Hi friends! If you are signed up to receive my Website/Blog Email updates, I’m truly honored to have you as one of my subscribers. I value your time and realize your inbox is probably really full. So, it means a lot that you would invite me into your already crowded space and busy days :0).
As you may know, for the next several weeks, I’ll be leading another online study of my book. Even if you aren’t part of the study, as a subscriber you will receive my blog posts and I’m praying God will speak to your heart in a special way by what is shared – even though you aren’t reading the book. He did that with so many last time, too.
I just wanted to let you know what to expect in the coming weeks – some of my upcoming posts may look familiar. But each week I’ll have a guest or two sharing their stories, and something new to keep it fresh and encouraging for you, too. I’d love to have you continue as a subscriber and journey with me closer to the heart of God during the coming weeks and for many more that follow.
***
For Online Study Sign-up Friends
I just sent a Confident Heart Online Bible and Book Study confirmation email to almost 3000 women who signed up for the study that starts Monday!! Are you one of them? If so, I wanted to make sure you received it. {About 40 emails bounced back. So they are stuck in spam or lost in cyberspace probably due to accidental typos in email addresses during the sign up process but it can be fixed easily.}
Did you receive an email with my website banner at the top. Like the graphic above? If YES– you successfully signed up for my Online Study group list. If not, the details below will help you.
Are you reading this post via email – with my head shot in the top corner? If YES, then you are already an email subscriber.
If you cannot say YES to both please take a minute to do these things today:
- SIGN UP for my Online Study group in the sidebar. {Please type your email carefully.}
- SIGN UP to Receive Email Updates under the Online study sign up. If you don’t already receive them.
- PLEASE ADD [email protected] and [email protected] to your email account as an approved sender. And please check spam these next few days to make sure you are receiving emails. A few will be coming in the next two days.
Important Reminder: You’ll need a copy of the book, a notebook, a Bible, and a ready-for-Jesus-to-do-a-new-thing-in-you attitude! If you are waiting on your book, you can read the Foreword and chapter One on Amazon by clicking “Look Inside” here.
I’m so honored to seek the heart of God with you in the coming weeks. I’ll be praying daily over each of you, asking the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to do a transforming work in and through each of our hearts as we seek His more and more each day!
_________________________
Got any questions before we get started? Are you excited, nervous, ready?? Just click “share your heart” below. I’ll be reading comments and answering questions this weekend as time allows. {If you are reading this via email, click here to return to my website to leave a comment or ask a questions.}
Discover more from Renee Swope
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Wow, I was brought to tears reading through your emails, Ladies! What a gift to have each other and know we are not alone in our difficult daily situations and struggles. I have been in Germany for over 18 yrs. now and still feel the pangs of loneliness and isolation, so it’s a special special treat to have found this ministry and fellowship of ladies who understand each other and persevere together! And what a precious, precious encouragement you are, Renee. Your words bring peace and direction, soothe the heartache and bring our focus back to the Lord’s love and words to us! Thanks so much for being open to sharing your heart and life-lessons with us! I’m excited (a bit nervous 🙂 and ready to begin the journey of becoming confident in Him!! Love and prayers as we dive in!
Hi Renee & everyone! I had seen your book several month’s ago and God put it on my heart to read. As several of you can imagine life got in the way & I didn’t have time to read between a full time job, college, kids, grandkids…the list goes on & on! Any how this book has been on my mind & heart for sometime. I went to our library to check out and managed to read the first 3-4 chapters then it was time to turn the book back in. We are on a limited budget & really couldn’t afford to splurge on a new book. On one of the daily devotionals I noticed you could purchase for 2.99 if you downloaded kindle! I was was so excited…I knew God was taking care of the details!! I am so excited & honored to be a part of this bible study…to see what God has in store for us all & to connect to God fearing women that struggle with similar issues. I believe God is going to use this study to build strong bonds to hold each other up!!
Hey all! This is my second time through this study. I’m so glad that this is really a self-paced study. I wasn’t able to keep up with the assigned readings on the last study, but the reading was well worth it when I made the time to sit down and read it. I’m almost finished and really love the daily/weekly insight from Renee! The book is such a blessing as are reading the posts here. Thanks Renee!
Thank you Annette!! I’m so glad you are back. It really is self-paced. First priority is reading the chapters, second praying the prayer, third answering the questions and the rest is cream on top :0) and totally optional. Thank you for sharing your encouraging words here!
I just signed up, so I don’t think I was part of your first e-mail. Will you be sending it out again?
Welcome Shelly!
