I WILL MAKE YOU CLEAN
Read Isaiah 1:18
What will God do for you? Have you ever spilled grape juice on a clean white shirt? Grape juice is almost impossible to get out of a shirt. While the stain might lighten a little, there will always be a stain. Your shirt will never be white again. It is easy to think you will be stained by sin forever, but God is telling you that He can make you clean. You don’t need to be afraid that sin will ruin your life forever. God can get the stain of sin out and will make you as white as snow. Have a parent or friend help you have some fun. Take an old white shirt and rub some grape juice on it. Let it set and dry for a few hours. Afterwards, try to wash that shirt and see if you can get it as white as it was before. When you can’t, be reminded how God can remove the impossible nasty stain of sin!
I WILL MAKE YOU NEW
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17
In Christ, what happens? What happens to the old? If you believe in Jesus, that means you have realized that you need Jesus. God gives you the opportunity to be new. Your old self was all about you giving into your sinful desires which sometimes created hurt and pain. Imagine an old toy that has been beat up and damaged through destructive use. Imagine that toy getting restored to the condition it was when you bought it at the store… brand new. That is what God will do for you. He loves you so much, He makes you new.
DIG DEEPER
Read Galatians 5:22-23.
Write the verse on a card and tape it to your mirror for a week.
I WILL GIVE YOU A NEW HEART
Read Ezekiel 36:26
What will God give you? What will God remove from you? Imagine having an actual heart of stone inside your body. You would die. Your heart pumps the blood to your entire body so it cannot be hard and unable to pump blood. Not only that, but if your stone heart could beat, you would damage all the other important organs around it. It would be like throwing rocks at your lungs 24 hours, 7 days a week! Living a sinful life is like having a heart of stone. Sin is not life giving, it’s life damaging. When you believe in Jesus, God takes away your heart of stone and gives you HIS heart. His heart gives you life and you can live forever. Today, carry around a heavy rock with you for a couple of hours. Be reminded that you don’t have to be afraid of having to be damaged by sin and carry its heavy burden. God, through Jesus, gives you a new heart that gives life.
I GIVE YOU A NEW SPIRIT
Read Psalm 51:10-12
God says He will give you a pure heart and renew what? What will sustain you? God not only gives you a new heart, but He also gives you a new spirit. Read Ephesians 1:13 When you believe in Jesus, what do you receive? The Bible says in Ephesians 2 that you have a spirit of disobedience because of your sin. Because of this spirit of disobedience, you want to satisfy all your wants and desires that are not God’s wants and desire. This disobedient spirit will hurt you. God loves you so much that He gives you a new Spirit. That Spirit is called the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is His spirit… right inside of you.
GOD RESTORES YOU
Read 1 Peter 5:10
What are the four things God will do for you after you suffer through tough times? God is a God who restores. There are many people out there who love to restore old homes. Old homes are great homes, but they have been through many years and suffered many storms. People will restore the damage to an old home, strengthen the structure of the home, and establish new modern features. When they are done they will confirm the home can once again be a good home. God will use the “storms of life” to help establish your character, strengthen your faith, and confirm to the watching world that He is able to do good things.