January 31, 2026

THE POWER OF A FRESH START

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.”

Isaiah 11:1 NLT

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

Isaiah wrote these words during a season of idolatry and division. The once-mighty kingdom of David had been hacked down by sin and compromise. To the naked eye, it looked like a graveyard of dead wood. There was only a stump left of what was once a glorious empire.

But God spoke a word of hope into the wreckage. He declared that a "shoot" would grow from that very stump.

The Root and the Branch

This “New Branch” is the Lord Jesus. He didn’t come to abandon the old root or start an entirely new forest. As He said in Matthew 5:17, He didn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. He took the "old root" of our history and brought forth the "new fruit" of grace and freedom.

Your Life is Not a Dead End

The implications for us are staggering. We often look at our own lives—our failures, our divorces, our financial collapses, or our past addictions—and we see a stump. We think, "It's over. I’ve been cut off from God's purpose."

But God’s specialty is growing beauty out of brokenness.

• He doesn't abandon your story.

• He doesn't require a perfect start.

• He works through the stump of your past to begin something new and better.

Your mistakes do not have the final say; God’s mercy does. Your past may be a stump, but in the hands of the Holy Spirit, that stump is the foundation for a miraculous new beginning.

Use these three questions to audit your current season:

1. Identify the "Stump"

Reflect on an area of your life that feels like it has been "cut down" or ended prematurely (a relationship, a career path, or a personal goal).

• The Question: Have I been grieving the stump so much that I’ve missed the green shoot starting to grow?

• The Promise: "For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease." (Job 14:7)

2. Nourish the "Root"

Isaiah 11:1 says the fruit comes from the "old root." In your life, the "root" is your history with God and His unchanging Word.

• The Question: What "old roots" of faith—scriptures, past answered prayers, or spiritual disciplines—can I lean on today to feed this new season of growth?

• The Goal: Don't throw away your history; let God use the lessons of the past to stabilize your future.

3. Anticipate the "Fruit"

A shoot doesn't just grow for the sake of growing; it grows to "bear fruit."

• The Question: If God is bringing something new out of my brokenness, how can this new growth eventually bless someone else?

• The Action: Write down one way your past "stump" has given you more empathy, wisdom, or strength to help others who are currently being "cut down" by life.

A Declaration for Your Day

"I am not a dead stump; I am a site of a miracle. I choose to believe that my best fruit is still ahead of me. God is not finished with my story!"

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TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit, thank You that my past does not determine my future. I give You the "stumps" in my life—the areas that feel dead or cut off. I ask for Your grace and mercy to bring forth new life. Work in me and through me to accomplish Your beautiful will. Amen.

“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”