KICKSTARTING A NEW BEGINNING IN YOUR LIFE

 BY PASTOR T. O. BANSO

One of the names of God in the Bible is “The Alpha and Omega.” This name appears four times in the Book of Revelation (Rev 1:8, 11, 21:6, 22:13).  The Bible says in Rev 1:8, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord…” (NKJV). If God is the beginning, that tells us that He is in a position to give a new beginning to anyone who needs it. No one needs to end his life because he thinks that it is over for him. No matter what has happened, and what may still happen as a result of the wrong choices one has made, the wickedness of fellow human beings and the pernicious operations of the evil, the Almighty God, the beginning and the end, can create a new beginning for anyone.

Who needs a new beginning?

1.Anyone whose life is without form and is void. In Gen 1, God made a new beginning of creation after the confusion that came upon the initial creation. “The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day’ and the darkness ‘night.’ Together these made up one day” (Gen 1:1-5 NLT). The Beginning (God), for the next six days, restored order to the earth to replace the emptiness and formless mass cloaked in darkness. Anyone whose life is empty, formless and in darkness needs a new beginning.

2. Anyone who is experiencing bareness or unfruitfulness – biological, financial, material, etc. A new order must be brought into the person’s life in accordance with the Word of God.  God said in Exo 23:26, “No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days” (NKJV).  He further said in Deut 7:14, “You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock” (NKJV).

3. Anyone suffering from stagnation in life – physical or spiritual. Anyone who is always telling the same old story – nothing significantly new has happened in his life.

4. Anyone who has lost something he used to enjoy. Such a person is currently suffering from this loss. He or she needs a visitation of the LORD, opening the door of a new beginning of joy.

5. Anyone who has started experiencing something negative that was not part of his life before. It is an intrusion, an imposition of hell. This must be brought to an end and a new beginning must commence.

6. Anyone who has noticed a cycle of evil in his or her life, family, business. This evil cycle must be terminated and a new beginning must begin.

Some Examples of people who experienced a new beginning

There are several examples in the Bible of what I can describe as a new beginning. However, I’ll like to just point out a few in order to provoke your desire for a new beginning in your life. The Bible says God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). If God did it for these Bible characters, God can do it for you as well. And He’ll do it for you in the name of Jesus. Whatever is your present condition, believe Him for a new beginning.

1.Abraham: The birth of Isaac marked a new beginning for him. An era of bareness for Sarah and continued waiting by Abraham and Sarah for the fulfillment of God’s promise for 25 years ended. Human arrangement in the birth of Ishmael gave way to divine arrangement. “And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him — whom Sarah bore to him — Isaac.” (Gen 21:1-3 NKJV). And the LORD visited Sarah! His visitation opened a new chapter in Sarah’s life, and indeed in the life of Abraham. The Lord will visit you in Jesus’ name, and will usher in a new beginning in your life.

2. Jacob: That night encounter with God was a defining moment in the life of Jacob. His life up till that time had been full of struggles. He had to suffer to get whatever blessing he got, despite the fact that he had deceived his father to collect the blessing meant for his brother, and his brother had earlier sold to him his birthright.

He was not comfortably working in the full potential of God’s blessing in his life. If not for the mercy of God, he would have left the service of Laban, his uncle, without having anything to show for his diligent labour of many years. God, through a dream, showed him how to dispossess Laban of his flocks; He compensated him for his service to Laban. “Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’  And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban  is doing to you.  I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family’” (Gen 31:11-13 NKJV).  He reviewed his salary downward ten times!

Hear what Jacob told his two wives, Rachel and Leah about their father, Laban: “And you know that with all my might I have served your father. Yet your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me” (Gen 31:6-7 NKJV).

Jacob had to serve fourteen years to marry his Rachel. Despite all Jacob had, he never had peace of mind particularly for fear of his brother. He had fled the family house because Esau wanted to kill him. But in that night encounter, he had a breakthrough and God changed his name; He changed his life. “And He said, ‘Let Me go, for the day breaks.’ But he said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’ So He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’ And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.’ Then Jacob asked, saying, ‘Tell me Your name, I pray.’ And He said, ‘Why is it that you ask about My name?’ And He blessed him there” (Gen 32:26-29 NKJV). 

