“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”
Hebrews 10:35-36 (NIV)
Have you ever thrown away your confidence? One night I was cleaning our kitchen and found this little rubber thingy on our counter top. It wasn’t until after I threw it away that I realized it was the power button for our TV remote control. As I dug through the trash to find it, I sensed God showing me that’s how easily I throw away my confidence—without recognizing it.
It’s usually very subtle. Sometimes I’ll be thinking about something I want to do or sense God calling me to, and a feeling of uncertainty comes over me and whispers to my heart, You can’t do that. You’re not good enough. Out of the blue, I’ll just get that awful, insecure feeling.
Too many times in the past I’ve gone along with it, tossing my confidence into the trash without even thinking.
So, maybe I should ask again. Have you ever thrown away your confidence?
We throw away our confidence each time we say negative things to ourselves. We trash our security when we allow accusation and condemnation from others to define us. And it breaks God heart.
Can I share an important message and invitation with you? It’ll only take 3 minutes, but it’s the most important part of today’s post. And it’s part of today’s give-away, too. Please click the arrow to watch.
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Renee Swope – A Confident Heart Book Trailer from SoundPost Productions on Vimeo.
(If you’re reading this post via email, please click here to view my book trailer)
Can you tell I’m a little passionate about sharing this message with you. It’s because I want you to experience the freedom and confidence Jesus gave this girl – freedom I’d never known – freedom that came as I learned to live in the power and security of God’s promises!
I know what it’s like to feel stuck in a cycle of defeat. I know how much “hopeless” hurts.
As I wrote A Confident Heart, I looked back and saw a pattern in my thinking that led to the pattern of my doubting. And those patterns led me to trash my security and become paralyzed with self-doubt.
But over time, I learned that I could ask God to show me when I’m tempted to throw away my confidence and then help me throw away my insecurities instead.
• When self-doubt whispers, “I can’t do that. I’m going to fail and look foolish.” I’ve learned to throw away that lie away and hold onto this truth (sometimes I even say it out loud): “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6, NIV 1984)
• When self-doubt whispers, “I’ll never change.” I throw away that lie away and claim this truth: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in [me] will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6, NASB)
• When self-doubt whispers, “This is too hard for me. I don’t have what it takes to…” I toss that thought and hold onto this truth: “No, in all these things [I am] more than a [conqueror] through him who loved [me].” (Romans 8:37, NIV)
Oh friends, how I long for you to join me in living with A Confident Heart. I want your life to be transformed through the Truths God engraved on my soul to share with you in each chapter.
That is why we’re praying over each book and each person who reads it, asking Jesus to use His words on each page to change your life as you read them. To make hope rise again in your heart. To bring encouragement where discouragement has settled. And set you free from any and all cycles of doubt and defeat so you can live with A Confident Heart!
Will you pray with me? Lord, I want to become a woman with a confident heart in Christ. Will you help me recognize when I throw away my confidence, and remind me to throw away my insecurities instead? I want to persevere in Your truth so that when I have done Your will, I will receive what You have promised. When doubt or insecurity tells me I can’t do something, I will remember that all things are possible to her who believes. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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A Confident Heart Give-Away
Enter to win 3 copies of A Confident Heart as well as a gift card and my message, “Don’t Throw Away Your Confidence” on CD- by clicking on “Share Your Thoughts” below. I’d love to know one thing in the book trailer or in my P31 devotion that you could identify with, also is there someone or somewhere you’ll share today’s post? We’d love for others to hear about A Confident Heart through you! And to make it easy, there are “Tell A Friend” buttons just below this post.
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Last week’s winners of the “Contagious Confidence” winners
which include a copy of “A Confident Heart” along with “Confident Heart” sticky notes that have quotes and promise from my book and Starbucks gift cards are: Kelli Wommack, Debra and Stephanie Melton. We’ve got your email from your comments so we’ll be in touch to get your address.
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Renee- I have struggled with self-doubt off and on for years… since elementary school difficulties….
I seem to go through times when I am more secure in Christ and other times when the enemy makes me doubt my self…..as a wife and mom…..
It has kept me from many things and makes me question peoples real motives….
I want to be more confident woman in Him and as a mom and wife……
I would love to read your book and learn how to be a more Confident woman….
I can identify with everything mentioned in the devotion and in the trailer. I’ve struggled with every form of self-doubt and insecurity my entire life. I long for the freedom that Christ wants me to have, I just don’t know how to be set free from it.
I have struggled with confidence for a long time & hope to continue crushing them and reaffirming God’s promises in my life and share them with others.
Hi. Renee,
I am always throwing away my confidence. Every time I hear God telling me I need to be doing something, I feel rejected by the people around me or in my church family. I feel I’m not good enough and have even been told by others that I can’t do this because it’s not what God is calling me to do. But I know deep down that God’s plans for me are great but I bury them because I don’t want to get hurt by others. I am looking forward to reading your book and I am hoping and praying for God to help me with my confidence issues because I am starting to see the trends unfold in my daughters.
Thank you for all you do for God.
Crystal Scott
Just by the amount of comments that have been left for you, you can tell how much we are all going to be so grateful to have our hands around a copy of this book. To hear so many other women struggle with the same thoughts and emotions is a little overwhelming. I have beaten myself up so much on things – to have confidence in the things I do sounds a bit far reaching right now, however, as I realize suddenly how not alone I am in my thoughts…….that quite possibly, I can become confident outwardly to others. God Bless you and your gift of words.
I have lived my life always feeling “below” everyone and everything. It has always been hard to lose those negative thoughts and remember how much God actually loves me. I have enjoyed what I have read so far from Renee Swope’s new book – A Confident Heart. I hope to continue by actually reading the whole book.
