30 for 30 RESET – Day 5

Gatheringplace   -   September 5, 2024

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:17-19 NIV

To do a divine reset, you cannot bring your past with you. You cannot carry the shame or the fame, the guilt or the glory, the past success or screw ups into your next season.

We do not completely forget these things, which would be impossible. But you cannot carry the emotional weight of them with you into the “new thing” God wants to do in your life.

Think of a track runner resetting, repositioning, refocusing on the race right in front of them. One of the things sports psychologists work on with every athlete is the mental discipline of letting go of the past and focusing only on the opportunity that is right in front of them – whether they won or lost the last competition.

This could be focusing solely on the next pitch after giving up a homerun, or the next throw after an interception, or forgetting about winning the last Superbowl so energies are spent on winning the next one. (This is why it is rare that the same team wins Super Bowls back-to-back).

For you, it could be focusing solely on the next opportunity you get after blowing the last one. Or, after a success, not letting the fear of a potential failure keep you from stepping out and taking another risk, one that may or may not pan out.

So, what are you going to do?

Now some of you may need to process something in the past that you have not dealt with yet. You cannot just skip over these things. This may sound contrary to everything I have just said, but ignoring hurts, hangups, or habits of the past will not get rid of them. Part of letting things go is by first being honest about them. If someone hurt you, you must forgive, completely, from the heart. And you can. The Holy Spirit will help you do so. Or if you wronged someone, or fell into sin, or did something that has brought you great shame, go straight to God and let Him cleanse you, restore you, and strengthen you by His grace for the next leg of your race.

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9 NLT

Or, if you do not find complete freedom by going directly to God, tell someone you trust and have them pray for you. Look at this fantastic promise God gives to us:

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16 NLT

You can also accomplish this by setting up a SOZO or counseling appointment HERE.

Remember what the apostle Paul said after he dealt with and let go of the weight of his past:

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

Run!

John

QUICK TIP ON HOW TO SPEND 30 MINUTES WITH GOD (REMEMBER: This 30 for 30 is a tool to help you, not a rule to shame you. Just do your best and let God do the rest.)

“Upward, Inward, and Outward”

  1. Upward: Get quiet. Settle down. Begin to thank God for Who He is – patient, kind, merciful. A God who forgives sins – Who has forgiven your A God Who cares, Who listens to your prayers, a miracle working God. (There are many other attributes you can thank Him for. Go HERE for a prayer guide as well as a list of God’s names that will help you thank Him for Who He is)
  2. Inward: Read a chapter in the Bible. I would suggest one Psalm per day. Start with Psalm 1 and go from there. Or read one chapter of Proverbs per day. Start with Proverbs 1 and go from there. And as you read, stop, and think about what it is saying. Take your time (even if you don’t get through an entire chapter – it’s okay!). Ask God to speak to you through it.

A deeper dive: For those of you who would like to read the Bible in a year, here is a fantastic way to do it. It will take more than 30 minutes per day, but it will be well worth it. It not only gives you a reading plan, but each day there is a short, very well-produced video explaining what you are about to read. Go HERE for your one year through the Bible reading plan.

  1. Outward: Ask God to show you how He can use you to reach those around you. Then begin to pray specifically for individuals. Pray for your family members, your boss, co-workers, classmates, friends, your church, its members, its mission, its leadership. Pray for our city and our nation – that God would rule and reign in every mountain of influence, raising up leaders who fear Him: Church, Family, Government, Education, Media, Entertainment/Arts, and Business. You won’t be able to get to everything in 30 minutes, but that’s okay, just pick one or two areas per day.

PRAYER POINTS:

Personal:

  • Closeness with God
  • Deeper devotion to Christ
  • Renewed vision
  • Renewed passion
  • Strength
  • Joy
  • A profound commitment to act as Jesus would during this election year.

Church:

  • And increase of God’s manifest presence.
  • To see more CHANGED LIVES!
  • An increase in Miracles
  • Salvation for those far from God (make a list and pray for them every day)
  • More young people joining the vision at GPC
  • New building for GPC

World:

  • A mighty harvest in our city and nation.
  • That godly men and women will fill the seats of government on local, city, state, and national levels.
  • For our missionaries (Use the bookmark handed out at church, or go to our website and check out our Missions page HERE)