It was a new beginning for Jacob. The blessing of the LORD upon Jacob changed his life. Until God blessed him, he couldn’t enjoy the blessing he had fraudulently received. God’s blessing will come upon your life in Jesus’ name. Every blessing that is dormant in your life up till now is activated in Jesus’ name. A new beginning of enjoyment of God’s blessing is commencing in your life from now in Jesus’ name.

3. Jabez: A promising young man carrying a negative label and advertisement all over the place received a divine turnaround. Jabez means “he will cause pain.” What a name! But God’s answer to his prayer ushered in a new beginning for him. The old life of rejection, isolation and sorrow was terminated and a new life of God’s blessing and favour began. “Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I bore him in pain.’ And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, ‘Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!’ So God granted him what he requested” (1Chron 4:9-10 NKJV). Any negative and embarrassing label that people have used to describe you, God is removing today in Jesus’ name. He will give you a new beginning.

4. Rahab: She was a popular harlot in Jericho even known in the palace. But the encounter with the two spies sent to Jericho by Joshua brought a divine turnaround to her life. This woman with an abhorrent job opened her heart to the spies, and indeed to God. She was sensitive to the programme of God for the Israelites and she cooperated with the spies and preserved their lives. She never knew she was about to step into a new beginning in her life. “Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, and said to the men: ‘I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God In heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death’” (Josh 2:8-13 NKJV).

Not only was she able to strike a deal with the spies that resulted in her safety and the safety of her family members, she later became one of the few ancestresses of our Lord Jesus Christ. A former harlot! Yes, that’s what the mercy of the LORD can do for a person. Matt 1:5-6 says, “Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king” (NKJV). Of course, you know that Jesus came from the Tribe of Judah where David came from.

That former high-profile prostitute had a new beginning. I believe she stopped prostituting after that encounter hence she was able to give birth to Boaz who married Ruth after her first husband had died, and Ruth gave birth to Obed who was the father of Jesse, the father of David. If a prominent harlot could have a new beginning despite her horrible past, the LORD will give you a new beginning. He’ll do it for you, no matter your filthy past or present, if you come to Him and sincerely repent. “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:38 NKJV).

5. Ruth: In the midst of hopelessness, God gave Ruth, a widow, a new beginning. Boaz was her new beginning! Before she left Moab with Naomi, her mother-in- law, Naomi had given her and Orpah , her daughters-in-law, a gloomy picture of the future. No husband for them! While Orpah, stayed back in Moab, Ruth persisted that she would follow her mother-in-law. “But Naomi said, ‘Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Are there still sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? Turn back, my daughters, go — for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, if I should have a husband tonight and should also bear sons, would you wait for them till they were grown? Would you restrain yourselves from having husbands? No, my daughters; for it grieves me very much for your sakes that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me!’ Then they lifted up their voices and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her” (Ruth 1:11-14 NKJV). But God worked things out for Ruth and settled her in Bethlehem giving her a good husband from the family of her late husband.

How come that Naomi never thought of that possibility before when she painted a hopeless future for Ruth and Orpah which apparently scared Orpah and made her turn back?  Naomi wasn’t callous; she was actually sympathetic. She was being honest but incorrect. She neither saw a future for them nor for herself. But God settled both Naomi and Ruth, and gave them a new beginning. “So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. Then the women said to Naomi, ‘Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.’  Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her bosom, and became a nurse to him. Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, ‘There is a son born to Naomi.’ And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David” (Ruth 4:13-17 NKJV). Did you see how God visited both Ruth and Naomi and gave them a new beginning contrary to the despondency of Naomi before they left Moab?

No matter the jam in which you are now, God can give you a new beginning. No matter the hopeless future that those who in your life have described to you, God can still give you a new beginning and a glorious future. You can believe God for a new beginning in your marriage, career, business, etc. It is not over yet for you!

6. The woman caught in adultery: The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought this woman to Jesus having caught her in adultery. They were ready to stone her to death but requested to know Jesus’ opinion on her execution in view of what the law says. But Jesus knew that they were hypocrites. He knew their action was not motivated by their hatred for the sin the woman had committed or their love for God’s law. He knew they were as guilty as the woman was.

But rather than getting Jesus’ endorsement on their planned execution of the woman, Jesus’ answer to their question condemned them and they left humiliated. “As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. ‘Teacher,’ they said to Jesus, ‘this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?’ They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, ‘All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!’ Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to her, ‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ ‘No, Lord,’ she said. And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more’” (John 8:3-11NLT).

