Bulletins - River Church NOLA

- - https://faithlife.com/river-church-nola/bulletins
Victory In Jesus
Look What The Lord Has Done
Build My Life
Wonderful Maker
- - https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZMzWs2CyvqA?autoplay=1
I would suspect that all of us would like to START OVER at something. Today, on this first SUNDAY of 2025, is a great day for you to take a MULLIGAN…..in any number of ways.
Isaiah 43:18–19 NLT
18 “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
God is instructing us that if we want to start over in any area, we need to not FOCUS on our past FAILURES.
John 10:10 NLT
10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
The Devil does NOT want you to be successful. He wants you to fail.
The good news today is that God wants you to have a FRESH START….a MULLIGAN. He wants you to have a new beginning.
Forget about what’s happened before. Don’t think about the past. It’s over.
We need to understand that God is far more interested in our FUTURE than He is in our PAST. But the devil always wants to run us down by focusing on our PAST.
1. Stop making excuses.
Other people can hurt you, other people can harm you, and other people can scar you….but the only person that can ruin your life is you.
Proverbs 28:14 NLT
14 Blessed are those who fear to do wrong, but the stubborn are headed for serious trouble.
Proverbs 20:7 NLT
7 The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.
Proverbs 15:22 NLT
22 Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.
Why won’t people listen to the advice of other people? Because they think they don’t need it. It’s called PRIDE.
Proverbs 16:18 NLT
18 Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
When I think I know it all and I can figure it all out myself, I’m setting myself up for failure.
If I don’t listen to the advice of others, I will probably make a big mistake.
The second step in starting over:
2. Take An Inventory Of Your Life.
We need to evaluate all of our experiences, and learn from them.
Galatians 3:4 NLT
4 Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?
There are at least 5 kinds of experiences that God uses to shape our lives:
1. He uses personal experiences.
2. He uses vocational experiences to shape you.
3. He uses educational experiencesto shape you.
4. He uses spiritual experiences to shape you.
5. He uses painful experiences to shape you.
As you take inventory of your life in starting over, you need to ask yourself three questions.
A. What have I learned from my past experiences?
B. What are my assets?
C. Who can help me?
The third step in starting over:
3. Act in Faith.
Matthew 9:29 NLT
29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.”
You’ve got to stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop saying or thinking things like: “Poor me! I’m such a victim. Life is unfair.”
It was certainly NOT FAIR that all of Jesus’ disciples, except John, was martyred for their faith.
The fourth step in starting over:
4. Refocus Your Life.
Romans 12:2 NLT
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Psalm 1:1–2 NLT
1 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.
Meditating on God’s word simply means rehearsing God’s TRUTH in our minds.
The fifth step in starting over:
5. Trust Totally in God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
- - Isaiah 43:18–19NIV2011
- - John 10:10NIV2011
- - Proverbs 28:14NIV2011
- - Proverbs 20:7NIV2011
- - Proverbs 15:22NIV2011
- - Proverbs 16:18NIV2011
- - Galatians 3:4NIV2011
- - Matthew 9:29NIV2011
- - Romans 12:2NIV2011
- - Psalm 1:1–2NIV2011
- - 2 Corinthians 5:17NIV2011

I would suspect that all of us would like to START OVER at something. Today, on this first SUNDAY of 2025, is a great day for you to take a MULLIGAN…..in any number of ways.

God is instructing us that if we want to start over in any area, we need to not FOCUS on our past FAILURES.

The Devil does NOT want you to be successful. He wants you to fail.

The good news today is that God wants you to have a FRESH START….a MULLIGAN. He wants you to have a new beginning.

Forget about what’s happened before. Don’t think about the past. It’s over.

We need to understand that God is far more interested in our FUTURE than He is in our PAST. But the devil always wants to run us down by focusing on our PAST.

1. Stop making excuses.

Other people can hurt you, other people can harm you, and other people can scar you….but the only person that can ruin your life is you.

Why won’t people listen to the advice of other people? Because they think they don’t need it. It’s called PRIDE.

When I think I know it all and I can figure it all out myself, I’m setting myself up for failure.

If I don’t listen to the advice of others, I will probably make a big mistake.

The second step in starting over:

2. Take An Inventory Of Your Life.

We need to evaluate all of our experiences, and learn from them.

There are at least 5 kinds of experiences that God uses to shape our lives:

1. He uses personal experiences.

2. He uses vocational experiences to shape you.

3. He uses educational experiencesto shape you.

4. He uses spiritual experiences to shape you.

5. He uses painful experiences to shape you.

As you take inventory of your life in starting over, you need to ask yourself three questions.

A. What have I learned from my past experiences?

B. What are my assets?

C. Who can help me?

The third step in starting over:

3. Act in Faith.

You’ve got to stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop saying or thinking things like: “Poor me! I’m such a victim. Life is unfair.”

It was certainly NOT FAIR that all of Jesus’ disciples, except John, was martyred for their faith.

The fourth step in starting over:

4. Refocus Your Life.

Meditating on God’s word simply means rehearsing God’s TRUTH in our minds.

The fifth step in starting over:

5. Trust Totally in God.

Isaiah 43:18–19NIV2011

John 10:10NIV2011

Proverbs 28:14NIV2011

Proverbs 20:7NIV2011

Proverbs 15:22NIV2011

Proverbs 16:18NIV2011

Galatians 3:4NIV2011

Matthew 9:29NIV2011

Romans 12:2NIV2011

Psalm 1:1–2NIV2011

2 Corinthians 5:17NIV2011