I love stories with good beginnings and happy endings -- donít you? Thatís why we sometimes feel ëstuckí in a sad story that looks like it will have a sad ending. We stumble and fumble and wish we could do things all over again. So wouldnít you agree that we all need new beginnings?

Perhaps God created that ìneed for new beginningsî in us. Just take a look at our lives. It is broken up into increments of years, months, seasons, and days in order to give us numerous opportunities to start over with a ënew beginning.í The Bible tells us that ìGodís mercies are new every morning.î God knew weíd make mistakes and constantly offers hope so that we donít have to continually repeat that ësad storyí ending.

So the same God who created our need for new beginnings is also the only one who can give us new beginnings. And, in His love, He waits for us to receive this new beginning from Him. ìHe who sits on the throne said, ëBehold, I am making all things new.í And He said, ëWrite, for these words are faithful and trueíî (Rev.21: 5).

Easter is the best example of Godís heart for ënew beginningsí. Through the resurrection of Christ, God has turned an otherwise sad ending into an ëeternal happy ending.í Our Father is a loving teacher who shows us the way to discover ënew beginningsí in our own lives. Perhaps you are struggling in your marriage, with your workplace, with an addiction, with a parent or sibling? How can we apply this happy ending and find that new beginning?

Well God does His part and lovingly waits for us to do our part. Thatís why He has TWO REQUIREMENTS that leads to new beginnings. The first is toÖ

?        BELIEVE IN MIRACLES

My wife and I once counseled a couple whose marriage was falling apart. The wife was willing to work towards reconciliation but the husband was resigned that there was no hope for saving the marriage. I asked him, ìWhat if God does a miracle to restore your marriage? Would you be willing to work with your wife to rebuild your relationship then?î He said, ìNo. Itís over. Iím finished.î  God would have done a miracle to save that marriage, but the husband was unwilling to receive Godís miracle.

Q1:  Can you recall a miracle that God has done for you? Was it difficult to receive? Did it require something of you?

The new beginning requires something you canít do for yourself -- a miracle. ìÖJesus said to them, ëWith men this is impossible, but with God all things are possibleíî (Matt.19: 25).

Perhaps youíve tried everything you know to change your situation and nothing has worked.

The questions isnít, ìCan God do a miracle?î We know that He can. The question is, ìAre we willing to receive Godís miracles?î Or maybe you have no problem believing that God can do a miracle? However, believing in miracles is great yet itís simply not enough. The second requirement is thatÖ

?        WE MUST FOLLOW HIS LEAD!

ìAnd working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vainÖî (2Cor.6:1).

Godís miracles will open doors, but He wonít push us through! Our obedience is key to seeing miracles happen. The issue is are we willing to receive His miracle and move forward in faith and watch God change lives? This can be frightening to us because it requires something of us that we are not sure we can do. So much of the time we want God to do all of the work! Yet in His love for us, God wants to develop our trust and faith in Him. So this requires that we ëpartnerí with Him and do our part to bring the miracles to a reality.

God has great plans for our lives. In fact, Jeremiah 29:10-11 tells us that He has a future for us! But sin separated us from that future and distorted the image of God in us. We look more like the world than God. God so desires to restore His image and impart His wisdom in us in order that we may reflect that image to the world. And He does this through training much like a professional baseball player.

Imagine that a professional baseball player has a young son playing Little League. The son dreams of hitting homeruns like his Dad! So the dad teaches his son the skills he knows. In other words, he imparts his ability to his young son by training his son, giving him knowledge of stance, positioning, timing, etc. There is one ëhitch,í however. The son must follow his fatherís instructions if he is to learn to hit those homeruns. Therefore, obedience is required; itís not optional!

And God is like that with us. He tells us, ìfollow me and I will open the door for your new beginnings. Follow me and I will do miracles for you.î

Q2: This is often the ëmessageí that we donít want to hear. That we must ëobeyí what

God tells us to do. We might ask, ìIsnít the gospel about grace?î  How is a willingness to obey connected with your sense of Godís unconditional love for you?

Like this dad God gives us instructions or practical steps to tapping into new beginnings. After believing God can and will do miracles, and then making the decision to follow His lead, what do we need to do to lay hold of that new start?

All of us can identify areas in our lives where we get discouraged and are tempted to give up. This is precisely where we need a new beginning!  So in order to see the miracle God has for us, here are THE THREE STEPS OF EASTER. The first is we must be willing toÖ

1.     BREAK THROUGH QUITTING POINTS.

Thatís what Easter is all about! Death was no longer the quitting point!! The tomb would no longer hold the Savior, He broke through death!

We have a strategic enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy the life God has planned for us. He watches us, much like an enemy submarine commander watches other subs during wartime, plotting the pattern of coordinates, and waiting for an opportune time to strike unexpectedly.

Our enemy watches us and knows our ëcoordinatesí, too. Stress in our life often feels like ëheatí. When the ëheatí gets to a certain temperature we often bail out and fail to break through to the good things God has planned for us. In this way, the enemy can determine our destiny by setting up circumstances that tempt us to give up. He applies the heat and waits for us to continue in our pattern of bailing out. Yet even here God has provided for us! He gives us a kind of ëheat shieldî that protects us from the enemy.

