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Crossing Over Into New Beginnings _____________________ |
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| Crossing Over Into New Beginnings By Pastor Jonathan Del Turco How did you end 2007? Some people stayed up until midnight to welcome the New Year, while others stayed up to make sure that the old year really left! I must confess that I did both. This past year was one crazy, wild ride, so I wanted to make sure it was really over, but I also had an excitement in my heart that something new and different was ahead. During one stretch of this wild ride, while bombs were exploding all around me and missiles were flying overhead, Joshua 1:9 rose up in my heart and became my “asbestos suit”, if you will, in the midst of all the fire and heat. “Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” I can only imagine how Joshua, who took over for Moses, must have felt. Joshua had been thrust to the forefront. Moses, his mentor and friend, was dead and now the eyes of the great multitude of the children of Israel were all on him. He and the children of Israel had spent forty frustrating years wandering in the wilderness. Now, in front of Joshua, was the chance to finally take the Promised Land – a new beginning. Near the end of the year, while I was meditating on Joshua 1:9, I heard these words rise up out of my spirit, “2008 will be a year of Crossing Over. Lead the way. Lead the way into new beginnings.” “Crossing over” represents “new beginnings” – the transition between where we are and where God wants us to be. “Crossing over” describes our journey from one level of life to another; our journey from one season to another; our journey from what was to what is. For me, it describes the journey from being yesterday’s church to becoming the church of today and tomorrow. It is a process that every living, growing, healthy person – business, ministry or church – will go through at some point. Everything that wants to grow and have a relevant future has to change, and change is God’s gift to humanity. “Crossing over” was the final act that closed the door on the children of Israel’s slavery in Egypt and the forty years of wilderness wandering. “Crossing over” your “Jordan” will take you from a past you must leave and project you forward to take possession of the promised-filled future God has prepared for you. It might be a personal “crossing over” to achieve your God-given destiny. It may be a corporate “crossing over” that is needed. As a business, church or ministry puts things in order and makes some changes to the culture or structure of the organization, there is a “crossing over” into greater freedom and fruitfulness. It is what the real you instinctively wants; you want to break through, go up, press in, cross over, and possess God’s highest and best. Whether personal or corporate, “crossing over” will involve a willingness to change and a hunger for more, and the courage to hold firm to your convictions. So, 2008 represents “crossing over” into a new beginning; the transition between where we are and where God wants us to be. I am in no way an expert in Biblical numerology but, I do know that the number “8” is the number for “new beginnings.” Here are a few examples: eight people were on Noah’s Ark (II Peter 2:5); circumcision took place on the eighth day (Genesis 17:12); after creation, the eighth day was the first day of a totally new existence; and the eighth note begins a new octave on the musical scale. They all denote new beginnings. The word “new” is a great word. Here’s how Webster’s Dictionary defines “new”: - of a kind, now appearing for the first time - other than the former or the old - different and better - anew and afresh - unfamiliar and strange - a dimension that is superior in quality Now, a verse that had kept coming up in my spirit a few weeks before made sense to me. It was II Corinthians 5:17 which says, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new” (NKJV). This verse says that we are brand new creations if we are in Christ Jesus. The word “new” is from the Greek word “kainos,” which describes something that is brand new or recently made. It also carries the idea of something that is superior (Sparkling Gems From The Greek, Rick Renner). The day you received salvation, everything became new. You are not an amended, corrected, improved version of what you used to be. You are an absolutely brand new creation. You are completely detached from the person you once were before Christ. Psalm 103:12 tells you how far your old ways have been removed from you: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgression from us.” When Jesus Christ came into your life, He created you to be free from the past, free from the negative effects of your family, and liberated you from all former hang-ups – in short, a brand new creation! Stop laying claim to your family’s genetic problems, inheritable sicknesses, dysfunctional behaviors, disorders, hang-ups, or any other negative things that were a part of your life before Christ. That old person no longer exists. He is dead. You are brand new. Lay claim to your new identity. Adjust your thinking and talking to reflect who you really are! Be bold! Accept the responsibility to learn who you are in Christ and recognize that you and only you are the person standing in your way to God’s highest and best. I believe why II Corinthians 5:17 was in my heart was because it is the picture of the “new beginnings” God wants to bring into our lives here in 2008. Something that is brand new. Something that is superior. A dimension that is superior in quality. Last year the Lord spoke to us instructing us to “put things in order and tie up loose ends.” For those who have diligently gone through the painful process of putting things in order, and have stood their ground on the authority of God’s Word no matter what their circumstances were screaming at them, they will experience miraculous breakthroughs and restoration. You may ask, “What if I didn’t’ set things in order? What now?” My response is, “Get on with it!” God’s plan is for you to experience a crossing over, a new beginning… …from the brink of financial ruin to financial stability. …from “You don’t have much time to live” to renewed health and life. …from “I want a divorce. This marriage is over” to rekindled love and intimacy. …from a broken down, beat up, depressed, “I don’t want to live” to an alive, energized, “life is good” bundle of joy! …from a dark, addicted, bound by devils and sin kind of life to a resurrected, free, on fire for God dynamo! No, this will not happen magically like someone waving a wand over your head and, poof, voila, a new beginning. No, this will require faith, separation, courage and commitment on your part. First, you must believe in your heart and confess with your mouth and own this new beginning. Faith says, “This is my year of crossing over!” Crossing over also requires separation – a separation from whoever and whatever is keeping you attached to your old way of thinking and living. Third, crossing over is not for the faint-hearted. It will require courage to stay the course. Lastly, it requires commitment to complete the crossing over process. Once you believe that God is really with you and you start to live like He really is, your commitment will not only see you through, it will affect others and they will draw strength from you. As we cross over into the year 2008, stay alert! Stay steady! Stay close! Where you are now cannot compare to the “new beginnings” God has prepared for you. Whatever you do, do not stop now! Keep going. Keep moving forward, for the best is yet to come! |