New Seasons, New Beginnings

2 Timothy 3:1-5  ¹You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. ²For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. ³They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. ⁴They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. ⁵They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

2 Timothy gives us a bleak look at our world today.  Everything Paul warned Timothy about is prevalent in our culture.  In spite of all that is going “wrong” in our culture/world this is the season for New Beginnings for the church.  God is preparing his bride for the greatest harvest of souls ever recorded in history.  If Paul’s warning to Timothy is to be taken as the sign of the last days, then I believe we are living at the end of the “last days.”

In Isaiah 43 Isaiah prophesied about the return of the Israelites from Babylonian captivity. Matthew Henry in his commentary wrote: The deliverance from Babylon is foretold, but there is reference to greater events. The redemption of sinners by Christ, the conversion of the Gentiles, and the recall of the Jews, are described. All that is to be done to rescue sinners, and to bring the believer to glory, is little, compared with that wondrous work of love, the redemption of man.

Isaiah recounts the amazing things God had already done for Israel, then in verses 18-19 he tells them to forget all that and look ahead to the new thing God is going to do. 

Isaiah 43:18-19  “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Isaiah 43:18-19 (MSG) “Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.”

When God gives his people a new beginning there are some steps that need to be taken to ensure that the new beginning is a valuable, productive time.  

I will use the analogy of a farmer to illustrate this.  Every spring the farmer has to take specific steps to ensure he will get the best return on his investment when he plants his crops.  Farming is not only his “job”, but it is his entire life.  He works tirelessly to safeguard his land, seed, crops, and harvest. 

Following are the steps we, like the farmer, have to take:

1. Put the past in the past. (Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history.) 

No matter how bad or good the harvest was or how many issues or successes there were in the previous year, the farmer has to put that aside and move into this new season.  If he lives in constant regret over the past, worry about the future, or if he basks in the glory of abundant harvests in the previous seasons he will not reap the plentiful harvest he desires in this new season.  

                                        

We too must focus on the new season/beginning and forget the past.  Every day prior to today is the past.  We cannot focus on our failures or even our successes.  We cannot wallow in self-doubt, self-pity, self-loathing, or become puffed up with pride, arrogance, or overconfidence.  We must set our gaze straight ahead and focus on new goals as we listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

2. Set goals for the future. 

The farmer sets goals (usually in the form of a timeline) that need to be accomplished in order to reap a harvest. 

a. Prepare/cultivate the soil.

b. Plant the seed.

c. First watering.

d. Weed.

…

z. Harvest.           

We must seek the Lord about the goals he has in mind for our new season/beginning.  We might feel a strong pull toward something we have never done before, we may feel a fresh burden for the very thing we are currently doing, or we may even feel a renewed burden to do something we’ve done in the past.  These goals may be specific tasks to be done in order like the farmer, or they may be more broad or encompassing goals.  (I.e. one goal might be to write a letter to each unsaved person in our family introducing them to Christ then to follow that letter up with a phone call or face to face visit.  This goal would be a specific task. Another goal might be to speak to those we encounter daily as the Holy Spirit leads us.  This would be a more broad, encompassing goal.)

One way to set these goals is to sit down before the Lord with pen, paper, and Bible in hand.  Ask him to reveal his goals for your life and your family in this new season.  Isaiah tells us that God is making roads in the wilderness and rivers in the deserts.  He is preparing for the end time harvest and he needs harvesters.  You and I are those harvesters.  We may each have a different task; however, if we are willing we all will play a part in this harvest.

Ask him how your task fits into the bigger picture in your church and community.  Ask him to reveal Scriptural promises pertaining to your goals.  Write these down to use in your prayer of faith as well as in spiritual warfare prayer. 

3. Take steps to fulfill the goals.

The farmer doesn’t just set goals then sit at home waiting for the harvest.  He takes each goal and works it until it is complete.  To illustrate let’s look at goal 1: prepare/cultivate the soil.  According to Mother Earth News.com “The full intention of soil cultivation is to nurture and improve the ground so that crops will grow better.”  There are two aspects to this cultivation: a) the soil should be loose, friable (easily crumbled or pulverized), and evenly textured. b) the life it contains should be fully encouraged and nurtured.

Like the farmer, we must cultivate the goals in our lives.  We must take each goal and nurture it and improve the soil of our hearts so that it will produce the best results possible.  Our hearts must be pliable and full of life if we are to be used by God in this season. 

This cultivation includes: reading the Word, prayer, fasting, Bible study, fellowship with other believers, and hearing the Word.

We must do our part to fulfill each goal God has given us. Often our goals will stretch us and cause us to grow.  They may involve things we are not completely comfortable doing, however, this is an opportunity for Jesus to shine through us.  If God only asked us to do things that were naturally easy for us, we would not need to rely on his leading or help.  The Word tells us that it is not by might or by power but by God’s Spirit that mountains are moved (Zechariah 4:6-7). God through us can do mighty things if we yield and obey!

4. Maintain our focus. (Keep pressing ahead!)

Philippians 3:-14 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.

Proverbs 4:25-27 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.  Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

Galatians 6:9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up!

The farmer preservers during drought, hail, flooding, pestilence, he endures sleepless nights, and works when he is ill, all in an effort to reap an abundant harvest.  If the farmer endures all that to reap a physical harvest, how much more should we press forward to reap the harvest of souls coming in these last days? 

A word of caution: When we begin to follow the Lord’s leading and press toward the goals he outlines for our lives, the enemy will pull out all of the stops to thwart those goals.  He will throw every fiery dart he can our way.

In this season, more so than in any before, we must:

1. Take up the armor of God and wear it daily.

Ephesians 6:10-17 ¹⁰A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹²For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

2. Stay in constant communion with the Father.     

            

Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

3. Prevent ourselves from becoming isolated and alone.    

    

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Galatians 6:2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

One of my goals for this new season is to get back to writing.  I pray the Lord blesses you through these words!

All Scripture is NLT unless otherwise stated.