Welcome friends! If you hopped over from my P31 devotion to find the free download of chapter 2 from my book A Confident Heart, or to sign up for my online study, or enter my give-away – the links and details are below. First I’d love to share a little of my story and why I”m offering an online study of my book here on my website in January…
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Several years ago, I discovered a powerful truth that changed my life forever and set me on a journey to finding a lasting confidence that isn’t based on my successes or failures – but solely on God’s unfailing love and powerful promises! It’s the title of chapter 2 and today’s post – Because God’s love is perfect, I don’t have to be!
For so long, like so many women, I thought I had to be perfect to be loved. I was convinced if let anyone see my imperfections and inadequacies they would think less of me, and eventually leave me -or distance themselves from me.
It was a compelling and paralyzing belief. One that catapulted me into a tail-spin of performance-based living and constant self-doubt. A life where my value was solely measured by my possessions, positions, and people’s opinions of me.
I carefully constructed walls around my heart to project false-confidence and protect my insecure heart. On the outside everything looked liked it was going well, yet on the inside I was drowning in feelings of not ever being good enough. With each attempt to keep others impressed and distant, I stepped further into the shadows of self-doubt. Even though I was surrounded by people, my insecurities convinced me I was all alone.
By the time I was in my twenties, I couldn’t pretend anymore. I ran out of the emotional energy it took to fuel my efforts. Although I’d gone to church off and on for most of my life, I’d never really understood messages I’d heard. But this time, I started listening and really hearing what was being said.
Over time God revealed His heart to me through sermons and books I read, but more than anything He spoke to me through the Bible. Through His written Word on the page and His living Word in the person of Christ, I came to know the perfect love of a personal Savior who pursues imperfect women like me.
I read stories that echoed the struggles and desires of my heart. Tucked within those stories I discovered God’s promises and how He responds to the heart’s longings and heals the hurts of His children. I read words that gave me hope and assured me that I was not alone….
Knowing we are not alone is the first step out of the shadows of self-doubt. It sets us free from feeling like something is wrong with us because no one else seems to struggle like we do. I believe Sam (from today’s devotion) realized this truth the day she met Jesus and felt the pursuit of His perfect love. She was made complete by the power of His love and was transformed from a life of shame and isolationto a life of freedom and Christ-confidence!
Her story of life-change is a picture of what God’s love, forgiveness, pursuit, confidence and purpose can look like in our lives! Instead of just writing a book about how that has been true in my life and how it can be true in yours – I feel God leading me to walk through the book with women who want to take hold of those truths but just aren’t sure how to do it.
So, I’m offering a FREE online study of my book, A Confident Heart, right here on my website. I want us to create a safe place of community where we can talk about how we got where we are in our self-doubts and how we can get where we long to be and then take steps together to get there- through encouragement, prayer and living in the security of God’s promises! Will you join me?
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A Confident Heart Online Study
My online study will begin January 16th. I’ll post 1-2x each week and will have guest posts, video segments and more! Because we’ll meet online, you can check in at your convenience any time of the day and week. I’m so excited about the ideas God’s giving me for it, and would love for you to join me! All you need is a copy of the book, a notebook, a Bible and a ready-for-God- to-do-a-new-thing attitude! Here are a few links I’d love to share with you today:
- Click here to find out more about the book and links to online stores that carry it.
- Complete the form in my right sidebar to receive more details or to join my Confident Heart Online Study.
- Click here to read the table of contents, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2: Because God’s Love is Perfect, I Don’t have to Be (for a limited time only). *It’s s in a PDF so your computer might warn you, but it’s safe to open. If you can’t access it, let us know though my contact form.
- Subscribe to my website updates. For online study participants, I recommend signing up for both in case some thing gets lost in cyberspace or spam.
A Confident Heart Give-Away
Win a $10 Starbucks gift card, a journal, a copy of my book and conference calls that will be an option for my online study! To enter to win, do any of the above and let friends know about my online study, devotion and or this post via email, Twitter and Facebook! Be sure to click “Share Your Thoughts” below to let me know you did so I can enter you in the drawing!
