Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV) “Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old.Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
In this passage, God was encouraging the Israelites because their journey back to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon would be a long and arduous one. Although God does not promise a trouble-free life, He does promise to be present with us. Therefore, we need to anchor our faith in Him in times of difficulties.
Often, being led out of a crisis requires us to make certain changes and necessary adjustments in our lives, such as confronting certain fears and trusting that God has a good plan for us. Constantly dwelling on the glorious old days will only make us stagnate or regress, but it is only when we are willing to leave our comfort zones, make the necessary adjustments, and move forward that we will find joy and fulfillment.
Each believer is part of the big plan that God has for this world, and we are blessed to be part of His plan. All our callings, gifts and talents are unique to us. Unfortunately, many Christians are not flowing with His plan, nor are they interested to know what God has in store for them. They will only seek the plan of God after all else have failed, because like sheep, we all have a tendency to go astray instead of following the voice of the shepherd.
We must be convinced that God’s character and attributes change not, and He will do new things in the nations, people groups and individuals’ lives based on His time. God will lead and prompt us of the necessary changes if we tune into His voice, but we must be open for Him to lead us into the new season. Too often, we are resistant towards changes or the developments that are meant to lead us into the new season because it is seldom a pleasant experience when our character is being molded. In fact, the new season may not be something that we want because our thoughts are not His thoughts, neither are our ways His ways. However, His thoughts and ways are always higher. Therefore, we will struggle if we do not renew our mind with the Word of God, but if we do, we will flow and accept His will for our lives and not fight it. Even though the new season may not involve the promotion or the posting that we were hoping for, we can trust that His plan for us is good because God is omniscient.
Sermon Series: Are You Ready for Something New in Your Life?
学会拥抱变化
以赛亚书 43：18-19 “耶和华如此说，你们不要记念从前的事，也不要思想古时的事。19看哪，我要做一件新事，如今要发现，你们岂不知道吗？我必在旷野开道路，在沙漠开江河。
在这段经文中，神鼓励以色列人，因为祂们从被掳流放之地巴比伦返回耶路撒冷的旅程将是漫长而艰难的。虽然神没有应许我们一个无忧无虑的生活，但祂确实应许与我们同在。因此，我们需要在困难时期把信心锚定在祂的身上。
通常，被带领走出危机需要我们在生活中做出某些改变和必要的调整，例如直面某些恐惧并相信神对我们有一个好的计划。不断沉湎于辉煌的过去，那只会让我们停滞不前甚至倒退，只有当我们愿意离开舒适区，做出必要的调整，继续前进时，我们才会找到喜乐和满足。
每个信徒在神对这个世界的大计划中都有自己的角色，我们有幸成为祂计划的一部分。我们每一个人的呼召、天赋和才能都是独一无二的。不幸的是，许多基督徒没有跟随祂的计划，祂们也没有兴趣知道神为祂们预备了什么。祂们只会在一切事情都失败之后才肯寻求神的旨意，因为就像羊一样，我们都倾向于不跟随牧羊人的声音，从而误入歧途。
我们必须确信，神的品格和属性不会改变，祂会根据自己的时间表，在国家、民族和个人的生活中做新事。如果我们听从祂的声音，神会带领并提示我们必要的改变，但我们必须敞开心扉，让祂带领我们进入新的季节。很多时候，我们抵制那些旨在引导我们进入新季节的变化或发展，因为品格的陶造通常不会是令人愉快的体验。事实上，新的季节可能不是我们想要的，因为我们的意念不是祂的意念，我们的道路也不是祂的道路。然而，祂的意念和道路总是更高的。如果我们不让神的话语使我们的心意更新变化，我们就会挣扎。然而，若我们以神的话语更新心意，我们将会跟随并接受祂对我们生命的旨意，没有挣扎。即使新节期可能没有我们所希望的晋升或职位，但我们相信祂对我们的计划是好的，因为神是无所不知的。
讲章系列：你准备好迎接生命中的新事物了吗？