Hi friends, sorry today’s post is late. Life is a little more than I’ve been able to physically manage today. I have a sick little one at home. And it’s more than just a fussy day, since she’s not able to communicate what she needs or wants and she’s very frustrated. One of the valleys we’ve been walking through is with our precious 3-year old, Aster, who we adopted from Ethiopia exactly two years ago. She was recently diagnosed with a speech disorder. She cannot say more than 5 words and she’s been digressing even more this week.
She’s also shown signs of a possible attachment or anxiety disorder and it’s just breaking my heart. I’m grieving the loss of what I’ve longed for now for over a year (to hear her precious voice); wading through the sadness of feeling like my little girl is locked inside and can’t come out. We’re going to be okay – today just brought more than I anticipated. But, God knew. Today’s devotion was perfectly timed for me, reminding my heart once again that He is for me, and He’s for my girl. As I take steps down this broken road I wasn’t prepared to walk, tears flow, and then God whispers, “I’m in control, you can trust Me in this, too.”
Day 2: Beat Up or Built Up?
Taken in part from Chapter 6
© 2011 by Renee Swope with Revell Publishing. All rights reserved.
Food for thought: What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom. 8:31 NIV)
One morning I woke up feeling beat up by discouragement. My mind was being bullied by thoughts of doubt. I can’t do it all! I am not cut out to be a wife, mom, and leader of an organization that ministers to women all around the world!
My thoughts were against me, and my feelings were too.
As I lay in bed feeling completely inadequate, my radio alarm came on. Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by Twila Paris singing to me. With confident assurance, she spoke truth to my soul, telling me this was no time for fear, but a time for faith and determination. She challenged me not to lose my vision or be carried away by my emotions, but to hold on to all that I had hidden in my heart, and all I believed to be true. Then she reminded me of the most important truth of all: God is in control.*
When I heard those words, my thoughts were aligned with God’s truth. It changed my whole perspective. I went from feeling afraid to feeling determined. From feeling out of control to knowing God is in control. I was glad I had set my radio to a Christian station the night before so I’d be awakened by encouraging music and truth that morning.
We have the choice either to let doubt beat us up or to let God’s truth build us up. If we have Christ in us, we have full access to God’s power and His promises to live with a confident heart. But it won’t just happen because it’s possible. We have to take action. Just as I had to tune my radio to encouraging music, we need to get intentional about tuning our thoughts to God’s thoughts toward us, every day.
In the same way a radio has AM and FM frequencies, so do our thoughts. They are either AM (against me) thoughts or FM (for me) thoughts. The truth is, we are often our worst critics and have a lot of AM thoughts. And if our thoughts are against us, our feelings will be too.
When thoughts and feelings of doubt come, stop and ask God for His perspective. Compare your thoughts to His thoughts, reflected in Scripture. Do they match? If not, look for a promise in God’s Word to replace the lie that has filled your heart with doubt.
Here are some AM and FM thoughts to help you get started:
- When doubt comes against me, saying I’m weak and all alone, I will focus on the truth that God is for me! I can be strong and courageous because the Lord my God is with me. He will never leave me nor forsake me (Deut. 31:6).
- When doubt comes against me, saying I’m not good enough for a certain role or position, I will remember that God is for me! He says I am His masterpiece, created to be new in Christ so that I could do good things He planned long ago (Eph. 2:10).
Lord, thank You that in Christ I am a chosen woman, a royal priest, a holy daughter, a woman belonging to God. When doubt tries to bully me, remind me that I have been called out of the darkness to declare Your glorious light. I pray that You would teach me how to rely on the power of Your promises and remember that You, my God, go with me to fight for me against my enemies of insecurity and inadequacy. You give me victory. In all these things, I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. (See 1 Peter 2:9; Deuteronomy 20:4; Romans 8:37)
*“God Is In Control,” © 1993 by Twila Paris. All Rights Reserved. From He Is Exalted: Live Worship CD.
Doubt Diet Tip: When you go on a regular diet, it’s helpful to start a food journal to keep track of what you’re eating. That way you can notice unhealthy habits and find healthy alternatives.Today, I want us to each start a “thought” journal to keep track of what we’re thinking so we can identify unhealthy “against me” thoughts and replace them with healthy God is “for me” thoughts. Here is a free download of AM/FM Thoughts from A Confident Heart, chapter 6.
Let’s Talk: Oh friends, I’ve loved reading your comments, praying for you and watching you encourage one another!!! Over 150 comments on day 1. Oh how I wish I had time to comment on each of them. Just know I am reading them all and praying for each of you. This is what I hoped we’d do: journey TOGETHER! And God is using it already to encourage those who are talking to each other, encouraging, praying for one another and sharing what God is showing them. Don’t miss out – be sure to 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 2 post.
Renee thank you, I’m gonna do just that start a journal to keep track of my thoughts. Then maybe I’ll get some sleep at night. I don’t know the last time I actually slept peacefully. My thoughts are constantly centered on everything that’s happened to me, everything I’ve gone through these past five years, everything I need to catch up on, and everything I have to do right now. I’m doing a lot of soul searching, attending Sunday school, bible studies, talking to God, praying, devotions, etc etc etc. And a lot of its’ unfocused but it’s working somewhat. Renee, what stood out mostly is (and I don’t wanna go back to what you wrote because I spend a lot of time doing that, double checking) but what stood out was-intentionally tuning my thoughts on what God thoughts are for me. I have so much to be grateful for yet shamefully my thoughts are more driven towards all that I don’t have, all that I’ve lost, and my husband whom I blame for most it. I tried to support him in the beginning of his struggles. I even blamed myself for things falling apart in the first place. At last my thoughts swing back to blaming him for what I believe is intentional damage to my emotional and mental state to prevent me from leaving him totally alone. I feel certain, through all my studies and daily devotion that the Lord wants to teach me something and has not permitted me to go forward until such time when I can leave it up to Him for deliverance out of these tough times. My AM thoughts have had such a major impact on my life and my children as well. It’s time that I start healing from the pain and disappointment I’ve had to go through. Thank God for women like you Renee who give of your time to help someone like me.
