Satan is a bully who tries to make us feel small, inadequate, less than and insecure. But we don’t have to believe him anymore.
Often times He’ll use something to trigger our self-doubts and then he’ll pounce on us with lies. Today can be the day you decide YOU ARE are more than a conqueror through HIM who loves you!
I’ve got a short video message based on my book that will equip and empower you to stop letting doubt and discouragement beat you up and start letting God’s Word build you up instead! Watch this for a practical way to beat the bully of doubs with the power of God’s promises.
{Download FREE Confident Heart “Triggers and Truths” Printable here}
A Summer Diet of a Different Kind!
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“Confidence Boost” Giveaway:
Today I’m giving away a year’s subscription to the P31 Woman magazine and a copy of my book, “A Confident Heart” (to keep or share with a friend) along with my message “Don’t Throw Away Your Confidence” on CD and a Starbucks gift card! To enter, click “share your thoughts” below this post and let’s talk about those things that trigger your doubts and what truth God spoke to your heart today through the video message and/or my P31 devotion.
And the WINNER is…. Erin Maxwell {announced July 26, 2012}
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I guess that I’m just realizing that my obedience is not as good as it should be because I have not been fully forgiving and holding in anger and resentments. I realize that God Loves us unconditionally and that I should as well. I was letting my pride get in the way of growing spiritually and my prayer life. And it was getting in the way of growing as I thought it should and I was confused of why God wasnt working as I thought he should.
I know here you say that what we thing determines how we feel and that shows in how we live. Unfortunately I often operate by letting what I feel determine what I think and that is where doubt creeps in. When what I’m feeling is frustration or discouragement it leads my thought and then my actions are not very reflective of someone following Christ. This message is so important because it reminds me to keep my mind thinking clearly by knowing and being in God’s word so my feeling and life can reflect that instead!
Thank you for sharing. We have gone through 5 challenging years of financial difficulty, miscarriages, challenges with joint child custody, and they all have taken their toll. A toll on my belief and trust in God, and a toll on my confidence to persevere. It feels like the situation will never change. Job hunting is a real challenge to one’s self confidence. Rejection letters and no calls back on resumes, causes me to question myself.
Today’s devotion reminds to me to seek God for the causes of the doubt and to work through them with HIM, not try to process them on my own.
What triggers me is when I fear that people will see my weakness, particularly my weight, and judge me as not worthy. I also tend to give in to feeling overwhelmed, thinking that things are just too hard and that I’m too tired to get through it. What helps me is to be still and know God is at work, and to remember how deeply He loves me, knowing that is all that really matters.
I am anxious to dig into this area with a small group in the fall. I know this is an area I need help from God and accountability from some local sisters;) I need all the resources I can to look at this area. For a lifetime, I have let my insecurities speak into my heart. Time to fill it up with Jesus’ promises on a minute by minute daily way! Thank you for sharing these promises…they help me so much with my new journey of being a Mom of toddler;) love ya!
About 7 months ago, God began calling me to homeschool our children once they start school. I always had my own opinion of homeschooling and never thought it was for me. Doubt popped in and I felt I wasn’t good enough or smart enough to be able to teach them everything they need to know. I do have a lot of support, including my husband, but there are so many people who give me their opninions that cause me to doubt the whole decision. But after reading this book and hearing what you said in your video, it is just another way God is showing me that I am capable and his truth is much more important than others opninions. God is so good!
“Satan is a bully” says it all for me! He bullies my confidence, fear of want/need, how good of a stepmom I’ve been, why no godly man stands beside me in this life, but worst of all, my trust in God. This is something I need to repeat daily when I feel satan is bully my heart, spirit and confidence. Thank you Renee. Blessings!
When I find myself overwhelmed by my circumstances I can use “FM thoughts” to change the way I feel, the way I think and the way I live. But I do so remembering that I may have to repeat the process again until God has brought me through the circumstances to freedom in Christ.
I love this book, and am learning more and more about seeing myself as my Savior and my God see me. I love the encouragement I receive from reading your posts and devotionals as well. So blessed by your ministry.
Dear Mrs. Renee:
I also like all of the other responders,struggle with doubt. My situations revolves around a major fall at my own hand, as a result, I doubt the power of God in me when applying for a job. I sinned severly against God and Cesaer (my job), I leaned to my own limited understanding, allowing the Spirit of pride, and the Deceptive Spirits, to rule me. if you don’t mind me sharing the affects of my life(in that season) with others, I am sure it would not only transform the doubt in their lives, but allow them to see God a work. I was responsible for a transit program( the program was the first of it”s kind, in my workplace) I prayed that God would bless the people with the program (it was a subsidized pass program, helping people get to and from work using public transportation)He did, He gave us the victory, and the program was running and flourishing. I began to pray less and instead of God being my source of help, direction, and strength, the program became my god. I prayed less and worked more. I was blinded my pride and power. I would help some that couldn’t pay, by giving them “free” passes, and sold them to others that had nothing to do with my job. (confession is a bear!!!!) Nevertheless, I was so “stuck” that I didn’t see the destruction that was present, not until, it was too late and I found myself with criminal charges, a lost job, and on the verge of clinical depression. I cried out to God, confesed my sins of having another god before him, my failure to guard what He trusted me with and the sins of pride and disobedience.
