After reading your comments and emails last week week, I’m so encouraged by how God interrupted what I was doing and prompted me to check on you. That prompting led me to invite you on an unplanned journey through my 7-day Doubt Diet. Over 4000 of you signed up, and hundreds of you shared how much you needed this, at such a time as this.
Friend, God hears your prayers. He knows your needs and He is pursuing you with His love. I’m so honored that I get to be a part of what He is doing in your life. I want us to give ourselves time to let God speak to us as we apply these devotions in our lives. So, I’ve decided to stretch the 7 days over 2 weeks, with a post every other day on weekdays only, after today. Day 2 will be posted on Tuesday, Day 3 on Thursday and then day 4 next Monday, and so on.
Each day we’ll have a key verse called “Food for Thought” and a “Doubt Diet Tip” to help us apply that day’s message. I’m praying for you, friend, and I want us all to pray for each other. Let’s pray that no matter how hard life is or how much doubt tries to weigh us down – we will ask God to help us know and rely on His love and live in the security of His promises – so we can lose the weight of self-doubt and gain a confident heart!
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Day 1: Don’t Throw Away Your Confidence
Taken in part from Chapter 1 and 6
© 2011 by Renee Swope with Revell Publishing.
Food for thought: So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Hebrews 10:35-36, (NIV)
One night I was cleaning the kitchen and threw away this little rubber thingy that was on our counter top. Suddenly I realized it was the power button for our TV remote control. As I dug through the trash to find it, I regretted how quickly I’d thrown it away. Then, as I reached to pull it out, I sensed God showing me that’s how easily I throw away my confidence—without even recognizing it.
It’s usually very subtle. Sometimes I’ll be thinking about something I want to do or sense God calling me to, and a feeling of uncertainty comes over me and whispers to my heart: You can’t do that. You’re not good enough. Out of the blue, I’ll just get that awful, insecure feeling.
Too many times I’ve gone along with it, tossing my confidence into the trash without even thinking about it.
For the longest time, I didn’t tell anyone about my lack of confidence because I figured if I told them all the reasons I doubted myself, they’d see my flaws and agree with me. Honestly, I was convinced I was the only one who struggled with doubt.
However, I didn’t call it doubt. Maybe you don’t either. Sometimes I called it worry—worry that I was going to disappoint someone, worry that I might make a mistake and get criticized for it, worry that I might start something but not be able to finish.
Other times I’d call it fear—fear that I wouldn’t measure up, fear that I’d look stupid, fear that I’d look prideful thinking I could do something special for God. What I’ve realized over the past several years is that these feelings may end up as fear or worry, but their source is self-doubt.
Looking back, I see a pattern in my thinking that led to the pattern of my doubting.
As a child I thought I wasn’t worth keeping. My insecurity kept me from riding amusement park rides, because I doubted my dad would wait for me. In school, I doubted I was smart enough and avoided some great opportunities because they came with the risk of failure. As a young bride, I doubted my husband’s faithfulness, although he gave me no reason to fear. Our newlywed memories include a lot of arguments about trust.
What about you? Do you ever agree with the whispers of doubt and throw away confidence that should be yours as a child of God? Are you tired of questioning whether you have what it takes to become the woman you want to be, or the woman God is calling you to be?
The first step to living with a confident heart is for us to recognize the power we give to self-doubt, then stand up to it and claim the confidence that is ours through Christ. That is what we’ll be doing for the next seven days as we learn to live in the security of God’s promises in our everyday lives.
To get started, let’s ask God to show us when we throw away our confidence this week, and help us throw off the weight of our insecurities instead.
