Daily Devotional

I’m not a huge fan of rap music, but back when I was in high school there was a Christian rap band called DC Talk. They came out with a song called “Nu Thang”. Feel free to punch it in on YouTube when you have a couple of minutes. I think you’ll like it.

The chorus says:
 "God is doin’ a new thing (In our lives, so)
      We’re doin’ a new thing (Through Jesus Christ).
      God is doin’ a new thing (Through our music).
      We’re doing a new thing (So He can use it).

The song is based on Isaiah 43:18-19 which says “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. “Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert."

It’s so easy to be trapped by your past. Memories of failures. Regrets for stupid things we’ve done or said. Or even thinking back on the “good ole days” when life was simple and easy. But God makes it clear that He doesn’t want us living in the past.

God is doing a new thang. He is not just making adjustments to your past, He is making all things new; giving you fresh opportunities, even in “desert” seasons. The desert feels dry and dead and almost impossible to navigate. But God promises to create “rivers in the desert” - to refresh you in unexpected ways.

The challenge is to quit focusing on the past and start looking to the future. After all, we can’t change our past. These things have already happened. But we can learn from our past. And we can certainly go back to those we’ve hurt in the past and apologize and make amends. Doing this can actually help you as you move into the new things God has for you.

So here are two things you need to do in order to experience the “new thang” God has for you…

1. Let go of your past
Isaiah 43:18 says not to call to mind the former things or ponder things of the past. If Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord, the sins of your past, present, and future have been paid for at the cross. (Psalm 103:12) says “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” So they’re gone. Live your life as a “new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). One of the ways the evil one attacks Christians is to remind us of our past. And we all have a past. We all have regrets. We all have things that, if we had it to do over again, would make different choices. And even though there are triggers in life that bring these things to mind, don’t dwell on them. Realize that you are a new creature in Jesus Christ. Claim it. Live as His child. Be victorious because of Him.

2. Focus on the “New”
When you committed your life to Jesus Christ, at that moment God the Holy Spirit entered into your heart and began this new thing called “transformation”. (Romans 12:2) says “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” I like to think of “transformation” as “Jesus Christ changing me from the inside out.” As a new believer you will start to see these “new things” in your life. Identify them when. You are a changed person. It will start with your language. Then it will progress to your thought life. And then your actions. The stuff you used to do will lose its appeal. And as you start doing what God wants and living according to His Word, you will know you’re a new creature because of Him. Praise God for that. It’s not you, it’s Him.

Our God is a God of new beginnings. He is doing a new thing in your life. He is creating a way where you can see no way. So stop dwelling on your past and step into the future. God is making rivers of fresh water in the desert of your life. He is doing a new thang in you!

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.