We just ushered in 2013! If you are like me, you are glad to see some of the storms of 2012 gone by. Yet there’s a reminder of the 2012 storms in our consequences.
Do you want a New Start? How, you ask? More like who! Did you know that Jesus came to change your life and to give you a New Start? All you have to do is ask Jesus to forgive you and start living your life for Him! Simple. Not religion, rules, or regulations––but freedom!
The word “free” or “freedom” is in the Bible over 100 times? Jesus really wants you to be free from worry, doubt, fear, sin, and a host of other things that weigh us down. He said, “If I set you free, you will be free indeed.” Why don’t you give Jesus the chance for freedom and a New Start today!
Acts 3:1-11 is perhaps one of the most beautiful new starts in all of scripture. A crippled beggar is sitting by the temple gate called “Beautiful” (that is a concept that will preach––for a later post!). Two believers on their way to pray stop and give him, not what he was asking for, but Jesus! They grab the beggar by the hand, and pray in the name of Jesus––Healed! Free! A New Start!
Today as you read this, there are 4 components that we all need for a New Start…
- Expectancy – The beggar knew that if stayed at the gate, he would get something. He was expecting a New Start!
- Faith – When Peter and John prayed, “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” He didn’t second guess himself or think to himself “What if this doesn’t work?” He stepped up and walked!
- Praise – In verse 8, the Bible clearly states that he went praising God! When you get a New Start––“Praise God,” because He is the Author of Second Chances!
- Billboard – This beggar that had been healed and set free went and became a billboard for the life-changing power of Jesus! The Bible shows us that because of his healing, the people that saw him “rushed out in AMAZEMENT!”
Take 2013 and let Jesus build a New Start in your life! Expect, Have Faith, Praise Him, and be a Billboard! Then watch AMAZEMENT fill the people around you! Let Jesus get all the glory of your life! A Fresh Start!