Jesus gave this woman a new beginning – go and sin no more! His forgiveness gave this woman another opportunity to live right. She was discharged and acquitted! That woman missed death narrowly. I believe she never committed adultery again. But left to the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, she would have been stoned to death for committing adultery. Did she commit adultery with herself? If this is not possible, why was her accomplice, the man, not brought to Jesus? They claimed to have caught the woman in the very act, but nothing was said of the man. Hypocrites!

Jesus will give you a new beginning, no matter how wayward a life you have been living. All you need is to hand over your life to Him. Once you give your life to Him, He will make it new. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor 5:17 KJV). Why don’t you do that right away and begin to enjoy a brand-new beginning in Jesus – a new life?

7. The man at the pool of Bethesda: This man had been sick for 38 years without any healing and was lying at this pool. He had been abandoned by friends and relations. When Jesus met the man, he told Jesus he had no man – no man to push him into the water first any time the angel stirred the water. That was his answer to Jesus’ question if he wanted to be healed.

Spending 38 years in the same infirmity, this man had lost a substantial part of his life. Worse still, there was no hope of the man getting out of that pitiable condition. But one day, the Great Physician visited him, terminated the 38-year old infirmity and gave him a new beginning – a new beginning of strong health to put his life together and use his remaining years on earth to discover his destiny and fulfill it.  “The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked” (John 5:7-9 NKJV).

The same God that gave this man a new beginning also gave that man by the Beautiful Gate a new beginning by the hand of Peter and John. Peter told the man who was not expecting a new beginning but alms from them: “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6 KJV). And, verses 7-9 say, “And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God” (KJV). That man got a new beginning – a new beginning of walking, leaping and praising God. All who saw him lame before, saw him again healed. His condition had changed. Hallelujah!

Maybe you have been bedridden for some years now or you have been in a sick condition for a long time, I say to you in the name of Jesus, “Rise up and walk.” There is nothing too difficult for God to do. The LORD can heal you of that sickness. Believe Him for your healing. Trust the LORD to deliver you right now by His power. With God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37). All things are possible to him that believes (Mark 9:23).

I pray that the healing power of God will touch you now and deliver you from the power of the devil in Jesus’ name. I command the devil to loose his hold on your body in the mighty name of Jesus; receive a new beginning of good health as from now. Your body will no longer be tormented by any demon of sickness. All those who have seen you sick before will see you again hale and hearty. All eyes that have seen you down with sickness in the hospital before will see you up again strong and healthy. All those who think you are down and out will see your restoration in Jesus’ name.

8. The woman with the issue of blood: This woman hemorrhaged for 12 years. Her protracted sickness gulped all her money until she became poor. “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse” (Mark 5:25-26 KJV). This woman heard of Jesus and made up her mind she was going to be healed if she could just touch the hem of His garment. Jesus didn’t have to touch her. She reached for the hem of Jesus’ garment, and according to her faith, she was healed. The woman got her healing that day. “And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague” (verse 34 KJV). Twelve years of embarrassment and reproach ended. It was a new day for that woman, a new beginning.

Today can be a new day for you too. You can begin to experience a new dawn as from this hour. The woman’s faith – not Jesus – made her whole. Your faith will make you whole. Setback and wastage will end in your life as from today in Jesus’ name. Have faith in God.

9. The man born blind from birth: This man had never seen before; he had never known the difference between darkness and light. He was born blind. “When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing” (John 9:6-7 NKJV). Did you see that? With his eyes opened by Jesus, he experienced a new beginning in his life. He could see what he had never seen before. Nobody could deceive him again. He didn’t have to wait for anybody before he could go to wherever he wanted to go. He was no longer a liability to anyone. He could go and learn a trade or start a business. He didn’t have to depend on anyone before he could eat. The days of darkness were over for him!

Look at what verse 8 says, “Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, ‘Is not this he who sat and begged?’” (NKJV). Think about that! That’s what happens when God gives someone a new beginning. It will be so clear. It will be undisputable. The people who had known this man were amazed at the transformation. They couldn’t believe their eyes. But whether they believed it or not, it was true.

