Renewal is not reinventing yourself—it is allowing God to restore who He created you to be. Discover what it means to trust the hands that are shaping your life and renewing what has grown weary.
The Work of His Hands
Have you ever taken a pottery class? A dear friend treated me to a class for my birthday a couple years back. I'm not sure if the tears in my eyes were from laughing so hard (or crying) at how challenging it was. Nevertheless, it was a special day with her I'll never forget.
The Lord kept bringing me back to that day and asked, "Do you trust Me? If you trust Me, then you can trust the process I am leading you through. You do not need to reinvent yourself. You only need to trust the hands that are shaping you."
This had me thinking about the voices we listen to.
What the World Says vs What God Says
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord." (Isaiah 55:8 NIV)
The enemy whispers, "You're too broken."
God says, "I'm still shaping."
The world says, "Go reinvent yourself."
God says, "Let Me renew you."
Your flesh says, "Start over."
God says, "Continue." (Photo via Unsplash)
You have been in seasons of discovering, becoming, and abiding. And many of you have become weary along the journey. Many of you are wondering why the wait and disappointment has shaken your faith. The enemy has been at work distracting you to think you need to create a different version of you. But the Lord says, "I am restoring the truest version of you."
I may step on some toes with this, even my own, but so much Christian growth content accidentally sounds like:
• Become better.
• Become stronger.
• Become more disciplined.
But that's not actually the Gospel. The Gospel says...
• Return.
• Remember.
• Be restored.
• Be renewed.
You don't turn into someone else... but into who God originally designed you to be.
Trust the Hands That Are Shaping You
"Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand." (Jeremiah 18:6 NIV)
Sometimes you become frustrated because you cannot yet see the finished picture. You feel the molding, but miss the purpose behind it. Yet every shaping, refining, pruning, and stretching season serves a greater purpose.
The Potter never abandons the clay while it is still being formed. And God has not abandoned you. He never will. His Word promises it. Trust the Potter. The same hands that formed you are still shaping you.
Renew Your Mind
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2 NIV)
What thoughts have you been partnering with lately? What worldly values have you passively adopted? Renewal happens when you change the way you think and when God's truth becomes higher than your circumstances. Before God changes what is around you, He often renews what is within you. Transformation requires your partnership though. As you continually renew your mind, you can begin to understand God's will for your life. (Photo via Unsplash)
Exchange Weariness for Hope
"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)
Notice where renewal begins. Renewal doesn't begin with effort or striving but waiting. When applying the Hebraic meaning of the word "waiting" (Strong's H6960) to the beginning of this verse—"they that wait upon the LORD"—it translates to they that place their hope and trust in God (rather than relying on their own strength or control). He knew you'd have limitations, so He gave you the blueprint on how to rise above them. You rise above the limitations by trusting His power and strength and walking in His daily grace through the trials of life. When you truly rest in Him, you receive supernatural endurance to navigate forward with faith.
Trust the Potter, trust the process, and allow Him to renew what has grown weary, because God is still making all things new.
June Declarations
1. I trust the hands that are shaping my life.
2. My mind is being renewed by the truth of God's Word.
3. God is restoring me into who He created me to be.
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Angela Robinson
The Crowning Jewels
Email:Â hello@thecrowningjewels.com
Website:Â www.thecrowningjewels.com
Angela Robinson is the owner and creative steward of The Crowning Jewels, a prophetic jewelry company devoted to bringing encouragement, identity, and truth. Her heart is to see people realigned with who God created them to be. Angela is a writer and prophetic voice with a passion for justice and empowerment. Her desire is to see others discover their authentic identity, cultivate an intimate relationship with God, and walk confidently in their Kingdom authority.
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