A new year, a new start 

Refuse to let your past rob you of your future. This year God wants to give you a new start. Let’s face it, we all have relationships that can’t be healed and issues that will never be resolved to our liking. But by God’s grace, we can forgive, forget, and move on. You don’t have to lie awake at night digging up old bones, picking at scars, and reviving painful memories. If you give them an opening, the ghosts of your past will take up residence in your head. You say, “But I still struggle in so many areas.” We all do. Even the great apostle Paul admitted he didn’t have it all together. Unlike those who condemn in others the very things they struggle with themselves, Paul admitted, “I know the law but…can’t keep it…sin…keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I…need help!…I decide to do good, but…My decisions…don’t result in actions. Something…gets the better of me every time” (Romans 7:17-20 MSG). “Thank you, Paul,” from all of us who mistakenly thought that once we became Christians there would be no more struggles! But Paul didn’t stop there; he added these two important scriptures: (1) “Just as Christ was raised from the dead…we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4 NIV). (2) “In the same way [as Christ], count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (v. 11 NIV). You ask, “How then should I handle my old issues?” Admit them, quit them, and forget them! Instead of fighting battles you can’t win, let Christ’s resurrection power sweep through your life and sever the ties between you and the pain of your past.