Was it not the same thing God did for Elizabeth when He visited her and removed her reproach? God gave her a new name, a new beginning, and everybody saw the miracle God had done for her. “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren” (Luke 1:36 NKJV). Look at that phrase: for her who was called barren. She was called barren but that was past event. She was no longer barren. Her condition changed, six months before the angel talked to Mary. Your condition will change. The LORD will do same for you. He will give you a new beginning.

Elizabeth’s pregnancy was a good beginning. God will give you a pregnancy of a new beginning. You will conceive it and you shall be delivered of it. “And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God’” (Luke 1:35 NKJV).  A new beginning that will baffle you and baffle those who had known you in your present position, the LORD will do for you. A positive change that would make those who knew your past life to be amazed will happen in your life not long from now in Jesus’ name.

10. The widow of the prophet: This widow had to contend with the payment of the debts left behind by her late husband.. She was at the mercy of the creditor who wanted to take away her two sons in lieu of the debt. It was at that point she ran to the man of God, Elisha; and, through the prophet of God she got a new beginning. “So Elisha said to her, ‘What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?’ And she said, ‘Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.’ Then he said, ‘Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors — empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.’ So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, ‘Bring me another vessel.’ And he said to her, ‘There is not another vessel.’ So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest’ (2 Kings 4:2-7 NKJV).

This widow had neglected her jar of wealth (jar of oil) – she called it nothing. But it was this despised jar oil that was the seed of her miracle. Following this miracle, she paid her debt from the oil that overflowed into the many vessels in her room. She would not be in debt again – there was a new beginning of wealth for her and the family; no more threat from the creditor. 

You may be in a similar situation with the yoke of debt on your neck, a heavy burden of bills to settle. God can intervene in your case as He did in the life of this woman. She was free from her debt, free from her creditor. You can too. The LORD can open a door of miracle for you to offset all your debts. When He opens, no man can shut and when He shuts, no man can open (Rev 3:7). Nothing is too difficult for Him to do. You can believe Him to give you financial liberty. A regime of lack, poverty, ended in the life of that woman and her family. She became an oil merchant! The LORD will visit your finances and visit your family too in Jesus’ name.

11. Peter: After denying the Master, Peter thought it was over for him and his ministry. Peter couldn’t believe that despite his earlier assurance to Jesus that he would not deny Him, he still went ahead to do so, even before a little girl. Before, Peter had declared that he loved Jesus, and even said that he could die with Him (Matt 26:31-35; Mark 14:27-31; Luke 22:31-34; John 13:36-38).

Let’s look at two out of these scriptures. John 13:36-38 says, “Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, where are You going?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.’ Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times” (NKJV).

The Bible also says in Matt 26:33-35, “On the way, Jesus told them, ‘Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.’ Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.’ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.’ ‘No!’ Peter insisted. ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!’ And all the other disciples vowed the same” (NLT).

But Peter denied Jesus. After the rooster crowed the second time, he remembered what Jesus said – he had denied him thrice. “And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.’ So he went out and wept bitterly” (Matt 26:73 NKJV).

However, Jesus didn’t give up on Peter. He had actually prayed for him before Peter denied Him. He knew he would deny Him and He told him ahead. Peter was disappointed he denied Him. Though Peter didn’t feel qualified for the ministry again, Jesus went after him to the river where he went to fish with the rest of the disciples. Just as it was when Jesus first met Peter by the river side, as recorded in Luke 5:1-11, He encountered him again, and gave him a miraculous catch of fish before they all realized it was the master.

In John 21, Jesus restored Peter into the ministry and gave him the confidence to lead the disciples, despite his earlier mistake. “After breakfast Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ Peter replied, ‘you know I love you.’ ‘Then feed my lambs,’ Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ Peter said, ‘you know I love you.’ ‘Then take care of my sheep,’ Jesus said.  Once more he asked him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, ‘Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Then feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17 NLT). Jesus gave Peter a new beginning in ministry. Only the Saviour could have done that.

It is possible that you have acted before like Peter. You made a mistake; you lost your position or an opportunity. God can give you a new beginning in ministry, business, career, etc. Men may say it is over for you but that’s not the verdict of heaven. God, the Beginning (The Alpha) can give you a new beginning. Who is he that is saying this is your end? Don’t believe them. Only the End (The Omega) can determine your end. Believe God for a new beginning. The mercy of the LORD will do it. “You will arise and have mercy on Zion; For the time to favor her, Yes, the set time, has come” (Ps 102:13 NKJV).

