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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I took the doubt Analysis Inventory and was so surprised at the score. Not as doubtful as I thought I was. Praise God!!! ~ However, there is still much room for improvement.
This is such a possitive way to approach seeing where doubt has caused so much interference with the good things God has for me.
Thank you, Renee for allowing our God to work through you, at this very moment in our life journeys.
There is so much pain and suffering in the hearts of women ~ God is healing broken hearts, at this very moment ~ Believe it, it is coming to pass…sbr
I didn’t realize I had a problem of insecurity, fear, and confidence, until someone else helped me see I was beating myself up all the time. Thankful to God that He heals our hearts.
I know I have a lot of self-doubt lately. But I don’t know how to cast it off. I pray fervently, read His word diligently and fill my mind with what is good and pure, but still I feel weighed down with doubt/worry/fear of failure.
God has called me to pursue yet more education. But this time it’s harder than every other time combined, and I have even less time to tackle the work and I just feel like I and drowning in work AND self-doubt when not too long ago I was so happy, optimistic, and confident. I really hope the doubt diet helps me turn things back around and start to trust God more not only in my words and actions and but also with my mind and heart.
I pray all of you on this doubt diet will find the confidence you seek. I look forward to doing this with you all. Thank you Renee!
All my best regards,
Xenia
With amazement I read the first chapter of DD and thought of how i have always felt so unworthy of happiness and joy. How i always want to fix things that go wrong, to protect my children and husband/. I recently quit my job and we are for the first time in 20 years struggling to make the monthly bills i know it was my choice that put us here but i could not take the abuse at work any longer ,I am happy today (my new job is less stressful and close to home) but constantly worried about everything I have survived cancer a very sick husband, a truly dysfunctional childhood an abused relationship and have always thought of my self as confident even when things were bad i could get through it . But now I feel so old and useless and this feeling just doesnt go away I need this DD today more then ever .Thank you Renee for opening my eyes to the Lord and teaching me how to let God led my way .
I backed out of my 7DD when you first ran it, but since started reading ACH. I’m feeling the timing is right for me to have begun the 7DD again. I’m struggling with doubt, and self-doubt, under the definition of “fear” or “worry,” as you posted today. As I read that section I felt immediately that God was trying to show me I may need to get out of my own way for what He has next, which is very close, and very new, and very risky and scary, but also exciting and potentially the last leg of healing He has for me.
I cannot remember a time that I didn’t feel fearful. I was raised in a very legalistic church, we were able to get out but the condemnation didn’t leave. I am able to do things that I feel overwhelmed by, I’ve been a Missionary, but I still lack confidence. I am praying this study will open my eyes and heart to the whole truth.
Bless you all for doing this journey too!
I continue to be amazed at how easily I accept that my “comfort zone” is not really the most comfortable. But change is hard, and in reading A Confident Heart, I’m finding new questions to ask myself, and God, as I learn to “trash the insecurities” and keep the confidence in Christ. I also find myself in reminder that in reading the book I don’t have to master one concept before moving to the next chapter…oh the pressures we put on ourselves! Keep taking your steps, Sue! He is strong in our weakness.
wow Renee, I used to think the preacher sat in my house and new what to preach on sunday, now i swear you have a hidden microphone here….it sounds so like me, but, unlike you i am positive i cant, do this, i may go ahead and opt out now, i am not worth, the time of day, ask everyone in my life, everyone i ever loved i lost, i have given up alot for others, because that is what was expected…..you are truly a woman of God!
Renee, I honestly wouldn’t know where to begin, but I started your 7 day doubt diet with some women from church at the beginning of Sept. we do one day a week. It has been an amazing jouney for me and I will be doing it with you again starting tomorrow. I need all the help I can get.
My daughter gave birth to our first granddaughter on July 31st in OK, I live in NJ. Hadley is amazing : ) I have wanted grandchildren since I was a little girl, believe it or not, b/c my grandmother (Nanny) died when I was 8 1/2 and we were very close so I wanted to be a Nanny just like her.
Well, guess that’s not God’s plan since she is so far and I’m not exactly welcomed in my daughters home. My daughter and I have had a difficult relationship since she was very young and although I was saved when she was 13 and I tried desperately to fix our relationship she has not forgiven me enough yet to let us get close. Her husband is of no help, he is not a “family kind of guy”, he is cold towards us, he has cheated on my daughter (once that we know of) but she chose to forgive him. He just told my husband and I that my husband is a better man than him b/c he put up with me and my depression and mood swings all these years and he is not willing to do that for Jillian, if she doesn’t straighten up soon he will not spend his life living like that.
I can’t tell her what he said b/c she already gets angry with me whenever I say anything about their relationship. I doubt everything I say and do in her presence. I know God is in control and loves all of us the same but it’s a struggle to see how he can love someone like my son-in-law who is so manipulative.
Your study has helped me see what my part is and what I can and can’t do about the doubt that floods my broken heart. Thank you for helping me get through this very painful and confusing time. I know God has Hadley in His mighty hands and I have to give up my will to let His will be done but I will tell you it’s the hardest thing I have had to do so far in my life.
Thank you for sharing with us. Self-doubt has been my life long companion. Each year i gain more victory and freedom…doubt becomes weaker and smaller. But it is always the first emotion to rear it’s ugly head; maybe this is the year I will put self-doubt in it’s place. Under my feet!
This came at a time that I needed it. I tend to keep up images and not show who I truly am, just wear this happy mask for everyone because I’m afraid the moment they see who I really am they won’t like me. I don’t let myself get close to friends because I think that eventually they are going to realize what kind of person I am and not want to be around me. I’m at college now, off on my own for the first time, and many people have these close friends and here I am playing the outsider. What I have come to realize is that it isn’t the timing of being friends, it’s that I have been keeping this guard up to others because I fear criticism and the fact that I will once again be left alone. This is a huge lift me up that I am not the only one struggling with doubt.
