“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
In Chapter 10 we’re learning a lot about grace. What has it meant to you to find out that following with God consistently isn’t about perfection? But it’s more about trusting Him and following Him fully in our thoughts and actions.
This is probably my favorite chapter in the book because I remember how I felt writing it and how God showed me big things I’d never seen before – about my heart and about His. I was overwhelmed for the first time when I read Gideon’s story, for the 100th time in Judges 6, but was struck that time with just how patient God was with Gideon’s lack of faith – again and again and again.
And I cried when I saw how tender and sweet God was with this man who truly acting a bit wimpy – yet God called him a warrior and helped Him become one!
“Although Gideon’s faith was inconsistent, God’s patience and love was absolutely constant. He knew Gideon needed to KNOW Him and experience God personally before He could trust God completely.”
I needed to see that. As I shared in Chapter 10, for years when I would go through periods of inconsistency in my time with Him, seasons of unbelief or self-sufficiency, or other sins, I I would feel so far from God, and like I had to work my way back to Him . And I was convinced God had lost His patience with me. So I’d try harder and eventually fail or fall short again.
“But now I know that it’s not about trying harder. It’s about turning sooner. It’s about turning back to God’s gift of grace and remembering He is there.” He is the God who sees us, our Provider, our Sufficiency and Peace. And so much more!
My hope and prayer is that we will remember – again and again – GRACE is God’s “undeserved favor” which means we don’t have to earn it, and we cannot lose it even when we act undeserving. “For it is by grace [we] have been saved, through faith—and this is not from ourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8
Lord, thank you that we can approach Your throne of grace with confidence and receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Because of Your mercy and forgiveness, our guilt-induced doubt is replaced by grace-induced confidence. Help us trust You with all of our heart and not lean on our own understanding, acknowledging You in all our ways so You can make our paths straights. Those who know Your name trust You, Lord, because You have never deserted those who seek Your help. In Jesus’ name. Amen. (Hebrews 4:16; 1 John 1:9; Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 9:10) – From Chapter 10 of A Confident Heart
Let’s Connect:
I would love to hear your heart and maybe have us share some of our answers to the questions or what else we’re getting from this week’s reading or how we’re being challenged to apply it. Just click on “share your thoughts’ below this post and do just that. {If you are reading this via email, click here to go to my website to connect with us in our online community.
Be Sure Not to Miss It:
Be sure you don’t miss our final teaching video segment that goes with Chapter 10 and a great big giveaway on my Weds blog post!
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I am so blessed by this study. I have been doing it “on and off now for over one year! Talking about inconsistency 🙁 But I am so relieved and refreshed every time you say “It doesn’t matter where you are in the book-God will meet you right where you are.” This is so true-God is so faithful, even when I am not.
Well the purpose of me commenting today, besides me thanking Renee for this wonderful book and study 🙂 was to ask you all for much needed prayer. I was asked by my Women’s Bible Study at my church to speak-in front of all the other women! Yikes!! This is my first time ever doing something like this in my church so you can imagine my surprise and my panic when I was asked. I thought of you, Renee when you shared with us how you have sometimes felt so inadequate and incompetant to speak in front of other women about the Lord and how you almost backed down from a speaking engagement because of self-doubt. I know I am not alone in feeling this way as this can be a scary situation for many of us. On the other hand I am so blessed and honored that I was even considered amongst hundreds of other women to give this speech. I prayed about it and decided I would, with God’s grace speak tomorrow in front of my sisters in Christ. After I got over the initial “shock” of “what did I just get myself into?” I quickly heard God tell me: “You didn’t get yourself into anything-I chose you-and besides it’s not about you it’s all about Me!” He showed me how whatever I do wether big or small, wether for an audience of 100 or 1, it is for His glory and it is by His grace. He showed me that there is nothing special in me that caused me to be chosen to speak, that is nothing besides Him. It is only by Him in me, His Spirit dwelling in me and speaking through me that I can do or say anything good. Wow! what a relief! I know that no matter how low my self-confidence is, as soon as I put my eyes on Him, my God-confidence is huge! I know that because He has chosen me, He will equip me.