Lord, I want to become a woman with a confident heart in Christ. Show me how to recognize when I’m tempted to throw away my confidence. And please help me throw away my insecurity instead. I want the reward of persevering in Your truth so that when I have done Your will, I will receive what You have promised. I don’t want to be a woman who shrinks back and is destroyed but one who believes and is saved. When doubt or insecurity tells me I can’t do something, I will remember that all things are possible to her who believes. In Jesus’ name, Amen. (See Hebrews 10:35–36, 39; Mark 9:23)
Doubt Diet Tip: When you start a diet or physical training plan, experts recommend you take a Body Mass Index analysis to determine if you are overweight, underweight, or in a healthy weight range. As we get started, our first assignment is to complete the FREE “Doubt Index Analysis” I created to help identify your most common doubts, see how they affect you and determine just how much self-doubt could be weighing you down by.
Let’s Talk: I want this to be a journey we take TOGETHER, where we talk to each other, encourage and pray for one another and talk about what God is showing us. To do that, please click here to go back to my website (if you’re reading this via email) and then click on “Share Your Thoughts” below this Day 1 post.
That’s where we’ll share our hearts, our stories, our struggles (so others can know they’re not alone and so we can pray for each other) and read others stories too. I believe that is where real community and encouragement will come – and Jesus will meet us there and minister to us through one another!
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My heart pours out for all these prayers and petitions and it reminds me that if I feel that way how must our Heavenly Father feel about all of this? I myself am embroiled in the revelation that my husband was unfaithful and it has just taken my self worth and all confidence that I had within my marriage. We are in counseling, and I know God wants us to work this out but I am fighting it. This violation is something that has just left me so broken. I had been married previously and after 4 years I met my now husband who I believe I have kept on this pedestal. He is a family man and I SO prayed for that. Someone who is a father, someone to go to church with and as all of our friends have affirmed just a really NICE guy. To have hurt me in this way has just been unbelieveable. I will be praying for you all and ask that you pray for me as well. That I know clearly what God wants for me and to take my own self doubt away and believe in only Him. blessings all.
I think one of the reasons I struggle with completely trusting God and accepting his love and forgiveness stems from my relationship with my earthly father. He is a Christian man and provided discipline, and though modest, financial security. But, he wasn’t good at the Daddy part. He wasn’t affectionate, and never complimented me or spent time with me. I was constantly trying to please him and feared his discipline. I knew deep down that he loved me. But, longed for a deeper relationship. I know his lack of daddy skills stem from his own background. But, it still hurt. He’s getting older now, and he has tried to make up for the past. But it still has a profound impact on my life. I’ve accepted my father and forgiven him, but Satan loves to bring back those old feelings and throw them at me every chance he gets. This is just one of many insecurities, but one I loathe and long to be rid of.
My story is silimilar except that my father has gone to be with Jesus. I feel like if he didn’t have time or affection for me, then who else would? Maybe we can find our healing together…
I struggle with self-doubt alot. Mainly when I have to speak in front of others. I am starting to lead a bible study in my church and I am terrified. Please pray that god will take over for me.
I to have always struggled with doubt even at a young age. I am a now working on my master in Family and Marriage counseling and have started to doubt that I have what it takes to be a successful counselor. I have consider quitting because I feel at this time I am just not able to to work full time, be a good mother, wife, and minister and complete this degree. I feel in my spirit this is my calling but because of my doubt i struggle ever day with am I good enough/smart enough to do this, I want this doubt that I have struggled with so long to be removed from my life and walk into what GOD has in store for me.
I have a hard time sharing all that is going on in my life right now but ask that God to lay it upon your heart to pray for me.. I know I am dealing with a lot of doubt in my calling and the enemy continues to use members of our church to confirm my insecurities in my thought life… I try to pray though but find myself one day up feeling “I can do all thing through Christ” the next moment You aren’t worthy… thank you for your prayers I need a renewed mind.
I took the doubt index test and I am still being weighed down by doubt. I have just started my Journeyman with CWG and it is intense and I have a little dyslexia so I doubt I will be able to do this. I am still smoking and I know God wants me to quit but I doubt I can… The list goes on and on. It seems as if I take the enemy’s bait to trap me into thinking his way instead of letting the love of God overwhelm me with His grace and I constantly throw away my confidence. It feels awful, like being in limbo, I want to change I am so tired of living this way.
