He Has You

Sometimes we find ourselves in a place where we need to start over. Often, it’s a place we have put ourselves in, and we don’t belong there. Other times, by no fault of our own, we are placed where we have no choice but to start anew and find a new way from where we are at.

You have to end a chapter that you could begin a new one. Don’t look back because that isn’t where you’re going. “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them” (Isaiah 42:9 NKJV).

We often think that we need to get back to the way we were before. But time never travels backward, and often what we had before is not what God would have for us again. Though we can cherish our memories, we cannot relive them. Never try to go back in time because you will never get there.

The more you look back, the less you will progress forward. “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV).

To start over, we must make the decision in our will to let the Lord help us. We cannot do what we need to do without His help. We need His direction on where to go, and we need His strength that we might get there. An independent soul has no place for the work which is needed in the kingdom.

Never go it alone with something only God can help you accomplish. “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41:10 NLT).

To start something new, we must stop something old. There are some things that do not belong in our life anymore. This is not only sinful things but also those things that are a distraction. If we want to mature in our faith, we must learn to let go of those things that no longer belong in our life.

It takes discernment to know the difference between a distraction and a divine appointment. “Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established” (Proverbs 4:25-26 NKJV).

To start over, we must decide on what it is we will start doing. We need to seek the Lord’s will for what He would have us do. We must spend more time praying than we do striving, and we will find the answers we are looking for. To start on the right foot, begin the journey on your knees.

You will do more of God’s work not by striving more but by surrendering more. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NLT).

Starting over is more about setting the direction than making any progress in getting there. It is the pointing of the arrow before you release it that it would begin to soar. We spend too much time striving to get somewhere and too little time praying on if it is where we should even be headed.

Never hesitate to ask God for direction and never rush to do things apart from Him. “Make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day” (Psalm 25:4-5 NASB).

Starting over is about a new beginning and not about crossing the finish line. The longest journey begins with the smallest step. Keep the end in mind and then start taking small steps to get there. The ones who go the furthest are the ones who don’t give up.

How you finish a race matters more than how you start it. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV).

When we start over in one area of our life, it encourages us that we can start over in another. Progress begets progress, and this is how we can mature. This is why we can do more when we do many little things instead of only waiting to do something really big.

The most significant thing you can do is in doing every small thing God calls you to do. “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do” (2 Thessalonians 1:11 NLT).

When we start over, our life will encourage others to do the same. You can convince others more by your actions than by your words. If you want to prove a thing, then do a thing. If you want to help someone change, then you must change. Be an example of what others can be.

You can teach more by your example than by your words. “Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity” (1 Timothy 4:12 NLT).

Pray to the Lord with how He would have you start over. Our lives are meant to be a progression of maturing into new and higher things. Seek out the Lord on what you need to let go of and then what He would have you take hold of going forward. Go for the high ground.

Blessings to you,

Paul Balius