Today is another day where I can’t just write what I want to say – I need to “show and tell” you. In today’s short video message below I share how God walked me through a process of looking back with courage – so I could move forward with hope. He helped me identify things I didn’t even know were affecting me and gently led my heart on a journey towards freedom – showing me how to of let go of the pain from my yesterdays so I could live with confident hope in my todays… and tomorrows.
{Are you a note-taker? If so, I created “Video Message Notes” in a PDF format here or in a MSWord doc here, just for you. Even included key verses and blanks to fill in.} 🙂
Today’s Giveaway:
I’m giving away 3 Confident Heart gift packs for 3 of you. Each one includes a copy of my book, A Confident Heart {for you or a friend?}, my “Rest Assured” message on CD and a Starbucks gift card!
Let’s Connect {and how to enter today’s drawing}:
I’d love to hear how God speaks to you through today’s video message… and this is an easy way to enter today’s giveaway too. Just click “share your thoughts” right below this post and do just that. I’ll be here reading and praying over each of you and your stories. {Also, I know the timelines I encourage you to create might sound overwhelming or scary, so I recorded a little video message to talk/walk you through that process – If you’d like to hear more click here to watch it after you share your thoughts below.}
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I have grown up in church and i made some wrong decisions in life, so when i thought i had made the right decisions ( without the councel of God, but they sounded right), i thought God was going to bless me and my family. But it all fell apart and i was so hurt that i dont know how to get back to fully trusting in God. I want to… But i just cant see myself being prosperous again… This book would help me a lot! Thanks for your words!
Jeremiah 29:11 is my favorite verse. Seven years ago my husband abandoned my kids and I for meth. He was abusive both physcially and mentally. I believe that I went through this trial to have a closer relationship with Him. He was with me through the struggles of my divorce and has been with me everyday since then. He has blessed me so much. Just this year, I was listening to a Steven Curtis Chapman song that brought me to my knees and I forgave my ex. I believe that God was speaking to me through that song. I have no contact with him but I still continue to pray for his salvation. I have forgiven but I still struggle with the pain of low-self-esteem and insecurities. There are some days I still can’t look in the mirror. As long as I stay in the word and continue to pray, God is right there helping me grow. I trust in Him. Renee, thank you for this study. It is great. I am praying for you and for all the women doing this study.
Hi Renee,
Even though I already have gone through your study once, I was intrigued by your e-mail’s this week, so decided in spite all the things I have to face and do, I would take some time today to read through Chapter 4. As I have gone through it so far, I am so glad I did. it has brought such encouragement, hope, help at just the right time for me. Your words on the pages are helping me to keep carrying on to face and do the many difficult and not so fun things in my life. I had a feeling It would be helpful for me to skim back and also follow along some this time. I can tell I am at a little different place than the first time going through your study, so it is helpful in that way too. Thank you so much Renee for your love, honesty, perseverance, joy. You have been an encouragement today.
This has been such a blessing. Yesterday as I was reading chapter 4 the Lord highlighted many things to me and then I also felt compelled to tune in to a message streaming live online… right when I connected it was talking about the same exact thing God had just ministered to my heart. I originally downloaded the e-version of this book because I seen a link that it was free, but then I went ahead and bought the paperback book so I could have a copy in my own hands. I was not expecting to have as much breakthrough as I have had. If anyone is having trouble going through chapter 4 I encourage you to DO IT! I received tremendous breakthrough, not just because of the words written in the chapter, but because the Holy Spirit breathed on some of the things written in the chapter and expounded on them as I prayed and asked the questions the chapter suggested. Thank you for the message of hope you shared today. God truly is using you Renee!
God Bless
Joslyn
Thank you Renee for your video today. I am slowing starting to realize how my past is affecting my current thoughts and feelings. I’ve grown up always being shown “a better way” of doing things. While my father meant well, I always felt that no matter what I did, I was never good enough. I am starting to see that in my relationships and situations today that many of my feelings of inadequacy probably stem back to childhood. I feel like I’m not good enough to have certain friends, do certain things, act certain ways, I’m starting to think they are all lies from satan. Now for the hard part, to overcome them. Thankfully I can ask God to overcome satan.
