{WELCOME Encouragement for Today Readers & Online Study Friends!!}
In my P31 Encouragement for Today devotion, I posed the question… Do you ever feel like you don’t measure up?
And now I want us to dig a little deeper. Have you ever stopped to ask, “Who is saying these things? Who is causing me to doubt myself? Is it me? Has something from my past led me to believe this? Or is it the enemy of my soul disguising his voice as my own?”
It is crucial for us to realize we have an enemy. Satan is the father of lies, and there is no truth in him (John 8:44). And he loves when we believe his deception and fall into the distraction of feeling inadequate and insecure. {It’s a huge distraction!}
The meaning of the word lie is “a falsehood with the intent to deceive.” Satan intends to deceive us and he does so by getting us to take our eyes off of who we are in Christ and focus on our flaws. That way we’ll spend our days figuring out how we can hide them. It’s exactly what he did with Eve:
“Then the eyes of both [Adam and Eve] were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’
He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’” (Gen. 3:7–11)
In response, God asked who told them they were naked. In other words, “Who told you that something is wrong with you?” By asking this, God made sure they knew someone was casting shame on them—and it wasn’t Him.
The enemy whispered lies into their hearts, causing them to move away from Him and from each other.
Satan’s intent is the same for you and me as it was for Eve, but we don’t have to go along with him. Instead we can refute his lies and temptations with truth. If we have put our trust in Christ as our Savior, we can stand on the promises of who we are in Him.
When you’re tempted to measure up today, focus “up” instead and remember Whose you are and who you are! Here is a compilation of Scriptures to remind us of who we are in Christ.
I am accepted . . .
- John 1:12 I am God’s child.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.
- Ephesians 1:3–8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.
- Hebrews 4:14–16 I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.
I am secure . . .
- Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
- Romans 8:31–39 I am free from condemnation. I cannot be separated from God’s love.
- 2 Corinthians 1:21–22 I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God.
- Colossians 3:1–4 I am hidden with Christ in God.
- Philippians 1:6 I am confident God will complete the good work He started in me.
- 2 Timothy 1:7 I have been given a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.
I am significant . . .
- John 15:16, I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17–21, I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
- Ephesians 2:6, I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
- Ephesians 2:10, I am God’s workmanship.
- Ephesians 3:12, I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
- Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.
Which one of these promises encourages your heart most today?
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Wellll…. all Gods timing… just got home last night from weekend time away with family. God had me rest my eyes this am on your msg and words. Now the tears. I am NOT a weak women/believer, but I have been deceived more so lately I see. Just crying here as it wears me down, as I see/aware I got TOO focused, sucked in these last fews days on what I don’t have, that I torn at what I do have !!! So ugly. As a Mom of 3yr old I am not feeling as confident, and don’t feel like I have my game on as a confident woman, child of God… Grateful for your message of encouragement, TRUTHS, scriptures that I can read, that feed me what I really need to FILL me. God has given me such precious gifts and when I listen to the lies I can’t enJOY them nor receive them. In fact I just pecked and pecked and see how mean I was to my husband this weekend, just tearing him apart, and he was just trying to love me. I feel so bad about that. I see I got fooled, and I see I don’t feel so great about me. Definately need to be more aware of battle, and read more scriptures and TRUTHS to build UP my precious self confidence back up !!! Praying up 😉 Thank you Renee for making me aware, and speaking into my heart today 😉
Thank you for the devotion. I often feel like I don’t measure up to society’s standards as well as my husband’s ( a non-believer ) standards. It is so liberating to know God made me just the way he wanted and gave me gifts like he did for all his children. Instead of trying to jump through hoops for others’ approval and trying to make myself into someone I’m not, I will focus on God and the people that love me knowing ‘I am enough’.
