As we step into theNew Year, let’s choose to look forward with hope and faith, leaving behind past regrets and disappointments. Let’s leave behind what weighed us down and embrace the new opportunities ahead. The Bible reminds us in Isaiah 43 that we should not dwell on the past. It doesn’t mean you should discard lessons you learnt from the past, but to leverage on them to advance a glorious future. You are not defined by your past mistakes or failures. In Christ, you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).No matter the past, God is calling you to trust Him, to let go of it, and to move forward with hope and faith. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience His renewal in 2025.Where you are in life, God’s mercy is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).He leads us out of spiritual deserts into a flourishing land. No matter the mistakes, failures, or regrets we carry, God invites us to step forward into the new thing He is doing.

When we focus too much on what happened in the past, it becomes hard for us to see what God is doing in the present and where He is leading us to.Let me share a story to bring this message to life: A farmer once lost an entire season’s harvest to a devastating storm. Heartbroken, he stood in his empty field, mourning what was lost. But as days passed, he realised that mourning wouldn’t bring back the crops. So, he began to clear the debris and plant new seeds, trusting that a new season would bring fresh harvest. His hope wasn’t in the storm that passed, but in the seeds he plantedand what laid ahead. In life, storms will come, and we will face setbacks. But God calls us to press forward and plant new seeds of faith, hope and love.

In Philippians 3:13-14, Paul reminded us about “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Let’s leave the past behind and focus on what lies ahead. Let us clear the debris as the farmer did and begin to plant new seeds. Let us get rid of the hurts, pains and disappointments and give way for healing, restoration and beginning of new things in our lives. A New Year is an invitation to reconnect with God and allow Him to write a new chapter in our lives. The New Year gives us the opportunity of fresh start with God. So, what does a fresh start with God look like for you? It begins with surrender. To experience the “new thing” God wants to do, we must let go of the “former things.” That could mean releasing guilt over past sins, letting go of bitterness or giving up control over situations you can’t change.

God is already preparing new opportunities, blessings and breakthroughs for you. Let’s step into the year with renewed faith, knowing that our best days are ahead. Choose to look forward with faith.
• Today’s nugget: Choose to look forward with faith. Prayer: Lord, I surrender to the new things You are doing.Prayer lines: 08033299824.E-mail: [email protected]. Rev.AbelUkachiAmadi, General Superintendent, Assemblies of God Nigeria.