And as I begin with my introduction I will start with a question. How many of you would like to have something new or a fresh start in your life. I ask that question because many of us here have made many mistakes in our lives. As Christians and as individuals. You see, we have experienced many setbacks and failures throughout our lives and sometimes, we allow these mistakes, we allow these setbacks, we allow these failures to enslave us to the point that we never enjoy the full life that God has given us to enjoy.

In John 10:10. Jesus says, “I come that you might have light. Have it more abundantly.

Then He goes on to tell us that there is an adversary called the devil that seeks to steal, to kill, and to destroy that light. See, the devil, remember one thing. If you don’t remember anything else, the devil will always try to remind us about past. Why, in order to keep us from enjoying the life that God gave us to live. The devil does not want you to have a fresh start in life. He doesn’t want you to experience something new, but the good news is God says, “I want you to have a fresh start in life. I want you to have a new beginning. I want to do something new in your life.” Aren’t you a glad that God wants to do something new in your life? Doesn’t it make you excited? I know it makes me excited to know that God desires to give you and I a fresh start, a new beginning. What all of us need is a fresh start, a new beginning with God.

You know here we are at the end of the year. And I remember as all of us started out January last year, we all said, maybe not all, but some of us said, “You know what? New year, I’m going to grow in my relationship with God. I’m going to pray more. I’m going to read my Bible more. I’m going to get more involved in my church. I’m going to spend more quality time with my family.

Remember saying that? Remember thinking that Remember praying Lord give me the strength to be able to do that – to get involved? Well, that list goes on and on and on. The fact, is all of us here have made some mistakes from January to December. We made some bad decisions from January to December. And those mistakes, for some of us have hindered us from doing the things that we set out to do, that we wanted to do.

Well, here’s some more good news. According to Isaiah 43:18, the Lord says, “Forget about what has happened before. Do not think about the past. Instead, look at the new things that I’m going to do. Listen now to what God is saying, is that verse. Forget about what’s happened before. He says, “Don’t think about the past. It’s over. The book is closed on that, and we need to understand saints of God, that God is far more interested in our future than He is in our past.

Some people think that God is stuck on our pasts. That all He wants to do is to just remind us of the things that we have done wrong. No, no, no, no, no.

See, God is more interested in your future. More interested in your future than in your past. Because that’s where he’s keeping us. That’s where we are going to spend the rest of our lives. He says, “Forget about your past. Forget about those former things. Don’t think about it. Look at the new thing I’m going to do. I’m talking about the newness.

Walking in God’s newness.

Israel, at that time, was being punished for their sins and their rebellion against God. God wanted to give hope and an encouragement to His people. He wanted them to know that even though they were being honest, they were not being forsaken. God wanted His people to understand that the punishment that they were experiencing would not be the end of them. The fact is that God wanted to give them a fresh start in life. A new beginning in life.

But Israel, no doubt, was discouraged because they thought, this was the end of them. They’d gone too far. They had sinned, and rebelled against God to the point that He was no longer their God. That’s what they thought. That was their thinking. Maybe they thought God would not deliver them again, that it was all over, and that is when they began to remember the former things, or the past deliverances that God had done for them.

They could remember past deliverances. They could remember past victories. They could remember when they were trapped by the Red Sea. And they had nowhere to go, how God made a way for them. They could remember when the enemy was about to overtake them, how He provided protection for them. They could remember the former things, but they couldn’t see their future.

God said, “I’m going to do something new. Maybe that’s where we find ourselves. Maybe we find we are thinking the same way that Israel thought, that it’s all over, how could God, love me after the things that I have done? How would God take time to care about me?

We’ll I’m here to tell you again God loves us all.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”

That’s proof that God wants us to step out on His newness, the newness that He’s given us. That’s why when so many people’s minds are in the state of woe is me, woe is me, I tell you, it’s not over. That’s the good news. God is saying that I got you.

The first step is, number one. you have to change your focus.

Verse 18 tells us that, “Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. Quit looking behind. Start looking ahead.

One thing that I’ve learned, maybe some of you have learned the same thing, and that is, if you are continually looking behind, you cannot see where you are going and what’s ahead. If you are ever going to move on to new things, you must never, ever depend on past victories to sustain you. God is telling us, forget the former things.

In my conclusion, I want you to understand that if you want to embrace the new things of God, as I said, you need to refocus your thoughts. Ehat means you have to stop thinking some old patterns. So what memories are you still rehearsing that keep you from having a fresh start at life?

The Bible says, “Let it go because the more you hold on to that memory, the more you rehearse it, it continues to hurt you today.

You know, there are times when people have been hurt in their youth from abuse, from all kinds of things, not having two parents in the home, not being able to get those sneakers so that you could join tryouts for the basketball team, or things twhich you love to do, or this, or that, or this, or that.

And we begin to rehearse it, and when you started rehearsing that, it began to get into your spirit. It affected not only your present, but it begins to work in your life as you matriculate through life. You have to let all of that go. It cannot hurt you. When you let it go, those memories that are continuing to hurt you today, won’t be able to hurt you.

Father God, we thank You for Your Word, which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Help us to forget the former things and walk in the newness You have given us. Give us strength to take life one day at a time as we move toward eternity with You.

We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen and amen.