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Renee Swope

Encouraging and equipping moms to parent with God's grace and confidence.

Divine Secrets (& Friday’s Give-Away!)

Sweet friends, you have spoken my love language this week with your words of encouragement!!!!

Thank you for taking time to leave a comment and especially for sharing how God spoke to you specifically. My favorite was to read something specific that you read in a post and how it answered a question that’s been bouncing around inside of you. That’s God speaking to you! I also love knowing more about what’s going on in your heart and in your life. You were so real about where you are and where you long to be, seeking God but sometimes wandering instead of following.Your words were vulnerable. How you share your life as I share mine filled me up at times when I felt depleted this week. And God spoke to me through YOU!

I hope you’ll keep your thoughts coming! You may think it’s no big deal. But you are a big deal to me.And thank you for admitting some of you are afraid of chopping vegetables, too. That made me feel so normal!

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I’ve been thinking about how much God speaks to me through His word. It’s never in an audible voice. And sometimes I’m not even reading my Bible. But God shows me things in the Bible or from the Bible that offer insights and direction I need. Through His Word He helps me understand His ways which give me direction each day.

Sometimes it’s when I’m reading my Bible. I’ll put myself in the setting of the story, asking Jesus to help me see how the circumstances, struggles or lessons in the passage parallel my life.

Sometimes I’ll be reading a verse in a devotion or a Bible study , and it’s just what I needed to hear. The timing is perfect and I know God orchestrated it because only He knew I would need it then.

Other times I’ll be reading a a book and the chapter I’m in will address a subject that I’ve been struggling with. A verse or truth from the Bible will be woven into the writer’s thoughts, and it’s just what I needed to shed light on my situation.

Today I want to introduce you to a friend who also longs to hear God speak to her heart. Rachel Olsen and I work together each week on the P31 Encouragement for Today devotions. She’s our Sr. Editor. We pray over each devotion, that words written by our speakers and writers will speak into the hearts of each person who reads them, revealing God’s heart, direction and life-changing truth.

Rachel is is also an author and speaker who who loves to dig into to God’s Word and learn from His Divine truths! She’s passionate about sharing those truths with everyday women just like us,so today I invited her to share about her new book, “It’s No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know”

Rachel, tell us why you wrote It’s No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know?

Jesus’ statement to His followers in Matthew 13:11 captivated me. He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you.” When I read that I was taken by the notion that God was willing to share His secrets with me. He was saying God has supplied me – and you – with sacred knowledge. Only I wasn’t so sure what it was, so I set out to discover what Christ was talking about here.

The word secrets here is translated from the Greek musterion, which means a sacred hidden truth that is naturally unknown to human reason but is made known by revelation of God.

As I dug into the Bible I found many such secrets… biblical teachings that run counter to what our gut or culture tells us about successful living … principals for how life works in God’s kingdom here and in the age to come.

I soon realized these were important truths all my God-Sisters need to know! These God-sized secrets contain the keys we are looking for—answers to the issues of modern life, such as exhausting schedules, unpaid bills, petty conflicts, and unmet expectations.I selected twelve I felt are particularly pertinent to women today and wrote this book.

I love a book that helps me face my everyday issues with God’s truth and perspective. Tell us more about how your book does that.

This book doesn’t just tell you what a particular verse or parable means – although that’s important and the book does do that. But it shows what that means for your life and mine … right now, today.

For instance, it can help when it’s 10:45 PM and you’re beat but you’ve still got one more task on your to-do list (chapter 9). It can help you handle your emotions when hosting Thanksgiving and you’re stressed over the food turning out great and everything being clean for your guests to enjoy (Chapter 7). It can also help you cope when a co-worker makes a snarky comment that really digs into your skin (chapter 4).

It’s No Secret applies ancient truths to our contemporary, everyday issues. It can empoweryou to:

  • Handle petty conflicts and criticism with grace
  • Overcome the competitive urges that leave you stressed or lonely
  • Grow spiritually despite life’s setbacks
  • Relax unrealistic expectations in favor of emotional stability
  • Uncover a surprising means to worshiping God amidst your busy schedule
  • Discover how to make what you give away ultimately return to you
  • Find life-long adventure as you yield wholeheartedly to God

Readers are saying this book is a fun, easy read, yet also challenging and very applicable.And that’s exactly what I intended it to be. Someone once said this book packs a punch, with a well-manicured hand.I think that’s a compliment.

