New Growth Starts With God

Today's sermon in church was amazing. Our pastor is doing a sermon series called Etch a Sketch, today's series is called Clean Slate. Pretty self explanatory on the Clean Slate part if you have ever played with an Etch a Sketch. It was an interesting analogy though.

God does wipe our slate clean, and often. When you open your life to Christ he does wipe your slate clean. God's promise is a Genesis, meaning that he starts at the beginning. He wants to have a Genesis of change in our lives in order to grant us Growth in this New Year. He created the world out of nothing (ex nihilo).

God gives us direction, passion, provision, purpose, meaning etc. Pastor Kerry listed 6 points for the Divine Process for Creating Change

1. Light: The Promise of God And God said "Let there be light, and there was light" vs 3 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Ps 119:105

Daily Get into God's word for His Illumination, there are 7000 promises in the Bible, Claim them as your own as you are reading through your daily reading.

2. Land: The possibility on earth And God said, Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear, and it was so. God called the dry ground, Land. vs 9,10 Opportunities and possibilities -We have to have our eyes open to them, in order to see them to take advantage of them.

New possibilities can be disguised as problems- such as finances, job loss, relationships... God wants to Bless you Life he uses the problems to get you to that Blessing, in some ways redirect Your Path. God allows us to be shaken to turn us to Him to bring us to the bridge of Him to receive His blessings.

3. Life: The passion of your heart Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds. And it was so. The land produced vegetation and bearing seed according to their kinds and tree bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Vs 11-12 Problems and pressures can cover up the passion of Life. Live from your Passion. God creates life and life grows.

4. Likeness: The pursuit of Christ's character. Then God said "Let us make man in Our image, in Our likeness... So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created Him, male and female He created them. Vs 26-27

We are a Spiritual Creation, We should make Spiritual Growth our number one Resolution. God chips away at our rough edges of our character to be more like Him.

5. Leverage: The purpose of God's Blessings New opportunities God Blessed them and said to them "Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. Vs 28 Increase your Influence.

God Blesses you to be a blessing to others.

6. Limits" The power of God's care and control " By seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing, so on the seventh day He rested all His work.

" Gen 2:2 God has to make the change in your life. Tell God you need the power to see inspiration, opportunities etc.

We get the Light: Inspiration from God by Daily Reading Daily Writing- journaling ex promises Daily meditation (memorizing)

Daily Application- put it into your life.

Remember also that Last year is over Forget out the failures and also the successes.

It is time for new changes don't you see something new on the way- that is What God wants us to see and know.

The bible was not written to increase our knowledge but change our lives, If you are real bout who you are it Influences and impacts people.

Make a Resolution that takes a day but lasts a lifetime.

We vastly overestimate yesterday= regrets , the future=fear and today= we are missing the impact of God's Blessings for us. Bible Verse Isaiah 43:18-19
Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland" Here are some Daily Bible Readings for this week- I hope they inspire you and grant you God's Light Monday Gen 1, Psalm 1 Philippians 1

Tuesday Gen 2 Psalms 37 Philippians 2

Wednesdays Gen 3 Psalm 23 Phil 3

Thursday Gen 4 Proverbs 1 Phil 4

Friday Gen 5 Proverbs 24 Eph 1

Saturday Gen 6 Psalm 119 Eph 2

Sunday Gen 7 Proverbs 31 Eph 3