A Fresh Start!

Do you sometimes feel like the world is spinning out of control? Do you feel like life is tangled up like a spider’s web? Feeling stuck and hopeless? Wishing there was a “reset” button to push?  Whispering to yourself, “If only I could start a new life?”

Well, good news friends! A fresh start and a new life are possible!

Sounds to be good to be true, but it’s real and not impossible at all.

You can begin a new life and have a fresh start because God’s mercies are new every morning:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
 Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3: 22-23 (NLT)

I have heard countless stories of people whose lives have been changed by God.

For example, a few years ago, my husband and I were invited to a seminar in another church on prison ministry. We heard someone share about guidelines for prison ministry including practical aspects like collecting cookies for inmates. Then, the leader of the group shared his own personal story. Ron shared how his life in the past was a mess. He was in jail and had to serve several years in prison for various crimes such as robbery, drug abuse, etc. Even in prison, he started out as a very tough guy who got into fights with other inmates.

Then one day, he heard a man who came to the prison and talked about the salvation Jesus offers. As he continued to study the Bible and listen to Christian teachings, his life was changed. He accepted Jesus into his heart and became a changed man! His behavior changed, and those in the prison saw this remarkable change. He was given an early release and parole. Later, he met a Christian woman and married. He was even given a pardon and is now a real “free man.” Now, he and his wife are serving the Lord through a prison ministry. He is indeed a free man, both physically and spiritually. The Bible says, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32 (NKJV)

I was truly amazed as I heard him speak about his past life. It was hard for me to imagine that he had been a bad guy in the past. As I looked at him now, he appeared to be a gentle and kind man. Ron had been transformed into a completely different person. God is still in the business of changing lives!

As the Word of God says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!  2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.  Romans 5:8 (NLT)

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  John 10:10 (NIV)

Perhaps your life is not as bad as Ron’s. However, the Word of God says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23 NKJV)  No one, not one person is perfect. Big and small sins are all the same in the eyes of God. Jesus was the only perfect man who walked on earth because He is the Son of God. However, we have hope:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NKJV)

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  Romans 10:9-10 (NIV)

In John 3:5-8 (NIV), Jesus tells us how to have a new life:

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spiritgives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘Youmust be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Do you want a fresh start, a new life? It is not about changing religions or churches. It is a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  It is really simple.  Believe, repent, have faith in Jesus, and receive the love of God in your heart.  

To begin a new life in Christ, here is a simple prayer guide:

Dear God, thank You for your love for me and for sending Jesus. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying on the cross for my sins. I believe that God raised you up from the dead. Please forgive my sins.  I open my heart to you as my Lord and Savior. Holy Spirit please help me to have a new life in Christ.  In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.