How to kickstart a new beginning

1. You need God. As I’ve said, Rev 1:8, 21:6 22:13 say God is the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end. He has no beginning; He was in the beginning before the beginning began. God is the author of new beginnings. In order to experience a new beginning, you must invite Him into your life. Beyond that, depend on Him. You must recognize your need of Him. This is the first step to positioning yourself for a new beginning notwithstanding your past or present experience. The beginning point for you, if you’re not yet born again, is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. To do that, please follow the steps I have explained at the end of this message.

Isa 42:9 says, “Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them” (NKJV). Do you want a new beginning? Give God the right place He deserves in your life. He’ll do a new thing for you. He says in Isa 43:19, “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” (NKJV). This is God’s assurance to you that He’ll give you a new beginning. And when He does that, your name will change. People will not call you what they’re calling you now. “The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will name” (Isa 62:2 NKJV). Recognize your need of God. If you depend on Him, He will give you a new beginning.

2. You need the Spirit of God. Open yourself to the Holy Spirit. In Genesis 1, before God could turn around the emptiness and the void on the earth, the Spirit of God, first, had to hover upon the surface of the deep. God didn’t do anything until the Spirit moved. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface” (Gen 1:1-2 NLT).You need to be filled with the Spirit of God and allow the Holy Spirit to move upon your life. Take note of this. If God couldn’t create that new beginning on the earth, as we saw, without His Spirit, don’t think you can have a new beginning in your life, marriage, business, ministry, etc. without the move and operation of the Holy Ghost. This goes hand in hand with the next point I want to make.

3. You need the Word of God. The Holy Ghost and the Word of God go together. All that God did in Genesis 1, He did by His Spirit and His Word. God first allowed the Spirit to move, and then released the Word. Look at how the two worked together in Gen 1:1-3: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (NLT). You need both the Sprit of God and the Word of God in your life. You must be filled with the Spirit of God and the Word of God.

The Bible says, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Heb 11:3, NKJV). Did you see that again? The Word of God! God framed the worlds by His word – everything He created on each of the six days, He created them by His Word. That’s the only way you can frame your own world too. You need His Word in your mouth but it must first be in your heart. Luke 6:45 says, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (NKJV). You have to feed on the Word of God and say what the Word of God says. The Bible says you shall have whatever you say. “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23 KJV). 

Let your mouth agree with the Word of God. Speaking the Word of God over that business, marriage, ministry, etc. by faith, without relenting, will bring about a divine turnaround and give you a new beginning. The Spirit of God and the Word of God will give birth to a new beginning for you. Receive the Word of God, meditate on the Word, renew your mind by the Word of God, confess the Word of God and obey the Word of God.

4. Get connected to the anointing. You can experience a new beginning by staying open to the ministry of the anointed servant of God. Isa 10:27 says, “In that day the LORD will end the bondage of his people. He will break the yoke of slavery and lift it from their shoulders” (NLT). But some other translations of this verse tell us how the LORD will accomplish what this Scripture says. It is by the anointing. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing” (KJV).

There are so many instances in the Bible where people, through the ministry of the servants of God, experienced a change in their lives. These are called miracles. Such people include the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17), the widow of the prophet (2 Kings 4) and the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4). All these and several others in the New Testament got a new beginning through men whom God had put His anointing upon to bless mankind.

If you are going to be blessed by his anointed servants, stay open to their ministry. Believe the anointed. Honour the anointed. Don’t despise him. “…Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper” (2 Chron 20:20 NKJV). The LORD can use the anointed to kickstart a new beginning in your life.

5. Maximize the moment. There are people who have wasted their present level while eagerly expecting a new level. You can make the best use of your present experience no matter how unsatisfactory it is. Don’t stay idle just because you’re expecting a new beginning. Invest in today while you are awaiting a new beginning. Eph 5:15-16 says, “So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days” (NLT).

The New King James Version renders the same Scripture thus: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” The Amplified Bible says, “Look carefully then how you walk. Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people) Making the most of the time (buying up each opportunity) because the days are evil.” Use what you have. Don’t let what you lack hinder you from using what you have. Don’t waste any day. Make the best use of the present situation in which you are. The experience you garner will be useful later.

David is a good example. He maximized his condition as a shepherd boy. He was literally forgotten where he was taking care of the sheep. But he was faithful. The experience as a shepherd became useful to him when he confronted Goliath. “But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.’ Moreover David said, ‘The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Sam 17:34-37 NKJV).

