Experiencing the New Thing God Is Doing

Sep 27, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Sunrise Mercies Unseen in Sleepy Distraction

New mercies arrive daily like sunlight piercing darkness, yet many sleep through the revelation. Distraction numbs us to God’s fresh work—like missing dawn’s colors while scrolling in bed. The Israelites wandered 40 years yet still clung to Egypt’s shadows. To experience newness, we must rise from spiritual drowsiness and fix our eyes on the light breaking through. What routines keep you hitting snooze on God’s invitations? His mercies wait, but participation requires waking. [03:07]

“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”
(Lamentations 3:22-23, NLT)

Reflection: Where has distraction numbed you to God’s daily mercies? What one habit could help you “wake up” to His new work this week?

Day 2: Reins Clutched Tight in the Gallop of Surrender

Holding reins while riding God’s stallion reveals our fear of losing control. Jesus demands we “kick” into surrender, trusting His path over our plans. Like Peter clinging to fishing nets, we white-knuckle comforts while missing wild kingdom adventures. Every withheld area—schedule, pride, secret sin—blurs the trail ahead. True discipleship means releasing grip to feel the wind of obedience. [14:28]

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.’”
(Matthew 16:24-25, NLT)

Reflection: What reins are you still gripping? How might surrendering them unlock a fuller experience of Christ’s leadership?

Day 3: Blurred Vision from Divided Loyalty

Spiritual eyesight fades when worldly lenses distort God’s new thing. Like squinting at a bull through foggy glasses, divided loyalty blurs kingdom focus. The rich young ruler’s wealth-clouded vision made him miss eternal treasure. Current sins, pride, or half-hearted commitments act like smudges on our spiritual lenses—cleaned only through repentance’s cloth. [40:40]

“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
(2 Corinthians 4:18, NLT)

Reflection: What “smudges” distort your view of God’s work? What step would clean your lens today?

Day 4: Old Wineskins Cracking Under New Wine

God’s newness bursts stale containers. Clinging to outdated methods, like hoarding flip phones while ignoring smartphones, limits revival’s flow. The Israelites begged for Egypt’s leeks while missing manna’s miracle. New wine demands fresh surrender—not upgrades to old habits but death to what cannot hold His fire. [29:27]

“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, NLT)

Reflection: What “old wineskin” habit or mindset is splitting under God’s new pressure? What must die to hold His fresh work?

Day 5: Spectator Faith in a Participatory Gospel

Church benches fill with spiritual spectators—observing miracles but refusing the field. Like disciples watching Peter walk on water, many applaud others’ breakthroughs while fearing to step out. God’s kingdom runs on active verbs: follow, go, give, die. Assignments rot in the locker room of hesitation. [01:36]

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.”
(James 1:22-24, NLT)

Reflection: Are you spectating or participating in God’s current work? What’s one “step onto the field” you’ve avoided taking?

Sermon Summary

God can be doing a new thing right in front of people, and they can still miss it. The sunrise shows how that happens: every morning brings new mercies, but a person can know the sun came up without ever stopping to receive the day. The church can sit in the room, see God moving, and remain spectators instead of participants.

God’s new thing will cost something. The old ways, the old life, the old schedules, and the parts of life held back from God cannot stay in control if somebody wants to experience what God is doing next. God does not call His people to a quick jump from earth to heaven, but to a stairway of surrender, one step at a time, one challenge at a time, one letting-go at a time.

Jesus makes the call plain in Matthew 16: anyone who wants to follow Him must give up their own way, take up their cross, and follow. The cross means sacrifice. The cross means the flesh does not get to drive. The reins image makes it real: people want to ride with God, but still hold the reins because they are afraid of where He may take them. Jesus says that holding on to life causes loss, while giving life up for His sake saves it.

Isaiah 43 declares that God is about to do something new, making a pathway through the wilderness and rivers in dry wasteland. God’s question, “Can’t you see it?” exposes how preoccupied people can become with the old thing, the past, and even their present level of faith. The new thing is not an upgrade to the old thing. God is not merely making a better version of somebody’s old life. God wants to bring a brand-new spiritual revelation, a new work in marriages, homes, callings, and mantles.

Spiritual eyesight can become blurred by worry, negativity, gossip, pride, current sin, and divided loyalty. The kingdom cannot be treated as one citizenship alongside another citizenship in the world. Jesus gave His life so His people would belong fully to the kingdom of God. God’s invitation remains loving but serious: come up another step, surrender again, and do not miss the new thing already beginning.

