From Legend Faith to Living Faith: God’s New Thing in New Year

Primary Text: Isaiah 43:18–21

Theme: Moving from past-focused faith to present trust in a God who is actively doing a new thing.

Introduction: The Call to Forget

In Isaiah 43, God issues a startling command to His people in exile: “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.” This is not spiritual amnesia rooted in ingratitude, but a divine invitation to shift perspective—from what God did to what God is doing.

The danger confronting Israel—and the modern church—is not unbelief in God’s past power, but doubt in His present activity.

I. From Legend Faith to Living Faith

Key Scriptures: Psalms 46:1; Malachi 3:6; James 1:17; Hebrews 13:8

Many believers affirm the history of God but struggle to trust His present. They believe God parted seas, shut lions’ mouths, and raised the dead—but hesitate to believe He will intervene now.

• Legend faith trusts God in the past.
• Prophetic faith anticipates God in the future.
• Active faith rests on God in the present.

God does not fluctuate in power or character. If He was mighty then, He is mighty now. Faith must mature from celebration of yesterday to dependence today.

II. Amnesia Toward Past Failures and Disappointments

Key Scriptures: Hebrews 4:16; Hebrews 11:6; 2 Corinthians 12:7–9

Israel’s exile had bruised their confidence. Past defeats made them cautious instead of bold. Likewise, unmanaged disappointment can cause believers to pray tentatively rather than confidently.

Faith is not the absence of disappointment—it is trusting God despite it.

• Paul trusted God despite unanswered prayers.
• Hannah trusted God through delay.
• Jesus trusted the Father even in Gethsemane.

Faith means trusting God not only for outcomes we desire, but for outcomes He ordains.

III. Do Not Idolize Yesterday’s Blessings

Key Scriptures: Philippians 4:11; Ephesians 3:20; Deuteronomy 28:1–14

God warns Israel not only against remembering former failures, but also against fixating on former successes. Yesterday’s blessing was never meant to be the standard—it was meant to be a step.

• Contentment honors God.
• Complacency limits faith.
• Gratitude must not cap expectation.

When believers assign God a “blessing budget,” it reveals a faith budget. But God blesses without scarcity and calls His people to expect abundance that becomes a witness to the nations.

IV. Behold: Recognizing the New Thing

Key Scriptures: Isaiah 43:19; Matthew 13:15; John 5:17

The word “Behold” is a spiritual alarm. God’s new thing often arrives quietly, subtly, and without announcement. Without spiritual awareness, believers may miss answered prayers unfolding in real time.

Spiritual dullness can cause believers to misinterpret growth, misjudge people, and overlook divine movement.

V. Slow Growth and Downward Growth Are Still Growth

Key Scriptures: Mark 4:26–28; Colossians 2:6–7

God’s work often progresses invisibly before it becomes visible. Like a seed, growth begins underground—forming roots before breaking the surface.

• Slow growth is not stagnation.
• Downward growth produces depth and stability.
• Deep roots prevent easy destruction.

What God is strengthening beneath the surface will soon sustain what He reveals above it.

VI. God Removes Obstacles—but Only After Movement

Key Scriptures: Exodus 14:15–16; Joshua 3:13; Isaiah 43:19

God promises to make roads in wildernesses and rivers in deserts—but the path does not appear until His people begin to move.

• The Red Sea parted after Israel marched.
• The Jordan opened after the priests stepped in.
• Faith requires motion, not passivity.

God calls believers not merely to follow paths, but to blaze them.

VII. A Call to Trailblazers

Key Scriptures: Esther 4:14; Romans 8:28

God raises individuals to be “firsts”—first in faith, obedience, education, integrity, and spiritual legacy. Trailblazers move without precedent, guided by promise rather than proof.

The new thing God is doing through you is not only for you—it is for those who will follow the path your faith creates.

Conclusion: Pray for Amnesia

To receive God’s new thing, believers must forget what restrains faith, release what limits expectation, and awaken spiritual awareness.

God is not finished. He is not delayed. He is not diminished. He is doing a new thing—now.