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If you’d like to win a copy, just click on the word “comments” below and tell Rachel what Divine Secret you’d like to know, and why you’d want to win her book! We can’t wait to read your comments! Oh, and I’ll be back later this afternoon ( next Tuesday) to announce this week’s winners. (I’ve got a field trip to get to this morning with Josh’s high school class. We’re doing a walking Tour of downtown Charlotte!)

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Comments

  1. I made a mistake when I was young. God has forgiven me but I still struggle with forgiving myself. It is a daily struggle to me to allow the joy in my life I know I can have but still think I do not deserve. I am spiritually hungry. I read and listen to every thing I have time to absorb. Proverbs 31 Ministries is a great resource for me. I am a work in progress!

  2. I would really like to learn how to grow spiritually despite setbacks. I know that God uses our trials and tribulations to help us grow closer to Him but sometimes it feels like I take one step forward and two steps back. I would be interested in reading your book.

  3. This sounds so much like what I'd like to read and pass on. Especially these two:
    •Overcome the competitive urges that leave you stressed or lonely
    •Grow spiritually despite life's setbacks

    Glad you are feeling better Renee and enjoyed the field trip.

  7. I am my most harshest critic. I place huge expectations on myself to be the "Perfect one" who can juggle, balance and meet everyones desires as well as my own with grace and a smile from ear to ear. When I get tired and feel overwhelmed, It is hard to handle it with grace.

    I will read whatever I can to be a better woman in Christ and not fall to the trickery and lies Satan taunts me with.

    [email protected]

  9. I would like to know how to get rid on unreasonable expectations that I put on myself and others. Anything that helps strengthen my God-walk would be great!

  10. I am in a season of asking the Lord how I can take the stress off myself that only I put on myself! I think this has to do with expectations. I would love to read Rachel's book!!

  11. I would love to learn how to deal with unmet expectations and how to handle criticism with grace. It is always great to have resources available to help us deal with the everyday issues that we all struggle with.

  12. How timely the topics you selected to highlight from her book. The thing I'm struggling with this morning is having 1 (or 10?) more things to do when you're so exhausted you can't think anymore(…and your 3 month old is asleep so you should really go to bed). If you choose to go to sleep how do you keep from being irritated at the mess when it's the first thing you see as you walk out of your bedroom?! …I'm also interested in the other highlighted topics, but that was my heart at this very moment 🙂 Thank you!

  13. Something that I have been struggling with in my life is rejoicing and finding peace in God in the troubles and valleys of life, like when you or a child is ill, and you don't know what the future holds. It is so easy as believers to be content and rejoice when things are going well, but when troubles come, how do we maintain that level of trust and faith, saying, "God, I know you have a plan for me–and nothing happens to me that doesn't pass through your hand." I would love encouragement to help maintain that "peace that passes all understanding." Thanks so much for what you do–encouraging so many people every day in their walk of faith. God bless!

  14. Handling criticism and always knowing how to best react to petty conflicts with grace would be the most beneficial section to me right now in the circumstances I find myself in. I think the whole book sounds like a must read.
    [email protected]

  15. I would love to learn more about rediscovering who God wants me to be and rediscovering my dreams after my children are no longer small. It is very easy to "loose yourself" in the middle of life…and it's very difficult to discover who you are again after so many years consumed with taking care of other people.

  17. I would love to handle "It can also help you cope when a co-worker makes a snarky comment that really digs into your skin (chapter 4)."
    I basically quit my job because I couldn't handle it…and don't think I should have burned that bridge!!!

  18. I would love help on how to handle criticism. I don´t take it too well, it is actually one of my "hot" buttons…and also what you said about Chapter 9…when it´s late and my to-do list isn´t finished!
    [email protected]

  19. I'd love any help I can get with my Walk. I keep reading about the book on Rachel's blog and hoping to win it….but if not it'll make a great stocking stuffer for ME!