Each person should now get it right after they sign up. Did you get the welcome email yet? If not, check spam or re-register and make sure [email protected] and [email protected] are accepted email addresses for your email. 🙂 If that doesn’t work – send an email to [email protected]
God, go before each one of us as we begin the “A Confident Heart” study – whether it’s our first attempt, second attempt or third. Open our eyes to what you want to teach us as we read the words that you have given Renee to share with us. Fill us with your understanding. Open our hearts to being transformed from the inside out as we learn to trust you more. Meet us where we are and give us the desire to keep turning those pages. And cause us to take what you are teaching us and apply it to our lifes daily. Cause us to be not only hearers of your Word but also doers of your Word. Give us teachable spirits. Make us into the women that you want us to be through this study and your Word. Cause to share what you teach us with others that you bring into our lives. Help us to become the difference makers that you desire us to be. Cause us to be Jesus with skin to those that you bring into our lives and into our stories. Give us your discpline and self control to turn the pages no matter how hard it gets to read and no matter what kind of interruptions Satan throws at us. Fill us with your strength and discernment and the ability to keep our focus on you and how you want to transform our heart into a heart like yours – one full of confidence in who you are and who we are in you. Direct our steps. Order our days. Have your way in our hearts. Cause us to replace our doubts with your promises. Remind us of who we are in you. Cause us to live as daughters and sons of the King.
I thank you for Renee and how you have given her this story to share with us. Protect her heart. Guard her thoughts. Keep Satan behind her. Fill her with your words and your wisdom to share with us. Fill her completely with yourself and then pour her out as she teaches each of us how to gain and increase our confidence in you and in ourselves. Help her to find balance with her family, this study, her ministry and above all else with you as she ministers to us and gets tugged in so many directions. I thank you for Renee’s family and how they are so willing to share Renee with us as she leads this group. Encourage Renee through each person in the study. Be her source of strength, her source of joy, her source of stamina, her source of love, her source of grace, and her source of compassion. Be Renee’s ALL in ALL. Wrap her arms around her and allow her to feel your presence in all she does. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thank you for your beautiful prayer Donna!! Your words, prayers and encouragement mean so much to me!!
Hi Renee, I also started your bible study last time but did not finish. I know I realy need to change the way I see myself, I have battled negative thinking for to long. I have told several of my friends about the bible study, and I am looking forward to what God is going to do for me and all the others joining the journey. Thank You for your heart to help others heal. God Bless 🙂
Just take it one page and one prayer at a time. You are so worth the time it takes and if you feel overwhelmed. please share that with us here so we can pray for you. There is so much power in prayer!! And in this sweet community God builds online here!
Hi Renee:
I so need the message of God confidence and moving forward in my life. I am so excited to be part of your Bible study. I am planning to Barnes and Noble tomorrow to buy the book. But meanwhile I will read the Chapter 1 from Amazon. I was all excited about being part of this study and today I made a mistake that have not made in a long time. I actually thought I was hearing from God. I was wrong. And now that I have made that mistake the devil is trying to convince me that I cannot move forward. I so want to move forward in my life and be all that God wants me to be. Please pray that I can get the book tomorrow and learn everything God wants me to learn through this study.
God bless you,
Anna
Renee, I started your last Bible study of this book but I got overwhelmed and didn’t get past the !st lesson. Would it be okay to start over on Monday and try again?
Susan
Susan, you are not alone. It’s better than OK!!!! This will be my third attempt………I’m praying for success this time! Praying that you will cross the finish line this time, too.
See Brenda, God’s got a plan for you. You are going to be our cheerleader for those who are trying again or who want to give us. You have to keep going – we need you :0)!
Absolutely!! Please do and don’t give up. Just come on here and share if you feel overwhelmed and let us pray for you and be there for you. We want to be!!
Hi Renee, I am excited to start this Monday~~~have one question, I am not on facebook,
or twitter, do I need to be? Thanks Sue
Hi Susan,
Facebook and Twitter are just extra :0) for those who are on it or who want to join. There will be plenty of activity here and its’ the main place we’ll connect!
Hello Renee,
This is my first online study so that in itself is exciting for me. I have been struggling with my itdentity in Christ throughout the past year. Admittedly, things are getting better, however, I am seeing the need for a strong Christian support network. The title of your book/study was all I needed. I am coming (soon!) to a crossroad in my life and I want nothing more than to figure out what God wants for me. My daughter, the last of three children, will be finishing her junior year in high school and shoving off to college after next year. I have been homeschooling for the last 12 years and now, although I know better 🙂 , it seems I have lost my main purpose in life. God has been faithful through these many years and I know I can expect great things…but it is hard to be confident. Thanks for all of your time, effort, and prayers.
Thankfully! Under His Grace,
Kim <
So glad you are here. God’s got a perfect plan to love on and encourage you for the next season of the life and purpose He has for you!! You’re just getting started friend – He’s got great things ahead!!