Thank you again Renee for your encouragement.
Hi Renee,
Today I woke up with a bit of discouragement and I’ve been reading the devotionals on a daily basis. This one in particular really spoke to me. Its funny because I’ve been reading Jeremiah 29:11 this whole week and everytime I read it, I always get something different from it. It reminds me that God cares very much about the things that matter so much to me in life. Especially about the hurt from my yesterdays. I believe I’m going through a healing process right now, but it gets very difficult at times. God has removed many things that were standing in a way from getting closer to him, and let me tell you it hurt a lot. Now that those “distractions” aren’t in my life any longer I’ve become much closer to Him. But I know that He still has to work a lot in me. I learned a while back from a really good friend of mine, that healing is a process. It takes time, and when you mentioned it in your video, I thought of my friends’ words. There are times when I feel so alone, like no one understands me, but then God shows me different. There are sisters of mine, like you, who have gone through what I’m going through rite now. He’s always reminding me that I am not alone, that He loves me with an Everlasting and Perfect Love and that He is always with me. Thank you so much for today’s devotional, it was such a blessing and I thank God for using you in such a beautiful way to touch women all over the world.
God Bless you
-Jennifer
What powerful scripture! There is pain from my past that I need to talk to God about. I so needed to hear this. Thank you for sharing.
Renee once again you are speaking directly to my heart. I’ve had a lot of hurt and loss in my life and I know I have resentments because of it. I do ask God why me and know he has a greater plan for me. Thanks for reminding me of Gods great love. Angie
Thank you, Renee, for another timely encouragement and reminder to have confidence in the Lord. It’s scary to purposely go reminding myself of past hurts but you are right, God is there with me to love me through it.
I was doing really good with this chapter until yesterday. Yesterday my husband was fired from his job and with it went our insurance. Our oldest son is on multiple medications each day so this is devastating for us. But the verse you put in the chapter…”for I know the plans you have for me. Plans to prosper me and not to harm me.” This struck so hard because right now I am overwhelmed with being the primary breadwinner and knowing I don’t make enough to make ends meet. I also felt that the word HOPE was so right on, too…because my hope has to be in God to see us through this! Thanks for your amazing words of encouragement!!
In the past year I have been called every name in the book and said I am someone I am not just to get my son taken away from me! please pray that I get my son back!
Wow – I didn’t even realize how much of my past is affecting my personality today. What an amazing revelation. I’ve heard of the timeline before but have never done one. It’s a great idea. Thank you for sharing your story. Now to tackle my past 🙂
Thank you for such an encouraging word today!! Gods purpose for my life I know has not been fulfilled but there is one!! There is so much hope in that verse alone!! No matter who we are are where we have been we serve a forgiving God that loves us more than our human bodies and minds will ever understand!! Without him my life has no purpose!! God is so Good!!
I am 21 years old and have been struggling with sex, lust, pornogrophy, masturbation, faithfulness in relationships with people and with God. I know why I have been struggling with these things but IDK how to deal with the core of my issues. I have had a hard time doing the timeline and answering the reflection questions about my past because I don’t remember much of it. My biological older sister molested me from a very young age until around the time I was 13 and started having sex. Nobody ever knew until I was 20 when I decided to tell my current boyfriend and eventually my mother. This lead to us finding out why my sister did those things to me… She was molested by her go sister and one of our aunts. This also lead to us finding out therewas a generational curse of incest in our family. This video revealed to me that this and the fact that my father wasn’t there for me, cheated on my mother for about 15 years of their marriage and has never really been a father to me, the sexual abuse as a child, a series of relationships and 35 sexual partners, failures and disappontments throughout my life have led to my struggle of not being able to have a consistent relationship with God. I do not want to deal with any of this but I am tired of wearing a mask and living my life in silent pain covered with a smile. Thank you for sharing your story and writing this book. I know it is time for me to deal with this tremendous amount of pain so all of you reading this PLEASE pray for me as I take this journey to freedom…
*godsister
Jalisa,
I will pray for you. Know that God is with you and that there is nothing that you could have done, that could change God’s Love for you. I can relate with you on a certain level, and I know the pain it brings to reopen that wound in order to heal. Many times in my life, I’ve felt so uncomfortable even thinking about my past because the pain and guilt was so unbearable. So I went about my life trying to ignore that past and pain. But recently God has revealed to me that it is that particular thing among others that have affected my relationships in life. But I know God isn’t doing that in order to hurt me, but to heal me. In order to be able to speak openly about it someday to other woman and minister to them through my pain and healing. Remember sister, that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, those who have been called according to his purpose Romans 8:28. God always uses our ashes and turns them into something beautiful…its just a matter of giving them to Him first.
