From ‘Upgrade’ to ‘Truth Talk’

Welcome to my first blog post at Truth Talk with Dawn! The old UPGRADE with Dawn website and blog are shutting down, but I’m so glad all those blog posts are ARCHIVED on my new website. (Thank you, Jan Gates and Patrick Gates, for your expertise.)

This new website and blog have been a long time coming—in my thoughts, anyway—and now they’re finally here. My goal is to encourage, challenge, and inspire with “truth talk” related to the Word of God. I’ll be inviting guest bloggers to share some helpful, inspiring truths from the Bible too.

So, let’s get started!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRUTH TALK Insight: Isaiah 43:19

The prophet Isaiah delivered God’s message to the Israelites,

 “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it?” (Isaiah 43:19 HCSB).

God Closes and Opens Doors

I’ve always been intrigued by Paul’s statement that God had opened a huge door of opportunity to Him. In fact, it was a unique opportunity that had never opened before. Paul called it a “great door for effective work” (1 Corinthians 16:9).

That door stood wide open as Paul diligently ministered in Ephesus; and after a revival swept throughout the city, the Ephesian church became influential and powerful. Paul said there were many adversaries to the work—hostile forces bent on stopping the forward motion of the Gospel.

I felt some of those hostile forces with my last blog site. UPGRADE with Dawn shared positive messages, encouraging wise, biblical choices; but a hacker made the functioning of the blog nearly impossible.

God made it clear that it was time to close one door of opportunity while trusting Him to open a new one.

The prophet Isaiah shared a long message with the Israelites from the heart of God. The LORD spoke many wonderful promises, including the truth that He would restore his beloved Israel. In Isaiah 43:4-5, He told them how precious they were to Him, and that they should not fear any frightening things ahead. God has been the Israelite’s deliverer from ancient times. He reaffirmed in verse 11 that there is no other Savior except Him.

In verses 16 -17, we read that God cared for the Isrelites in the past, bringing them out of Egypt. He “made a way through the sea” for them to escape from bondage.

Then God said something wonderful!

“Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it?”

They probably didn’t see it. We often don’t perceive what God is doing in our lives. (We walk by faith, not sight.)

But imagine how God’s words must have comforted the frustrated Israelites!

Isaiah 43 is something of a rehearsal of Israel’s past, their frustration in the present—in the midst of the Babylonian Captivity—their sure hope of redemption in the future.

Note: God wasn’t saying to forget what He had done. Rather, He was telling unfaithful Israel to expect something more—something new! God was going to make a way for them in the distant future when He would show great mercy! In the end times, there would be a far better rescue than when they fled Egypt.

But Israel needed to look to God.

Where Are You Looking?

Do you need a fresh start? A new beginning that’s a breath of fresh air?

We all do, sooner or later, and perspective is everything.

No matter what “new thing” you need, pay attention to where you are looking.

In life, the direction we’re looking is important. As Christians, we don’t need a backward look; we need a forward look.

The past is past, and while you can learn from the baggage of the past, looking too long into the past can discourage or even paralyze you.

• • Failure can be a good teacher, but after some time, it’s important to leave that classroom and graduate into a new one.

• • Success is wonderful, but even that won’t carry you though new trials for long.

For sure, God wants us to trust him for the future and expect great things. He makes believers new creatures in Christ and is creating our new home. In the meantime, we need to anticipate what He might do in, for, and through us in the present.

Trust God while you’re waiting for Him to show you a new direction, a new project, a new habit to cultivate, etc. Trust Him to be present in the process. As Cindi McMenamin says, “There’s nothing better than the certainty of His presence in the uncertainty of our circumstances.”

A word of warning. New things can be exciting, but the Bible warns about having “itching ears” (Acts 17:21; 2 Timothy 4:3-4). Be careful not to constantly pursue (or idolize) new things. Pay attention to where you are looking (and the voices you’re listening to) when you think you need something new.

Just because everyone is rushing to the shiny new thing, that doesn’t mean it’s for you too!

That said, tune in to God. He may be saying:

“I’m about to do something new. Stay close to me.
Walk in the Holy Spirit. Keep your head and heart in the Word.
Don’t fear; just trust me!”

Think about your own life—spiritually, mentally, emotionally, socially, and physically. Do you sense that God is ready to do something new in any of those areas? Will you cooperate with Him? And if you don’t understand, or you don’t see an area where He’s working, will you still trust Him anyway?

Dawn Wilson, the founder and director of Heart Choices Today, is the creator of Truth Talk with Dawn. She is a contracted worker for the Revive Our Hearts ministry, and a regular columnist at Crosswalk.com. Dawn’s book, Truth Talk for Hurting Hearts, will be out in 2024. She and her husband live in sunny Southern California. They have two grown, married sons and three granddaughters she affectionately calls her “kiddles.”

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Jan Tinneberg at Unsplash.