Our culture thrives on self-help. No matter what we desire to improve, there’s a book we can read, a podcast we can listen to, a video we can watch, and no end to experts on any subject we’re interested in. Whether it’s our health, body image, finances, relationships, mental health, or spiritual life we want to grow in, the information is available to help us along the way.

Usually we find there are steps to take for the improvements we want to make in our lives. As we follow each step, we can measure the progress we’re making until we reach the desired results. Sometimes these steps can be very slow and tedious, and we can lose patience and give up without attaining the success we’d hoped for.

As we go through the self-improvement process, we’re continually wondering, “What’s next?” Will I do better on the next step than I did on the previous one? Will it bring me closer to what I want? We live in a microwave society that wants everything yesterday, and if we can’t rush through something, we’re likely to lose hope that we’ll ever attain it.

We also find that the world around us is not satisfied for long, always wondering what’s next. When is the next blockbuster movie coming out? Who will be the next great sports player to lead their team to victory? What will be the next style, or the next car, or the next anything? We are always looking for bigger and better.

The next thing usually means a younger, improved, or superior version of the same old thing. There’s nothing new under the sun. This may be the world’s perspective but it’s not the way God sees things. He is more concerned with transforming the old into something new, not just improving the same old thing.

God spoke through the prophet Isaiah, “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?” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV). If we would pay attention to what God is doing in and around us, we would see His transformative power at work not doing the next thing, but a totally new thing.

Heart disease can be a silent killer, as many don’t know there is a problem in their hearts until it’s too late. If caught in time, there are a number of things that can help. But there are times when only a new heart can save a life. When a surgeon does a heart transplant, he removes the old, diseased heart and replaces it with a new heart. 

God’s transformation in our lives begins with a new thing – giving us a new heart. He says in Ezekiel 36:25, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (NLT). As we receive this new heart, we become a new creation. The old is gone and the new has come. (See 2 Corinthians 5:17.)

We should always want to improve our lives, but most of the time it’s not the next thing that will help us make the changes. Only God’s transformative power can bring about the new thing we need to move into the fulness of life He offers us. Look to Him first to do this.

Hope Ministries is a Christian counseling center, and we are here to help. If you would like to speak confidentially with someone, give us a call at 845-482-5300.