September 8, 2026
- 3 hours ago
- 5 min read
A New Book!
According to a study reported in the May 2010 issue of Atherosclerosis, participants who were persistently depressed had a twofold increased risk of narrowing of the arteries. The study took place over a period of ten years, with participants being assessed for depression symptoms at least three different times during that ten-year period.(1) This is the same magnitude of increased risk that one sees in comparing a pack-a-day smoker to a nonsmoker.(2)
Incredible. Hopelessness, if not checked, destroys lives.
A recent study in the British Medical Journal confirms this, reporting that people with serious depression were two-thirds more likely to die prematurely; even those with mild depression had a 16 percent higher risk of dying compared to individuals who were distress-free.(3) We can die from sorrow!
God told us this long ago. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Most of us think only of our emotional or spiritual heart when we read this, but science is now proving that the verse is true of physical hearts as well. Hope deferred creates a diseased heart, both emotionally and physically; and with a diseased heart, no one can run life’s race effectively.
“Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” we are exhorted in Hebrews 12:1. Lack of endurance, however, is one of the first results of heart issues. We may run, but we won’t run far. The loss of hope is crippling, making us little more than spectators in life. “Run in such a way that you may win,” the Lord urges us through Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:24. You’ll never do that with a diseased heart. When hope deferred sets in, we’re not only unable to win; sometimes, we can’t even finish the race. There’s no doubt about it: hope-deferred “heart disease” is a killer.
Consider the following shocking statistics:
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young adults between the ages of twenty and twenty-four, with approximately sixty-six hundred lives lost each year.(4)
Approximately 20 percent of high school students seriously consider suicide each year, 16 percent have a suicide plan, and 9.5 percent attempt suicide.(5)
Twenty-five percent (61.5 million) of Americans suffer from mental disorders or substance abuse problems each year.(6)
Thoreau’s famous quote, “The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation,”(7) has never been more apropos. But the Lord doesn’t want the pain, frustration, or disillusionment of hope deferred to affect hearts in such a way. He wants all of us to run the race of life enthusiastically, effectively, and with pleasure, enjoying the journey.
That’s why I wrote the book, The Power of Hope: Let God Heal Your Heart, Restore Your Faith, and Unlock Your Dreaming Nature. My heart breaks for those today who feel trapped in an endless maze of despair. Whether it be from the death of a loved one, a failed marriage, a business that went under, rejection, betrayal, or even the death of a dream, the grip of hopelessness destroys many lives.
I actually wrote the book several years ago, but sensed Holy Spirit stirring me to revisit it as I watched our Millennial and Gen Z generations become so disillusioned with life. I knew He was telling me that, with His help, I could make the book better: a little shorter - hurting people don’t want a long book; more powerful stories of healing from discouragement and depression - hurting people need a spark of hope; very clear and easy-to-understand steps to full recovery. I analyzed every word, every sentence on every page, and made this one of the best - if not the best - books I have ever written. My prayer is that it helps millions of hurting people. And I know it can.
Frankly, everyone could benefit from this small book. Everyone. In it, I refer to hope-deferred as “the common cold of the soul.” No one can go through life without experiencing this emotional virus. But it does not have to damage our hearts. God placed within them the ability to heal.
Several years ago, my brother Tim was allowed to witness an open-heart surgery, standing right at the patient’s head! During the procedure, they stopped the patient’s heart. When it came time to restart it, the medical staff tried repeatedly but couldn’t get the heart to beat again. Finally, as a last resort and although the patient was obviously unconscious, the surgeon leaned over and spoke into the patient’s ear, “We need your help. We cannot get your heart restarted. Tell your heart to start beating.” Boom! Incredibly, in that instant, the patient’s heart began to beat again!(8)
Every spiritual and emotional heart can also beat again. It just needs a little help. This book can provide that. Get one for yourself; buy one for a family member or friend. You know someone who needs it. Right now, during our new book launch, you can buy two, and we’ll give you a third. Perhaps some will purchase several and sow them into other lives. I want this book to help restart many hearts.
You can get the new book through our online store at dutchsheets.org. If you prefer reading it on your device, you can download it on Kindle or Apple Books, or listen to it on Audible.
Pray with me:
Father, we thank You for Your willingness and ability to heal people from hope deferred. Many are in seasons of disappointment; some have abandoned hope and lost faith in You, allowing circumstances to determine how they see and relate to You. We ask You to break off their disillusionment, hopelessness, confusion, and fear. Heal their hearts, adjust their perspectives, and bring them into a strong relationship with You. You are good, faithful, and have a plan to bring them into a hope-filled future (Jeremiah 29:11).
I ask You to breathe favor on this book. Please get it into the hands of those who need it, and use it as part of their healing process. Use it to heal individual lives, marriages, dreamless hearts, and depressed minds. Help them once again find the anchor of hope (Hebrews 6:19).
And pour out Your Spirit in America and other nations, once again. Hope is in You, the God of hope (Romans 15:13). To connect with You is to connect with hope. We pray that this outpouring comes powerfully and quickly. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Today’s decree:
We declare that hope is being restored in our land.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
Mark Hamer, Mika Kivimaki, Avijit Lahiri, Michael G. Marmot, and Andrew Steptoe, “Persistent Cognitive Depressive Symptoms Associated With Coronary Calcification.” Atherosclerosis 210, no. 1 (May 2010); 209-213, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2877780/ (accessed October 1, 2023).
New York Times, “Despair and Risk of Artery Disease,” September 3, 1997, http://wwwnytimes.com/1997/09/03/us/despair-and-risk-of-artery-disease.html (accessed October 1, 2013).
Tom C. Russ, Emmanuel Stamatakis, Mark Hamer, John M. Starr, Mika Kivimaki, and G. David Batty, “Association Between Psychological Distress and Mortality: Individual Participant Pooled Analysis of 10 Prospective Cohort Studies,” British Medical Journal 345 (July 31, 2012): e4933, http://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e4933 (accessed October 1, 2023).
“Facts About Suicide.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2025, www.ccgov/suicide/facts/index.html. Accessed 2 March, 2026.
“Mental Health and Suicide Risk Among High School Students.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October 2024, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a9.htm. Accessed 2 March 2026.
“Mental Health and Suicide Risk Among High School Students.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October 2024, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/su/su7304a9.htm. Accessed 2 March 2026.
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/10264.Henry_David_Thoreau
Dutch Sheets, The Power of Hope, (Leesville, SC: Dutch Sheets Ministries, Inc., 2026), p. 47.
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