Psalm 56:3-5

When I am afraid, I will put my trust and faith in You. In God, whose word I praise; in God I have put my trust; I shall not fear. What can man do to me? All day long they twist my words and say hurtful things; and their thoughts are against me for evil. 

There are days when fear knocks at the door because of a circumstance. We must stop the freight train of thoughts that overwhelm us and turn our thoughts and words into prayer and praise. The word of God rebukes the devourer and clears the heart of fear. Fear cannot be tolerated because it will contaminate our faith. 

Proverbs 24:14

Know that (skillful and godly) wisdom is (so very good) for your life and soul. If you find wisdom, then there will be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation will not be cut off. 

One word from God in confirmation of what we are hoping for can change everything in your life. The wisdom of God comes to us as revelation knowledge to build our faith and confidence. When we hope for something, we don’t understand the steps to get the hope to materialize. But God and His wisdom will reassure us that nothing is too hard for Him.  

Psalm 57:1

Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious and merciful to me, for my soul finds shelter and safety in You, and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge and be confidently secure until destruction passes by.

God is merciful and will help us in distress when we cry out to Him. We may not know what the next step should be, but God is able to provide a path. He will comfort and deliver us in our time of trouble and need. God can hide us in the shadow of His wings and keep us secure.  

Revelation 21:5

And he who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true (they are accurate, incorruptible, and trustworthy).

We can get stuck in our old problems, feelings, anger, and sickness and not trust God to make us new. God has all the power to heal every wound we have ever received if we let Him. When we concentrate on God, the healer, and His abilities, we reset our thinking from doubt to belief. Where we put our focus is where our faith will be. 

Job 5-7

If you would (diligently) seek God and implore the compassion and favor of the Almighty, then, if you are pure and upright, surely now He will awaken for you and restore your righteous place. Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will greatly increase.  

When we know it is time for a change, we will diligently seek God. God can change our hearts and our lives and restore our righteous place. In seeking God, we will find the creation that He designed us to be, and though our beginning was small, God will significantly increase our end.

Isaiah 65:17

Behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth; and the former things (of life) will not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever over what I create; behold, I am creating Jerusalem to be a source of rejoicing and her people a joy.

If God can create a new heaven and earth, imagine what God can do in our spirits. When we are willing, God can make the life of the past no longer remembered, just as God created a new Jerusalem to be a joy. God also wants our born-again lives to be a joy through Jesus. All things are new for the believer in Jesus. 

Isaiah 40:31

But those who wait for the Lord (who expect, look for, and hope in Him) will gain new strength and renew their power; they will lift up their wings (and rise up close to God) like eagles (rising toward the sun); they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired.

We are starting a new year and have renewed hope in the Lord. When we wait on the Lord and expectantly hope in Him, the Lord will renew our strength and power. We cannot increase our endurance on our own, but the Lord is able to lift us up. We can go forward with God guiding us and building us up.  

Ezekiel 11:18-20

When they return there, they will remove from it all (traces of) its detestable things and all its repulsive things (remnants of paganism). And I will give them one heart (a new heart), and put a new spirit within them. I will take from them then the heart of stone, and will give them a heart of flesh (that is responsive to My touch), that they may walk in My statues and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

God removes the hardened sinful heart and replaces it with a soft and responsive heart when He makes us new. New means the old ways are abolished and gone, and we can live life connected to God. The new connection helps us follow His statutes and ordinances, keeping us away from sin and our old ways.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if anyone is in Christ (that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior), he is a new creature (reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit); the old things (the previous moral and spiritual condition) have passes away. Behold, new things have come (because spiritual awakening brings a new life).

When we are born again, we become a new person with entirely different values and motivations. The older man is still present, but we have a new nature that must be cultivated and grown. Starting this new year, when the focus is on change, let’s focus on cultivating our born-again spirits. Let us go deeper with learning about the Lord so our faith increases and our renewed spirits flourish. 

Titus 3:8

This is a faithful and trustworthy saying; and confidence, so that those who have believed God will be careful to participate in doing good and honorable things. These things are excellent (in themselves) and profitable for the people.

People will trust our witness as Christians when we are seen doing good and honorable things. The appearance of evil will destroy our witness and undermine the ability of Jesus to work through our lives. We have a purpose: to follow Jesus, act like He did here on earth, and be His copy.