In chapter 5, we talk about Gideon who, like us, doubted his strength and abilities. When God called him to defeat his enemy’s immediately Gideon’s insecurities started shouting excuses, listing all his inadequacies. Yet through his story we see God wasn’t limited by Gideon’s limitations, and He’s not limited by ours either.
God could see beyond who Gideon was to who he could become. He promised Gideon he would defeat his enemies, but he would not fight alone. “The Lord answered, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive’”(Judg. 6:16).
Gideon’s first steps out of the shadow of doubt would require he focus on God’s promise and power, not himself. Eventually, with God’s help, Gideon defeated his enemies and his doubts. In today’s video message, I share how we can do the same by intentionally identifying our doubts and throwing them away, so that we can take hold of and live in the security of HIS promises instead! Please click the arrow below to watch.
- Don’t Throw Away Your Confidence printable (click here)
- Message Notes: You can download video “Message Notes” in a PDF format here or in a MSWord doc here. I encourage you to watch it once and just let God speak to your heart. Then if you want to, watch it agagin and follow along with the message notes which include parts of the message, verses and blanks to fill in. 🙂
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I don’t know about you, but whew – this chapter was just what I needed this week. God used it to remind me of how good HE is at being strong in my weaknesses – and unlimited by my limitations. Being really sick for two weeks, with an injured teenager and a 3-year old who has sleep/anxiety issues that have caused her to wake up all night for the past three out of five nights will make you think it’s time to resign from just about everything you do {but don’t worry I’m not}. 🙂
Connecting in Community: Ok friend, let’s talk. Overwhelming circumstances will send me to the trash every time! What’s tempting you to throw away your confidence this week? Did chapter 5 help you identify your triggers? What promises are you going to take hold of after writing down and throwing away your doubts? Or share other answers to questions 1-7 at the end of the chapter.
Share your thoughts below this post. I really want to hear from you – yes you! You are an important part of our community and conversation!
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Great! Since Friday I quit my job, I have been feeling like a failure – now I can throw that away and replace it with God’s truth! I can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (me). This means to me that God will help me find the right job for me!
Since being sick, I have fell behind on this study. I finished chapter 5 questions on Thurs. and chapter 6 questions yesterday (Sat.) Both chapters where eye openers. For chapter 5 question 7 really spoke to me. When you asked to describe if and how you are beginning to see the struggle with insecurity as part of your spiritual journey. I see it clearly how my insecurity is part of my spiritual journey. In the prayer you said, “When doubt overshadows my thoughts, help me shift my focus back to You… In all these things I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.” I can pray this, but God is showing me I need to believe it.
Chapter 6 Question 3 I chose eight instead of seven. I like all of them, but these eight spoke to me. Since I was behind on this chapter, this week I am going to say each one out loud when I feel I am doubting. The ones I picked were 1 Cor. 6: 19-20: I have been bought with a price and I belong to God. Eph. 1:3-8: I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child. Romans 8: 28: I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances. Phil. 1:6: I am confident God will complete the good work He started in me. 2 Tim. 1:7 : I have been given the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. 1 John 5:18: I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me. John 15:16: I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit. and Phil. 4:13: I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
Question 6 Do you recognize Satan as a spiritual bully who wants to intimidate and defeat you? Yes. If I don’t rely on God’s promises and truths and stay in His Word Satan will use that against me. All Satan wants more than anything is to defeat me to do God’s Will in my life. How will you take what you know now and prepare yourself for the daily battles when he tries to steal your confidence as a child of God? I will do the same as Jesus (really try to, I like the visual of throwing away our doubts) and not let Satan bully me anymore. I will rely on God’s Word to show me who I am really am in Him. His chosen, beloved child of His.
Wasn’t able to watch this last week due to visiting my Granddad in the hospital, but am really glad I went back and watched it today! Will definitely try throwing my doubts away! Thanks so much for all you do Renee! May God richly bless you!
God bless you Renee that you persevered. I had been struggling with anxiety all my life and the sad aspect of it was that i didn’t know it was anxiety until about a year and half ago. Because of the anxty issues i never lived because i was always afraid. I found out about the Confident Heart through a friend. I’ve only read the first two chapters (i haven’t really had an opportunity to get the book), but the first two chapters and the 7 day doubt diet were very helpful, especially the part about not throwing away your confidence. . At the moment i’m in job that i dont have any interest in (i want to get into the Helping Industry since i enjoy helping people), the thought of going to work and the fear of not getting a new always triggered anxiety but your beautiful words helped me to stay calm at my present job until i find a new job that i will be more useful and happy with. This is my confidence in God and I shall not throw it away just because you held on to yours, God bless you. Heidi, Ghana
Don’t worry Max we’re all there with ya!!! You def made me laugh, thank you 🙂
I have been reading this book and soaking up all of God’s promises…printing verses and writing down verses. These are all very important things…but I feel I must share the one thing that is lacking in this book…it is the fact that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God.
Sometimes things happen in our lives because of sin we have not dealt with. We are the clay and He is the one forming us and changing us. If we focus too much on His promises we fool ourselves into believing that everything should just be o.k. There are verses all through the Bible that should be read side by side with all these promises…for example when we read about dross…maybe when one is going through a ‘firey’ trial God is clearing out the dross…the impurities in our lives…our minds…our hearts.
When you wrote about how Eve was deceived by satan…that was correct however another point to share would be the fact that Adam was right there…why was he not the ‘head of his household’? Why did he not ‘jump in’ and stop Eve from doing the wrong thing? My point being…we’ve been sinners from the beginning…all of us.
When I am going through any kind of trial I must spend time examining my heart and see if there is sin that I must confess to God…there usually is…it’s a pretty scary thing to ask God to bring to mind my sins!
