Stepping Into the New!
The Lord is calling us into a season of new things—new opportunities, new breakthroughs, and new levels of faith. Just as He led Israel out of Egypt and through the Red Sea, God is making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland for us. He is not limited by our circumstances or the impossibilities we see; His character and faithfulness remain unshakable.
God’s word in Isaiah 43 urges us to “forget the former things” and not dwell on the past. The new things He is declaring over us require spiritual perception and a willingness to let go of what was. Often, we love the idea of newness when it’s comfortable—new jobs, new homes, new experiences of God’s presence—but sometimes the new comes with uncertainty or even fear. God is a God of movement, always leading us forward by His Spirit. The Holy Spirit stirs desires within us, sometimes in ways that surprise us, and it’s our responsibility to discern and respond to His leading.
Stepping into the new will not be without opposition. The Israelites faced giants in the promised land, and many shrank back in fear, missing out on God’s best because they allowed grumbling and complaining to disqualify them. Opposition is not always a sign that we’re in the wrong place; often, it’s confirmation that we’re on the threshold of destiny. God tests our hearts in these seasons, especially with the principle of first things—what we give to Him first sets the tone for what follows.
As a church, we’ve experienced this firsthand—letting go of the old name, embracing a new identity, and establishing new structures of accountability. These changes are not just organizational; they are spiritual steps of obedience, positioning us for the greater things God has in store. The call is to be attentive to the Spirit, willing to leave the past, discerning about the voices we listen to, prepared to fight the good fight of faith, and committed to putting God first in all things. This is a season of new things—let’s be ready to receive and walk in them.
FIVE KEYS TO STEPPING INTO THE NEW
1. Perceiving the New Requires Spiritual Sensitivity
God is always at work, often birthing new things in our lives before we even recognize them. To perceive what He is doing, we must cultivate closeness with Him—through prayer, time in the Word, and attentiveness to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. The new things of God are discerned in the spirit, not the mind, and require us to tune our hearts to His voice.
2. Letting Go of the Past is Essential for Embracing the Future
We cannot hold onto the comfort or pain of former seasons and expect to fully receive what God has next. The call to “forget the former things” is not about denying our history, but about refusing to let it define or limit us. God’s new work often requires us to release old mindsets, relationships, or even successes, so we can step into the spacious place He has prepared.
3. Opposition is Often a Sign of Destiny, Not Defeat!
When God leads us into new territory, we should expect resistance—spiritual, emotional, or circumstantial. The presence of giants in the promised land did not mean God was absent; rather, it was an opportunity for faith to rise and for God’s power to be displayed. The enemy opposes what he fears, and the intensity of the battle often reveals the significance of the breakthrough ahead.
4. The Voices We Listen to Shape Our Journey
Not every voice in our lives will encourage us to pursue God’s new things—sometimes even well-meaning friends or family can sow doubt or fear. We must learn to discern which voices align with God’s word and His Spirit, and which ones are rooted in human reasoning or past disappointments. The right counsel can confirm God’s direction, while the wrong voices can delay or derail our obedience.
5. God Tests Our Hearts with the Principle of First Things
When God brings us into a new season, He often asks for the first and best as an act of trust and worship. Just as Jericho was to be devoted to the Lord, our willingness to honor God first determines the fruitfulness of what follows. Passing these tests of obedience and priority positions us for sustained blessing and victory in the new things He is doing.