The Only Way to Get a Fresh Start

[The Only Way to Get a Fresh Start]( Current Teaching Series [The Light of Jesus at Christmas]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [The Only Way to Get a Fresh Start]( By Rick Warren — 12/20/2021 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( “In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth.” Ephesians 5:8-9 (NCV) Several years ago, New York City officials built a water disinfection facility using ultraviolet light to destroy germs and disinfect the city’s drinking water, which is funneled in from about 100 miles away. Instead of using chlorine, the system uses the sun’s power to disinfect and sanitize water using light rays. They disinfect over 1 billion gallons of water every day. Light is a great disinfectant. It cleanses, sanitizes, and purifies. The light of God works in a similar way in your life. Harmful words, thoughts, and actions make you spiritually, emotionally, and sometimes physically sick. When you confess your sins to God, his forgiveness sanitizes, purifies, and cleanses you. The Bible says it like this: “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:6-7 NIV). So many people today are going through dark days because they’re carrying a load of guilt, shame, and regret. They may look successful on the outside, but inside they’re tormented by their secrets. Is there a way to wipe the slate clean? Is there a way to get a fresh start? Yes, it’s called being born again. That doesn’t mean you turn over a new leaf and try harder. It means you get a brand-new life, where everything is forgiven. Everything is cleansed by the light of Christ, and the darkness of regret and shame is lifted. Ephesians 5:8-9 describes what it means to be completely cleansed and forgiven of your sin and born again: “In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth” (NCV). What secret regret, guilt, or shame in your life needs to be cleansed and disinfected? Just expose it to the light of Christ. Then you can move forward, full of hope in Jesus, the Light of the World. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - How does the Christmas season sometimes expose the guilt or regret you’ve managed to repress the rest of the year? - What are some ways you can “live like children who belong to the light” (Ephesians 5:8 NCV)? - When you consider how so many people carry secret burdens of guilt and shame, how does that change the way you act or respond to people? The post [The Only Way to Get a Fresh Start]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email]( [Get the brand new Daily Hope Prayer Journal when you give a gift to support Daily Hope]( God has an adventure for you—and every day is an invitation to say ‘yes’ to his plans. We want to help you hear from him, follow his lead, and see his hand at work in your life with the brand-new Daily Hope Prayer Journal—our way to say thanks for your gift below. And thanks to a generous $100,000 Matching Grant, your gift will be DOUBLED to bring the hope of Jesus to even more people! This soft, vegan leather prayer journal features... - Beautifully designed pages filled with stunning artwork - Inspiring Bible verses to encourage you each day - Special sections to help you keep track of your prayers It’s the perfect way to connect with the Lord through a consistent daily prayer time. [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 2 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series The Light of Jesus at Christmas. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: Will I Make Room for Jesus? Message 2: The Light of Jesus for Your Darkest Days [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( As the founding pastor of Saddleback Church with his wife Kay, Dr. Rick Warren leads a 30,000-member congregation in California with campuses in major cities around the world. As an author, his book [The Purpose Driven Life]( is one of the best-selling nonfiction books in publishing history. It has been translated into 74 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Rick also founded [The PEACE Plan]( to address five global issues—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. 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