Fresh Start Bible Church

LET HIM LEAD

How many times have we carried yesterday into today?

Old hurts. Regrets. Fear. Bad advice. Limiting beliefs.

What if the thing holding you back isn't your future... it's your past?

God never intended for your history to be your shepherd.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." — Proverbs 3:5-6

It's time to release what no longer serves God's purpose for your life and follow the One who sees the road ahead.

Your past isn't your shepherd. Let God lead you forward.

Click here to listen to the full message: Let Him Lead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5UbHwj1Uwc

Walk As Jesus Did. Devotional from Youverison

Have you ever asked yourself, “How did Jesus live His life?” “What does obeying Him look like?” “How does He want me to live?”

These are great questions to ask—in order to discover what God expects from those who love Him.

1 John 2:4-6 says this:
“Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way which he walked.” (ESV)

When Jesus was with His disciples, He said to them, “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” (John 15:12 NLT)

When His followers loved each other, it was a sign of their obedience to Jesus—and the same is true for us. We are told by John in his letter to a group of Christians that it is God’s commandment that “we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” (1 John 3:23 ESV)

Our love for those in the global Church is a mark of obedience, and a sign that God lives in us. By doing this, we know that God abides in us. To walk as Jesus did is to love those in the Church with compassion, faithfulness, and humility. It’s by this love that the world will know we are His disciples (John 13:35).

Living like Jesus isn’t about checking off a list of things we should or shouldn’t do. It’s about living a life that is so rooted in God’s love that we long to obey all His commands.

Living like Jesus looks like sacrificially loving the people God made and sent His Son to die for—starting with the people who call Jesus their Savior.

Most of the New Testament is devoted to encouraging believers how to live with one another. So this week, take some time to read through the apostle John’s letters in the New Testament and look for ways you can put into practice Jesus’ commandment to love one another.

Love Compelled Him. Devotional from Youverison

Jesus said a lot of powerful, enlightening, and important things. But there’s one command that sums it all up…

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It sounds simple, right? But when we look at Jesus’ life, how did He love? And how can we strive to love like He did?

Love compelled Jesus to give up His privileges. As Creator and Lord, Jesus can do whatever He pleases. But instead, the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14)—temporarily relinquishing His rights so that we could be right with God.

Love compelled Jesus to prioritize people. The woman at the well. The man with leprosy. A Roman officer. A blind beggar. Peter’s mother-in-law. The widow’s son. A despised tax collector. Even the thief hanging next to Him on the cross. Jesus didn’t see problems—He saw and loved people.

Love compelled Jesus to serve others. He washed His disciples' feet, pursued the marginalized, had compassion on the sick, weary, and broken. In the end, He gave His own life for us.

Love compelled Jesus to value truth and grace. In a world where many elevate grace while others only magnify truth, Jesus valued both. He was passionate about God’s ways and God’s Word while also showing great compassion to those who needed it most.

If we’re ever unsure about how to love others, let’s look to Jesus as the ultimate example. He lived selflessly, prioritized other people, served to the point of death, and valued both truth and grace.

And as we love like Jesus, we will become more like Him.

What Does God Want? Devotional from Youverison

“What is God’s will for my life?”
“What is my purpose and calling?”
“What can I do to please God?”

In the New Testament, Jesus provides the answer to those questions by telling His followers to love God and love people. In the Old Testament, the prophet Micah—empowered by the Holy Spirit—summarized God’s will for Israel by saying:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭6:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

These words were penned during a time when God’s people were trying to please Him with sacrifices, offerings, and going through religious motions—while living lives of deception, violence, and pride. But as the prophet Hosea writes, “I [God] desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” (Hosea‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

God is after our heart motives, not our outward religious activity or begrudging obedience.

Let’s break down what God desires of us:

- DO JUSTICE. Doing justice requires faith and actions working together: helping the hurting, defending the weak, dealing fairly with the people we encounter, and speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves. In other words, to do justice, we must love others as we love ourselves.

- LOVE KINDNESS. The mercy of God is an extreme kindness. And because we’ve been shown undeserved kindness by Him, we can show undeserved kindness to others. God desires these things more than endless “I’m sorry” speeches. God is kind to the grateful and the wicked (Luke 6:35), so we should be too.