God has also used this to show me that everything that I have done is to break me of my “everything’s ok” mask that I wear. He is making me look stupid/clumsy in front of other people and making me be vulnerable in front of others, through circumstances I can’t control. He is trying to show me what He can do through me and through others if I just let my guard down.
Thank you for this! I really needed it. God thought so too! 😀
Thank you for the sending this encouragement today and each day at a time that is needed and appreciated. I need the reminder to stand on God’s promises when negative thoughts come in, as today with my job. Thank you for being personal, real, and full of the love of Jesus. Thank you for caring. God bless you
Thank you Renee and all who shared your personal struggles. Your stories helped more than you know. I have probably struggled with self doubt most of my life. I am looking forward to this diet!!
We both lost jobs, my husband and I. We lived off of our retirement savings for over 10 monts until the money was all gone. My husband and I both get social security, but it is barely enough to live on. I have been having dental problems, and am thousands of dollars in debt because of it. At our age, life should be fun and secure. For us, it is a continuous struggle and it is disheartening. I keep wondering when God will step in and direct us and help us get back on track. I feel as if I have failed and my husband feels exactly the same way, only he feels he has failed me as a husband. I read your book on the Confident Heart, and while reading it, I feel lifted and encouraged. However, I am beginning to feel as if the rest of our life will be a continuous struggle. Our confidence is gone. We need prayer or something. How can I believe that there is a bigger and better plan in store for us?
Thank you!!!! God’s timing is perfect!!!! I battle with this daily and am looking forward to see how He changes my life.
It is my privilege to share in this journey with you. Thank you for listening to the Holy Spirit and doing this again. Although I have com along a great ways, I still have much progress in this area that needs to be made. I am a single LPN who took time off to care for both of our parents – my Mom recently passed away after my father passed in 2002. I am looking to know what it is that I am supposed to be doing now. I have become disabled by seizures and the side effects of the meds to treat the seizures. I must say that my confidence is not at it’s highest after many years of continual seizures but God is working on that!
I broke down in tears after the first sentence of the prayer, Lord, I want to become a woman with a confident heart in Christ. My husband’s job is a huge stress right now and we are extremely insecure as to our future, not knowing from day to day if he is working. This with a company that everyone thinks is so secure. My doubts are huge, yet when I read aloud that first sentence in prayer to God, the tears just flowed. I know this is where I need to be right now, learning to conquer my doubts and fears, get out of my slump, and persevere, waiting on my Father who is the only one in control of anything. Thank you for this, God knew I would be one of those in desperate need.
My question is what if what you are thinking seems to be happening. I have a friend in my life that always seems to draw people. I introduced her to a friend of mine, but nnow that friend is always calling her and she never calls me anymore. I always feel like Im in the background when we are together because she shines so, does that mean Im boring or do I just have to praying for a new group of friends? I am a laid back person but I always seem to attract the outgoing people, why is that?
God’s timing is ALWAYS perfect.. He knows our struggles and when we need things in our lives..
This is something that I am really struggling with right now…. so I am very excited to see what God will do!!!
Thanks for listening to Him!!
Chrissy
My life is all about taking care of my five children and husband. I am the last in our house. I don’t know who or what I would be if I did not have them all to be taking care of. When people ask what are your hobbies I look at them with a blank stare. People have said your so calm and have it so together…….not true. At least I don’t feel that way. Maybe I should go into acting because that’s how I feel most days that its all just an act so I can get through the day. If my kids argue I doubt my parenting skills. If the house is not perfect then I doubt my cleaning skills and that just leads into a whole lot more doubt so it’s easier to just not face it. That makes me sad. I don’t want to doubt my abilities any more so I am looking forward to this 7 day doubt diet. I want to feel like the strong confident person people think I am and I want to be that person.
Paige,
I understand completely. The last five years my husband has been on multiple deployments with the Army. We have seven children, five at home with ADHD. I work as a school teacher and with our youth group at church. Everybody says I don’t know how you do it. I just do it the best I can but what they do not see is the lack of confidence and self doubt I have developed over this time. I do not feel that I am good at anything. It has been a long journey for my family to get my husband back from PTSD and TBI. He seems to be doing good and now I am falling apart. I do not feel that I deserve my husband or my kids. Ten years ago, I was a happy confident woman. Now I just want to go to bed and pull the covers over my head. I am so overwhelmed and exhausted. I too want to get rid of my self doubts and live confidently in the Lord. Hang in There. God did not create nobodys. You are in my prayers. God Bless!
It always amazes me how God shows Himself in the smallest and yet hugest ways! I signed up for this study last week, and yesterday my husband told me that another company is buying the company he works for. Since he’s on the Executive Team it’s a looming fear that the new company will bring in their own executives and let the others go. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s been laid off, and I’m reminded of how faithful God was the last time it happened, but my immediate response was fear and doubt that God would take care of us the way I feel we need to be taken care of! What an incredible lack of faith with a healthy dose of pride thrown in!! As if I know what’s best for my family! Then last night came the first installment of our study, and I suddenly realized that He had timed this so perfectly in my life!!! Isn’t God awesome?!!! Thank you, Renee, for letting Him use you to influence all of us! May He bless you & your family as you lead us through this way too common response to life and learn to live with confident hearts!
I will be praying for perfect provision from God for you and your family. I too am in a similar situation with my husbands job, there is no security, and it’s a daily struggle as to whether he is working or not. It’s a daily struggle as to if we can pay bills this month. You will be in my prayers as we face this together, head on, full of confidence, NOT fear or doubt!
Nancy D.
Thank you, Dear Nancy! You, too, will be in my prayers as we journey toward confident hearts together!