Thank you! God’s timing is perfect. I need this..am glad your self doubts didn’t stop you from sharing, ’cause I really need this right now.
Thank You Lord for opening up the eyes of my heart. I was so excited last week when I read the email I was so blessed the first time thru the 7 day self doubt diet. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS MERCY AND GRACE. It was a great weekend I attended a womens retreat at my church where I have truly been blessed where I was able to go back in time and pray and rethink my life im 40 years old and have been thru two broken relationships. God knows the reasons. I have discovered thru this that the only thing I have that cannot be taken away from me is JESUS. I stuggle financially but Im thankful that I have a job to get up and go to and the health to be able to go. But most of all Im thankful I know the one who is in control the one who knows all who knows me better that I do. As I examine myself on a daily basis I really have a wonderful check up this weekend. I have a testimony and Im thankful for that. Not proud of my past but if I could lead one soul to the LORD by sharing I surely would. Im not perfect just FORGIVEN. As I rediscover my enter feelings and examine my heart I have discovered that the past is the past and there’s nothing I can do to change that but i can move forward for GODS GLORY GOD expects us to use our failures for his GLORY and I pray I will do that. Can’t judge a book by it’s cover and I dont’ walk in nobody’s shoes but my own. He knows the plans he has for me. Cirmcumstances change GOD is still the same.
I want to be the woman God wants me to be – plain and simple. I do remember a time that I didn’t doubt, but I can’t pin-point exactly when that time existed. I have many doubts and fears, and I am currently experiencing a couple of not-so-easy issues. I need to let God lead me. I know He is working on every issue – even when I cannot see what He is doing. But I have to remind myself every day that He is doing something. I don’t think that I am forgetting this fact – I just start doubting and fearing. I thank God everyday for loving me enough to die so that I can live. I’m just tired of the devil beating me down all the time. And I’m listening. I just want the confidence to be able to fight back.
I feel a burden on my heart nearly every day. The self doubt I feel weighs me down tremendously. Some days the depression I feel is so overwhelming that just getting one foot in front of another is a major feat. I have yo-yo between God and self doubt so much in my life that I do not even have confidence that God sees me or hears my prayers. There are so many troubles in my life that it seems easy to fall into Satan’s trap of self doubt. as I become consumed in handling the troubles surrounding me.
I feel truly blessed to have found my way to this website, Reading Renee’s words and the words of other women who posted here give me confidence that there is hope. God does hear me. I am so wrapped up in my troubles that I am not hearing God. We so need to pray for each other, Thank you Renee.
Terri,
I hear you, and I’m praying for you. I feel that depression sometimes too. Some things are hard, and we don’t know why God has placed them in fromt of us. But I have to remind myself that He is always working for my good. He loves you. No matter how you might feel, He is always working “for” you, not “against” you.
This is a Diet I can win. Thank you for helping me with my doubts. Retirement is not for the weak. I am struggling financially and need to know that He will make a way for the bill to be paid and food bought. Praise His Name and I know this will help with my doubts.
Thank you Renee for this 7 day Doubt Diet. I am very new to this online corresponding so please all help me out 🙂 My doubts are WILL God do it. I struggle with the WILL factor. I know God can do anything and I don’t doubt his power etc but I struggle with WILL he do this for me. Perhaps I am trying to work out how he WILL instead of just trusting him that he WILL. . Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.
Doreen, thank you for expressing your feelings about the “will” factor. I always struggle with that. I know God can answer my prayers, but will he respond. Maybe he doesn’t think what I am praying for is needed, or that I am worth the resources. I am comforted to know someone else can know how I feel.
I feel the same. I know God can, but will He? Why would he do that for me? This is so often reinforced by what is happening around me. Just when I think I’m getting my footing, I crumble again.
I have soooo much doubt…I receive so many things to give in turn to our small youth group…I copy it,place it in a folder, but never get it to them…I am a mumbler. Many can’t understand me. My family does because they have lived with me. I will have to really start working on this. I also am a recovering alcoholic and need to help the soo many women out there going through this. My introversion keeps me from this also.
