The six part Fresh Start process helps you practically resolve issues of your heart, such as offense, hurt, and loss. No more waiting on others and circumstances to change. You can take care of your heart today. Grab a pen, a journal, and let’s get started.

What freedom do you need today?  What’s keeping you in chains? Maybe it’s an addiction, betrayal, grief, feeling hopeless in a relationship, or even distorted thoughts rolling around in your own heart and mind.

This six-part series will help you be free from your past, thrive (not just survive) in the present, and experience the benefits of a hope-filled future! Freedom is available for you, today!

Let’s start with your story. What happened? Who hurt you? What have you lost? Your journey of freedom begins first with a step of honesty.

In this part of the process, identify one significant area of hurt, offense, or loss that is hindering your life. Whether it was an event that happened recently or something from when you were a child; no detail is too small. No pain is too great. Choose one person or event to process. 

What is in your heart? How have you been affected by this hurt, offense or loss? Take some time to pause and consider what your thoughts have been toward this person or event.

What have your thoughts been toward yourself? Toward God?  What have your feelings been- or have you been numbing them for so long that you don’t even feel anymore? Describe your thoughts and feelings in detail. Present feelings are indicators of past pain.

How have you responded to your pain? What have you said or done in response to the hurt, loss, or offense you experienced?

Have you made any internal agreements or decisions because of your pain (Examples: I will never be hurt again. He will always be that way. I would never do that to anyone.)
  

Part 4 - Pour out your heart:
It’s time to get real. Get all those thoughts, dreams, hopes, and unmet desires out of your heart and onto paper! What do you really want? What is the true desire of your heart? What could have been different? What has been missing? God cares about these issues.

“Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
– Psalm 62:8 NIV

It’s easy to think someone “owes'' us because they hurt us. While we are waiting to be “repaid,” our hearts remain chained.

Forgiveness doesn’t excuse what they did. Forgiveness cancels the debt, so we can be free. In order to forgive, we must first be forgiven. Ask God to forgive you first for any of your wrong attitudes, responses, or decisions. Then, you are ready to forgive those who have hurt or offended you. Forgive just like you were forgiven. 

Release the person (the one you have forgiven) to the Lord. This painful situation is no longer yours. Let God handle the situation or the person(s) involved.

Release is getting the space in your heart back that was once leased out to the pain. Take this person or painful circumstance off your hook, and place the person on God’s hook. It’s now His to deal with.

You have walked through the first of what we hope to be many processes in your journey to freedom! Now, what?

There is a reason we call this a process, not a program. Simply put, Fresh Start is a biblical process of applying the gospel to your heart! This process is designed to be a tool in your tool belt for the rest of your life.

With each process and step of obedience, you can experience more freedom! We hope this is just the beginning of becoming who you were created to be!

You can be forgiven! Up until this point in your life, you may have held back parts or all of your heart from fully surrendering to God. But, now, you may be ready to be forgiven! This is your invitation to be forgiven and truly free!

Consider praying this prayer or follow along on the last page of your Fresh Start Processing Booklet. As you follow the prompts in faith, trust Jesus to do the work only He can do!