- WALK HUMBLY. Be teachable. Be moldable. Remember: You’re not God. You have limitations. You need a Creator and Savior. You’re only here because God spoke you into existence. So confidently embrace who you are, and who you are not, because it’s when we live fully surrendered to God that He does incredible things through us.

Seeking justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly—that is what God wants from us. So in a world that’s saturated with injustice, hatred, and arrogance, let’s be people marked by these three things.

Our Most Important Work. Devotional from Youverison

All throughout the Bible, Scripture is abundantly clear that love is at the center of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God with everything we are.

In John 13:35, Jesus says that people will know we’re His disciples because of the way that we love others. We won’t be recognized by our knowledge of the Bible, our families, the career paths we take, or the amount of time spent at church. While those are all important things, Jesus says that the most important quality is how we love other people.

1 Peter 4:8 tells us the same thing: we should be among the most loving people on earth, and our goal should be to love each other deeply. Peter, the author of this verse, also says love is the key to forgiving others. Just as we have been forgiven by Jesus, our love for other people should encourage us to forgive those who have wronged us.

Forgiving those who have mistreated us is one of the hardest things to do—it requires that we love deeply. That’s why forgiveness is evidence of a life marked by God’s love.

So if your closest friends were asked about your top qualities, what would they say? Would your top quality be how loving you are towards others? If not, know that you’re not alone. None of us are perfect, and we can all do better at this. Today, ask God to show you ways that you can show love to those around you. Let Him fill your heart with a deep love for others!

Confidence You Can Cling To. Devotional from Youverison

If a bully—twice your size—is picking on you, you have a reason to fear. But if you have a friend—twice the bully’s size—standing next to you, the bully has a reason to fear.

When you know that someone bigger, greater, and more powerful than your enemy has your back, confidence is the result.

Perhaps this is why the apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote a letter to the believers in Rome—reminding them of the truth:

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
Romans 8:1-2 NLT

Because the Roman believers belonged to Jesus, they no longer had to live in fear. God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and, one day, He will make everything—including our dying bodies—brand new.

The truth about their identity emboldened Paul…

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If the Creator and Sustainer of everything that exists has put Himself on our side, who can be against us? Who can even touch us? Who would even think about picking a fight that they ultimately could not win?

Someone might hurt our feelings or even our bodies, but they cannot touch our souls. They cannot come against the living God and succeed. They cannot turn against God’s chosen people without answering for their decisions. This means that whatever wrong has been done to us can be left in God’s reliable hands.

We can rely on God as our just Defender and our righteous Judge.

When we become His by trusting in Jesus as our Savior—by grace through faith—the strongest defense in the universe, God in His fullness (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), is forever on our side.

God is Faithful. Devotional from Youverison

We all have to face hard things. It’s not if you will face them, but when. But when those challenges come, you can know that you’re not alone.

In Isaiah 43:2, God reminds Israel that His faithfulness doesn’t change with their circumstances. He was faithful in the past, and He would continue to protect and provide for them…

“When you pass through the waters…”

After 400 years of slavery, God empowered Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity. Just as the opposing army was closing in and all seemed lost, God made a way—right through the Red Sea. (See Exodus 14.) This is probably what the book of Isaiah is referencing to remind the Israelites of God’s power.

“When you pass through the rivers…”

Isaiah’s readers would have probably been reminded of the time God dried up the Jordan River for the Israelites when they were crossing over with the ark of the Lord. They even built a memorial, so that generations to come would remember God’s presence. (You can find this story in Joshua 3.)

“When you walk through the fire…”

In the book of Daniel, three men—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were thrown into the fiery furnace after refusing to obey the king’s decree to bow down to an idol, instead of to God. They were miraculously delivered, and didn’t even smell like smoke. (This story is in Daniel 3.)

Even though this event probably hadn’t happened when Isaiah was writing, God’s words still came to pass. And today, when we look at His faithfulness to the men in the fiery furnace, we can reflect on His promise in Isaiah, and remember that God is faithful to protect His people.

Recalling God’s faithfulness in the past helps us trust Him with the future.

Even when faced with worst-case scenarios, God is not surprised. He’s already gone before you. No matter what happens, life’s trials and difficulties will not get the final say. God is still powerful, still providing, and still protecting you—and nothing can stand against our God.

So today, as you think back on your life, how have you seen God’s faithfulness? And how can those memories help you trust Him with your future?