Hitting The Spiritual Reset Button

This is a lesson that was taught in our Sunday School class by Lee Sexton.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” Exodus 12:1-2

A new year is always a good time to look back and reflect or maybe even examine what all we accomplished during the previous year. As Christians, it ought to be our goal at the beginning of each year to become more like Him throughout the year.

Each and every one of us, if we are honest, as we look back over the past year could probably say that there were things that were started and later quit and then there were some things that we should have started but never did.

In the verses above, God gave His children an opportunity to start fresh. He has given us another year to start fresh and start right. It ought to be each and every one of our goals to be more like Him, to have a sweeter, more intimate relationship with Him and to do more for the honor and glory of God. The fresh start given to the children of Israel, was given after 400 years in slavery and bondage to the Egyptians. I am thankful that God allows fresh starts. I’m thankful that God gives us 2nd and 3rd and 4th chances and even more. If God didn’t give us multiple chances, a lot of us wouldn’t be here at all.

With the New Year, many have thought about or written down their resolutions for the New Year. We always hear the resolutions of getting out of debt and losing weight. We hear about wanting to have better relationships with those around us. We hear the goals that are set for business and how much we want to make during the year. These are all good resolutions but I think that at the beginning of the year we should take the time and hit the SPIRITUAL RESET BUTTON.

To-do lists are good to have to help stay organized but I think we need to have a redo list. I think that are some things that we need to redo so that we can be more organized in our daily walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. We need to RENEW some things. The word renew means to rebuild or repair after decay or deprivation, to renovate, to restore to a former state, to revive. I wonder what areas of our Christian life have been deprived over the past year. What is it that we have neglected that needs to be renewed? Devotions, relationships commitments. In Psalms 51:10,12, David had sinned against God and then he gets right with God and says to the Lord, “Renew a right spirit within me.” David knew that his fellowship with his Heavenly Father had been broken and he said I need to renew some things, he was saying I need to restore some things. He said “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.” David knew that he needed the joy of the Lord and he found that in His presence. “…in thy presence is fullness of joy” Psalms 16:11 You know that the only way we are going to experience that joy that David was talking about is to dwell in His presence. We have to renew some things in our life and the best place to start is our relationship with the Lord.
2. We need to RESIGN.The word resign means to yield or to submit to without resistance, to give or sign over to the control of another. As Christians, if we are ever going to be all that we are supposed to be for the Kingdom of God, we are going to have to learn to submit and yield to the Holy Spirit. If you are a saved born again child of God then the Holy Spirit lives within us. I am afraid that the Holy Spirit lies dormant or is inactive in most of our lives. We make our own decisions. We do what we want. We must learn to yield to His control and submit to the right desires and affection. We must learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading and guidance. We have to resign ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us.
3. We must RESOLVE. Resolve what? Resolve to NEVER QUIT! We must come to a definite and earnest decision that we will never quit on God. We must determined that we won’t go back on everything that God has done for us. We must settle in our heart that we will never retreat. I want to live my life in such a way that when I come to the end, I can say that I have no regrets because I resolved in my heart to never quit, never retreat, never give up on God, never go back on all that He has done for me.
4. We must REMEMBER. Remember where we came from, where we used to be before we got saved, before God changed our lives. We must remember and be thankful for the blessings that He has given us and gives us each and every day. Don’t forget this year what God has done. If we remember these things, they will help motivate you in serving Christ.
5. We need to RESIST.“Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 The key to resisting the devil is submitting to God. Once we submit and resist, the devil will flee. We must resist sin, worldliness and temptation. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:15 that even Christ was tempted like we are, but He never gave in, He always resisted. Jesus had a relationship with His Father that gave Him the strength to resist. We need to resist the devil and his temptations, but we must first submit to God and have a relationship with Him.

Hit the SPIRITUAL RESET BUTTON in your life, in whatever area you need to, to have a closer walk with God and be a better servant to Him.