Christian Reflection and Prayer

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

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:

#4. Deal with pride. What dreams have
you been hoping would come true, yet
have remained stuck in your mind and
haven't become reality? As you think
about them, consider your motivation for
pursuing them. Can you recognize pride
at work? Is it possible that some of your
dreams are based on your desire to get
people to notice and value you? If so,
you've been aiming for the wrong dreams
in those cases. God has better plans for
you, and if you're willing to trade your
dreams for God's dreams for your life, you
won't be stuck anymore. You can move
toward true greatness when you pursue
God's dreams, because in the process,
He will transform you into a person with
strong character, like Jesus. Pray for
the humility you need to surrender your
own agenda and cooperate with God's
plans for your life.

{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

(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.)


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:

#3. Identify the pain that lies underneath
your sinful attitudes and behaviors. 
Whatever problem you're trying to
change - porn, gambling, overspending,
speaking profanity, or something else -
has some pain that's causing it.  Ask
God to reveal the core reason why you're
struggling with the sin that is making you
stuck in life right now.  Tell God that you
want to live in a way that pleases Him
and is healthy for you.  Trust Him to heal
your pain as you move closer to 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