Fresh Start With Godنموونە

God loves you and me so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible says that Jesus came in the form of a man and walked this earth, the same earth we're walking today. He was tempted in every way so He could fully relate to us, but He never gave in to the temptation, and therefore, lived a sinless life. He became the sacrifice for our sins by dying on the cross. Every single thing we have ever done wrong, every mistake, all of our sin–past, present, future–was placed on Jesus. He took our punishment on the cross and was crucified. He was laid in a tomb and three days later, by the power of the Holy Spirit, He rose from the dead. He overcame our sin!

The Bible teaches that through the cross, we receive forgiveness from our sin, and through His resurrection, we have new life and a new beginning–a fresh start.

I'm not sure where you are on your journey. Maybe you don't ever remember praying a prayer asking God for forgiveness and inviting Jesus into your life. Many people I meet don't ever recall making that decision. You may have been to church or read your Bible, but those things don't make you a Christian. You become a Christian when you choose to accept Jesus–when you believe in your heart and pray with your mouth. It could be that at some point in your life you did pray and receive Jesus, but if you were to be honest, today your life isn't on track with God. You might have made some choices that caused you to fall away from a relationship with God. Maybe even unintentionally, over time, you have just drifted away and you know in your heart you need to renew your relationship with God.

I encourage you, if you're reading this right now and you are insecure or unsure of where you stand in your relationship with God, take a minute and pray this prayer:

God, thank you for the amazing plan you have for my life. I come today to ask you to fill me with your presence. Thanks for sending your Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for me so I could receive forgiveness from my sin. Thank you for raising Jesus from the dead so I could have a new life. I ask you to forgive me of my sin, cleanse me and make me new. Come live inside of me and give me the strength to live for you. In Jesus' name, amen.

There you go! You just made a fresh start with God. Your life is now in God's hands. It's just a first step, but it is a step. I want to encourage you to continue reading this devotional and learn as much as you can about building a great relationship with God.