolve to do things that will affect our lives positively. But unless we do something about the things that have limited our success in the past, we'll end this year in the same position we're in now.
We cannot deal with our tomorrows until we have dealt with our yesterdays.
Take Personal Inventory
First, we need to deal with the fear that we will repeat past failures. This fear keeps many people from success. Miss Fowler, my first-grade teacher, was tough but encouraging. She constantly told us, "You are not a failure until you fail to get up and try again."
Yesterday is gone. We can do nothing about it. But in Christ Jesus, we have already been forgiven. In Him, when we've repented of our mistakes, they no longer exist.
Hebrews 10:16-17 says,
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.And Paul writes in Romans,
There is therefore NOW no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.You past failures are gone forever. Don't allow them to keep you from succeeding tomorrow.
(Rom. 8:1)
We also need to get rid of the fear of the unknown. Many people are so secure where they are, they won't move into something unfamiliar. But faith is stepping out on God's Word beyond where we feel comfortable. If we're going to receive, we have to go beyond what we can see and begin to walk by faith in God and His Word.
Believing In The Unknown
To succeed in the natural, we often have to go out on a limb, so to speak, beyond what we can see and feel. If you have an investment plan, you are, to a degree, believing in something you can't see. You believe that over the long term, you will receive a good return on your investment.
No one can guarantee that for you. In fact, a good investment counselor will tell you he can't guarantee that. He can only tell you what he thinks will happen. You simply go into that transaction believing that you will receive.
But God tells us exactly what will happen if we trust in Him and His Word. He doesn't tell us something may happen. He tells us it will happen. And we have to walk by faith in what He says, because we can't see or feel it.
In Mark 11:23-24, Jesus tells us, in effect, "If you will believe you receive, you shall have it guaranteed!" But many people are not only afraid to walk past their fear of the unknown, they are afraid of the future. They pray, "Oh, God, change this!" Then when it starts changing, they still feel afraid because they don't know exactly how the situation will turn out, and they draw back.
I know of a woman who prayed for years that her husband would go to church and get involved. When he finally went and started getting involved, she stopped coming! For some reason, she found out she didn't want him there after all!
God dealt with man's fear a long time ago. What did the angel of the Lord say to the shepherds outside Bethlehem? "Fear not, for the Savior has come." In other words, the angel said, "the one who will calm all your fears has been born in Bethlehem." There need be no fear for those who are in Christ Jesus.
He Is Everything To Me
My trust is not in natural things, but in God Himself. He said that if I put my trust in Him I can walk through the valley when it looks like death is on every hand, and fear nothing. That's because He is my source. He is my provider and protector. He is everything to me.
I encourage you to start the new year by removing the obstacle of fear and declaring that your trust in Him alone—in Jesus Christ, your Lord, and Savior.
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