January 1, 2023
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (ESV)
“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)
WOW! The New Year is here! Are you ready for NEW in 2023? Are you ready for a new beginning? Are you ready for not only a new 
year but a new you? Are you ready for freshness in your relationship with Christ? He does not want new year’s resolutions; He wants all of you NEW. To get NEW you must do something different NEW! To receive something NEW, the OLD must go to make room for the NEW ~ more room for more of HIM! Are you ready for new perspectives, new thoughts, new mindsets, new agreements, and new assignments ~ making room for GOD to do even GREATER? In 2023 God is not done yet!
God made us whole beings and He desires that we be NEW in every area of our lives: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Are you ready to surrender some old stuff you have been hiding or rehashing and be delivered completely NEW? I love the way Eugene Peterson says it in Romans 12:1-2 “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, and develops well-formed maturity in you.” MSG. Don’t be guilty of carrying anything into 2023 that which God has not ordained of God!
God is a covenant-keeping God, and as Christians, we should be a covenant-keeping people. We should honor our word and keep our promises. Every promise that we make as Christians should be considered a “covenant.” The command is to “simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’! Matthew 5:37.
Are you ready to totally surrender to God and give Him what He wants to do in and through your life? Are you ready to be transformed by the renewal of your mind in your daily walk with Christ and discern what is good and acceptable and perfect unto HIM? Make Jesus the LORD of your life!
What is the New Covenant? It is the promise God makes to humanity that He will forgive sin and restore fellowship with those whose hearts are turned toward Him. Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant, and His death on the cross is the basis of the promise. He says in Luke 22:20 “After supper, he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the New Covenant between God and his people, an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.”
The Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:8 that we are no longer under the Law but under grace, “ For by
grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” The Old Covenant has served its purpose and been replaced by “a better covenant”. In the New Covenant, we are given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift. We have a responsibility to exercise faith in Christ, the One who fulfilled the Law on our behalf and brought an end to the Law’s sacrifices through His own sacrificial death. Through the Holy Spirit who lives in all Believers in Christ, we share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a lasting, uninterrupted relationship with God.
RX: A NEW 
HEART: Ezekiel 36:26-27. “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey
my regulations.” (NLT). Ezekiel lists several aspects of the New Covenant here: a new heart, a new spirit, the indwelling Holy Spirit, and true holiness. This is what Joel meant in his prophecy, there is a day coming when God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh, not just some. The Spirit was poured out upon very few on the Day of Pentecost. Today God is calling out a people for His name. The minute you turn to Christ, you are regenerated by the Holy Spirit; you are indwelt and baptized by the Holy Spirit; you are put in the body of believers. In that day,” God says, “I’ll put My Spirit within you, you shall be My people, and I will be your God.” Praise God!
FATHER GOD, Thank You Father for the New Covenant that allows us to go directly to You through Christ. Thank You we no longer need to rely on sacrificed animals and mediating Priests to obtain Your forgiveness. Help us to be obedient to Your call to move old stuff and make more room for You Father, in the Precious, Powerful and Preeminent Name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.