ìAt all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the evil oneî (Eph.6:16). Thatís right! Itís FAITH! Itís our faith in God and His word that keeps us from continuing the pattern that gives satan power over our futures. We need Godís ëfaith shieldí to breakthrough our quitting points in order to throw that enemy off our track!

Q3. Ouch! If we are honest with ourselves we must admit that weíve often fallen into the enemyís trap and failed to break through quitting points. Can you identify several of these points in your own life?  Are you willing to bring them before the Lord and receive His faith so that you can break through the next time you are tempted to ëbail outí?

Breaking through old patterns can ëfeelí strange to us. Itís possible that we will sometimes feel disoriented. So what do we do when we break through and then realize that weíve lost our way?  God instructs us here, too. He tells us to alwaysÖ

2.     CORRECT BACK TO WHAT NEVER CHANGES.

In other words, what has God said about your marriage? About your calling? About this season in your life in school? Break through the obstacles and correct back to what never changes.

So much of our daily life changes -- our emotions, our circumstances. You see, another tactic of our enemy is to discourage us into making permanent decisions based on changing situations. 

Be careful! Go back to God! He tells us: "Heaven and earth will disappear, but My words will remain foreverî (Luke 21:33).

ìAll Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is rightî (2Tim.3:16 NLT).

Godís word never changes!! There are ABSOLUTES! If we wind the tape back to the Garden of Eden, we can see that the devil tempted Eve to doubt Godís word. In the same way, our wicked enemy tempts us to doubt Godís absolute wisdom. He knows that we have a tendency to make God into our image rather than reflect on the unchanging image of God. Thatís why itís important to correct back to what never changes ñ that is the absolute of Godís word so that we can navigate the storms that come into our lives.

If we donít, we have no anchor in our life!  Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is: ìthe same yesterday, today, and forever.î He is the absolute that never changes, our anchor when weíve lost our footing. When we correct back to His unchanging Word, we start our new beginning with a ìmapî.

Q4: Is it a comfort to know that there are absolutes? Or does this seem like a burden? Take time now to open your heart to Jesus. Tell Him how you feel about His Word.  Perhaps you have been ëmaking God into your image.í  Be honest with Him. Ask Him to change your heart, if necessary. Let Him shine His light into your heart and heal you. Receive His love for you!

Remember that Easter is about breaking through those quitting points. The next point is knowing that there is an absolute truth. And the final point is that we mustÖ

3.     HAVE THE RIGHT STARTING POINT.

If weíve lost our starting point how can we get the correct directions to our destination?

Where is this starting point and how do we get there? Well it starts with a decision. You see, God has taken every step towards usÖexcept the last one. He loves you so much that He gives us the freedom to choose our starting point. We decide whether or not we take that last step towards Him. And if we are willing, there begins the starting point of all new beginnings that lead to ëhappyí endings.

ìWhat this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!î (2 Cor.5:17 NLT).A new life means a new beginning!  And whatís the secret of this new life?

ìSalvation that comes from trusting ChristÖif you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are savedî (Rom.10::8-10 NLT).

Every new beginning that lead to a happy ending starts with God. Jesus says, ìI am the way, the truth, the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me.î Jesus is the ONE AND ONLY starting point on this journey!

God offers us new beginnings every day! Itís our responsibility and choice whether or not to believe in miracles and follow His lead. And if we decide to say YES and follow Him, then we will be able to break through quitting points! If we feel disoriented God has given us His Word so that we can correct back to what NEVER changes. God says that there is a right starting point, when you open your heart to Christ. It will give us a new beginning and guarantee an eternal ending. Itís all in the person of Christ and our personal relationship with Him. His desire is to make ëall things newí in our lives and to give us ëa future and a hope.í Yet the issue is not in Godís power. The issue is in our willingness to comply. He does the miracle and invites us to follow HIM. Are you willing to let Jesus give you a new beginning today?  Itís up to you.

Q5. Have you opened your heart to Jesus?

Final Q: What part of the message most impacted you today and how will you apply what you learned in your life this week?

Perhaps you need a new beginning and want to trust the Lord and believe God has the power to do the impossible. Just open your heart to receive Him as Lord and Savior and follow Him because He wants to deposit His best in you.

Perhaps you are a Christian and need some miracles in your life. Ask the Lord, to open the door for reconciliation. And as He opens that door that requires a miracle, be open to the Godís new beginnings for your life and follow Him.

If this is the first time youíve received Christ as your Lord and Savior, pray this prayer. Simply add your heart to the wordsÖ Salvation will begin because you will be giving God permission to change you into His image from the inside out,

ìHeavenly Father, Thank you for Jesus. Jesus, thank you that You came and died for my sins that I might have life everlasting. Forgive me of my sins and make me new. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. I will follow you. And now I say this so you can hear me, so those around me can hear and so the devil can hear! Jesus Christ is my Lord, He is my Savior, and I belong to Him. In Jesusí Name I pray!î

Father this is the cry of our heart!  Thank You for Your great love!

A mucho mahalo to our faithful volunteer writer, Cynthia Whitehouse for an outstanding summaryÖGood job!