To grab hold of all God has for us in 2024, we need to let go of some things from 2023

Isaiah 43:18-19

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

Philippians 3:12-13

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

Philippians 3:14

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Three aspects to let go of

1. Hurts

Time alone doesn’t heal!

“Pain is inevitable, progress is optional.” - Rich Wilkerson Jr.

2. Disappointments

• In relationships

• In finances

• In family

• In ourselves

• in God

3. Unmet expectations

Proverbs 13:12a NLT

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

How do we let go?

We forgive, repent and surrender

1. Let go of the pain of the past. (forgive others)

“Robert, have you ever laid your rejection on the cross?”

Isaiah 53:3

He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

He was rejected

2. Let go of the mistakes of the past (repent of sin and forgive self)

Acts 3:19-20

Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.

3. Let go of your unfulfilled expectations and desires from the past (surrender your past and future to Jesus)

Galatians 2:20 NKJV

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

If we cling to the past… to familiar, to comfortable… we cannot embrace what God has for us in the future!

 

Questions for discussion/reflection:

1. How do you deal with painful events?

2. What does it look like for you to give pain to Jesus?

3. Share some of the big disappointments of the last year?

4. What are some disappointments that you might say were not a big deal, but still may have impacted you?

5. What might you need to write down on paper to invite God in to heal?

6. Be sure to capture the feeling, just what happened.