Something
Old, Something New
Dr.
Roy Hicks Jr. was a unique preacher. If
you ever heard him speak, you know what I mean. His words were not threaded with flowery
phrases or pointed illustrations for the most part, but “velvet colored bricks”
that flew from the pulpit and hit you right in the forehead. In a
word…impacting.
Roy, author of “Praise the Name of
Jesus,” never wrote a book while he was alive, but recently one was released
posthumously with sermon excerpts entitled: “A Small Book About God.” The opening chapter is so appropriate for new
beginnings. It’s called, “I Make All
Things New.” He writes:
“God doesn’t make all things new by
changing the outside. He wants to remake
the substance of our lives. When God
summons a soul, it’s not a one-time event. He calls us to something new every
day. We get all excited about
self-improvement, but God doesn’t really seem to be in the improvement
business. He prefers to get to the core
of the problem. He is the God of
change. So when God says, ‘Behold, I
make all things new,’ think about…You.
Think about the person you are.
Think about your character or personhood.” So you see some room for improvement, some
need for some propping up here and there?
I have tremendous news for you.
God is not a fixer. He is a
Creator! The One who speaks out of
eternity into your specific moment has a very personal message for you: “Behold I make all things new.”
He adds: “Many of us who have been
through loss or failure, treasure Isaiah’s word about newness. ‘Do not remember the former things, nor
consider the things of old. Behold, I
will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth: shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness,
and rivers in the desert.’ (Isaiah
43:18,19) Four simple instructions out of these two verses can help you to
cooperate with the thing God wants to do in your life.
1) Let
Go Of The Old: This has a passive and
active side. The passive side has to do
with surrender. “I refuse to hang onto
it.” The active side is a renouncing of
the past. In 2 Corinthians 4:2, Paul
talks about actively letting go when he writes:
“I have renounced the hidden things of shame.”
2) Get
Ready: Peter would refer to this as
“Gird up the loins of your mind.” Get
ready to run. Get ready to move. Get ready to change location. Get ready to adjust…
3) Do
The Possible: Remember the woman who
thought, “If I can just touch the hem of His garment, I shall be made
well. (Luke 8:41-56). She did the possible and received a
healing. She accepted the responsibility
for the possible and left it up to Jesus to accomplish the impossible.
4) Move
With The New: Birthings are moments of
both promise and vulnerability. God is
trying to prosper and bless you. By your
words – and by your decision to move with Him – you can be a part of bringing
His miracles into being.”
Allow God to work something
new in you today.
Terry Risser
Consider reading the Word:
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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