It is then that I need His promises the most.
As I read chapter 6, the book that I keep recalling is Henri nouwen’s Life of the Beloved. One day while walking along Columbus ave in NYC, Nouwen’s friend turned to him and said why don’t you write something about the spiritual life for me and my friends? Speak to us about something greater than ourselves. Nouwen’s one word for his friends was “beloved”. He goes on to say there is a voice that speaks “you are my beloved, on you my favor rest”. It is not always easy to hear or believe that voice in a world of brokenness. It is our dark side that says, I am no good, but our LIGHT radiates BELOVED. Nouwen’s book is an excellent guide for spiritual living in a secular world.
Awesome chapter. Thank you so much Renee for this book and all your prayers and advice. I feel like we are all in this together. This bible study has helped me with so many things that I am going through that I feel without it I would have thrown away my confidence. God BLess
I was away at a quilting retreat over the weekend, so it was a busy week getting ready to leave and I didn’t get to watch the video until last night (Sunday) and finish answering the questions. The one that struck a chord with me was #6 – What triggers cause me to doubt myself? I agreed with all the examples and as I started to write that in my journal I heard the words “illness” and Injury” loud and clear in my head. Of course! My poor body has been under almost constant attack since last summer – shingles, allergies, sinus attacks, torn tendon in my ankle, lower back has been acting up with all the limping I’ve been doing due to the ankle and for the first time in two years I just had a head cold! I don’t like being sick, it really drags me down and I feel pretty worthless. Illness and injury really have added to my sense of self doubt and I wasn’t even aware how much until now.
Thank you and God bless everyone posting and sharing here. I take time to read in the evenings and am blessed and encouraged.
Renee, I just wanted to thank-you for the wonderful prayer you recently sent to all of us. It has been a bittersweet week-end as I have had to watch my older son be treated unfairly by those he thinks of as friends. This being his birthday week-end has made it even more painful. However, with being able to turn to God’s promises when I try to “fix” this, has eased the pain and gives me the promise and the hope that God works all things to the good and I need to trust in His understanding and not mine. The prayer brought additional peace and comfort (especially the reminder that we are just where God wants us whether or not its page 10 or page 110 since I have had trouble finding time to keep reading on a regular basis). Thank-you and may God bless you.
You are so welcome!! It was all Jesus. He wrote that prayer for each of you. And His timing truly is amazing. I love how He knows what we need. I’m so honored to be His pray-er and encourager in your lives!
Thank You. Lord. . .Thank you, Rene!!!!
Chapter 6 is SOOOO awesome, inspiring and encouraging! Ahh. . . .
I am claiming and proclaiming my Freedom in Christ. . . who I am and Whose I am!!! I have written the verses and promises in my journal today and I am claiming them for every moment of every day!
Sweet Freedom!!!!
Today is it’s own day; tomorrow will be it’s own, too. I will claim these promises for each new day!!!
Today I KNOW I am accepted. . .I am secure. . .I am significant because I am Christ’s.
Praise the Lord!!!!
; – )
Love this Renee! Thank you for this video and encouraging us to be obedient–I cannot wait to literally throw my doubt away and watch as God blesses my efforts. This act of obedience has been on my heart this week as I am leading a group of women through a study I wrote on the book of 1 John. I’ve underlined and highlighted the words in 1 John 2:3 once a time before and then again this week “obey His commands.” Thanks for echoing Him and His heart…keep going!
http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Through-John-LIGHT-Feel-ebook/dp/B0070PLSLS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329719271&sr=1-1
Loved this video and the chapter this past week. I know this is an older post now, but I wanted to comment anyway. Years ago, I thought I knew my calling in life and that was to go overseas and serve, be it for just a little time or a long time, whatever God wanted. It was such a spiritual high at that time. Then, I started to suffer from major anxiety, mostly relating to traveling. At one point, it was so bad, I couldn’t even make it up our little landmark mountain! The beach, which is my favorite place in the world, elicited an anxiety attack that caused me to never want to return again.
It is so very crippling. And it makes me feel like I have thrown every bit of confidence in my calling away. I have doubted the Lord even calling such a failure to do medical missions, even if it was just a week! I will say, I haven’t stopped traveling to different areas. Some are easier and better than others, but I continue to plan trips. I just suffer such debilitating anxiety beforehand and during that I can’t enjoy the trip and stay in a constant state of stress. It seems so silly, but it is so real to me. And its lasted for five years now, so I also feel very guilty that I have such little faith.
Anyway, its shattered my confidence that God would even allow me to serve on a mission trip. So this message, Gideon’s story, and the video were just perfect for me this week. Could use your prayers, thanks!
The book, the questions, the videos are so helpful. I am so aware of the many ways I doubt myself and God’s forgiveness. Sitting in mass this evening with my grandkids and singing Forgiven, I suddenly felt truly forgiven. I do not need to continue to hang on to these things; I can let them go. I felt the true joy of forgiveness.
Loved the video Renee. Thanks for the visual picture of writing down and throwing away our doubts.
Here are my answers to chap 5 questions
1. I focus most on my thoughts duringvthe day.
2. I didn’t think today about measuring up to someone’s expectations
3. Scared to talk in front of others, introverted
4. Doubts I am facing-am I being the mom god has called me to be?
5. Betrayal from others
6. Fear, worry, guilt
7. I have viewed doubt as an emotional weakness. I have not asked god to take it away and help me be confident. I do struggle with giving my insecurities and anxieties over to god. I tend to hold onto them instead. I need to focus on throwing away those doubts and insecurities and asking god to fill me with the confidence I need from him.