Today’s message was just perfect, as always; “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Col 1:27.” It was so encouraging to me when you said: “The truth is, we were created to reveal glory-just not our own. God created us in His image to reveal His glory by giving visibility to His invisible character within us. Christ in us is the hope of the glory.”
Please pray for me to keep my eyes focused on Him and on giving Him all the glory. Please pray that He would use me tomorrow as He speaks through me and that I would not be nervous or scared. Please pray that I will completely forget the fact that I have a huge fear of speaking in front of an audience 🙁
Thank you once again Renee, and thank you all in advance for your coveted prayers!
Blessings and hugs to all!
Good Morning-
I purchased the confident heart a few weeks ago. Every morning by God’s grace and mercy I am awakened to read a chapter and meditate on what is being said. And every time I read a chapter it relates to everything I am going through in my life. It amazes me how God speaks to me and tells me of His promises and I continue to walk in doubt, fears, and insecurities. At this point in my life I feel just like Gideon wanting to see more and running and apologizing to God after He shows me even more. I have never been this touched by a book! Out of all the books I read, I can truly relate to this one. I will not give up this fight! I will keep pressing forward in the Lord. I know He has a plan for my life! Thank You! for this book! Thank you for being obedient and allowing God to use you to write this and help so many women around the world. God Bless!
I didn’t get a chance to comment about this last week, but God used last week’s lesson for me to minister to my husband. He is getting ready to start a rotation teaching Sunday School and he had an issue with anger on Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning, he was ready to step down from teaching because of the incident on Tuesday. I was able to remind him about God’s grace and that he needed to accept that grace and do what God was calling him to do – teach. I reminded him that not teaching would give Satan the victory.
God’s timing is always perfect. This chapter was fresh in my mind and heart when I needed it for my husband.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
All I can say is that God is showing me how much He loves me! I am just at awe of Him! How He is putting different people in my life to show me His love! This week has been breathtaking, surreal, and amazing to name a few. First I have had in the past few days 11 people come forward to see if they are a match to give me a kidney since they saw my story either in the Smithville Times, Bastrop Advertiser, or Austin American Statesman. I didn’t expect to have that many responses! Second, for my birthday all I wanted was to go to the Casting Crowns/Matthew West concert which is on my birthday in Austin. One of my friends decided she and her husband and two grandsons would go and another friend and her son also were going The second friend gave me her money and I had mine and my husbands. I went to the first friends house and gave her the money and then she put the tickets on her credit card. Next thing I know she gives me back the other money and tells me that the tickets are on her and she wanted me to have a wonderful birthday and that since we are going next week to Houston to get me on their transplant list, I am to use that money for our trip. I can admit before that even though I knew the hospital was going to pay for our hotel stay, I knew we were going to have other costs. I was starting to worry at first how we were going to pay for all the other costs. Then I remembered what Renee said in chapter 9 the acronym for worry is Worry Only Robs Rest from You. I could hear God telling me “don’t worry, I am here.” That is when I had a peace come over me. Then this friend gave me the money back and said that God put it on her heart to do this for us.
In regards to the story, I did what the assistant editor of the Smithville Times suggested for me to do. However, I doubted if anyone would respond to my story. It is now funny that God kept having me quote in my own words, Heb. 4:16. God was showing me that I will receive His mercy and His grace in my time of need. He is doing just that! I have learned this week He is my provider, He is my healer, and He is my all in all. I am learning that grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. “By grace we have been saved, through faith-and this not from ourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8).
