Most people begin anew on January 1st but I believe that Easter is really the time for new beginnings.  It is a time of year that focuses on the giving of new life and re-birth. It’s a time when we come out of the winter slumber and break forth into the warm sun and enjoy the wonderful world Our Lord has created for us. It’s also a time when I take a close look at my life and ask God into my heart to spring clean my soul.  Out with the old and in with the new!I eagerly await the new assignments He will bless me with with eager anticipation.

To a non-believer new life and re-birth can look a lot like death and the end of something; but when we take a look at past events in Christian history we clearly see how The Lord allowed some things to pass away so that He could give them new life. The first example that comes to mind is Lazerus. His family was mourning his death because basically…he died. For three days they missed the old Lazerus. They grieved for the loss of their loved one and to their eyes it seemed as if God was a “no show” on their prayers for healing. Jesus showed alright! He came, He spoke, He resurrected!  This single event SHOULD have been enough for anyone, believer or non-believer to believe. Death to Life in the clap of a hand. Jesus literally taught a lesson of “things aren’t always what they seem” and man STILL did not believe. When Jesus died on the cross God repeated this lesson and many more but the one that stands out most to me at Easter time is the fact that it looked TOTALLY hopeless to the followers of Jesus. He was dead on the cross then buried in a solid rock tomb. Gone forever. They had no faith even after witnessing the Lazerus incident. If God could give new life to an ordinary man like Lazerus for the purpose of proving to an unbelieving group that it COULD be done then where was their faith that he would resurrect His son for the sake of saving man kind?  I hear what you’re thinking…”That was back in the day when Jesus walked the earth. It’s different now, God don’t raise the dead in 2006”. Oh but He does!

Got a dead or dying marriage? God can resurrect it! How about a job or career that’s on its last leg? God can revive that too! How about children or grandchildren who are headed towards spiritual and maybe even physical death because of their actions or refusal to listen to your wisdom and guidance? God can give them new life as well!! 

Now for those of you who read this and say to yourself “she’s nuts!” you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain by paying close attention. It doesn’t matter of you’ve never said a prayer in your life, or if you pray all day long. This works for everyone who is willing to believe. Feel like you just can’t buy into the possibility that the Lord can fix your unfixable situation? You’ve got nothing to lose by trying and you’ll be no worse off for surrendering the situation. When you do, the outcome is a win-win situation for you. You will either receive the answer you want or BETTER!

Stop living each day with no hope for a solution and the sorrow of an inevitable death of whatever your burden may be and start living with the knowledge that GOD GIVES NEW LIFE AND NEW BEGINNINGS WHEN YOU LET HIM!!!  It’s never too late… you can start right this second.

Stop trying to fix your marriage on your own, don’t struggle with that addiction or abuse by yourself, let God make you worthy of the perfect job chosen JUST for you by HIM!  Let Him give you the wisdom YOU need to guide your children the proper way and then lay it at the foot of the cross and Let Him breathe new life into it!!  While your waiting on Him; let Him make you worthy of the answer.

“Worthy of the answer?” you ask. In order to appreciate the blessings of a resurrection in your life you have to have a changed heart that is capable of seeing the Divine intervention. When you let Him, God will give you that heart and with it a constant feeling of hope and expectation for the blessings He will shower you with each and every day. If you don’t see everything in your life as a blessing now then you definitely NEED a renewed heart! With it, no problem or issue is too big and you’ll never look at any situation as “unfixable” again.

Human beings will always try to fix their problems by themselves because we often think we can handle it or that we know what’s best. We’ve allowed ourselves to believe that when God doesn’t answer in a jiffy that He isn’t answering at all. We’ve allowed the devil to convince us to fear God’s will and that if God isn’t giving us what we want then He will give us something we DON’T want or need instead of realizing that ALL good things come from God!  We’ve forgotten how or never really trusted The Lord to bring us out of the messes we get ourselves into. Or worse, we believe the biggest lie of all, that we have been so disgraceful and have done so much wrong that God would NEVER give us the time of day let alone a changed heart and life. Not true. He doesn’t hold the past against you, He helps you overcome the obstacles you’ll face in the future and so long as you let Him, He will hold you in His loving arms, protected by His strength and wisdom, blessed with His grace and unmatchable love for all eternity.

So stop living day by day wondering if it will ever get better. Stop letting the substance you may be addicted to hold you in bondage or the abuser keep abusing. Get ready for that career change or to fall in love with your spouse all over again or if you’re waiting for the perfect one, get ready for God’s best angel to sweep you off your feet!  Step out in faith and get ready for a NEW LIFE! A NEW BEGINNING!  Without sounding like I’m trying to “sell” you on this life of blessings and miracles I will only say that I am so confident in what God CAN and WILL do in your life that I guarantee if you let Him in and Let Him do it…you’ll get your miracle! That’s a promise! If you need help taking the first step, come in and see me…we’ll do it together!

Until we meet again…Simply Believe!!