Christian Reflection and Prayer

How You Can Make a Fresh Start
Whitney Hopler

(The next Reflections will be a series
of 14 brief messages on how you can make a
Fresh Start in your life. It is my prayer
that these suggestions will help provide
a real renewal in your total life.)

Do you feel stuck?  Maybe you don't
like the way your life has been going
lately, but can't seem to change it.
No matter how stuck you may have
become, you can move forward with
God's help.  Here's how you can make
a fresh start to change your life for the better:

#6.  Move on from guilt.  If guilt over
wrong decisions you made in the past
is keeping you stuck, you can move on
with God's help.  Confess your sins,
mistakes, and failures to God, repent of
your sins, and accept the forgiveness that
He offers you.  Read and reflect on Bible
verses about forgiveness.  Pray for God
to give you peace about your past.  Talk
about your past and God's forgiveness
with some caring Christian friends who
will support you as you leave guilt behind.
Remember that there's absolutely nothing
you've done in the past that God can redeem. 
Move forward in the confidence that God has
not only forgiven you, but that He also wants
to use you to do significant work in His kingdom. 
Once you're free from guilt, you're free to say
"yes" to God when He presents opportunities
for you to serve Him.

{Adapted from Fresh Start: God's Invitation to
a Great Life copyright 2009 by Doug Fields.
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, Tn., www.thomasnelson.com.
Article publication date: August 20, 2009)

I the middle of this series "How You Can Make a
Fresh Start".
I thought I would give you something to keep in mind:

During all this discussion of sin and the role it plays in
our lives. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS=

The Book of Genesis tells us that we were created in
God's own image.

Please remember this always, "Why would God make us
all so different, if He wanted us to be the same?"

REMEMBER GOD LOVES YOU JUST THE WAY HE MADE YOU!

GOD BLESS YOU!

How You Can Make a Fresh Start
Whitney Hopler

Do you feel stuck? Maybe you don't
like the way your life has been going
lately, but can't seem to change it.
No matter how stuck you may have
become, you can move forward with
God's help. Here's how you can make
a fresh start to change your life for the better:

#5. Define success. If you've been chasing
success in the form of wealth, significance,
or security, you can get stuck never really
achieving the success you want. Recognize
that God defines success far differently than
our culture does. From God's perspective, a
successful person focuses on giving, not getting.
The way to achieve true success is by serving
other people for God's glory. Keep in mind that,
no matter how busy you are, you can always
find the time to do what you most want to do.
So make service a top priority in your life.
Pray for the ability to discern specific ways
God wants you to serve. Start small; simply
see a need and meet it. If you find that a
certain way you've tried to serve turns out
not to be a good match for you, keep looking
for other opportunities to serve well. Be sure
to take time out from serving to rest, though,
to keep your life in a healthy balance. When
you make service a vital part of your lifestyle,
you'll experience life as Jesus experienced it,
and you'll have more of His love flowing through
you. That's the ultimate success.

{Adapted from Fresh Start: God's Invitation to
a Great Life copyright 2009 by Doug Fields.
Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Nashville, Tn., www.thomasnelson.com.)
Article publication date: August 20, 2009