The start of each new year brings optimism and hope for the year ahead. As Christians, we get fresh starts in Jesus Christ each day.
These Bible verses for January focus on the new beginnings we have in Christ, as He renews us and transforms us each day.
Focusing on these truths in God’s Word will help us combat the discouragements and distractions of everyday life, and aid us in living in God’s will for our lives.
Don’t miss the free printable 31-day Bible reading plan and Bible study and reflection questions at the end of this post.
Bible Verses For January: A Fresh Start for a New Year
Though we can have a fresh start any day of the year, there is something that feels special as we begin a new year. There’s a hope that this year will be the best year of your life.
In addition, other people around you are setting goals and working on them. At least for the first few weeks of January, there is a camaraderie of putting in the hard work and reaching for big goals.
No matter how these goals and resolutions may go, we always have the truth of the Bible to remind us that we are new creations in Christ who are renewed each day in Him.
Becoming a New Creation in Christ
2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.”
Before we came to know Jesus, we were spiritually different people. We had the need for Him but didn’t know Him personally. We did what seemed best to us, whether or not that was good or bad. This was our “old self.”
Our “new self” is who we are after we are transformed by Christ, having the Holy Spirit live inside us. We seek God’s guidance as we humbly walk with Him each day. We embrace our identity as children of God instead of searching for significance and validation in the eyes of others.
We have spiritual renewal in Him as we see in Romans 12:1-2.
Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
As we surrender our lives to the Lord, looking to Him for strength to live in holy ways, we must turn away from trying to conform to the world’s way of thinking and doing things.
In some cultures and settings, this is hard to do. Christians can be called evil, hateful, or crazy for following the Word of God. Persecuted Christians can be in great danger for living a Christian life, in countries and cultures where it is life-threatening to share the Gospel.
We have to go to Christ to ask Him to renew our mind in Him each day, so that we may reflect Him to others in God-honoring ways.
Ephesians 4:22-24 “That you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.”
Part of being renewed in Christ is laying aside our previous beliefs, plans, and ways of life, so that we may seek God’s plan for us.
For some people, who lived what some might consider a “good life”, but still a life without Christ, there might not be a lot of outward changes in habits. For others, it might mean drastic changes in every area of their lives.
But each person still needs to put everything down in submission to Christ before knowing whether or not they should pick it back up to live a life in Christ. Jesus helps us in knowing how to do that by the renewing of our mind, that we would change our thoughts and actions to live a life in Him.
We learn not to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6), but instead, we look to God for guidance and trust in God’s plan for our lives.
How God Gives Us Fresh Starts
If you owed money to a company, you could not just be cleared of that debt by telling them, “I’m starting over!” Either you would need to repay that debt, you would need to come to an agreement with them about your debt, or they would need to forgive you your debt.
Our sin against God has created this enormous debt, one that God chose to cover with Jesus’ work on the cross. We are forgiven, not only once when we ask Him to forgive us our sins, but also as we confess our sins to Him moment by moment and day by day.
God gives us these fresh starts in several ways, including by His great mercies and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Power of the Holy Spirit
Ezekiel 36:26 KJV “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 36 speaks of God’s deliverance of His people, which would include the new heart and spirit He would give them. All of this was made possible by Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, and the power of His resurrection. The spirit we would receive is the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.”
This reminds us that we are not saved by what we do. We can’t earn our way to God and to heaven. We are instead saved by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, giving us regeneration and renewal.
We are empowered by the Holy Spirit in our change and transformation, guiding us to live a life that is pleasing to God.
God’s Unfailing Love and Grace
Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
We are blessed by God each day that we have His mercy in our lives. We do not deserve our breath and life, and we certainly do not deserve our salvation.
Yet the Lord provides us, who were created in the image of Him, new mercies each day. In His grace, He shows us compassion and does not give up on us.
Isaiah 43:18-19 ““Don’t remember the former things, and don’t consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. It springs out now. Don’t you know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
The context of this was the Israelites’ deliverance from Babylon, but it also looked beyond and was prophesying what Jesus would do for not only them but for everyone.
This can be a great example to us that God can make a way for us, that He can do great works in our lives that seem unlikely, like a river running through a desert.
Embracing New Beginnings
Change can be uncomfortable, but any changes we make to bring us closer to God are worth it. Let’s take a look at these Bible verses for January that help us embrace new beginnings, and live as a new creation in Christ.
Colossians 3:9-10 “Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings, and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator.”
In Colossians 3, Paul writes to the Colossians to discourage them from living in their old ways, including impurity, covetousness, anger, and obscene talk, to name just a few.
In verses 9 and 10, he specifically told them not to lie, and reminded them that they were new creations in Christ, being renewed in knowledge by God.
This theme of being a new man and a new creation can be uncomfortable for some. It can be difficult to picture giving up all of who you are when you become a Christian.
