By Pastor Dennis Morales

Pastor Dennis Morales

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:18-19a NIV).

New phone luster, new clothes, new car smell, new resolutions.  These all seem to fade pretty quickly.

Given the New Year, it is still a great time to reset the course to change. God sets the first course in change, which is to “forget the former things.”  God doesn’t concentrate on your problems or failures.  He says, I am going to do something “new.”

Isaiah was speaking to God’s people who were in captivity.  They had failed miserably, and it seemed they had no way out.  As long as they dwelled on the past, God could not do something new.

The devil would always have you look back, too.  Because when we dwell upon our failures, often fear, shame, and isolation are not too far away.  And that’s the devil’s intention, to get you isolated from God.  Because when we come to God, we find forgiveness and peace.

The Bible says, “Gods mercies are new every morning,” (Lamentations 3:23).  The Apostle Paul practiced, “… forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,” (Philippians 3:13).  Paul’s life had a strong focus on God that helped him prioritize everything else.

God always fixes our eyes on the things that are ahead because He wants to do something new.  He wants you to have not just a better physique or a better relationship; God wants to give you something deeper.  He wants to free you from sin and set you on the course of peace (Philippians 4:7).

Happy New Year!

Calvary Chapel Eastvale meets Sundays, 10:30 a.m., at Clara Barton Elementary (7437 Corona Valley Ave, Eastvale). Visit their website athttp://www.CalvaryEastvale.org.