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Four Steps to a Fresh Start
// Kenneth W. Hagin
LET'S FACE IT. No one is perfect. When you make a mistake, the enemy often tries to tell you that it's over! He wants you to throw in the towel. We all mess up. But it's not the end. God said that if you ask for forgiveness, it's yours, and you can go on. Our Heavenly Father is the God of second chances—and third, and fourth, and fifth, and sixth chances!
Have you heard the story of "Wrong Way" Roy Riegels? On New Year's Day in 1929, Georgia Tech was playing the University of California in the Rose
Bowl. Riegels recovered a fumble and started running in the wrong direction! He ran 65 yards before one of his teammates was able to overtake him—just before he scored for the other team.
When the team went to their locker room during halftime, Riegels was devastated. He sat in a corner and cried like a baby. When it was time to go back on the field, the coach announced that the same men who played the first half would start the second. They all got up and headed out to the field—everyone except Roy Riegels.
The young player didn't want to play the second half. He was embarrassed and humiliated. He felt like he let everyone down—the team, the coach, the fans, and himself.
The coach said to him, "Roy, get up, and go back. The game is only half over."*
Roy Riegels went back in the game. He couldn't change what had happened in the first half, but he left his mistake behind him and amazed the crowd during the remainder of the game.
Always Press Forward
You have to remember that God can turn anything around. So never let your past define your future! Nothing you have done in the past will affect your tomorrow unless you let it. It's not what you've done—it's what you're going to do that is important.
Thank God for everything He brought you through. But Paul said, "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on" (Phil. 3:13–14 NIV). The lows and highs of the past are history. They won't do you any good tomorrow. Forget all of it—the good, the bad, the ugly—everything. Let it go. You can't change it. If you live in the past, it will hinder you from pressing on.
If you've messed up, get back up! No matter how young or old you are, Jesus has His arm out to you saying, "Come on! Let's go! Get back in the game. Play like you've never played before. There's a great future ahead!"
Four Simple Steps
Are you ready to experience the start of a new chapter in your life? These four steps will help you let go of the past, get up after your mistakes, and find success as you press on.
KEEP GOD FIRST. The basic formula for a fresh start is to put God first 365 days a year, not just when you go to church or are around other Christians. Keep Him number one every day in your home, in your business, and in every step of the way. Your relationship with God is the secret of your success.
FORGET THE PAST. You can't have a fresh start by dwelling on the past! Everybody wants to be successful. Everybody makes mistakes. You can be a success or a failure. It's up to you. It doesn't depend on what you did yesterday, last year, or the last five years. It depends on what you're going to do tomorrow.
DON'T TRY TO FIGURE OUT THE FUTURE. Just live for God day by day and do what He asks you to do. When you follow His guidance, you'll get to the end of where He is leading you, and you'll discover that you were able to do a lot more than you thought you could!
PUT GOD'S WORD FIRST. In every situation, find out what God says about it. Then go with what God says, not what somebody else says. You can't neglect the Bible and expect to find true prosperity and happiness. The Bible must have a tremendous place in your life every day if you're going to be a success.
Tomorrow is yours. What you do with each new day is up to you. Whether it's a new year or a new life, you can point at yourself and say, "The future will be exactly what I make it."
* Lowitt, Bruce (1999-09-26). "Wrong Way' Riegels takes off into history." St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2017-11-07.
FAITH IN ACTION
The Importance of the Word
To lead a clean, courageous, strong life, it's important to know what the Bible says. Jesus Christ set the example for us to overcome temptation. When He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, He countered each temptation by quoting scripture: "It is written." To get through the hardships and dangers of life, we need to know the Word and speak it.
Get a Bible, and build your life on its principles. Don't just read it every so often or glance at a quick passage in the morning as you run out the door. Take time to sit down and read the Word for meditation and study purposes. This is your own personal time, not a time to find things for others. The Holy Spirit will minister scriptures to you and your heart that reflect what you need.
Challenge yourself to read through the Bible every year. You might consider purchasing a one-year Bible that is already divided into daily readings. You will be surprised at how much you will get out of it! Every morning God will give you something that will minister to you. As you read, thoughts will jump out at you. The Holy Spirit is trying to help you with that day. Grab hold of it! You will need it before the day is over.
GET STRONGER
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