But God wants us to surrender our lives to Him. He doesn’t require that everything change, short of a “Saul to Paul” transformation, but He wants us to be willing to change everything as we follow Him.
When Christianity is not just a part of your life, but the center of your life, it becomes your desire to live a life of transformation and renewal in Him.
Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me.”
When we don’t think we have it in us to follow Christ in an area of our daily walk, this is a wonderful prayer. Call on God for a clean heart and for renewal.
Romans 6:4 “We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.”
Our renewal comes through the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. We are able to walk in the newness of life because of Him.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.”
This is a beautiful portrait of living a life in Christ, and surrendering our lives to serve Him. It also reminds us that Jesus gave Himself up for us – should we not do the same for Him?
Trusting God with Our Fresh Starts
So as we see our need to live a life deeply embedded in Christ, we can find our fresh starts in God each day.
This involves trust in our behalf that we believe what He says, that we have faith in God’s promises and in His provision for what we need.
Here are some Bible verses for January that can help us as we trust in Him for our fresh starts.
Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in you.”
As God renews and refreshes our mind, and as we trust in Him, we will experience His peace. We may need to keep surrendering our thoughts to Him to experience this peace, but it is worth it.
Proverbs 16:3 ESV “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
If our work is committed to the Lord, He will see it through according to His will. We can trust Him for whatever comes our way.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
This beautiful verse is a great picture of letting God give us a fresh start. We hand off our burdens and worries to Him, and take on what He has for us.
So often, we are burdened with the concerns of trying to run the world, whether it’s on a micro or macro scale. We want to control all the things, both real and imagined, and are heavily burdened by these thoughts and realities.
Surrendering these burdens to the Lord is the smart thing to do, the right thing to do, and the holy thing to do. He instead gives us His burdens for us, His plans for us to do, as we surrender to Him.
We are transformed and renewed in this act of surrender, and strengthened in Him to do His work. We can trust in God’s plan and allow Him to direct our steps.
Sometimes there are obstacles to this type of change in our lives. Let’s take a look at Philippians 3:13-14.
Philippians 3:13-14 “Brothers, I don’t regard myself as yet having taken hold, but one thing I do: forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
The Apostle Paul had a long history of being a meticulous religious Jewish man. This gave him great esteem in the eyes of some; and great derision in others as he sought to persecute Christians before he became one himself.
He put all that behind him, good and bad, to serve Christ. He found his fresh start in Him, full of compassion, renewal, and transformation. Jesus offers this to us, too. We need to only accept these gifts.
Isaiah 40:31 ESV “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
We are reminded here that we need to rely on God’s strength to uphold us when we are faced with challenges. He will see us through and give us the mercy and strength that we need.
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31-Day Bible Reading Plan with Bible Study Worksheet
Reading through these Bible verses for January about new beginnings can be encouraging. Find even more encouragement in this 31-Day Bible reading plan about fresh starts in Christ. Download the Fresh Starts Bible Reading Plan in our Gumroad store.
It comes in two forms: one labeled January, and one labeled with the theme, with no reference to January. This can help you use it anytime of the year if you like the theme, but it’s not the specified month.
This free plan also includes a worksheet with Bible study and reflection questions about our fresh start in Christ.
- What does Romans 12:1-2 say about our thoughts and minds?
- How should we live as we walk in Christ? (Colossians 3:9-10)
- List three truths from Lamentations 3:22-23 about God’s mercies.
- What areas of your life need a fresh start in Christ? Write a short prayer surrendering these areas to Him.
As we start the new year and begin the month of January, reflect on what God would have you do to embrace His fresh starts for you each day.
Consider if you should set new goals about devotions, daily Bible study, and prayer, as you commit yourself to living out the Word of God. You could use this plan to jot down thoughts and/or prayers about the verse in a journaling Bible. You might find you want to start the year with a One-Year Bible or a new study Bible.
Looking for a different Bible reading plan for January? Consider these options:
- Free Printable January Bible Study Plan from Kingdom Bloggers
- January Bible Reading Journal – A New Creation in Christ by Creator’s Classroom
- Kingdom Priorities Reading Plan by Ladies Drawing Nigh
Be inspired in your own prayer as we say this prayer for the month of January.
Dear Lord,
We thank You for this beautiful new month at the start of the new year. You are so gracious and kind to us to extend us new mercies each day.
Help us to commit our plans to You each day. May we know You and Your Word.
Transform our hearts and renew our minds that we would follow You well. We love You!
In the name of Jesus, Amen.
If you liked Bible Verses for January, you may also like Prayers for January and Bible Verses for New Year’s Resolutions.
Our collection of articles for the Bible verses for each month series includes January, February, March, April (Easter), May, June, July, August, September, October, November (Thanksgiving), and December (Advent), as well as a roundup post with all the months.