Today is the first week of a brand new beginning. It got me thinking about starting fresh and new year’s resolutions. The truth is we ALL need a fresh new start, not just at the first of the year, but over and over again. After all, we wouldn’t eat on the first of the month and expect to be full for the other three weeks. Just like our bodies need a fresh new start of energy, our spiritual lives need a fresh new start of spirituality.

Over time we tend to slip into old habits and old ways of thinking if we don’t intentionally refresh ourselves. God understood this when He created us. This is why the scripture says…

Lamentations 3:22-23

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
    his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness. 

Think about that…His mercies are NEW every morning. God literally pours out fresh new mercy for our old ways of living. Without His mercy, we would never be able to have a fresh start. And His mercy is His unmerited favor lavished on us. His unconditional love refreshes us every morning. If God renews His mercy each and every day, how much more should we renew our commitments and focus each and every day.

So my question is this…what do you do to refresh yourself each day in God’s mercy?

Here are 3 things we need to do every day in the new year to walk in God’s new mercies…

1. Forgive Yourself As God Has Forgiven You

If God can and will forgive you when you ask, how much more should we forgive ourselves? One of the greatest ways we stop receiving His new mercy each and every day is to hold ourselves from it. You cannot truly accept God’s forgiveness unless you can forgive yourself. In fact, being forgiven by God requires you to forgive yourself as well. Do not become your worst enemy that keeps you from experiencing His mercy. Let go of the past and grab ahold of your future.

2. Start Your Day Off Right

For goodness’ sakes…don’t start your day off with negative news, sleeping too late, procrastinating your schedule, and all the other things that start you off wrong. They say the most important meal of the day is breakfast because it jumps starts your metabolism and gets your body moving. Well, what you do to start off your day is the most important decision you can make. So goes the first fruits of your day so goes your focus and energy for the day. I encourage you to have a plan for your beginning routine. Start off with reading your Bible, listening or reading something encouraging (like this blog or others), prayer, exercise, connecting with your family, cleaning, just do something that will get you spiritually jump-started. Don’t leave your morning routine to chance, get proactive.

3. Speak Life Over Your Life

The most important person you will talk to all day besides God is YOURSELF. You will either break yourself or build yourself up depending on the nature of the conversations you have with yourself. You will never outperform the image you have of yourself, and you will never live above the way you talk to yourself. So if your self-talk is a 3 out of 10 in terms of negativity, then you will never rise above a 3 on your performance. So goes your inner words and beliefs so goes your outer performance and productivity. You will never see a truly highly successful person (and I don’t mean rich or famous, that’s not what success is) who is a negative person. However, almost all unsuccessful people are negative about themselves. Speak life over your life by speaking the blessings and provision of God for your life. Own the fact that you are a child of God and an heir of God’s Kingdom.

What do you do to start fresh in God’s mercy each and every day?