Starved | Page 41

STARVED have trials and make mistakes along the way, but that is okay. The key is not how many times you fall but how fast you get back up. The Lord is not as concerned about your falling as He is concerned about your not trying at all. As a baby learns to walk, her parents do not scold her when she falls; the point is that she is learning and growing. Her parents look at her with great joy, because she has reached this point in her growth. %en her up, and send her on her way she falls, they smile, pick to try again until she learns. Even when children have learned to walk, they still fall down sometimes, and adults stumble and trip even though they have been walking for many years. Start renewing your mind, and let God bring forth the transformation you desire. The key is to be faithful and keep growing. If you are working on building your life for a healthy future, you must have strong supports in place that can withstand the difficulties that will come your way. Philippians 2: 13 says, "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him" (NLT). This verse promotes strength and perseverance to keep fighting, because God is fighting next to you. John 15:7 says, "But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted" (NLT). Renewing your mind builds a strong foundation for your life. You have to tear down the old and corrupted parts of your mind and behaviors in order to rebuild with the Word of God. The principles of God must be the foundation on which everything in your life is built. "If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. %en the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake 44