God's Promises of Newness of Life

By Maria Fontaine

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When the Bible says, “Behold, I make all things new,”1 it truly means that everything is new.—Our whole outlook and lives, as we don new robes for the new person to walk in newness of life as “new creatures in Christ Jesus”2 with new motives and new goals and new ways of doing things. It’s truly wonderful!

Whenever we yield our hearts, our lives, and our future to Him, surrender everything to Him, He has promised to make things new—to use us and shape us and re-create our ministries, outlooks, and lives as He sees fit. He has given His promise to any of us who are discouraged and disheartened that there’s always hope and that you can arise from the ashes of loss or defeat to a new beginning, new ministries, new opportunities, and new fulfillment in the Lord.

It’s wonderful to think that no matter how old you are, how tired you are, how despairing you’ve been, the Lord promises to refill your spirit with faith and hope. No matter what condition you are in and how difficult it’s been, you can look to the future with anticipation and trust that there will be happy new days ahead and newness of life. Thank You, Jesus!

To enter into that newness of life, we just have to be willing to forget the past, drop the old, let go of it and say yes and reach out to the new that is before us.3 There’s an old hymn that says,

When I come to the river at the ending of day,
When the last winds of sorrow have blown;
There’ll be somebody waiting to show me the way,
I won’t have to cross Jordan alone.

I won’t have to cross Jordan alone,
Jesus died all my sins to atone;
When the darkness I see,
He’ll be waiting for me,
I won’t have to cross Jordan alone.

Often times I’m weary and troubled and sad,
When it seems that my friends have all flown;
There is one thought that cheers me and makes my heart glad,
I won’t have to cross Jordan alone.

Though the billows of trouble and sorrow may sweep,
Christ the Savior will care for his own;
Till the end of my journey my soul he will keep,
And I won’t have to cross Jordan alone.
—Thomas Ramsey

Jordan is apparently representative of death, and the Bible says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”4 We usually think of this as meaning physical death, but I believe it can be used just as appropriately for death to self, which is just as difficult and sometimes more so. But the Lord has promised to keep you through it, as you trust in Him no matter what the circumstances may be.

There is a beautiful verse that says: “And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel.”5

Sometimes the new things the Lord wants to bring into our lives require us making major changes and undergoing a “retooling” as He prepares us for new challenges, new callings, and new beginnings. Retooling is changing from what something was into something else, to produce something that it didn’t produce before. The factory that used to make tanks now makes trucks, or it’s retooled to do something different. Likewise, the Lord retools each of us at different points in our lives and reshapes us into new vessels—so the vessel can be used differently, with a new anointing, to be used in a new way by the Lord for whatever purpose He has.

The Lord Himself doesn’t change, neither does His Word, but He can change us and our methods and our circumstances and ministries, and our habits, attitudes, and outlook. He can give us new hearts, new minds, new anointings, new blessings, new challenges, new people to work with, new friends, new families! He promises to renew our spirits and our faith, and He can give us new enthusiasm and enjoyment of life. Isn’t it wonderful just how much the Lord loves us? Praise the Lord!

The Bible says to “lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord.”6 It also says, “Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens,”7 and “So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”8 In another verse Paul said that he wanted “men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands.”9 The Bible says to do that, so there must be something significant and important about it.10

Lifting your arms up to the Lord is a sign of surrender. It’s also a sign of desire. When you haven’t seen someone for a long time and they’re coming to greet you, you put your arms out to them. In like manner, lifting your hands to the Lord is a sign of desire and reaching out to Him. If we are worried about the opinions of others and what they’ll think of us when we lift up our hands, the Lord says not to fear or worry about what others think about us, but to just go ahead and do what we know pleases Him. Thank You, Lord!

Thank You for Your words to us, Jesus—beautiful words of wonder, love, blessing, and all that we need. How good You are to us! You’ve not called us servants but friends, and You’ve told us of the great things that You have in store for us, and the wonderful future ahead and how beautiful it’s going to be.

We can’t pay You back, so we want to do what we can to love You, because You’ve given Your life for us. You died for us and came to serve us and to love us, and we want to do the same for You. You said, “As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.” Your Father sent You to love us so much that You would even die for us, and that You would not stop with Your death on the cross, but You would continue to give Your love. And that’s what You said we should do for others.

Please help us to receive the gift of Your love with open arms, that we may be filled to overflowing with Your Spirit of love, so that we’ll in turn overflow on others. We want to be Your servants and serve each other in love and serve Your people and the world.

Originally published February 1995. Adapted and republished January 2020.

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1 Revelation 21:5.

2 2 Corinthians 5:17.

3 Philippians 3:13.

4 Psalm 116:15.

5 Isaiah 45:3.

6 Psalm 134:2.

7 Lamentations 3:41.

8 Psalm 63:4.

9 1 Timothy 2:8.

10 See also Psalm 28:2; 119:48; Lamentations 2:19.