There are moments in our lives when it becomes clear that God is inviting us into a season of renewal. These moments often surface during transitions like a new year, a new season, a shift in circumstances, a door closing, or a door opening. But something changes, and deep down inside you can sense it; that God is calling you deeper. Not away from who you are, but back into alignment with what God has already spoken over your life.

A season of renewal can feel unsettling because it stretches us beyond what is familiar. It requires flexibility and movement; therefore, change always costs something. But when we learn to recognize these moments as invitations from God, we will stop resisting the process and start leaning into what the Holy Spirit is doing, because renewal is not God disrupting your life; it is God restoring what has drifted out of his divine rhythm.

Today, we begin a new message series titled renewed. The word renewed assumes that something already exists; this is not a replacement, it is a restoration, because God does not discard what he creates. Instead, he redeems it, he restores it, and he realigns it by his Spirit. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reveals a God who continually restores life to order, purpose, and relationship. That is why we are starting this series at the very beginning, in Genesis, not with our problems, but with God’s original intent.

And so, here is the big idea I want to establish as we start this series, because everything else will flow from this truth.

Renewal is when the Holy Spirit restores God’s rhythm in you, so your identity and your steps realign with his purpose.

That is renewal. You could say it is the rhythm of renewal, not you trying harder or working harder to get everything in your life fixed all at once. But it is the Holy Spirit restoring God’s rhythm in you, so who you are and how you move are realigned with his will.

To begin this message, let us turn to the Word of God, to the opening lines of Scripture, because renewal always begins with God speaking. And so, before we understand what the Holy Spirit is doing, let’s go back to the beginning, back to the first chapter of Genesis, where it is recorded:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:1-3).

In just a few verses, we find that Scripture reveals a powerful rhythm. In other words, this is more than a historical account of creation; it is a spiritual pattern that shows how God brings about renewal. The Scripture begins revealing how the Spirit of God works in chaos, how he responds to emptiness, and how he restores order to what looks chaotic.

What we see here is not only how the world began, but how God still moves in our lives today. And so, let’s walk through these movements in the text, because Genesis is not just telling us what happened; it reveals, in four distinct movements, how God works.

The very first thing we are told is that God creates; that is the origin of everything. Then we are told that the earth is formless and empty, which presents a picture of disorder, lack, and chaos. And before anything changed, the Bible tells us, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters, indicating that God’s presence was moving before the renewal. And then, God speaks, and when he does, step-by-step, word by word, order replaces the chaos.

In other words, this is not accidental; it reflects the rhythm of renewal. God creates with intentionality, and the chaos we see does not negate his purpose. God does not abandon the formless, empty earth, nor does he walk away from what seems unfinished. Instead, his Spirit hovers over it, bringing renewal until order is established.

Now, let’s look at this from a more personal perspective. Genesis opens with this foundational truth.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).

And so, before there was anything else, there was God, and when he creates, he does so on purpose. Nothing he makes is random, nothing he forms is accidental, and nothing he brings into existence is without meaning.

That means you are not random, not an accident, not an afterthought, and not stuck here aimlessly spinning without direction. Because in the beginning God created, and because God creates, you are not accidental.

There may be some of you who needed to hear this at the beginning of a new year, because you walked into this year carrying questions about your worth, identity, calling, and future. You have been trying to figure out who you are by measuring what has happened to you, and you have been letting circumstances, seasons, and setbacks define your identity. But your identity doesn’t start with what has happened to you; it starts with the God who created you.

When the Holy Spirit begins renewing us, one of the first things he does is restore our identity. He brings us back to the truth of who we are in God. Not who scientists say we are, not who philosophers say we are, and not what your past labeled you. The world has tried to redefine who you are, but the Bible says very clearly and without apology:

“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” (Romans 8:14).

That is no small statement; it is a defining truth. If you belong to God, you are not forgotten, overlooked, or disqualified. Your Father knows your name, and he is not confused about the sons and daughters he created.

And so, renewal begins when you agree with God about who you are, because if God created you, let’s not use that word, not if. The Bible says: “We are.”

“We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

In other words, let’s shift our thinking, because you were created in Christ Jesus. You are not accidental; you are intentional. You are called, created, seen, and known by your Creator.

That means there may be formless, empty seasons in your life, but they are not final. They don’t have the last word. In fact, I want you to follow the movement of the text, because this is where many people recognize themselves. Verse 2 says,

“Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep” (Genesis 1:2).

I want you to notice something powerful here. God created the heavens and the earth, but the earth was still formless and empty. In other words, creation had already happened, but order had not yet come, which tells us something important. Being created by God doesn’t mean you will never face seasons of chaos. Formless and empty seasons happen, but you need to understand that your chaos has a creator.

There are seasons when life feels uncertain, unshaped, and unclear, which is why Jesus warned his disciples,

“In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).

But we are not to worry; we are to be at peace in him, even in seasons when you cannot see what things are becoming. You know something is happening, but you can’t yet define it, and you feel stuck between what was and what will be. In that context, Jesus said,

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace” (John 16:33).

And so, there will be seasons when you feel empty, your strength drained, joy thin, and your motivation tanked. But the Bible says,

“Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12).

In other words, you’re not falling apart; you’re just tired. And so keep doing your best to show up and keep moving. Because sometimes there is darkness over the surface of the deep, not because God is punishing you or has left you, but because you are in process, in a season, not the finale.

However, this is where so many people get stuck, because they look at the disorder and start believing lies about their identity. They look at the emptiness and assume it defines them. They let this season rename them, and they start saying, "This is who I am. This is what my life has become and what I always will be." But Genesis teaches us the opposite.