Hi Renee. How are you? I was wondering what the main link to the confident heart blog is. I usually go to it through the relies to comments that I get through e-mail, but i have deleted all the messages. 🙁 This is a great study. I really am enjoying your 7-Day Doubt Diet too. This study has gotten me to recognize when I have negative thoughts, and try to replace them with positive, biblical ones. I am still working on the 2nd part. Just yesterday, I was thinking I commented on the confident study blog, and only one person responded. Thoughts started pouring through my mind and heart that no one likes you, what you posted was not good, etc. I am also struggling to let go of a friendship. It has been 2 years since the person decided she doesn’t want to be close anymore, but I still have to interact with her on a daily basis so it is really hard. To go from telling deep secrets to now just saying hello, and that is it. I am also in seminary, and feel God is leading me to get my Master’s in Biblical Studies, but the classes are really hard, and I am not doing as well as I usually do. I am almost failing my greek class, and the final will determine if I fail the class. I have noise in my head and from other’s about why am I doing everything that I am doing, and that it is not what I should be doing. I did not choose to do this degree on my own, but I believe it was the prompting of God, but now I am not sure. I am trying to stay focused on God, but I don’t even know what to pray about anymore. I feel like why even pray for myself, b/c I can’t usually hear God’s response anyway. I can pray for others, and I do see him moving in other’s lives. I just don’t see him moving in mine, but that is probably b/c I am too focused on praying for other’s, comparing myself with others, and listening to others instead of God. Thanks so much for listening. All of this just to ask the direct link to your confident heart website.. 🙂 Hope you are blessed through this study as well.
Hi Jessica,
My heart was touched by you. You seem to be me! The same doubts you have, I have too!
When you said that your blog post wasn’t important enough to be answered, I said the very
same thing to myself! And..,.the struggles you have are the same for me. I want to make
a pact with you–I will pray for you and you pray for me, okay? I KNOW we can do this
bible study together and it wil slip the rug out from under Satan. We will learn amazing
wonderful TRUTHFUL words and promises of GOD. It will be life-changing!! Are you
game? Me too!. I want to replace the friend you lost, will you accept? We can check on
each other througout the study! Blessings to you throughout today and always!!
Thank you so much Susan. Sure you can check up on me throughout the study, and I will life you up in prayer. Thanks for your encouragement. 🙂
Hello Renee,
I’m looking forward to the upcoming study! It will be great to grow along with others.
Thank you for your leadership.
Sincerely,
Diane
REALLY looking forward to this study, getting into God’s word a little deeper, and becoming more confident in who I am in Christ! Thank you Renee for all you are doing in serving the Lord! You are appreciated 🙂
Renee, I’m glad you are continuing. It’s refreshing to see your emails through out the week…like a friend stopping by to say hello.
J
Oh Joanne, thank you for your sweet note. That is just what I want to be! 🙂
Dear Renee, I’m a second timer too.
My church has been doing Lysa “not just a good Bible Study girl” They finish next week…we have graduations and all stuff coming up, but learned too make that time for ACH the first time and I don’t want my hectic life to fill the spot for Bible Study. It is difficult to type this as I have a rash all over my hands and legs…what started as a Vaginal yeast infection explode into my entire system…I know you my sisters…are already praying before I ask.
It is starting to heal, but it mean life changing choice I have made this past week.
Oh Deena, I’m so sorry. I had a horrible allergic reaction to something last week and it about made me crazy!! It was awful. Praying for you to get the meds you need to get it under control. Oh sister, I am so so sorry. Praying the Lord heals and protect you and doesn’t allow the enemy to slow you down or keep you from all that Jesus has for you in this study starting now. For such a time as this – I’m so excited to gather here with you and all the others!!
Very excited, my first time, I downloaded the free E Book two weeks ago, God is so Good ❤
Yay!!
Renee,
I just screwed up and sent my comment to the last person that made a comment. I pressed the wrong
button and now I feel so shamed. It is just an example of what a mess I am. I read your Chapter 1-
I couldn’t believe how the negative comments were right from my head. Were you in there listening?
How could you know the type of ongoing negativity that is relentlessly filling my head? I was disciplined
by my parents telling me I was a bad girl. I am almost 60yrs old now and I cant get the “I am so bad/wrong
thoughts out of my head, when I make any mistake I feel consumed with shame, like I want to crawl into
a hole. Now I am so afraid of what “holly” the last woman to make a comment must think of me!
I try to tell myself”I can do all thiings through Christ who strengthens me, but to no avail,. My husband
wants me to work in his office and I just know I can’t do it. HELP! I pray this study will be a blessing!
Susan, you are fine. I don’t even think your comment went to the wrong place or maybe you figured out how to delete it. You know the Lord is so happy you are here and He’s the one who knows our thoughts – and wants to replace them with HIS!!
Please open your heart and your mind to Him speaking sweet affirmations over those harsh words you heard for so long. They are not the truth about you – but Satan would love for you to keep listening to them. Please write down this week’s prayer and put it all around you and keep praying it out loud.
