Are you looking for Five Steps to a Happy new Year? At church this week, we shared these words from Isaiah:
Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Isaiah 43:18-19
I thought these words that Isaiah said were from the Lord were the perfect way to begin the New Year. Too often we hold onto the former things. We definitely need to learn from our past, but when we dwell on it, the past will put her talons in us and hold us captive.
Some dwell on the good old days. We can’t move into the new thing God has for us because we’re too busy reminiscing and missing what we can never have again. Memories should bring us joy, they should inspire us to grow and become even better than we are now. If we get stuck in grief or spend all our energy trying to restore days gone by, we will miss the new thing God has planned.
Others dwell on all their mistakes. They spend the turn of the calendar regretting every misstep of the past three hundred sixty-five days. While we must take responsibility for the wrongs we committed against others, and amends will always be necessary, focusing on the negative will only produce more negative.
Jesus Christ came to make me new–and He came to make you new too!
2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here!Revelation 21:5 says,
He who was seated on the throne said,
“I am making everything new!”
A Happy New Year is possible! I can’t promise that tragedy won’t strike or you won’t experience loss, but I can guarantee that a New Year concentrated on Jesus Christ offers more joy than you ever imagined.
So, here are those five steps to a Happy New Year I promised.
- Make Christ your Savior – If you’ve already done that, you’re already on the way to a tremendously blessed 2024.
- Take Responsibility for the Hurts You’ve Caused – Before you forget them, embrace your wrongs. Stop placing blame. You can’t fix what you won’t admit is broken. Make amends where necessary. You might even consider a recovery group if you have a hard time accepting responsibility.
- Praise God for the Beauty in Your Life – You obviously don’t have to completely forget those people and events that brought you great joy. On the other hand, if you’ve lost something or someone and haven’t been able to move on, the New Year is a great time to start the process. It will take time, don’t feel like you have to rush it, but if you find you aren’t moving forward, find a counselor, a pastor, or a good friend to help you walk through.
- Look for the New Things God is Doing – If you’ve spent considerable time worrying about the past or longing for it to return, you may have missed the amazing things God is attempting to build for you. At the end of every day, write down at least one new thing you’ve seen. Or take some time to learn something new every day. You’ll be amazed at the new you’ll see when you begin to look for it.
- Dwell in the Love of Jesus – God said, “Don’t dwell the the past.” The best way to do that is to dwell in His love. I do that by reading scripture every day and enjoying fellowship with other Christians at least twice a week. Constant conversation with the Creator helps keep me living in Him and His promises.
Jesus loves you! He has so much for you. Take some time to enjoy Him today!
Thanks for stopping by!
In addition to finding Five Steps to a Happy new Year
Perhaps you’d like to Check out this devotional written especially
for people who think they keep messing everything up.