Thank you so much for sharing what you’ve learned. It was a great encouragement to me – to look up and not outward for my satisfaction. When focusing on Jesus, my entire outlook on my circumstances changes. Thanks for the timely reminder! I am accepted, secure, and significant! 🙂
God never ceases to amaze me! How timely your devotion was this morning after a night of Jesus tugging at my heart to finish the concluding pages of my book about ‘JOY’! The family was all tucked away and sound asleep, but God was still awake with me. The result of finishing the book was not what I was prepared for! It’s been a wonderful God-inspiring book to read…finding true joy in any circumstance as God intends us to…choosing to find the “bless in the mess” as the author puts it. I closed the book and begn to cry as many different fears/insecurites re-surfaced; many that I”ve given to God over and over again, reminding me how constantly I need to be fed by Him! Your devotion this morning(and I’ve only been receiving Proverbs 31 a short while), along with another devotion I’ve read every morning for years, couldn’t have gone better together to inspire me! To hear God’s sweet voice through you, Renee, and how many women this one devotion touched in a million different ways, is a blessing! We women all fall into the comarison game at one time or another, or it may even have a stronghold on us, which can lead to further/deeper issues. You see, God is calling me to do something, and I think I know what it is? I want to help/encourage women to get through some of the things in life I’ve experienced with God at the forefront! I have helped start a ministry at our church and shared many personal struggles with other women and how I’ve overcome some of them with God’s grace. There are so many hurting, lonely women/mothers/wives out there…I know all to well(been there done that and still struggle) But, I think God is wanting something more from me,… from all of His children! However, with fears/insecurities, not feeling smart enough, and the things I’ve experienced in my 46 years, satan loves to whisper, “you can’t, you’ll fail again, you go on emotions too much instead of His word, there are already so many God-fearing, wise women doing this, etc…I feel defeated already! Even when others think we have it all togther, we’re all seeking the same joys in life and fight simliar battles. Through satans lies, God begs me to remember 2 Cor. 4:16-18…”That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet, they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the JOYS to come will last forever.” AMEN! God bless you Renee and keep them coming…such a powerful devotion today!
Amy,
Thanks for sharing the struggle “there are already so many wise Godly women doing this”. I am struggling with that one too! (Why would God need me?)
You just gave me a prayer focus for this morning…now to pray the way Renee has been showing us! Positively and with the Word of God!
Your words opened my eyes this morning. I have struggled all my life with comparisons. My mom and aunts have been in conflict all their lives, and so has my grandma with her siblings. It is a heritage my sister and I sadly also lived out. We have been competing since the day she was born. Until I married my husband, I thought there was something terribly wrong with my family and the way the siblings in every generation compare themselves jealously to each other, and the world around us. My husband began to help me heal by reminding me that sibling rivalry is normal for children, but his example shows me that it does not need to be a part of a mature (and especially Christian) life. I still struggle to show love to my sister, because of the old habit of needing to compare myself with her… which overflows to the comparing myself with the rest of the world. In high school and college, this became much worse, because I dated men who had pornography addictions. I couldn’t help but notice that compared to those women, my body fell very short, indeed. My husband tells me that I am beautiful, but most of the time, all I can see is my flyaway hair, my blemishes and scars, the baby stretch marks…
My husband is a wonderful gift from God, because when Satan tries to whisper to my heart “why don’t you look more like her?” or “why don’t you act more like her?”, I remember that not only am I loved by my husband, whom God has given to me, but most of all I am loved by God, the giver of every good and perfect gift. I write Bible verses on note cards and post them in places around my house that will help remind me of God’s love for me, and so many of the verses you gave are an indescribable affirmation that I really am enough, because of what Jesus has done, and because of what He is continuing to do in me. I don’t need to look around at others to see what I should be; I need to look up!
I love todays devotion…….Many years ago i saw a woman i had daily dealings with, she always had the best attitude and smile on her face. I remember thinking to myself, “wow” i want that. I started asking myself, what does this person have that I dont? And the answer was, “GOD”. I had all the material things same as her, the only thing in my life that was different was the relationship she had with God. This person is now a cherished friend/sister in Christ. How sad I thought at the time, how hard I was on myself and how blind. Seeing the forest before the trees….. I work hard day by day to focus on the things that God has given me and squeeze the most out of every day.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR TODAYS POSITIVE MESSAGE. IT CAME AT A TIME WHEN I REALLY NEEDED TO HEAR THIS.
Hi Renee, Thanks for the devotional, for the awesome book and the online study. The verse that resonates most with me today are –I am God’s child and I am God’s workmanship. if I am God’s child and God’s workmanship I am then a picture perfect princess. I love knowing that and remembering that.
