The
New Has Come
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come
2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV.
TODAY’S
WORD
When you receive Jesus
Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are a new creation! You have a new spirit,
a new walk, a new life! There may be “old” things in your life that you are
trying to get rid of. Maybe you have old habits or addictions that you want to
change. Remember today that the new has come. It’s a new year with new
opportunities, and it’s time for you to be the new you. Let this be the year
that you break old habits and addictions. Let this be the year that you move
forward into a new life of victory. Let this be the year that you take hold of
all the spiritual blessings the Lord has promised—peace, health, protection and
victory.
Be encouraged today because
no matter what is happening in your life right now, you have a chance for a new
beginning. Choose today to leave the old behind—old behaviors, old thinking,
old words—and embrace the new by faith because this is your year to experience
the new life that He has prepared for you!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Heavenly Father, thank You
for making me new. I choose today to leave behind the old life and ask that You
empower me by Your spirit. Help me to understand Your plan and know the truth
of Your Word that sets me free in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
"The LORD is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The LORD protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid." (Psalm 27:1 TEV)
The fear of rejection is based on two things. First, we all need to be loved. That's a fact. We all desperately need massive doses of love in our life to be healthy individuals. God says, "I want to love you." God is love, and he knows you need to be loved.
But, second, we develop the false idea that our need to be loved is solely dependent upon one person or a group of people. When you expect someone else to meet 100 percent of your need for love, you're asking for trouble. You're setting yourself up for hurt and opening the door for the fear of rejection. When you look to any other person besides God to meet all your love needs, he or she can't. There is no human being alive that can love you as completely and as fully as you need to be loved, and there never will be. Only God can do that.
So, the first step in overcoming the fear of rejection is to put God in first place, because he's the only one who can ultimately meet all your needs.
Does God ever love us through other people? Of course. Does God want us to love others? Yes. Does he want to use us as channels of love? Absolutely.
But, you will never have all your needs met by any person or group of people. God never meant it to be that way. They just don't have enough love. Human love is limited. God's love is unlimited and unconditional. No matter how deep your need is, he can fill it.
The first step in overcoming the fear of rejection is realizing the Lord, not anyone else, is your light and salvation: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The LORD protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid” (Psalm 27:1 TEV). This means I look to the Lord to brighten my day, so I am not dependent on others to make or break my day. I look to the Lord to save my life, so I am not dependent on others to accept or reject me.
And this means I need no longer be afraid.
The key to assertiveness is not to psych yourself up, not to be aggressive and live in a selfish way, but to understand how deeply God loves you. When that really sinks in, you’ll be able to say, “God loves me, and if you don't like me, that's your problem!”
The secret of simplifying life is saying, "I'm going to do what pleases God. If I do that, it sure simplifies life. And, if I please God, it's always the right thing to do. It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks."
Talk About It
- Whom have you been trying to please? What has been the result?
- What practical changes can you make to ensure you are doing what pleases God?
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