"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Romans 12:2
The first week of a brand-new beginning starts today. This occurrence got me thinking about fresh starts and new year's resolutions. The truth is we ALL need fresh starts, not just at the onset of a new year, but constantly. This principle is why a person wouldn't eat on the first of the month, expecting to feel full for the remaining three weeks. Instead, we continuously supply energy to our bodies, constantly restarting a refueling cycle. Similarly, our spiritual lives also need a restart. When we intentionally refresh ourselves, we avoid slipping into old habits and ways of thinking. God understood this when He created us and captured it in the scriptures:
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23
His mercies are NEW every morning. God pours out new, fresh mercy for our old ways of living, allowing us the possibility of a fresh start. His mercy is His unmerited favor lavished on us; His unconditional love refreshing us every morning. If God renews His mercy daily, how much more should we renew our commitments and focus each day?
So, what do you do to refresh yourself daily through God's mercy?
Here are three daily things we should do to walk in God's new mercies in this new year.
1. Forgive Yourself As God Has Forgiven You
God can and will forgive you when you ask. How much more should we forgive ourselves? One of the most common ways to impede His new, daily mercy is by lacking self-forgiveness. You cannot truly accept God's forgiveness unless you can forgive yourself. In fact, being forgiven by God requires you to forgive yourself as well. Do not become your worst enemy, keeping yourself from experiencing His mercy. Let go of the past and grab ahold of your future.
2. Start Your Day Off Right
For goodness' sake… don't start your day off with negative news, sleeping too late, procrastinating your schedule, or other things that start you off wrong. They say the most important meal of the day is breakfast because it jump-starts your metabolism and gets your body moving.
Likewise, what you decide to do to start your day is your most critical decision. So goes the first fruits of your day, so goes your focus and energy for that day.
I encourage you to have a plan for your beginning routine. Start by renewing your mind by reading the Bible, praying, exercising, connecting with your family, cleaning, or doing something that will get you spiritually jump-started. Don't leave your morning routine to chance; get proactive.
3. Speak Life Over Your Life
The most important person you will talk to all day besides God is YOURSELF. You will either break yourself or build yourself up depending on the nature of the conversations you have with yourself.
You will never outperform your image of yourself, and you will never live above how you talk to yourself. So if your self-talk is a 3 out of 10 in terms of negativity, then you will never rise above a three on your performance; So goes your inner words and beliefs so go your external performance and productivity.
You will never see a truly highly successful person who is a negative person (and I don't mean rich or famous, that's not what success is). However, almost all unsuccessful people are pessimistic about themselves.
Speak life over your life by speaking the blessings and provision of God for your life. Own the fact that you are a child of God Jesus' baptized and Spirit-filled, and an heir of God's Kingdom.
What do you plan to do to start fresh in God's mercy each day?
Have a Blessed Week,
Pastor (Rev. Elias Limones)
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