Making a Fresh Start - Part 1

Today I want to begin a bit of a series on how to make a fresh start. I’ve talked with many people who want to give up, to throw in the towel. They’ve failed at something (or several somethings) and they feel like there’s no hope. So for the next few weeks I want to walk you through the acronym: START

Let me begin by telling you this: God is far more interested in your future than He is in your past. Some of you think God is fixated on your past. All He wants to do is remind you of the things you've done wrong. That’s not the case. God isn't interested in your past. He's interested in your future. That's where you're going to spend the rest of your life. So today we’re going to begin with the letter S:

Stop making excuses.

We could talk today (for several weeks) about what causes failure in people's life. Let me give you three of the most common reasons.

1. The number one reason we fail in life is we don't plan ahead.

We make decisions and don't look at the consequences of them. Proverbs 20:7 says, "The wise see danger ahead and avoid it, but fools keep going and get into trouble."

Was it raining when Noah started building the ark? No. He had to plan ahead. In fact the rain didn't come for 120 years. But that's how long it took him to get the thing built.

Jesus spoke often about the importance of planning. He said there was a guy who goes out and starts to build a tower but he can't finish it because he doesn't have enough money. He failed to plan. He tells the story about the king who went out to battle but he lost because he didn't count his soldiers; he didn't plan ahead.

It's the old cliche "If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail."

2. The second reason we fail is because we don't listen to others.

We don't listen to good advise when it's offered. Proverbs 15:22 (NCV) tells us, "Plans fail without good advice." You need to get all the advice you can.

Why don't we listen to the advice of other people? Because we think we don't need it. It's called pride. Ego. Ego stands for "Edging God Out." When you think you know more than God and you push Him out of your life, you're on an ego trip and that's a trip that leads to a dead end. When I think I know it all and I can figure it all out myself, I'm setting myself up for failure. You're never going to get anywhere if you think you've already arrived. The guy who gets too big for his britches, will eventually be exposed in the end. That's the problem with pride.

3. The third reason we fail is we give up too soon.

Proverbs 24:10 (NCV) says, "If you give up when troubles come, it just shows that you are weak." Failure is the path of least persistence. The problem is that often during trying times we stop trying. We give up.

If at first you don't succeed, welcome to the human race, you're normal. Very few people make it on the first try. Oftentimes, we give up just when success is around the corner. It's always too soon to quit. You're never a failure until you give up.

There was a guy, a general, who lost two_thirds of all the battles he fought in the American Revolution. George Washington. He won the war.

There was another guy who graduated 42nd out of a class of 43. Then he went out and conquered Europe. Napoleon.

Edison tried over 200 different elements before he figured out what was the right element to use in the light bulb. Over 200 failures before he had a success. It's always too soon to quit.

The Bible says we need to stop making excuses, admit when it's our fault and get on with life. I've discovered that people who are very good at making excuses are rarely good at anything else. They spend all their energy thinking up reasons why they can't do what they're supposed to do.

Proverbs 28:13 (LB) says, "A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confess and forsakes them he gets another chance."

If I want to start over, start fresh, I have to stop making excuses for my failures. I've got to stop blaming other people; I've got to stop using rationalizations. I've got to stop seeing myself as the victim of my circumstances. So "S" in START stands for Stop making excuses.

My encouragement to you today is simple: Get Started....by stopping the excuses. Make some changes and watch God do some great things in your life.