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If you don’t want to do all that, I’d still love to hear from you today!
How did God speak to your heart today through my devotion or today’s blog post.
Just click on “Share Your Thoughts” below to let me know and I’ll be praying for you today!
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I have signed up for the emails. This is a very generous giveaway. Thanks for all you are doing to help those of us who struggle with our doubts. Looking forward to becoming more confident!
Thank you for your timely message. I had just finished reading chapter 2 in the book before reading the devotional for today. I think I was supposed to be paying attention and getting the reinforcement of the review. I’m looking forward to the study in January.
Hi Renee! I am so thankful to God for this study. I am so thankful you obeyed His calling in writing this book. With each chapter, I am amazed at how much it reflects who I am, and I realize just how much healing I need from Jesus. Our Ladies’ Bible Study is currently going through this study. So many have been blessed by it already, and we are only working through chapter 4. I am looking forward to following along with your Bible Study in January, and I will let the ladies in my current Bible Study know about it too. Thank you for doing this, Renee. God is using you to bless so many lives! In Christ’s love…
This Bible Study sounds awesome Renee! Thank you for the give-away!
much love
I guess I should have paid attention to all of the post LOL. I am sharing with my friends and family by email (not on FB at the moment for various reasons). Will share by twitter too.
So excited about the Bible study! I’ve posted the announcement on my Facebook Page and am headed for Twitter now! I will also try to write a blog about it soon!
Hi Renee, thank you so much for the opportunity to study through your book with you online. I have signed up and cannot wait for January 16th!
Dear Sister in Christ,
Thank you for telling me exactly what I need to hear this day! Why do I keep setting myself up for a “fall” in thinking? The thoughts I let into my mind trip me up again and again and again…if something doesn’t get done or finished, I think I’m a failure. So-n-so has theirs done by now..or I should have had such-n-such accomplished by this date or that time…ugh.
So frustrating to live like this because I put that thinking onto my children and then if they don’t do whatever, watch out..
God did not call me to be perfect. And oftentimes, the way I think about myself is purely performance based. Thank goodness God does not see me like I see myself!
Guess all this to say I am still growin’ in His grace and mercy…and trusting Him to accomplish that which concerns me..
In Christ,
Bonnie
That’s awesome Renee – may have to go through it again in January, there is so much here that I feel at the pace we have been going I am not taking it all in. I am so excited to read you will be offering it again in January. This week has been a huge week for me as we started Chapter 8!
Thanks for you encouraging words.
Hi Renee ~ I completed the form; I am signed up for the online study to begin in January. I do so look forward to this study.
Your book is awesome! I have been doing the study on my own because of time constraints. But come January, I will be able to join in the online study. So excited!!
I hope someday to use your book to start a study, either in my church, or in my neighbourhood. I hope to be able to share your experiences and the wisdom God has given you with other women.
Thank you for being so vulnerable, Renee. You are a sweetheart. Love ya!
Hi Renee,
I have once again shared your devotion information on Facebook. I would love to win the package you are giving away this time. As someone who is really trying to find myself again after an unwanted divorce after nearly 30 years of marriage, your devotions really give me hope. I am loving your book and am so ready to find the confidence I know is still in me, just buried for the time being. God has not given up on me and I know that, I just have to get my brain and my heart back on track with what I know to be true.
I love telling everyone I know about your book and your blog.
Thank you for caring. Have a blessed evening.
Ronda
yes ….thank you for the lovely message today ……..it really fulfills my heart to know that eventhough i am a sinner the lord still loves me………..i will be sharing this message from you with our womens fellowships every tuesday 10am(fiji time)…………….it is something good and i want to share with as many women as i can…………..please pray for me/family/children/and my marriage…………i would love to hear some more from you…………………..it is just lovely……………thak you
I am so thankful for you and your devotionals. It is very uplifting to know I am not alone in my self struggles.
I always feel so blessed. I have passed your website to friends and family members to share the blessings.
Thanks again.
