How to Begin…Again!
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"16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…" (Proverbs 24:16 NIV)
INtroduction
“The Christian life consists of new beginnings.” (
It always takes longer and costs more to rebuild than to start from scratch
1. Clear away the rubble.
What are your unresolved issues from the past?
Relationally? Spiritually? Professionally? Spiritually? Emotionally?
Find closure wherever possible and profitable.
Contractors know that it is not profitable to pull every nail from every board or knock mortar off of every brick. Some things cannot be cleaned up, they just have to be cleared off.
Learn the difference between resolution and release.
Resolution is not always possible. Sometimes you must simply release.
2. Check the foundation.
Your past is the foundation for your future. Your future can be better, bigger, brighter than your past, but it will always be built on your past.
If you change relationships, the pain, the experiences, and the lessons you have learned from past relationships will go with you. You may choose to ignore your biological family, but you will still carry their DNA. If you change jobs, you will still carry your past job on your resumé.
The key is to know your past and to own your past.
This positions you to understand how it impacts you in the present.
Failure is a part of every life, so an important part of success is knowing what to do with failure.
“The formula for success is failure plus failure plus failure.” (W. Hill)
Learn how to learn from it and move beyond it.
Part of making sure that you have a firm foundation for your future is coming to the place where you understand the reasons behind your past failures.
In construction, there are two primary foundation issues:
· Cracks (“unintended fractures or divisions” in the concrete; places that are “open” that should be “filled in.”)
Cracks in a foundation will cause the structure to fracture and even topple later.
· Unevenness (“lack of balance,” sometimes a lack of “finishing” since concrete is never poured “smooth,” that takes intentionality, skill, and time.)
Two key foundation issues: Cracks (places that are open, that are not filled it, made whole) and unevenness (this can cause the entire building to be out of balance and can trip you up when you are walking across a floor. It will also tend to have a “drawing power,” i.e., be the place that water runs to, etc.)
Examples of a “cracked” foundation…
· Serving God and mammon.
"13 “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight." (Luke 16:13-15 NIV)
· Being “unequally yoked” together with unbelievers – whether different values or different vision
" 14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the
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