Hi friends! I am so excited to start this “Confident Heart” journey with you!
We have just about 3500, from around the US and the world signed up! I’ve been closing my eyes and picturing us gathering together in small groups (cause I’m a small group kinda girl). Anyhow, it’s so amazing to be here with YOU learning how we can live beyond our doubts by finding our security and confidence in the power of God’s loves and promises for us!
The first thing I want you to remember is: This is YOUR journey.
You’ll be reading the chapters. You will be asking and listening for God to speak to your heart. You’ll be the one who takes time to highlight sentences, promises and quotes you want to remember. You’ll be looking for ways to apply and live what you are learning. You’ll be answering reflection questions and interacting with the group.
You’ll be doing the faith-work of not only believing in God, but really believing God.
I’ll be shepherding, leading, praying, encouraging, connecting and pacing us. I’ll be sharing more of my story – and inviting others who have to share theirs — so that we can see again and again that we are not alone in this journey and struggle towards a confident heart.
I’ll be praying for you, encouraging you, believing in you and challenging you – but you will make the heart investment and be the one who gets out pretty close to as much as you put in.
So, what’s my best advice?? Each time I do something new like this, I ask the Lord what I need to give up – so I can give more to Him. And this time is no different. I’m cutting back on checking emails all throughout my day (which I love to do) and saying no to some fun projects and other time-consumers so I can give more of me TO HIM and to you (for the next 10 weeks)!
Will you pray and block out at least 5 to 10 to 15 minutes every day to let HIM give you all that He has for you?! You are worth it….but more than anything…. JESUS is worth it, right? Are you ready? Here we go:
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(Day 1) Assignment
Please Read the Acknowledgements. This will just give you a peak into more of my current personal life. I think that’s an important part of building community and I’ll be asking you to share more about you later this week 🙂
Please Read Chapter 1. Please highlight verses and sentences that grab your attention or tug on your heart. What is God saying to you though this chapter? Write down what you sense God speaking to your heart in the margins of your book and/or in a journal/notebook that you’ll use throughout this study.
Let’s Connect: What sentences in Chapter 1 connect with you or resonate with your heart? What might you cut back on to make time for Him and yourself these next several weeks?
Click “Share Your Thoughts” below and do just that. {If you’re reading this via email, click here to return to my website/blog and connect with us in community.
Please Check Your Inbox: Our first Online Study Email was sent and in it I explain how our online study will work. Just want to make sure you know it’s there. If you can’t find it, here’s a link to it online.
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Are you on Facebook or Twitter? If so, be sure to join our Confident Heart Facebook Page and follow along on Twitter (@reneesswope) – using the hashtag #AConfidentHeart so we can find each others tweets.
An intriguing discussion is definitely worth comment.
I do believe that you should publish more about this subject matter, it may not be a taboo matter but typically people don’t discuss these issues.
To the next! Cheers!!
I am just now starting to read your confident heart book with my accountability group and I had received some of the emails from the past online study and I also looked under the archive tab. In one the first emails to the online study you said there would be a verse for each chapter or each week. I received some but don’t think I got one each week. I love them cause I printed them and hang them on my bulletin board and in my car, etc. was there a specific word and verse for the first chapter? It would be great if each weeks word/ verse was a printable in your free resource tab. Please help.
I need to be closer to God. I need to feel his presence. I have been drifting away, unhappy with the fact that my marriage has failed. A friend read this book and suggested it to me. The sentence that spoke to me was “But I’ve found that when I choose to dwell in the assurance of Whose I am and who I am in Him, I have a confident heart.” That is God’s desire for me. That is my desire for myself. So that sentense is going to be my prayer this week.
1. To pray
2. To be quiet in God’s presence and just feel loved
The Foreword by Lysa caught me right away. I, too, longed for a Daddy he knew me and treasured me. I’ve been searching for that from birth, nearly 45 years. While I’ve made peace with Dad, the hole is still there. It’s smaller, because I’ve allowed God to fill a lot of it. But I hold back some still, afraid to completely surrender, afraid of disappointment. I’m hoping A Confident Heart will help me lay it all down, or at least take the next step. I know God loves me ETERNALLY and I know Jesus has my back; I just need to start living like I “heart” believe it. 🙂 Thank you for this opportunity!
Is there a Day 2? I can’t find it. Am I looking in the wrong place?
Day 1 for me, He brought me through yesterday, I put my trust and confidence He’ll bring me through today! As He will the rest of you! This morning laying in bed I thought to myself how many times I’ve asked Him to give me more confidence, before I even knew this study existed, I guess I’m suppose to be doing this, I have to get out of these insecurities once & for all. I started a thank you journel yesterday, instead of complaining about what I can’t do.
