Embracing Transformation: Clearing the Old for the New

But God wants us to get... Get rid of them. God wants us to remove these weeds out of our lives, get those things out of the way so that the plant can actually get the nutrients that it needs, that it can grow and flourish. [00:02:22]

And I think in our world, we've got to start looking at those things in our lives, those habits, those behaviors that are in our world that we're like, why is this still in my life? Why is this thing still holding me back? Why is this thing still a burden? [00:03:26]

so we god wants us this year to be renewing our world he wants us to be clearing out the old to make way for the new and jesus says something very profound uh to his disciples he's having a chat to them and he and he and he said this he said besides this is from matthew [00:04:19]

we've got to put them, and then we've got to get the new clothes, right? The old wine, you know, I mean, the old things of yesterday, even the old things that we thought worked, right? We've got to just take that bottle and we've got to get rid of it and we've got to pick up a new bottle and actually get ready for God to fill that new wine bottle, right? That's what we're doing. [00:06:04]

This year we need to see ourselves as God sees us. Right? And he sees us far better than we see ourselves. Right? He also sees us far worse than we see ourselves. But he does see us far better. And he... And the Bible says that he calls things that were not. [00:07:37]

And because it's this big, large chunk of clay, there's nothing. Nothing's happened yet. It's not even, we haven't even gone into it. But as you keep on making those decisions, as you keep on coming back, as you keep on pressing in, you're going to find that that lump of clay starts to just build this. This beautiful, beautiful thing. [00:09:14]

if you've been feeling dry lately if you've been feeling like the last 12 months have have been a season where it's been tough it's been difficult god is saying i'm going to put rivers in that desert habakkuk 1 5 says look around at the nations look and be amazed at the people who have come before you [00:11:01]

And I think in the midst of our circumstances, in the midst of our struggles, in the midst of life, which is going to be hard, let's not sugarcoat it. It's going to be difficult. We will have tragedy. It will happen. Like Jesus said, in this world you will have tribulation. But fear not, for I have overcome the world. [00:15:46]

Our only choice is to go to God. God, we can have arguments and try and solve our own problems and keep on pressing in and solving, you know, I want to fix this and I want to, you know, men are great at it. Let's fix it, right? We're going to do it and fix everything. But it doesn't fix anything. [00:16:08]

because what if your blessings come through raindrops what if your healing comes through tears what if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near what if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy [00:20:03]

at that particular point and then Elisha says something strange he says I want you to now take the arrow and strike it on the ground all right I just want you to strike it on the ground and so Joash says all right strike strike strike all right and then Elisha was a bit disappointed [00:22:08]

No, we will hit the arrows on the ground another time. We will come back. We will keep showing up, right? The message for us today, what do I see for this year? God is making new wineskins for us. God is asking us to praise in the midst of every circumstance, and he is promising that he will keep showing up. [00:24:17]