Isaiah 43: 18 - 19 (NKJV)

“Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
¹⁹ 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.

Happy New Year my dear Sisters!

This is God’s Word to us all as we start this brand-new year. He is saying you and I have a new beginning, a new start. He is asking us to forget the old things, to not dwell over them, to not leave sleep over them. Whether they were ugly, bad, good, great, disappointing, or painful, let’s leave them in the past.

Psalm 62: 5 to 8 (NIV)

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.  Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honour depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

When we feel weary and hopeless we can rest in God. He is always there for us, when others cannot or will not be.  God is ever faithful and waits for us to come to Him. God should be our first port of call yet often we seek counsel elsewhere from our spouse and family members to friends and acquaintances. Whilst it is not wrong to share with others, only God can bring true comfort, only God has the ability to bring true healing for hurt and pain that go back decades.

Colossians 3: 12 - 15 (NKJV)

“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. ¹⁴ But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

When we read the verses of this scripture, we see a blueprint of how God wants us His daughters to live.

First, we need to realise that we are the elect of God, the chosen of God. He has set us apart as holy and we are greatly loved by Him.

Hebrews 1: 10-12

He also says “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed.  But you remain the same, and your years will never end."

God made the heavens and the earth. He separated night from day and land from sea.  God created Adam so man would rule over the land and go forth and multiply.  In life there will be challenges, births, deaths, pain, war, famine - all of which is mentioned in the bible.

Luke 8: 16 (NKJV)

“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.”

Who lights a lamp and covers it up, or puts it under a bed? Hopefully no one.

If that is the case, our giftings and talents are not to be hidden. We must not hide who we are in Christ Jesus. We must not hide what God has given to us – His truth, His word, His light, His anointing, His grace.