When introducing the iPhone to the world for the very first time in January 2007, the late technology guru and icon Steve Jobs said, “Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything.”

The iPhone was an upgrade from the simple, rudimentary communication products of our time. It was an upgrade from previous phones. It had:

• Camera features
• Touch screen
• Longer battery life
• Apps
• Better graphics

It’s within our nature to desire upgrades. When we get to the airport, we’re excited to learn we’ll go from flying coach to flying first class. There’s a sense of satisfaction when we get the Audi AUV instead of the Toyota Camry we expected from the rental agency. But it is not technology that encourages us to upgrade to better resources; it’s a scriptural promise:

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness.    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 43:19, NLT).

God didn’t promise to remove the wilderness, but he will upgrade your quality of life right in the middle of it. He didn’t promise to remove the dry wasteland, but he will upgrade the quality of water that will flow from it. To be upgraded, you have to be at a lower point than the intended target. As Christians, our intended target is Jesus Christ.

Let’s look at what the Bible says about the greatest antagonist to the believer: sin. 

“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place”. (Psalm 51:5-6, NIV)

Sin is not our final destination. God intends to upgrade our quality of living.

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:9-10, KJV)

We are attracted to what’s new; it’s a human desire to want change.

-We change the tires on our vehicles when they become worn
-We get new clothes
-We get new houses
-We get new elected officials
-We get new jobs
-We are attracted to that which is NEW

God wants to do a new thing in our lives, relationships, and ministries in the year 2021. We know what 2020 brought; it’s time for an upgrade in 2021. Do you believe it? Can you feel it? Go after it!

Demetrius Minor

Demetrius Minor is a minister, author, and political commentator. He is a former radio talk show host and television personality. He is also a member of the Project 21 advisory board of black conservative leaders across the United States. He and his wife, Riesa, serve on the leadership staff at Tampa Life Church in Tampa, FL.