God Bless you
-Jennifer
Jalisa-
I pray for you that there will be a great healing within you- that God will shower you with his love and give you the courage to face your past and let the healing begin. May your future be full of sunshine that will chase all your cloudy dark skies away for good. In Jesus Name I Pray. Amen
I think your already on your way…. Be Blessed!
Aloha from Hawaiixoxoxoxo
Oh Jalisa, sweet friend I am so so very sorry for all that you have been through and the deep pain of each wound you have shared with us. What courage you have and what precious value you hold to our Father who wants to scoop you up and hold you close. He knows all the thou have done and all that has been done to you and He wants to wipe it all away with His redeeming, cleansing grace, mercy, love, forgiveness and healing. I am going to come back here to pray for you tomorrow – as it’s really late and I need to get to bed. BUt just know you are not alone, all of us who read your story are going to pray for you. Healing and redemption are yours in Christ if you have received His gift of life through His death.
I want to make sure you have my book? If not, I would love to send you a copy. Calling on Jesus on your behalf tonight!!!
Renee,
The wisdom in this chapter is amazing. God has already started me on a journey to look at my past and see those things that have caused me to be insecure and doubtful. I never thought that I would need to do that. I’m a missionary kid and come from a wonderful family. Nevertheless, given the enemy and our sinful nature, we can turn even good examples into unrealistic expectations for ourselves and always come up short of who we think we should be.
I want to encourage those reading, that on the one hand, they shouldn’t ignore the timeline if they don’t think there’s anything “traumatic” that has happened in their life. On the other hand, I wan those who have suffered more significant trauma and mourned their whole lives that they have not had a “good childhood,” that a perfect childhood does not exist. We are all human. We are all flawed. Recognizing this has given me the freedom I needed to forgive people I held dear and looked up to.
I am still on this journey and God is still revealing things that have affected me 8 months later. I am beginning to taste freedom and I love it. Thank you for this chapter, this book. Let us hold on to the hope we have in HIm. He loves us so much. I love the example of Aster you gave in the video – it makes sense, my sister has three adopted kids. I
Thanks again – Annette
Thank you for your openness, and willingness to share what God has done in your life. Your insights are an encouragement to me as I go through the process of healing from wounds that I have not dealt with from the past. Jeremiah 29:11 is an encouragement to me, along with God’s promise to never leave us or forsake us. Thank you.
Thank you, Renee for giving each and everyone of us hope from our loving Father.
One line in this weeks lesson spoke loudly to me. “He wants us to live in the promise that He offers hope for our future despite the pain of our past.”
Thank you, too, for taking me beyond God and His plans and showing how to come out of captivity! Amazing promises.
I love the story of “Sam.” She gives us hope.
Gwen
Renee, I’m learning through this study so far that God is wanting to heal me. He’s wanting to heal those past wounds and hurts that people or sin has affected me in my life. I want God to use my story to help other people find the true freedom that comes in knowing Him… I am learning that’s its okay to trust God and be vulnerable to Him. He knows me, and everything he does is good. It’s okay to have a story, for we all have one. But it’s how we use our own story to help lead others to make their stories turn out good with making wiser decisions than what we have. I want people to see how much Jesus truly loves them… if only we could truly grasp how much he loves us. It’s beyond our understanding, but I want to see God’s love everyday in my life, for his healing hand and touch of unconditional love are the only things that can help us move forward, and face the past to draw courage like you said, and see and hit the future head on!
working on the time line. and want to be on the contest list ^J^
This study really speaks to me and has allowed me to reflect, react and know God is speaking to me in so many ways, through you. Thanks Renee for allowing God to use you to touch our lives.
Love
Aretha