I realize I am a bit late posting, but it has been a very busy week for me. I really could relate to needing God’s grace this last week, last Sunday I was attending a tea with ladies who belong to a car club my husband and I are in. So not many of them are Christians that I know of, at the tea we were to go around the table and talk about what we were reading at the time. I am reading a fiction book at the gym (while on the treadmill) so I thought “ok i will share about that one”, the Holy Spirit put in my mind, “you read the Bible everyday, how about sharing that” I wimped out and didn’t have the boldness to share it. Question 2 about going to the throne of grace for not following God consistently was pertinent. I also really appreciated Renee”s part in the book on page 186, “I was deeply disappointed in myself and felt like such a disappointment to God”. I am looking for reconstruction in my walk with Him. Like Gideon, the Lord had used the Judges 6:12bThe Lord is with you mighty warrior, scripture with me before. I had read that and felt like “who me?” Thanks Renee for for saying on page 201, God is not looking for a woman who is perfect. He is looking for a woman who wants to walk with Jesus and find her confidence through daily dependence on Him.
Renee I was wondering if there was a way to message your privately? I just wanted to share some stuff but didn’t really want to share it with everyone. Do you have an email or something I could send a message to?
I was reminded this week that we serve a living God and we can go to Him with confidence knowing He hears our prayers. Then I saw Hebews 4:16 on the blog post. You are real Lord. Thank You for Your love and for Your promises.
I just asked my husband the same question last night. I feel like I am trying but He is not listening.
in chp 10 you talk about God being far away and trying to work your way back to Him, and it’s not about trying harder but turning sooner. What if when you feel like you are turning – He hides. I feel like I keep looking for Him and turning to Him, but it’s like He’s hiding from me.
Hello…haven’t started chapter 10 yet…but hope to today. Thank you for the study. I am going out of town before Weds. so won’t get to connect (unless I can find a computer)…I feel that I will need to go through the study again, as I have been so confidence-deficient… I really like what you said about God being consistent with us even when we are inconsistent with Him. He is my ONLY hope! I am thankful that HE is faithful even when I am not…I like what you said about not having to “try harder” but “turn sooner”….I think that I will be finding myself “on my face before God” often…as I continue to turn to Him. I am thankful that in my weakness, He is my strength…without that, I have nothing.
One of my favorite Scriptures is where He reminds us that He will complete the work He has begun…He is faithful. I am thankful! God’s continued blessings on you and your family!
Renee, I would like to use your book at my ladies small group. I have so enjoyed this book and study. Is there anyway to buy the video messages. I know you can go on your site and watch them but I would like them on DVD so I can use them in my study. Thank you so much for letting God use you to help me. I know that I have more confidence now then when I started this study. May God richly bless you and your family and ministry. Love you girl!
Thank you Linda for sharing your thoughts I was wondering the same thing as the videos are awesome to watch and share. So if the videos are not for sale on DVDs then maybe they will be one day.
I love the story of Gideon and how Renee brings it to life. I also like how in question 2 she says “picture yourself walking to the cross and asking Jesus to speak words of grace over your guilt.” and then quotes Heb. 4:16.
This whole study has really been a blessing and I like other’s have said before me, I can’t believe we are already almost done. I have enjoyed every aspect of this online study. I would definitely recommend it to anyone! I pray God will continue to use you Renee and your wonderful book to help us go from wimp to warriors, through Jesus our Emmanuel!
Blessings,
I can’t believe we’re almost to the end of the book. I haven’t posted at all this whole book study but I need to say “thank you” at least once. I have learned so much from this book study. Chapter 10 has been one of my favorites. I identify so much with what has been written. The video teaching segment was very helpful too. One part on pg 193 has really stood out to me because in another study that I’m dining ~”Experiencing God” we’re also looking at spending time with God. Pg 193 says ” we may have heard or think we know many things abut Him, but we won’t really know Him until we spend find with Him, talking, listening, and observing who He is. Our depth of knowing God comes when we depend on Him and discover that He is dependable. We learn to trust His heart by interacting with Him and experiencing His character in personal ways, like Gideon did.”
I’ve come to realize that it’s because I need and want to know God better that’s why I do quiet time. This has changed my attitude and mindset towards spending quiet time with God.
I have learned so much from all the teaching segments and the book. Thank you, Renee.
Smiles & hugs from Singapore