Thank you Renee for this study! Confidence has never been my strongest feature and when I saw this study I jumped at it. I am a preachers kid:) and I think I never felt that I was good enough to measure up. I always focused too much on being the preacher kid than being God’s child. I have gone through losing children always thinking that this was a punishment from God for not being the child I should have been. I now have 2 beautiful children and look at them as a blessing everyday! I am married to a wonderful man but he is not a believer and I have always prayed that God would change his heart and recently realized that I need to pray for myself, that God would make me a more patient and confident wife in my walk so he can just see the many blessings God will do. I am excited to learn from this study and see what new plans Christ has for me and my family through this.
I have been looking for my comment from yesterday and only see things from last year. What I wanted to say this morning is, I enjoyed your devotional from proverbs 31 ministries and am slowly getting started, but starting none the less. Thanks again.
WHAT CAUGHT MY ATTETION IN CHAPTER ONE WAS “WHOSE I AM AND WHO I AM IN HIM” BECAUSE FROM CHILDHOOD UNTIL NOW I ALWAYS FELT UNWORTHY EVEN AS A BELIEVER. THINKING THAT IF I KEEP BUSY THAT I WILL FILL THE VOID BUT SOMEHOW I WOULD ALLOW DOUBT AND WORRY TO CLOUD MY JUDGMENT BUT I CAN SAY FROM THIS DAY FORWARD I KNOW WILL NO LONGER ALLOW THAT TO HAPPEN BECASUE GOD IS SHOWING ME WHOSE I AM AND WHO I AM IN HIM.. WHAT WILL I LET GO TO BE WITH THE LORD IS MEDIA BUT MOST OF ALL THE STUFF THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT. THANK YOU RENEE SWOPE FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE.
The first thing that stood out for me was how you used a real life illustration about you. The illustration of the mirror and the light, how after all of that nervousness and not thinking that you could do it you continued getting ready. Even though the doubt was there from you continuing to watering it, God was also still there. After all of your own personal tug a war God step in “you only can see the shadow because you turn away from the light. Turn back to the light. For me this just blessed me because despite of the battle within myself God still gives me free will but, by me continuing to stay connected he is, and will always be there for me. I personally have to remember that God designed me. He knows everything about before I can even get started Psalms 139.
Another point you made was about self-doubt as a child it kept me from so many opportunities as well, what blessed me was after reading your ups and downs concerning this area it helped me understand the this self-doubt began its foundation in my mind a long time ago. Being able to get at the root of your problem is such a blessing.
Jeremiah 17:7, “But blessed is the man who trust in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1998) This scripture is just letting me know that I cannot rely on any other source but God; He is the only thing in my life that will be and is consistent. Man does not have the ability to help me with my weakness and build my self-worth and remove all of my doubt. Psalm 1 helps to understand those who trust in the Lord flourish like trees planted by water. So no matter when troubles or storms come my way, whether they are physical, spiritual, mental or emotional weaknesses God got me.
How my heart needs a boost of confidence! A rather big boost….. My heart has been heavy with doubt and self-condemnation . Lord, by reading this book and applying Your truths, may my life be changed.
I am a children’s ministry director . Lately, I have been paralyzed by fear and insecurity. Plagued with the “what ifs”. If God calls you to do something, shouldn’t you feel confident about it? That phrase hit home. The unknown is too scary….oh, boy… The familiar is comfortable.
God, help me to not be paralyzed by fear, to not doubt Your calling on my life, and calm my “what ifs”!
I’ve always struggled with self-confidence. I think because I’ve never had a strong father figure, or no father in the home at all. I try hard to feel about myself as God feels about me, but I haven’t had a breakthrough yet. I guess it’s partly because my husband almost daily reminds me how inadequate I am. But I stay because I want to obey God & I believe in miracles, and also because we have a child – whom I think God gave me so I wouldn’t leave because he was really a miracle baby.
I trust & I wait on God. I’m hoping this study will help me break through.
Thank you, Renee for doing this study online.
I will keep you in my prayers! Remember God knows you’re adequate!! That’s why he made you! Blessings!
I am so excited to start this study!!! This is only my second bible study I’ve done. Hoping for God’s word to strengthen me in the woman he desires me to be and be confident in who I am and my works.
God’s blessings to all! I could relate to you right from the opening sentence of the foreword. Of course while our stories may differ in one way or another I lacked the love & attention from my earthly father. Hence the feeling of doubt & insecurity. That song looking for love in all the wrong places was my national anthem for many years. However in this season of my life I believe God is bringing me to a place of deliverance & restoration. Through all the pain, struggle & tears of disappointment I can profess the hand of God in my life & can say Jehovah is my Banner. All glory & honor be unto Him. I believe that in partaking in this book He will bring me closer to being confident in who I’m called to be. Who He created me to be.
Thank you Renee I could say I happened into this book study but we know better than that. It’s God’s divine appointment!
Phil 1;6 Being confident in this very thing that He who has begun a good work in you is faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus!
Let’s Journey Together!