“A renewed mind and a faith perspective will only take you as far as your capacity to know and believe that God is really good. It’s supernatural to cultivate a lifestyle of holy expectancy despite circumstances we’ve experienced and hardships we’ve endured.”- Susie Larson
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”- Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)
Susie Larson continues Chapter 3 of Closer Than Your Next Breath as she cites Proverbs 13:13 (see previous blog). Most significantly, Susie notes, the text uses the word deferred as a verb. Therefore, as Susie came to understand, she felt heartsick. But not over the delayed answers to her prayers. Rather, she felt heartsick because she had deferred her hope. Tired of waiting for a breakthrough, she put hope aside.
Therefore, God’s life-giving fruit serves as a testament to God’s mighty work within us despite the times. Because this life-giving fruit sustains us especially during hard times, not trouble-free ones. So, we need to remember who we are and not lose sight of who God is.
Consequently, Susie counsels:
“Exactly and always, the Enemy’s aim against us it to make us forget who we are and dim our view of God’s miraculous and marvelous goodness. I had set aside hope for another day. It’s no wonder I was exhausted. Here’s what I learned: putting off hope postpones courage and makes the heart sick. . . . We choose to trust God. But trusting Him is difficult when the message of our circumstances upstages the life-changing message of His goodness.”
In conclusion, Susie stresses, our hearts need hope and courage to live. Thus, you can’t at the same time brace for impact and expectantly draw near to God. And you can’t harbor destructive thoughts and simultaneously trust God.
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you develop a renewed mind? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: the Christmas Short Meditation, “Dispels with glorious splendor”