Praying HIS promises get engraved on your heart and soul in these next several weeks as you do the work of seeking and really believing Jesus – He’s so crazy about you!
I am so excited. I am looking forward to this study..My 16 year old daughter is going to prom tonight so I am going to start reading tonight. Renee you actually came to my church a few years ago and I was not able to hear your teaching because of a family function so I am very excited to read your teachings and book.
Hi Renee,
I am excited for this new study! I just finished the last one with you and God moved through it powerfully. Word of advice for those who are doing it. In my experience, I did not need to do this Bible Study “perfectly” in order for God to meet me through it. Just do your best, don’t give up, and be faithful in your heart.
With appreciation,
Holly
Great advice Holly!! Thank you for sharing. So glad you are journeying through it again with me – and us!! Thankful to have you along!!
Peggy and Brenda – I want to encourage you to pray for and hold one another accountable. Maybe God brought you both here today so you could see you are not alone and encourage one another here each week 🙂
Hi Brenda — yes, but even when we aren’t consistent and faithful – He lavishes us with grace and is so patient with us – isn’t HE? He is so thrilled you are walking through this w/ Him by your side and He’s crazy about you!! Praying for you sister!!
Like Brenda, this is also my 3rd attempt but I have been so busy that I haven’t read the book. I would appreciate your prayers as well.
Thank you,
Peggy
Hi Peggy, I will be praying for you too!!
Like I told Brenda, I am so glad you are trying again.
Do what you can but remember you can’t just add this to your already full life. Something else needs to pause or wait or be cut so that you can make space in your day and in your heart for this work God wants to do in you and with you.
Also, pace yourself and remember it’s a journey. Don’t feel like a failure if you dont’ get to do all of the assignments. Read the chapters and watch the videos. Take 5-15 mins each day to read and pray and talk to God about one of the questions. I
I’ll repeat what I told Brenda because i want you to hear it to: Satan doesn’t want this message sinking deep into your heart. He hates this message because he’s threatened by Jesus’ life in you. The spiritual attack my family and I endured while I was writing the book, and then during the months I led the last online study was unbelievable – almost unbearable. I wanted to quit so many times BUT I am so glad I didn’t. JESUS is worth it and so are the lives HE’s changing through this message.
Just hold onto HIS promises and keep choosing each day to live like they are true. it’s your life and no one can do this for you – but YOU ARE WORTH the choices and the time it will take. Do it for you – and Jesus – and others will be blessed by what HE does in you through it!! I promise!!
Since you haven’t read the book, do this first. Read Chapter 10 today. Seems odd but you’ll know why after you read it. Then join us Monday for Chapter 1.
Blessings to you both!
Renee
I have my book in my lap and am going to read Chapter 10 right now.
So, what did God show you through Chapter 10 that might help you to remember throughout the study – hint hint – He’s not looking for pefection but…..???
Two steps forward…
waiting to hear from you :0)
He wants consistency….He wants my faithfulness ……He wants me to depend on Him, to trust Him. He wants to be a part of my life every day………all day long. He wants a relationship with me.
Renee, this is my 3rd attempt at your Bible study of ACH. Every other time, I get totally off track and something comes up that prevents me from finishing. I feel like Satan is trying to keep me from learning what God has for me in this book. I have read the book and it is great. Please pray that I can start and finish this study well. Thank you.
Brenda
I also would like the replies…….forgot to click the appropriate button.
I will be praying for you Brenda!! I am so glad you are trying again. Just pace yourself. You dont’ have to do all of the assignments. I”m so glad you have read the book. That is a great start – this time I encourage you to write a time on your planner or on your mirror and commit 5 mins or 10 mins each day to read and pray or talk to Jesus about one of the questions. It’s a journey and this is a message that I lived over a half of a lifetime – not just in a few months. 🙂
I have NO DOUBT satan doesn’t want this message sinking deep into your heart. He hates this message because he’s threatened by Jesus’ life in us. The spiritual attack my family and I endured while I was writing the book, and then during the months I led the last online study was truly unbelievable. I wanted to quit so many times BUT I am so glad I didn’t. Just like you,I just kept doing what I could and coming back – persevering while depending on Jesus with every ounce of weakness and strength I had.
I’m so proud of you for signing up again. Will you do me a favor and read Chapter 10 first, I think it’s one we all need to read before we start into the book.
That’s the perfect place to start, Renee. Thank you!
Hi again Brenda,
Would love to hear what God showed you through Chapter 10 that will help you keep moving forward even when life, doubt or discouragement tries to set you back?
Can’t wait to hear maybe just one truth you will hold onto the whole time?
You’ve got Peggy and me praying for you!
Hi Peggy……I’m Brenda from Michigan………we can do this!!!
I will put you on my prayer list, Brenda:)
I really enjoy your emails. They are inspiring and encouraging. Thank you