Thank you Renee for this study. I need it so much. I took the doubt analysis and like I already knew I am have many doubts and fears. I want so much to stop living in those doubts and fears and become the woman God wants me to be. I let the devil come in so often and tell me I am not good enough or that I am not doing it right or I can’t do that.
Thank you so much for letting God help you to become confident so that you may help other find their confidence through God.
I’ve just sat down and done the first day of this doubt diet knowing that I am strugging to find the confidence to succeed in my final weeks at university. I failed my first piece of assessment in over 18 months today, and I’m terrified of continuing to be dragged down by the devil. I’ve come so far in these last 4 years and I really want to do post grad. So I’ve just coming expectant over these next few days that I’m going to get my confidence in my studies back and that the fire which is god’s plan will be re-ignited.
Dear Renee,
I’m so glad you’re doing the 7 DD again. I signed up for the 1st one but did not follow through. I only went as far as completing the Doubt Index Analysis and left it at that.
Today I found the filled out questionnaire and… I’m afraid 4 weeks on I’m in a lower place. With my poor job situation at the moment, unfulfilled love life, health issues and just generally low mood (the summer’s so very over!), I would have answered some questions differently.
Looking forward to the DD programme and happy to be in such great company, Ladies 🙂 Praying for all of us that we can build our confidence on God and His good promises.
x
This a perfect time for me as well as alot of the other ladies. It feels comforting to know that I am not alone in this. I have had people speak over me and telling me that I will be moving into a higher position, something like a supervisory positon/administrative or even as far as something close to CEO. That really scares me because I would not think even in my wildest dreams that I could ever do anything like that. I do not have the confidence whatsoever and I don’t feel smart at all. What could I possibly do in that sort of a position? I want to trust God that he will show me where to go and how to do it but that almost seems impossible. I am currently separated from my second husband due to all the emotional and verbal abuse that has tore me down every which way he knew how. I already felt bad enough about myself, he just finished stepping on me and ripping me apart. (Not physically). Although, he did strike me a few times. I want to rise up from this uncertainty of myself (lack of confidence) and be the confident and smart woman God has created me to be. I am so glad I have other women that I can share my tholughts with and know that you all will be praying for me.
As women we tend to be insecure and lack confidence in every area of our lives with out realizing that God has already given us the victory through Christ our Lord! I thank God for this wonderful opportunity to be encouraged by his words. Thank You Renee for sharing your story and dedicating your time to this important issue!
Thank-you for the devotions base on your book, “A Confident Heart”. I celebrated my 50th birthday a few weeks ago. I have been reviewing the past ……..the failures, mistakes and missed opportunities. With the devotions and bible verses from Proverbs 31, I try really hard to focus on the present. Instead, I must focus on the treasures and sucesses that I have accomplished, 4 daughters, a great job, a loving and kind boyfriend, good health and a chance to make a difference. I read passages in the Bible about how loved and special we are and how he has a plan for us to prosper and to be happy. Sometimes I get so impatient and feel that I cannot wait, but I must. Many times in a day, I must remember to be confident that God will listen to my prayers and be there in all things. Thank you God for everything.
Thank you for this insight. I, like all of the women reading this, struggle with self-doubt. I am in my twenties and just went through a painful break-up. I am at a very unsettled place in my life, where I don’t know what job I will take after this year, where I will live, when I will meet the man God has for me. My worst doubts are that I will always be alone, won’t find the right job, won’t live in the right place; essentially, that I won’t become the woman God wants me to be.
From your insight, I am starting to realize that these doubts come from satan himself. What I’m really thinking when I allow those doubts to consume me is that God doesn’t not have a plan for me. At the lowest points, I find myself doubting, losing faith, lacking trust that God holds us all in His hands. I long so much to lose this doubt, and I pray that this is the first step towards losing this weight of self-doubt.