WPsalm51.10ell, it’s official. The year is now 2015. We’ve started a New Year. And we all know that means new goals and some resolutions that will last for a few days, weeks, or months if we’re lucky. But a New Year is like a fresh start. It’s like the slate is wiped clean and we get to hit the reset button on life.

I’m not sure what your 2014 held. For some, it was a rough year. Some of my friends lost loved ones. Some of my friends lost jobs. Some of my loved ones had some rough moments that defined their year. But one thing I know for certain is that 2014 is over. It’s done. We will never go back to 2014 because it’s in the past. It’s time to look forward to a brand new start. It’s 2015 so let’s make it a great year.

As we get ready to set our goals for 2015 and decide how we’re going to make this year a better one than last year, let’s consider the ABCs of a fresh start. Here’s the audio for my New Year’s Eve message on making a Fresh Start.

Accept your past. Our culture is filled with people who refuse to accept responsibility for their own lives. We either find a scapegoat to blame or simply make excuses for every bad decision we make. But the best way to make a fresh start is to claim your mistakes. Own up to your past and deal with it. Accept the role you have played in getting you where you are today, good – bad – or indifferent. Then you can effectively move on to a fresh start.

Believe things can change. It’s easy to get down in the dumps and have the “woe is me” complex. It’s easy to think that things will never change, but in order to make a fresh start you have to begin with a belief that you can change. There’s a lot of power in the human brain. Henry Ford once said Whether you believe you can or you can’t either way you’re right. There’s so much truth to that statement. As we look to a fresh start we need to believe that God truly can do anything through us. Remember Paul’s words in Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

Clearly Communicate. This is probably the hardest one for most people. If you could ask God for anything, anything at all, do you know what you’d ask of him? Most people don’t really know the answer. Most of us would have to sit and think about that for a while. Part of getting a fresh start is knowing exactly what you want, or in some cases need, from God to make this new life a reality. Then you have to speak it out loud, or write it down. Once you clearly communicate where you want to go in life, you have a better chance of it becoming a reality.

Do it. It may sound little cliché but so often we put things off that really should and could be done today. Why wait until tomorrow to do something you could do right now? When you are truly ready to make a fresh start know that you’re not alone at it. God is right there beside you walking this new life with you. He’s creating a new you right inside of you. He’s pouring all of himself into you. So there’s nothing to lose – just go for it. Do it. Do it now!

Your fresh start is just around the corner.