Anna
Thank you for the devotion. I have been battling feelings of inadequacy while I go thru reconciliation with my husband whom I have been separated for over a year. I can’t seem to get past my husband’s mistakes even though I know I have done things or have not done things as well. However, now that God has blessed me another chance to rebuild this marriage, I seem to keep sabotaging my husband’s efforts and his changes. Please pray for me. I really want to change, be the wife God wants me to be. So, I am going to read, affirm and reaffirm that I measure up with God and not have fear of failing God, my husband and my marriage. Please pray for my marriage to be able to withstand any hurdles we go through while reconciling and for my husband to be a godly husband and have intimate relationship with God. I pray that God will continue to bless you and yours. Have a wonderful day in Christ.
2 Timothy 1:7: “for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control” (Revised Standard Version).
This is a powerful reminder for me today-I am working on becoming more confident in myself and my abilities. I have recently started a new job opportunity a nd I am struggling with being confident in myself that I can do all things thru Christ who strenghtens me!
Thank you Renee for all your encouragement and devotion to helping women gain their confidence in themselves thru Christ Jesus!
Thanks for this devotion Renee! I was reminded that God has given me assignments – and will equip me – and that I should not compare myself to what others are doing. I often forget that and spend unnecessary time trying to measure up against others – and what the world views as “acceptable” or “successful.” I am successful when I am doing the Lord’s work – what he has called ME to do 🙂 Thanks again!!
“I am confident God will complete the good work He started in me.” Phillipians 1:6 Renee, your timing could not be more spot on at this time in my life. I love how God uses the strong to reach the weak to make them stronger in HIM. God surely is giving me the confidence to continue His work through me to reach out to those in need. I am dealing with a special sister who surely could use this today and will pass your blog along to her. She has been feeliong a bit insecure these days and could use the encouragement. God Bless You in all you do for HIM.
I am significant speaks to me the most at this time of my life. Changes in job situations, children moving out of the house and changes in ministries are all having me feeling off. What a good reminder that my worth and significance is found in who I am in Christ not what I do.
This week has been tough… my son who has a severe cardiac defect and who suffered a stroke had testing on Monday that told us that his speech has been seriously delayed because of the stroke. He needs a lot of help. I have been on a roller-coaster of emotions this week. The first of course was hope, because now we have a clear diagnosis for his speech so we can take the steps to help him, then came the overwhelming feelings of inadequacy. I felt like I was failing him, that I wasn’t up to the task and that maybe God put him in the care of the wrong Mum. This morning, well, this morning I saw a glimpse of normalcy that reminded me that ‘God has this’ and he is carrying us through. I am feeling thankful that God’s whisper was louder than the enemy of my soul’s.
At 66, I still need to hear the words in your post today. Since childhood, I’ve been attempting to measure up to someone, including a mother I could never please. The scars still exist inside and taunt me, especially with respect to body, weight and appearance. Ephesians 2:10 gives me great comfort this morning as do your words. I can look UP and see that I am worthy.
What a wonderful message! It certainly resonated with me, and my next move will be to forward to others!
Ephesians 2:10 speaks most to me today as I often feel not pretty enough, worthy enough, smart enough, & smart enough, and I know that other women share these feelings. I truly want to be a stronger Christian and focus on pleasing God, not just the world around me.
Thank you for your Proverbs 31 Devotional & your website!
Jana
I completely enjoyed your devotion today! And It too hits home for me! While I know I’m not perfect, and I am indeed a work in progress. I let my accomplishments and what I have done well be overshadowed by the clouds of doubt and comparison. I will try tomorrow to be better than today and I will keep God’s yardstick handy. Thank you for reminding us all to use the correct guides for measurement!
Thank you so much for your words of encouragement – I feel that God placed it in my heart to seek out some support online today. I am far from perfect but I feel I am frequently told and feel that I just don’t meet expectations – at least in this world. Bless you for your words today.
Thank you for this! I am going through a rough period in life where I feel rejected, insecure and very uncertain of who I am meant to be through Him. I’m posting these verses where I can repeat them daily until they become real for me and to me!
Thank you!