Look at the Psalms that David wrote, you’ll see how he made use of his background as a shepherd and as a warrior. Even he didn’t allow his pains, sorrows, mistakes, challenges to be wasted. He documented them and today it is a blessing to readers in different situations of life. For instance, who else could have written Psalm 23 but an experienced shepherd like David? Don’t waste your present stage you are in life. Extract the lessons God wants you to learn.

Look at Jephthah, the son of a harlot, but a mighty man of valour. God must have compensated him for his ignoble birth! He knew ahead the circumstances of his birth would be used against him. He blessed him with what would make him to be needed. He was rejected by his brothers, but they had to send for him when the problem that God created him to solve surfaced. But it was the elders that actually came to beg him – his brothers couldn’t face him; they must have been ashamed!

The point I’m making here is this: Jephthah made the best use of his rejection. He didn’t commit suicide after he left home.  “Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him” (Judg 11:3 NKJV). He kept on using his strength elsewhere despite his rejection. His brothers rejected him, but after fleeing from them, some worthless men or a large band of rebels followed him. However, those who rejected him later begged him to come and lead them. He gave them victory in battle against their enemy. Stop making excuses. Don’t just be day-dreaming a Utopia; maximize the moment.

6. Live by faith. God will always have you do something that will birth a new beginning in your life. Fear will want to keep you from doing it, but you must do it by faith. If you walk by sight, you won’t do it. There will not be a new beginning. Learn to obey divine instructions, promptings of the Holy Spirit. Acting upon these promptings and impressions of the Holy Ghost is faith. You believe and do what you believe God is asking you to do. Hab 2:4 says the righteous or the just shall live by faith. Learn to act upon the Word of God and you’ll be amazed at what can come out of it. Miracles are locked up in the Word of God; it is faith that unlocks them. Matt 13:58 says Jesus couldn’t do many mighty works in Nazareth because of their unbelief. Unbelief will cheat you of a new beginning. Take action!

7. Labour in grace and stay in your anointing. Grace is unmerited favour but it is more than that. The grace of God is also the divine endowment that causes someone to do more than his natural ability. When a man takes advantage of the grace that God makes available to him, he will experience a new beginning. The result he’ll get will far outstrip his labour.

Labouring outside of grace exposes man to rigours without increase. That was what Apostle Paul didn’t do that made him outstanding. He labored in grace. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Cor 15:10 NKJV). Grace will always cause you to abound not to decrease; it will make you sufficient in all things. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work” (2 Cor 9:8 NKJV).

The other thing you need to do is to stay in your anointing. All of us are anointed in different areas and for different things. That is not restricted to the gospel ministry. God’s children are given different types of anointing. Each person should recognize his anointing while also enjoying the anointing of others. Everybody should avoid the temptation of despising his anointing and preferring the anointing of others or copying what they’re doing.

Those who desire a new beginning are more vulnerable to this temptation when they’re not getting the desired result or when what used to work for them appears not to be working again. They want to dump what they are doing for what seems to be working. The bad news is that what they copy may still not work. It’s better to stay in your anointing than to try to work in another’s anointing. David refused to use the armour of Saul. It won’t always size you because it is not meant for you. Depend on the grace of God and stay in your anointing trusting God to give you a new beginning. If you go about imitating the anointing of others, you’ll end up becoming everybody except yourself.

8. Improve your people sense. Your social intelligence is critical to your having a new beginning. Good human relations is vital to success in life – ability to relate well with others. Don’t belittle people. Robert Schuller said, “Those who belittle people will be little people.” Even God as high as He is does not look down on anyone. “God is mighty, yet he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding” (Job 36:5 NLT). Cultivate a healthy relationship with people. Love people; respect people without compromising the Word of God. God may decide to use anyone to give you a new beginning, but if you are the snobbish type, you become the adversary of yourself – you’ll be the adversary standing at the door God has opened for you. God will have to first deliver you from yourself before you can experience a new beginning.

Since you don’t know who God will use for you, make it a principle of your life that you’ll treat everybody well. In 1 Sam 18:5, 14, 15 and 30, one recurring phrase is that David behaved himself wisely. He behaved himself wisely before Saul; he behaved himself wisely than all others in the service of Saul. That was even despite Saul’s desperation to kill him. Learn to behave yourself wisely before all – whether they like you or not. God can use the most unlikely person to give you a new beginning.