Renee,
I don’t have your book yet but want it so much. I have been going through clinical depression for the past few months. I lost my Dad a little over a year ago & because of some other family things that have come about I have been going through a very bad time. I have been reading the devotionals from 7day doubt diet. They are very encouraging to me. So many things that I can relate to also. Thank you for what you are doing. God has blessed me through you writings.
God bless you!
Patricia
I will be sharing the information on your online study via email. I still don’t have your book and have signed up twice for the devotions they are sooooo good!!! I am putting it on my christmas list right now so I can join the study in January.
Your words of Truth have really made an impact on me. I’m doing the study online with Melissa and about 8,000 of my closest friends :). What God has shown me within even the past week have just really helped me recognize a few things about myself that I hadn’t even known. I had a hard time answering the questions in the first few chapters because I didn’t fee like I could really relate…then I got to 7 and 8. It’s been a wake up call as i have recognized myself in so many of these pages. I’ve been going back to the previous chapters and reading them with a whole different perspective. Thank you for being obedient to God’s prodding to write A Confident Heart, I truly hope you get to experience the blessing it has been to so many women.
I am plan to lead this study in my home with my Monday School ladies when you do it in January. We’re currently doing Believing God by Beth Moore, but we’ll need something new after Christmas and I know my group could use the wisdom found in it’s pages.
God’s Blessings,
<3 Heather
P.S. I'm not interested in winning, but I did send this and your P31 devotion via Twitter, FB, and email.
This is the peefrct post for me to find at this time
Thanks matt for confirming again that Google ignores the Keywords Meta tag. The confusion starts for the meta description now. As most of them still believe that Google will give more weight for the description in rankings. Can you also comment on this meta description tag and clear the confusion ?
I have read your posts many times and felt the urge to comment but I didn’t. Today I give in because I genuinely have nothing left in me to fight it. I am struggling with many things and learning to embrace them is difficult to say the least. For some reason, that I cannot explain, I continue to be drawn back to your site. Today, I shared your site on my facebook along with friends and family mostly as a means to find myself. For me telling my story just seems silly so I’m left with little to say. I’m in a place of brokenness and again I’m drawn here. I’ve been angry and fighting and as we all know, that really doesn’t do much. I find myself in a place where there’s nothing left but Him. To just keep it short and sweet, after being married in an abusive relationship for 10yrs, being a single parent for several years and finally finding a man that truly loves me, I struggle. Before we married he let me know he had a terminal disease and that the doctors told him a “death date”, he let me know that we would only have 12yrs together. In October he got sick so we rushed him to emergency only to find out that in addition to his disease he may now have liver cancer. We don’t have insurance because companies will not cover him due to his disease so we cannot afford the testing that is needed to confirm if cancer is present. My 12yrs is no longer that and we are now facing much less time together. The lingering question is……why and for some reason I look to myself and say if only you were….. I guess this was the breaking point for me and it’s consumed me for weeks. I’ve struggled many years with the very things you’ve written about and I struggle with them most today. Because of my own issues I make things more difficult in my marriage and in life instead of just enjoying what I have today. At this point it may be best for me to just go get your book and loose myself in it. I’m not sure why I’m here, on your site, but I know it’s for a reason and I thank you for being there.
Heather,
Your story caused me to tell you that I will be praying for you. I cannot imagine the burden you carry right now, but our Lord does. I will be praying for you.
Renee,
I was forwarded one of your emails from a friend today and it just spoke right to my heart. It is amazing how God works through people and touches someone in just the right way. I am so thankful for the opportunity to hear your message and be a part of the Confident Heart Study as I am very much struggling with confidence in a number of areas in my life. I have signed up and signed up for your emails! Thank you again and have a wonderful rest of your day!
Thanks for your kind words. I love how you think of the woman as “Sam” It does make her seem more real. I would love to be entered into the contest. I have already joined up for the study. I’m looking forward to it! I’ve been a Christian for almost 20 years, but this is still the area I struggle with the most. Thanks again for your encouragement and prayers!