God not only kept me, I served no jail time ( have court fee and restitiution) and He used my failure to be a testimony to others. I was used as a witness, then and now. He never fails, even when we fall.HE IS EVER FAITHFUL AND PROTECTS WHAT BELONGS TO HIM…1John 1:9- is my story.
My fears come when I appkyfor jobs and get rejected, because of my charges, but God!!!!!
Satan is a bully… Thank you for stating that in terms that hit home today. I am a teacher and mom who relentlessly tries to encourage children to do the right thing, because it it the right thing to do. When a bully enters an environment, our thoughts change and doing the right thing in confronting the bully, isn’t always easy. However, with Satan the bully, the victory has already been won by our Lord, Jesus! He has no power over my thoughts, unless I take my focus off of who I am in Christ. The next time I am made aware of a bully in a child’s life, I will recall your words and encourage my son’s to remember who they are in Christ, and thus become more accountable for recognizing Satan as the bully in my life that tries to take my eyes off of my Savior, and turn them inward, allowing the thoughts of inadequacy and doubt to flood into my mind. The battle has been won by Jesus! Help me, oh Lord, to trust you more and love you more.
I have been overweight most of my life, and that has colored my perception of myself. Being overweight is hard emotionally and physically– I had no energy, and pain in my legs and back every day. I know that my overeating is my fault– I was using food for comfort and stress release, and not God. So, this spring, I began a diet, and have now lost 55 lbs. I feel so much better, and I am so thankful that God has been with me every step of the way. I still have a long way to go, and I worry sometimes that I will lose the progress I have made– the urge to binge comes upon me whenever I have a stressful day ( and who doesn’t have those?) So, I look forward to reading your book, learning from it’s pages.
Denise, that is such a strong urge and I struggle with the same thing. I too am trying to find my identity in Christ so that all my hunger will be from Him, and He will be all that satisfies me. It isn’t easy though, is it?
Wow! I needed to see this message today. I have been paralyzed by doubt for some years now. I continuously go to school in order to have accomplishments but I still feel empty inside. I have never felt good enough and I HATE THAT FEELING. I have three beautiful daughters and a son and I want them to see me happy but despite the accomplishment I feel inadequate. I have fallen many times and failed at one marriage and it looks like my current marriage is not far behind. I know God and i feel like I have a calling to speak to other women like me but I can’t understand why? My home life is not in order and I have so much depression I am not sure what to do. I spend time crying and praying and everyone says be still but what does that mean? If I knew for sure what go wanted me to do I would do it I just can’t hear him. I thank you for these steps because I feel like I needed to send it. I received this message from a friend and I started to cry while I was listening to the video. I really want to have a confident heart but how can I fix the burdens that weight me down. I want to walk close with god and let him take control but I am not doing something right because I feel alone. I guess i just needed to get that out and it’s easier this way. Those that really know me think I have it all together but on the inside I am a wreck I need Help… Thanks for listening.
Doubt triggering things for me are past sins, for which I believe God has forgiven me, but I can’t seem to forgive myself for, totally. They’re there in my mind and I think, wow, I can’t believe I let that happen, I should have known better – I DID know better and did it anyway. Then, I go down roads like, I am just not making spiritual progress, and how can I possibly be confident enough to know that I WILL go to Heaven…you get the picture. Sideroad after sideroad leads right to – DOUBT.
We just discussed this topic last night in our Ladies Bible Class. Just going around the table discussing what causes us to have doubts helped us all realize that we are not alone in what we feel. That realization will help us reach out to others. I AM thankful for the life God chose for me.
I’m so glad I have had the opprotunity to share in this Bible & Book Study. I face self doubt daily, my husband tries daily to point out my short falls. I love him and feel sure he does it because of his own doubt. He is 21 years older and has a lot of medical problems. I pray daily for strenght to put his bitter remarks out of my mind & for God to give him peace and a forgiving heart. He has issues with all his children and most of his grand children; he rarely sees any of them. Ladies I aske that you all pray with me. I know God can and will see me through. Renee your message was very inspiring and I truly believe that God guides us to do things because He already knows what we will need tomorrow. I love that you just decided to change the station on your alarm. God is always so very good to us. Thank you for your book and all the energy you are putting into helping us all become more confident in our relatioship with God which also makes us more confident in our daily lives.
Phyllis
I need to be more intentional about thinking for me thoughts rather than my automatic against me ones. Often times I am my own worst enemy!! I’m sure Satan gets a kick out of this. This week I will kick Satan and his schemes to the curb and w/Gods love and guidance I will work on becoming the women He intends for me to be!!! Jeremiah 29:11.
I love that you remind us in you video segment that God is in control. That God chooses us and uses us as He see fit. He does not ask for more than we can handle. Often times we “think’ it is more than we can handle, but doesn’t God, our Father know better. I am ready to be obedient, to say Yes! to all He calls me to do.
the buly beast yes, he knows my home address… He seems to always come at just the right time to scare me… Thanks for the am/fm idea… I need to remember those promises when he comes knocking…
I have doubts about my spiritual growth due to my past. The more I try to fight against those feeling or thoughts the more they interfer with my journey to become closer to God. I want to be encourgaed by the daily devotionals, but often times I become distracted with everyday problems and issues, on the job and at home. I pray daily that God gives me the strength to move doubt out of my way, and that I can become stronger in his name. I want to move forward, toward being able toinspire others, by spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ, Our loving Father, who wants and will be there for us through all things.
Todays devotional was truly something I needed for this day and beyond.