9. Specifically sow a seed for the new beginning you desire. The principle of sowing and reaping cuts across the Bible. Whatever you sow that you reap (Gal 6:7). 2 Cor 9:6-7 says, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (NKJV). Ask yourself: what seed do I need to sow for the new beginning that I trust God for? Then go ahead and sow the seed for the harvest of a new beginning. A seed doesn’t have to be money. It can be anything God has given you that you can you give another person – an anointed servant of God, the church, a needy person or someone who is already enjoying the new beginning you desire.

It is an act of faith in God. You are not paying Him for a new beginning! You can’t even pay Him. Sowing seed is something you should do voluntarily with understanding, not something that anyone should try to coerce you to do.

In the time of famine, when everybody normally would eat what they had, the Bible says, “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him” (Gen 26:12-14 NKJV). Sow for the harvest of a new beginning you desire. Don’t just pray about it, sow seeds.

10. You must change. The reason some people don’t experience a new beginning is that they are not ready to change. I’m not talking about change for the sake of change. I’m not speaking about joining the bandwagon. There is time when God may be moving a man to change. The evidence, spiritual and physical, is overwhelming but he is still holding on to what he is used to. He wants to continue in the same direction he has been going. He wants to keep doing what he has been doing, using the same approaches. But things won’t work. We must be ready to change when change is necessary. And everybody needs to change in one area or the other. Nobody is a finished product.

You need to ask yourself: Why am I where I am now? How did I get here? What change do I need to make? Somebody has rightly said, if you refuse to change, you will remain in chains. You may have to do away with negative habits and cultivate positive attitudes. You may need to cut off wrong relationships and look for relationships that will birth a new beginning in your life. “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed” (Prov 13:20 NKJV). Carefully choose your friends.

Review your life for areas you need to change. Rom 12:2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (NKJV). Let the Holy Spirit change you by renewing your mind, showing you what you need to let go off (Titus 3:5). Acting outside the will of God will only lead to wastage and death. Change, if the Holy Ghost is moving you to. You must live according to the Word of God in order to change your life. You cannot continue to live your life the way you’ve been living it and expect a result different from what you’ve been getting. Let the Word of God determine who you company with, where you go, what you do, what you read, hear, think about, say and do. You’ll begin to reap the fruits of this life transformation.

11. Be patient. It may take some time for the new beginning you trust God for to manifest. Therefore wait for it. Don’t become anxious or despondent. There is something called divine timing. Ecc 3:11 says God makes all things beautiful in His own time (not your own time). Wait for the timing of God. Don’t frustrate yourself by trying to use your faith against divine timing. Beware of performance syndrome. Wait for your Isaac; don’t produce an Ishmael. The Bible says he that believes shall not act hastily (Isa 28:16). Don’t be in a hurry to experience a new beginning. Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises of God (Heb 6:12).

Avoid the temptation of making fire for yourself. Not only will such fire not last, it will destroy you. Be patient; let God make light for you. Wait for the LORD. “Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God. Look, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with sparks: Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled — This you shall have from My hand: You shall lie down in torment” (Isa 50:10-11 NKJV).

CONCLUSION: You may have been bruised. You may have suffered losses. You may have been humiliated. You may have even lost everything you had but that is not the end of your life. God, the Beginning and the End, will give you a new beginning. Without a scar you cannot be a star! That is the reason for all the ups and downs you’ve gone through. The LORD will give you a new beginning. Wait for your change. “If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes” (Job 14:14 NKJV). The LORD will do a new thing for you. It will soon appear. The LORD created laughter for Sarah, and he’ll create laughter for you soon. “And Sarah said, ‘God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.’  She also said, ‘Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age’” (Gen 21:6-7 NKJV). It will happen for you this year in Jesus’ name.

TAKE ACTION!

If you’re not born again, you need to make yourself ready for eternity. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit you’re a sinner and you can’t save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start to attend a Bible-believing, Bible -teaching, soul-winning church. There you will be taught how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent and confess my sins. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my life to him today. I invite Jesus into my heart today. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible believing, Bible teaching, soul-winning church in your area where you will be taught how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I’ll be glad to hear from you. May the LORD be with you.

T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523                                                      WhatsApp No: +2349081295947  
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org