Key Takeaways

1. New things require surrendering old things. God’s new work does not simply fit around whatever a person refuses to release. The old habits, schedules, loyalties, and patterns may not all look evil, but they can still keep somebody from moving when God moves. Surrender is costly because it removes the illusion of control, but it opens the way to what God has already begun. [05:48]
2. Following Jesus means releasing the reins. Jesus does not invite people to follow Him while they remain in charge of the direction. The image of the great stallion exposes the fear beneath partial surrender: people may want the ride, but not the unknown places where obedience could lead. Faith turns loose of the reins and trusts that Christ knows where life must go. [14:09]
3. The new thing is not an upgrade. God is not interested in polishing the old self into a slightly improved version. God brings brand-new spiritual life, new vision, new patterns, and new obedience that cannot be reduced to a better model of the past. The person clinging to an upgrade may miss the totally new work God wants to reveal. [29:27]
4. Divided loyalty blurs kingdom eyesight. The world can keep a believer so distracted that God’s activity becomes hard to perceive. Jesus calls His people to live in the world as salt and light, not to build their identity around worldly schedules, organizations, and priorities. A life with one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world cannot clearly see the path God is making. [42:23]
5. God keeps inviting people upward. God’s call to greater surrender is not condemnation but the love of a Father who has more for His children. Every step upward brings challenges, but staying where somebody is also brings struggle and can lead to drifting backward. God’s invitation remains simple and personal: come on, do not miss it.

## [52:45]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:21] - Seeing God’s New Thing but Missing It
[02:19] - The Sunrise and New Mercies
[05:48] - The Cost of Experiencing the New Thing
[11:40] - Jesus Calls Disciples to Follow
[13:42] - Letting Go of the Reins
[15:12] - Take Up Your Cross
[18:44] - Holding On to the Old Life
[24:47] - Isaiah 43 and God’s New Work
[28:07] - A Shift in Perspective
[33:16] - Why Can’t You See It?
[38:07] - Spiritual Eyesight and Blurred Vision
[42:23] - Divided Loyalty and Dual Citizenship
[48:45] - Faith or Autopilot
[52:45] - The Invitation to Come Up

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Isaiah 43:19
“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.” [28:07]

Matthew 16:24-26
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” [15:12]

Lamentations 3:22-23
“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” [03:38]

Observation questions

In Lamentations 3:22–23, what is described as new each morning, and how does the sunrise image help illustrate the difference between noticing a new day and receiving it? [03:38]
In Matthew 16:24–26, what three actions does Jesus require of those who want to follow Him, and what contrast does He make between holding onto life and giving it up for His sake? [15:40]
What pictures does Isaiah 43:19 use to describe God’s new work, and what do those pictures suggest about places that seem impossible, dry, or without direction?
What specific things were named as causes of blurred spiritual eyesight? [40:44]

Interpretation questions

Jesus connects following Him with denying oneself and taking up a cross. What does this show about the difference between believing in Jesus only for comfort and actually submitting one’s life to Him? [15:53]
Isaiah says that God’s new work had already begun, yet people still could not see it. How can preoccupation with the past, disappointment, or a person’s current level of faith keep them from recognizing what God is doing? [34:14]
God’s “new thing” is described as more than an upgrade to an old life. What might it mean for a believer’s marriage, home, calling, or habits for God to bring something genuinely new rather than merely improved? [32:35]
How does divided loyalty make it difficult for a believer to live as salt and light in the world while belonging fully to God’s kingdom? [42:54]

Application questions

Where have you been more of a spectator than a participant in what God is doing—at home, in the church, or in your own walk with Christ? What would one step of participation look like this week? [01:15]
What “old thing” may God be asking you to release right now? It may be a habit, schedule, attitude, fear, relationship pattern, or desire to stay in control. What makes that surrender difficult? [08:16]
The reins picture exposes the desire to follow Jesus while still controlling the direction. In what area are you most tempted to hold the reins—your plans, finances, family, future, comfort, or reputation? [14:24]
Which blur to spiritual eyesight has been most present lately: worry, negativity, gossip, pride, current sin, or something else? What honest step could help bring that area into the light before God? [40:44]
Look at a normal week ahead. What does your schedule reveal about your loyalties and priorities? Is there one practical adjustment that could make more room for prayer, worship, serving, Scripture, or meaningful kingdom relationships? [43:53]
God’s invitation to come up another step is loving, even when the step is challenging. What next step of surrender or obedience do you sense God inviting you to take, and who can encourage you to follow through? [52:45]

