When we decide to follow Jesus and pursue a life that is directed by the Spirit more so than previously in our life we will naturally reach points along our path where God is directing us to step into something new and let go of something old.
Letting go of things we have relied on in the past or things that have been a part of our lives to some extent for a long time can be challenging and a process that only God can walk us through step by step.
Not to mention, this often takes time as we slowly learn to trust God enough to make the changes.
To be honest, this is something that I’ve struggled with. Change and giving up things that have provided a sense of security and comfort for a long time is tough.
It can bring with it pain or fear since we have to release some of our control of the situation and instead focus more on faith and trust in God’s new uncertain plan.
In this article I want to visit a few passages in the bible that talk about this topic of letting go and stepping into the new as well as offer some commentary on going through this process.
God is Always Moving in New Ways
In our walk with God we will most likely realize pretty quickly that the Lord is not someone we can control and that if we want to step into a life with the Spirit it will require stepping into new ways of living and acting.
The only thing that is certain in life is change. From our bodies to our work to our relationships and our understanding of God and the world around us. The more we live the more we learn that change is part of life and that if we are learning and growing then we are much more fulfilled.
This includes our spiritual life. When we are connected with God it is a dynamic process of giving and receiving and growing with Him over time. The moment we think that we have it figured out or decide to play the role of God is the moment we start to lose connection with the spirit and the new ways in which it wants to move in our lives.
You could say that God just wants us to be in relationship with Him. That is the whole point. By being in an active present relationship with God we step into the true life giving water that we were designed for. Water that is new, moving freely, and filled with new possibility.
The issue is that there is a part of us that gets stuck and is hesitant and afraid to step into the new eternal life that God always exists in.
Old Containers That Weigh Us Down
Why is it so hard at times to let go of things in our past or certain habits and beliefs that are keeping us from stepping into the new life that God is inviting us to move into?
One reason could be that they provide a sense of security and comfort for us in our lives. It’s simply all we have known and it has helped us to survive up to this point.
These are things that have worked for us and that we have known or used to get us to where we are currently. They may also offer relief from certain pains or hide certain insecurities or faults that we have.
This is understandable and makes sense why we would be so hesitant and afraid of letting go of some of these things.
The problem is that in order to step into new life with God He needs us to trust that what He wants to do for us is better than the place we are stuck in now.
In fact, He even says it’s not possible to pour new wine into old wineskins.
Luke 5:36-39:
36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”
Jesus is telling us in this parable that in order to step into the new life and opportunity that God has for us, we must also let go of the old container which was used to hold our past reality.
A new spiritual reality requires a new container. The old structure literally can’t hold the new reality that God has for us.
Jesus also hits on the reason it is so hard for us to change sometimes. When we are used to “drinking old wine” we are comfortable and familiar with this old wine and because of that we often don’t want the new.
But we need to remember that God is always moving in new ways. If we want to live a life with the active present spirit of God we will need to be open to letting go of old containers and allowing in new wine.
If we try to hold new life in our old frameworks it simply won’t work.
What Can Help Us Step Into The New
So we’ve acknowledged that God is always moving in new ways and He’s also probably showed you things in your life that He wants you to change or move out of and into the new that He has for you.
This can often look like breaking sin patterns, making changes in your behavior or speech, changing the way your mind processes information, becoming healthier, and acting on inspiration and ideas that you believe God is calling you into for purpose and excitement.
But we’ve also realized that it’s really hard to let go of our old patterns. A sense of worry, fear, uncertainty, or discomfort might crop up when thinking about letting go of old things and stepping into the new.
How will we get by in this new thing? Can we really do it? Is it actually the best thing for us? What will other people think?
The reality is that stepping into the new life God has for you will be a process. And it will probably take time and small steps to cross from your old patterns to a completely new life with Him.
There are two awesome scriptures for this process:
Isaiah 43:18-19:
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
This scripture is showing us that part of this spiritual process is forgetting former things and not dwelling on the past. We need to actively let go of and forget our past habits and experiences in order to both renew our mind and allow God’s new reality to be fulfilled in us.
We need to do our best to focus on the present moment and what new things God is doing in our lives. Less ruminating on old memories and patterns when they surface in our mind.
Here is another scripture:
Philippians 3:13-14:
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
A similar message. To practice forgetting what is old and moving ahead towards what is new in Jesus.
When God starts to show us things that He wants us to step into, our practice is to trust Him step by step as best as we can and to actively work on looking towards Him while not dwelling on past memories or habits that will naturally come up.
Our minds will dwell on whatever we decide to feed them. If past memories, doubts, and pains resurface we do our best to not feed them and instead look towards the new streams that God is directing us towards.
Over time if we practice this, our mind will start to renew bit by bit and we will find ourselves living in a new reality that God wanted us to move into.
The Identity Shift in God
Changing our identity, renewing our mind, and our habits towards what God wants for us is usually not an overnight process.
We can receive revelation and insight into the new that God wants us to step into but often this takes time to step into gradually as our life changes.
The amazing thing is that the start and fulfillment of this process happens when someone receives new life from Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17:
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
This is saying that when we receive new life from Christ this process of renewal and stepping into the new is starting and will eventually be fulfilled by the power of the spirit.
Ultimately, we will have a new identity in Christ and we will have stepped into a new life that God shows us. And the cool thing is that this process is ongoing in our spiritual life. Over time we will reach new stuckness and then need to shed old patterns again to step into the new that God is doing at that time.
Are You Ready to Step Into The New?
I’d like to conclude this article by asking what new thing or things you sense that God is doing in your life right now?
What has He showed you? What do you know deep down that He wants you to step into?
Are there old patterns, beliefs, and a container that is holding you back and keeping you stuck from the new life that God has for you?
What would it look like to take one small step in the direction that God has shown you? How can you grow your trust in God to take this step?
Be proud of yourself that you have come this far. But also be willing to bring in a new wineskin to hold the new reality that God wants you to move into.
