New Day, New Year, and New Beginnings - 31 Days of Fresh StartsSample

For When We Falter...

God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don’t throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh wind in my sails!
Psalm 51:10-12 MSG

King David has blown it big time. He’s not only committed adultery with Bathsheba, but he has also arranged for her husband’s murder. Even worse, he hasn’t come clean by his own volition. Instead, Nathan, the prophet, has called out the king’s sins. In other words, God has David’s number, and He is dialing it now.

The heat is on, and rightly so. We never sin in a private corner, no matter how private the act may have been. Our stones cast in the muddied waters of selfishness, greed, lust, maliciousness, and anger have more significant ripple effects, especially on those close to us, regardless if these acts were in our minds or our deeds were never seen by another.

Yet, at the time of David’s words in Psalm 51, he knows full well the consequence of bringing unholiness into the presence of Holy God. The refreshing, life-sustaining breath of the Holy Spirit has lifted from David’s soul. The lack of the Spirit’s felt presence is worse than broken bones (v. 8), and it is now with a broken heart that David owns what he has done.

If we desire a new direction or a new way of doing life in a particular area, we may first need to do some deep cleaning ourselves. This self-examination can be difficult, messy, and draining, but it is oh-so worth it. However, inviting the searchlight of the Spirit into darkened closets that we have kept closed for years is essential to His work of creating a new heart within us no matter what new direction we want to go (v.10 NKJV).

We can all use a Genesis week from time to time. Let’s start now.