Blessings to all!
Diane
I’ve had to forgive a person that abused me as a child, the bully threw rocks at me, shoved me in the dirt, knocked me off the slide, swing, or what ever. Threw water soaked snowballs at my face, and all thru Jr, High and High School, he’d trip me, shove me into the lockers. I always knew who did it, but could never prove it to the teachers, and the abuse finally ended when he graduated from high school. Now as a 60 yrs. old grandmother, a boy bullied my grandaughter and I told them my story, never had I told anyone before, and it made me cry. I guess I had all these years shoved that in the back back parts of my mind. And now I found he lives about 80 miles from me. Ironic that I remember after all these years and have forgiven him, because I know that the Lord loves me, and that he cannot hurt me again. Fear of another person is so very real and hard to over come. I still shake when I think about that or if something reminds me fo the abuse. Praise the Lord that I have been saved and have a Father in heaven who loves me. My own family is great and I love them all dearly and I have a wonderful relationship with my parents. Thank you for writing this.
Renee, I will be praying for Aster, I know God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If He did it for the people while on earth, He will do it for us because Jesus told us to ask the Father for anything in His Name.
I have also been praying for a little girl in my children’s church that has no medical reason, but cannot speak at all. Mark 7:32 Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and who also had a speech defect. They begged Jesus to lay his hand on him. 33Jesus took him away from the crowd to be alone with him. He put his fingers into the man’s ears, and after spitting, he touched the man’s tongue. 34Then he looked up to heaven, sighed, and said to the man, “Ephphatha!” which means, “Be opened!” 35At once the man could hear and talk normally. 36Jesus ordered the people not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them, the more they spread the news. 37Jesus completely amazed the people. They said, “He has done everything well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute talk.”
Father we are claiming deliverance for Aster and Haylee. We know that if you healed one you will do it for the other. I ask in Jesus Name that Aster and Haylee be healed and able to communicate just like everyone else. We speak to their vocal cords to come alive, vibrate normally in Name of Jesus. We thank you today for a miracle and we are Trusting You. We thank you in advance for the answer and know that you will answer right on time. We Praise you for all that you have already done and what you are going to do. In Jesus Name Amen
I am so encouraged by these threads of all the different women & our struggle with the AM & FM thoughts I had a revelation last yr. about the verse in 2 Cor. 10 verse 6 in the message translation We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. WOWSA what a revelation ~ If our thoughts will NOT fit into the frame of the cross (the structure of life shaped by Christs sacrifice) into The Plan of freedom Christ died to Give us WE SMASH IT , with the WORD OF GOD we take scripture & the enemy of of Hearts will HAVE TO FLEE!
This is such a wonderful way to share from day to Day ~ I dont yet have the book but will definately log in here to continue this devotion! Thanks for providing them online!
I love your AM/FM descriptors. They are an accurate and easy way to remember that God is always for me. I’m enjoying this and I’m praying for you and Aster. Please be in prayer for my son who has been sick with a cold and now an ear infection all caused by allergies. He can’t miss work as he is in training. Please pray for healing. Thank you sweet sisters.
Over the last four years of my life I have been fighting to save my marriage. Unfortunately, I lost this fight last year. My life has never been the same. I never thought my life’s dream of being a wife and mother would turn out this way. I am still blessed to have my three children, they are my joy. Todays devotion reminded me that I need to continue proceesing my pain and refill myself with the Word. That I am not alone and to have confidence knowing that God will bring healing and nring me hope!
Thank you for the reminders Renee. Often I wonder if I should believe in myself — I think that the doubts have a foundation. But I need to be reminded that that is not where God wants me to be. And to believe in His power and love to overcome. It’s depressing because the battle is so constant with how I view myself and the fears over making any decision, afraid it will be the wrong one and afraid of the consequences I will have to suffer. I’m just starting to come out of the darkest period of my life — struggles with anxiety, fear, depression. God showed me my foundation wasn’t right, now I am trying to build a new foundation upon His Word, but it’s so hard.
Would you be able to, once these two weeks are completed, to maybe do a shorter version of this two or three times a week? Just a few sentences to encourage us, along with a verse?
I have been amazed that so many women are struggling with issues like me. It has encouraged me to know I’m not alone, but sad too that so many Christian women are being so attacked. Why are we missing the joy and peace that God and Jesus promised? I don’t know, but I am praying for you in leading us and for each of us women who need God’s freedom. Thank you!
Wow, day two of the doubt diet was just what i needed today. I feel like I’m failing miserably at being a mom and wife. I recently took on a second job and i don’t know if I’ve done the right thing. We are struggling financially which is why i took on another job but just don’t know. My husband and I are not really communicating anymore. Its a nice reminder that God is in control. I don’t understand all thats happening in my life but I pray that thru this devotional God will reveal His plans for me and that I would overcome these doubts and insecurties.