This post is an excerpt from a recent email I received from my precious friend Debbie Brazeal. Debbie’s prayers and insights are always a source of encouragement to me. I know you will be blessed by what God revealed to her.
RENEWED
Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
Ephesians 4:23
I have had this deep-seated wish that sometimes, when I am with a trusted friend, they could touch my mind and read my thoughts and emotions. They could help me to make sense of it all without me having to try and explain myself! I get confused about where to even begin so many times!
I liked Star Trek growing up. I have a picture in my head of Spock touching someone’s mind and connecting as he reads all their memories and the interpretation of them.
Wednesday morning I felt really physically bad (getting a cold with fatigue). As I came to Jesus to pray, I realized I did not believe when I felt bad physically that I could receive times of refreshment! I confessed it and that is when He [showed] me that I could touch His mind and let him have all those emotions and thoughts! As I did that Spock thing, I got refreshed!!
I then opened my Bible randomly to Song of Solomon 2:9-13:
My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he stands behind our wall; he is looking through the windows, Gazing through the lattice. My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away!
I remember thinking that this book of the Bible no longer applied to us since we are past our youth. The Lord planted a truth in my heart! He said this is specifically for us! It is what we are becoming, His youthful bride! It is the upside down kingdom! Though our bodies are wasting away our youth is being renewed like the [eagle’s]!
When we actually were [youths] we could not connect as deeply as we can now with Christ. He is overjoyed with our new ability to receive His love and devotion on a deeper level. He even told me we will be more youthful to Him in the next decade because our spirits are being transformed into more righteousness, which allows us to love Jesus [more deeply]!!
Townsend and Cloud’s teaching on grief talks about the importance of recognizing [the loss of a] dream or lost reality… Through community we are given a new thing to take hold of that helps to get over our grief! He compared it to a trapeze artist…you cannot let go of the old bar till there is a new one to take hold of!
… May we be freer to take hold of the eternal reality that Song of Solomon is for us! Jesus is crazy in love with the Jesus in us!! He is happy with how we are progressing and what we are and will become! … We are getting an UPGRADE!!!!
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV