Powerhouse 30 Day DevotionalSample

New Beginnings 

I don’t know about you, but I would much rather skip out on the New Year’s resolutions, where people lie to themselves about the crazy new workout schedule they’re going to obtain, the sweet new job they’re going to get, the 1200 calories they’re going to eat each day, and that this is the year they are going to find ‘the one’! Be honest, have you ever achieved even one of these goals?

Unlike our resolutions, and although this event in the Bible most likely didn’t happen on New Year’s day, Acts 9 tells the story of a man named Saul, who persecuted the church, imprisoned believers and spoke murderous threats. One day, on his way to Damascus, a light from heaven flashed around him and said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” God sent Saul on a journey from there, and Saul discovered that God was the real, true God. God renamed him Paul, giving him a fresh start, and commissioned him to take forth the gospel into the world. 

Just like Paul, we have an opportunity to take on a fresh start, and change our perspective to focus on God and what He wants to do in our lives. We all want new beginnings; we say we’re going to change our lives, including our walk with God at the start of the New Year. But can we be consistent, walk beside one another, and sharpen one another to keep each other accountable to pursue God in all we do? If God breathed life into Paul and changed his heart, don’t you think God can do the same to you? 

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank You so much for new beginnings. We thank You that You are the Creator of all things, and that You call us beyond anything we could ever dream of. We pray as we enter this new year that we would hold tightly to You and that You would guide us to stay true and hold fast to all You have for our lives. Amen!

(Written by Susannah Woodford)