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Whenever we hear the word “NEW” it kind of elicits a sense of excitement in us. Commercial advertisers have known this for years. Next time you go to the grocery story, pay attention to how many products try to catch your attention with the word “NEW.” It’s everywhere. Yet, whatever it is that makes these things “new” will rarely make much difference in our lives, and they certainly won’t impact eternity!

God wants to do something new that is quite different. He’s taking us on a journey into something new, and it will make a huge difference in our lives, both in the present and for eternity. Now, a lot of people are going to get shaken up, because even though we say we like the new, we really prefer the old – those things which are familiar and comfortable.

When the new comes, we often look back longingly at the old and fail to embrace the new. But I want to tell you today that God is starting to do something new and we need to embrace it, move with it and live in it! Let’s not be like Israel of old. God told them through the prophets that he was getting ready to do a new thing. But when Jesus came, most of the traditionalists couldn’t embrace him. They were stuck in their old ways of thinking – their old revelation of God.

Now, as he did to Israel, God is saying to us, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV) God is telling us to get ready for a new thing that he wants to do in the church and in the world.

Here’s a critical truth: Church is supposed to be a movement not a monument – a lifestyle we live out, not a place we go to. If we think of church as a place, we’ve missed the point of what church is all about. This is an old way of thinking. If we’re going to embrace the new, fresh thing God is releasing in the earth, we’re going to have to let go of “old wineskin” ways of thinking, even though we like the old better. I want to challenge you to be a new wineskin. (cf. Luke 5:36-39)

Quite often, when we’re struggling to hear God’s voice and know his will, it’s because there’s at least a part of us that won’t let go of the old. This may be in the form of a tradition, a part of our routine that we don’t want to change, something we fear or just plain old stubbornness on our part. If you’re stuck in any of these things, it’s time to surrender them to God. Don’t let them keep you from what he’s doing.

New is God’s goal for our lives. Every day, he wants to give us a new revelation of who his is for our lives. We need to position ourselves for the new by staying pliable, hungry and yielded to God – like children. It’s no wonder that God often starts new moves in the children, youth and young adults – they tend to have far less that stands in the way of it than do the older generations.

So, let me ask you, do you want all that God has promised to do in and through you? Are you ready to let go of the old and welcome the new? Don’t reject it. Embrace it! Move with it! Live in it!

(Download, watch or listen to this message in its entirety here.)