How to Find a Fresh Start - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - November 4, 2024

“For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.” - Colossians 2:12 NLT

As a native Clevelander, fall means Browns football. I grew up yelling at the TV with my family. For many years, when my husband and I weren’t at the game, we hosted game-day. Crock-pots full of chili and football cheese wafted through the house as we tuned in to our hometown announcer and yelled at the TV with friends and family. Now living states away from my family and life carrying friends off into different seasons of busyness, I often miss those moments.

How do we find a fresh start after our normal drifts into a different season of life? Today’s verse says we are “raised to new life” when we embrace Jesus as our Savior. When we trust the same “mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead,” winds of powerful change can grow and stretch us, changing the landscape of life’s horizon.

In and around Colossians 2:12, Paul explains the completeness that Christians find in Christ: putting off of the flesh, resurrection from spiritual death, forgiveness, and deliverance from legalistic requirements and evil spirit beings. (NIV Study Bible Notes) No matter how much change we endure upon this earth, Christ remains unchanged. Every growing pain of the journey we traverse is meant to sanctify us and honor Him.

Though it may be scary to open a new door under fresh circumstances, we must. Recently, I descended into the cobwebby corners of my basement to dust off an unopened crock pot from my momma. That Sunday after church, the simmering sweetness of homemade chili drifted out to the front porch, and the door was opened. Fresh starts are found in small, faithful steps of obedience, in remembering who and Whose we are, and why we’re here.

Psalm 145:13-15 says, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.” (NIV) If Christ is in us, we are a living fresh start. Take a deep breath, embrace His love, and connect with the people He’s purposefully placed. Lean into God for the big faith it takes to trust Him in seasons of change.

I haven’t experienced many winning seasons of celebration as a Browns fan. There’s been a lot of ungodly yelling at the TV over the years, but I still root for my hometown team. Jesus roots for us like that. Though we fight change and run in dysfunctional directions, He remains our unshakable foundation. A guiding light out of the darkness, His love never fails. Each day holds a fresh start.

Photo Credit: ©Taylor Wright/Unsplash

Meg is a graduate of Ashland University. She is a writer, author, editor, and digital content creator. She stepped away from her job in Internet Marketing in 2008 to raise her daughters, which gave her passion for writing a chance to shine through her blog, Sunny&80… Life within the Love of Christ. Meg has served as a Children’s Worship Team Leader and Middle School Leader for her local church. She founded and led the Breakfast Club Bible Study for Tweens, has served as a Young Life Leader and Committee Member, and led Women’s Bible Study. She has also volunteered as a content creator for her local church, studied Bible/Ministerial Training through Global University, completed COMPEL PRO Writers Training, and is Ethically AI Certified. A contributing writer for Salem Web Network since 2016, Meg is now thrilled to be a part of the team at Salem Web Network. You can find her entire library of books on her Amazon Author Page. 

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If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.

Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.

Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.

I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!