STEP INT THE NEW

“Step Into the New”
From the heart of Pastor Calvin Cook
July 31, 2025

Scripture: Isaiah 43:18–19 (NIV) “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.”

Returning this morning after some reflection to the last couple days of devotionals to a scripture that has been not only a place of comfort but a place of challenge. The words from the Prophet Isaiah have repeatedly become part of who I am and who I feel God is calling me in all aspects of my life to be.

We often find comfort in the familiar. Old routines, known patterns, and past experiences can make us feel safe—even when they’re holding us back. But God is not a God of stagnation. God is a God of movement, transformation, and renewal. In Isaiah 43, He invites His people to stop clinging to the past and to open their eyes to something brand new: “I am doing a new thing… do you not perceive it?”

God is always ready to lead us into fresh places—new ministries, new healing, new relationships, and new depths of faith. The question isn’t whether God wants to do something new in our lives. The real question is: are we willing to make room for it?

The ministries and my life for that matter is in a season of change. To places I never thought possible and has become purely Holy Spirit inspired and led. Sometimes, stepping into the new requires releasing the old. That could mean laying down past regrets, old wounds, or even past successes that we keep trying to relive. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, we may be tempted to long for what was, even when God is guiding us into what could be.

This also means that we come to realize where the new things we are embracing are coming from. I constantly am praying for that new thing to happen that springs forth from God. Making sure and affirming if it is from God through the leading of the Holy Spirit, God will see it through!

Jesus said in Luke 5:38, “New wine must be poured into new wineskins.” God’s new work in you requires a heart ready to stretch, grow, and receive. Don’t miss the new thing because you’re too focused on what used to be.

Prayer: Lord, I open my heart today to the new thing You desire to do in my life. Help me release what was and embrace what You are preparing. Give me eyes to perceive it and courage to step into it. Make a way in my wilderness and bring streams to the dry places of my soul. In Jesus’ name, Amen.