Your book sounds wonderful! I can so relate, especially about trying to please people and feeling like I never measure up to what is expected of me. I will soon be 50, and I’m oh so tired of living like this!
I am so looking forward to this book. I was wondering if confidence is something I struggle with, but when I read your posts on Proverbs 31 and here, I knew that this is definitely a huge issue I deal with. I always feel as if I am not good enough and battle with rejection. I am actually dealing right now with this issue… especially with my job and my “friends”. Makes me doubt who my friends really are. Makes me doubt who I am, even though I know who God says I am. Thanks for your time. I love the Proverbs 31 Ministries, all the ladies, and the wonderful books you all right.
Renee,
I have started reading your book and I love it! Amazing! I have only read the first two chapters and I cried all of the way through them. Thank you for speaking to me and making me admit so much to myself. I look forward to continuing this journey in your words. I am finding a way to open myself back to up to the Lord Almighty!
I struggle with so much self doubt that it is even hard to describe. Even if someone gives me a compliment, I turn it around as negative. I think I’m not good enough, nor smart enough to be able to do certain things. It’s a constant struggle. I am looking forward to reading your book!
Thanks for your honesty. Seeing somene put things in words gives me a way to explain what I can’t put in words. Now I can journey with you. Sure would like to win the books!!!
Kathy
Stumbling upon your message has been very timely! I’ve been struggling with the “I’m not good enough” syndrome. Just fill in the blank. I’m not educated enough, I’m not thin enough, I’m not wealthy enough, I’m not pretty enough…. I know the Lord has not been pleased with this pattern of thinking in my life. I desire to walk in His “strength & dignity”, as the Prov. 31:25 woman does. I’m encouraged that your book could be a tool on this journey.
I was so blessed by your video and am so excited about starting the Doubt Diet! Your story resonated with me so much and feel as though God has shown me this tool in the very hour of my own hopelessness against my self-doubt. I am praying that women everywhere will read this and know the trust and hope they have in our wonderful Savior!!
God bless you Renee for sharing the gift God’s given you with all of us through a Confident Heart! 😀 Our journey can often be so dark and difficult and the road overly long and extra rocky it’s easy to encounter disillusionment and loose sight of the journey. I’ve come to understand it’s a heart journey and God is our GPS. He is waiting to guide us, set the path straight and make the journey easier as we allow Jesus to carry us. We can know the truth in God’s promise, His glorious truth that He will never leave us nor forsake us, yet the enemy of our soul and heart whispers deceit filled lies and our confidence ebbs away. I’ve come to understand this can only occur when we take our eyes off of Jesus and His promises. Love, grace and mercy are the mainstay of our Lord and Savior. We can trust Him to be faithful when those we love, care about or simply know leave us with shattered hearts, broken promises and the death of dreams. A Confident Heart takes us straight to the heart of God and delivers us into His loving arms where we can be nurtured, heal and grow. It equips us with God’s truth and His word which is everlasting allowing us to understand we are valued, worthy and loved beyond compare by our Lord who created us and knit us within our mothers womb. As we hold fast to Jesus’ hand we can look forward to the journey with a Confident Heart because we walk with our Savior and King and know He alone defines us and His love will endure forever.
I was in the kitchen looking around at the mess, feeling overwhelmed and a failure as a mom, when I sat at the computer, ask the Lord to give me a word, decided to look up Proverbs 31 and…
I am going to have to read your book.
Thanks.
As a very young child, I always had confidence. But somewhere in the midst of my teens, I lost it. It seemed to get worse as the years grew. My heart tells me I can do anything. But the shadows in my mind saids it can’t be done. I usually step out on faith, but then fall short of completing because I allow doubt to take over. I look forward to getting your book in hopes of continuing to follow through on my hearts desire.
I frequently have doubts and it was a blessing coming across your website and learning about your book. I’ve recently signed up for the 7 Day Doubt Diet and it’s been really encouraging and now when doubts come I flee to His Word, knowing that his promises are true and that He will never fail me. I would love to get a copy and I pray that many more women out there will be able to learn about your book and rely on God’s promises. I’m definitely sharing with my friends. God Bless you!
Thank you for this message, Renee 🙂 It’s a timely one, for sure! Right now, my struggle probably seems insignificant to most people, but it’s huge to me. About 4 months ago, I started running a few times a week for exercise. Nothing big, just a few miles each time. But, the more I did it, the more I COULD do. So, after about a month, I signed up to run a Half Marathon. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I was really excited to share with friends and family. I do have a few great supporters, but their encouragement seems drowned out by both the silent “Big deal; we don’t care.” attitudes or the vocal DIS-couragement I’ve gotten. I even had one friend tell me that I wasn’t a runner because my pace wasn’t fast enough, even though I am running 5 days a week, 30+ miles per week.So I struggle with doubting whether I can do this because of all the negativity I’m getting, especially from some people closest to me whom I thought would be great encouragers. I am trying to let it go and find my strength in the Lord and know that I will finish the race set before me 🙂
From what I’ve read so far, all I can say is that God has led me to your book because it is the message I have been searching for. He is in control and has a plan just for me. Praise Him!
I have been sharing quotes from your book on my facebook page (from your page and Proverbs 31 page) Thank you and God bless. Love, Cathy
Just reading these comments and realizing I am not the only one who feels this way helps tremendously! I have been under the influence of fear and doubt for far too long. The verse you commonly use, Hebrews 10:35-36, has been so helpful in giving me peace and helping me to keep going even when I can’t see the outcome. I really like how you encourage us to repeat God’s promises out loud. God bless you, Renee!