Sermon Clips

50s

#SurrenderToGod

“If you try to hang on to your life, which so many people do, you'll you'll lose it. You'll lose so many things. You could lose your witness. You could lose your effectiveness. You could leave your man you could lose your mantle. You could lose your family's mantle if you keep giving into the world. Right now, parents, you are teaching your children what it means to be a follower of Jesus. And if you're good with that, there's nothing that we could teach our kids more than giving 100% of your life to God, to the church, to the kingdom.”

73s

#WalkByFaith

“We can miss God's activity because our focus is entirely self centered and performance driven. We can miss it. We run and do and do and do and do and do and grab and grab and hope and hope and try and try and try. Just give your life to Jesus. Keep giving your life to Jesus. We can miss God's activity. So here's the question. Are you living by faith or are you living on autopilot? A lot of you have just given into autopilot. Just cruising. Just cruising down the river, cruising down the ocean. If you're gonna experience a new thing, you gotta walk by faith, not by sight.”

56s

#CountTheCost

“Here's the thing I want us to understand. If you're gonna experience the new god thing, it's gonna cost you. It's gonna cost you something. I I I can't I can't say it anymore clearer, and that's one of the reasons why we miss it. Because we're not willing to pay the price. See, in order to experience new god things, it will cost you the expense of some of the old things, some of the old ways, some of the old life.”

67s

#KingdomFirst

“It is not okay for the church, and it's not okay for you to have dual citizenship. It's not of God. can you can keep having one foot in the world and one foot in the kingdom. You can keep doing you can actually live your whole life that way, and you'll miss. You'll miss the new thing. How sad. I've I've spent a lot of time with people that have died from before they've died. Not a one of them wished they'd had done more things in the world. Not one of them. Not one of them wished that they would have pursued more things of this world. Most of them are concerned. Did I live my life for Jesus? That's a real concern. Because that's the only thing Jesus is concerned about.”

59s

#TakeTheNextStep

“The Lord doesn't want you to miss it. Listen, this is a loving message. It's a loving message. A loving father still calls us up. And here's what he's saying to all of us, because every one of us are different levels of the stairs. Every one of us. He he keeps inviting us up. You just get to decide, are you gonna take the next step? You just get to decide. The next step is better. It's greater. It's wonderful, but it will be filled with challenges. But I'm a tell you something. Can I tell you something that maybe everybody won't tell you? If you stay where you are, you're still gonna experience challenges. If you stay where you are, you're still gonna experience problems and struggles. And if you're not careful, you will trip down the steps instead of walking up the steps.”

63s

#ShiftYourPerspective

“You see, when God announces a new thing, it requires an active shift in perspective. So God's making this announcement. He's making a declaration, by the way, to you and I. He's making an announcement to Freedom Church. He's making a declaration in your own life and your spiritual life. It's a declaration of love. Don't receive it as a declaration of condemnation. It's a declaration of love. God's saying, I've got more for you. I've got something greater than what you can perceive right now. I've got something greater that I want to reveal. I've got something greater greater I want you to experience, but it's gonna require a shift in your thinking, a shift in your perspective.”

50s

#EmbraceTheNew

“You see, that's where we struggle because new things, I'm gonna tell you, are gonna require new things. That's the reason some of you miss it. That's the reason some of you never experience it. You're not willing to to embrace the new things. You're not willing to try new things. You're stuck. You're stuck. You see, here's the thing you need to understand. The new thing is not an upgrade from an old thing. It's a new thing. We're still looking for the new VP two point o, the new John two point o, the new Allison two point o. Whatever. We're looking for an upgraded model because we're used to that.”

62s

#LetGoAndLetGod

“Show this world what it means to let go of the things of the world, the patterns of the world, the habits of the world, the events and cultures of the world, the organizations of the world. We're so far more committed to worldly organizations than the kingdom of God, than the church. Our schedules, I challenge you to look at your schedule and ask yourself, how much of that is the kingdom of God? How much of your schedule takes up the kingdom of God, and how much takes up the world? We have divided loyalty with God. That's a sin. It's a sin. Doesn't make you bad, it makes you human. Now what are you gonna do with it? If you keep hearing that and you keep living that way, then it's a sin.”

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