The formless, empty season is real, but it is not the final season. It is part of the process, not the conclusion. It is a chapter in the story, not the whole story. So don’t let a season rename you or a hard chapter rewrite your identity. You can be in darkness and still be in God’s hands. You can feel empty and still be under his care. You can be in a season of disorder and still be moving toward order.

And that leads us to the third movement in this text. What feels unfinished was not forgotten; what feels unclear is still being shaped; and what feels empty is still being filled. This is where renewal becomes more than a concept, where it becomes our expectation, and where it is our hope. Verse 2 says this.

“And the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2).

In other words, before God spoke, the Spirit of God was hovering, moving, and preparing for the next season. God’s presence preceded the breakthrough: the Spirit hovered over the chaos, neither abandoning nor turning away from what appeared unfinished, but moving toward it.

For some of you here today, that may be the word you needed to hear. God hasn’t abandoned the part of your life that feels empty, unformed, and dark. His spirit still hovers there, not passively or defensively, but with purpose and intention, preparing and working. It may feel like a delay, but God is close. Something is being formed that you cannot yet see.

In verse 3, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).

In other words, God speaks into disorder. He speaks light into the darkness. He speaks life into what seems empty. This is the rhythm of renewal as the Spirit hovers and the voice of God brings order.

That brings us back to our big idea of God’s purpose:

Renewal is when the Holy Spirit restores God’s rhythm in you, so your identity and your steps realign with his purpose.

This is important to understand as we stand on the threshold of a new year, because if the Spirit is hovering, renewal has already begun. If the Spirit is hovering, God is already moving, which means we are on the threshold of a new season, and so the next event is the voice of God, bringing clarity, direction, and order to our lives.

And so, this is where the message becomes deeply personal, and we must ask ourselves, “How do I respond to that?” In other words, “How do I catch God’s rhythm and move in step with what the Holy Spirit is doing right now?”

That is important because God is a God of rhythm. He creates with order, moves with purpose, and when life has drifted out of sync, he renews us, bringing us back into alignment.

Even after the flood in Genesis chapter seven, amid all that devastation, loss, and judgment, God made it clear that a rhythm of renewal was still his design. He spoke a promise over Noah, his family, and creation, declaring:

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease” (Genesis 8:22).

In other words, a rhythm of renewal is built into creation itself. Seasons may change, but his order remains intact. What feels disrupted in your life is not beyond restoration. Even after things have been shaken, God remains faithful to restore a rhythm of renewal to all things.

Just think about what happens in the emergency room. One of the very first things they do is check your vital signs. They measure your blood pressure and check your pulse, listening for rhythm. Because we know that when the rhythm is off, something is wrong, but when it is restored, stability returns.

In the same way, spiritual renewal is God restoring rhythm to you. It is stability returning, alignment being restored, and God getting you back in step with his purpose. One of the primary ways God teaches us his rhythm is through seasons. The Bible says it this way:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Then it keeps going, and I’ll paraphrase it. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to uproot. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time for war and a time for peace (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8).

In other words, God is teaching us not to drift through life aimlessly but to recognize that God works according to his own time. There are seasons, moments when you move, moments when you wait, moments when you let go, and moments when you rebuild.

And so, when God renews you, he doesn’t just give you energy; he brings you into alignment and restores your rhythm. He teaches you how to move with him instead of pushing ahead of him or lagging behind.

In fact, God often gives a clear signal for timing, just as he did with David when he said:

“When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you” (1 Chronicles 14:15).

God gave David a sound, a signal, a rhythm, and instructions on timing. He said, when you hear it, move, because that is your promise of victory.

So often, we miss that because you can have faith and still move too soon. You can have good intentions and still be out of step. But when you catch God’s rhythm, you move in obedience at just the right time.

And so, I want to encourage you today to catch God’s rhythm through timing and seasons, and through the obedience of faith. Ask the Holy Spirit this morning to realign your life, to show you what season you’re in, what you need to release, what you need to rebuild, when to move, and when to wait. Because when you hear the sound… it means God has gone out in front of you.

As I bring this message to a close, I want to invite you to respond. There is one clear call: agree with your God-given identity and realign your life to his rhythm. You see, renewal always requires a response, not an emotional one, but one in alignment.

There may be someone listening today who needs to release what is misaligned; patterns that keep pulling you off beat; voices that keep speaking confusion; habits that keep draining your strength; and relationships that keep feeding an old season. You already know it is misaligned because the rhythm is off, and the strain you feel is not random. It’s because you’re out of divine alignment.

Others of you need to reclaim your identity because the season tried to rename you, the pain tried to relabel you, and the disappointment tried to define you. But you are not what you went through. You are not what you lost or what hurt you. You are who God says you are.

And then there are many of you who need to step into the next season with obedience. Not rushing ahead of God, not dragging your feet in fear, not resisting what he is doing, but moving with him, keeping in step with his Spirit, and walking at the same pace.

Can I encourage each of you to embrace your God-given identity and realign your life with his rhythm?

The big idea of this message, the anchor for this series, is that

Renewal is when the Holy Spirit restores God’s rhythm in you, so your identity and your steps realign with His purpose.

So, today, on this first Sunday of the year, you don’t have to have everything figured out, but you do have to take a step of faith. Agree with who God says you are, release what is misaligned, and let the Holy Spirit restore God’s rhythm within you so your steps realign with his Spirit.

Graphics, notes, and commentary from LifeChurch, Ministry Pass, PC Study Bible, Preaching Library, and Sermon Central. Scripture from the New International Version unless otherwise noted.