“If we want to live beyond the shadow of our doubts, we need to position our thoughts and our hearts to dwell in the shadow of the cross, each and every day.” A Confident Heart, Chpt 11
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
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Every time doubt threatens to cast a shadow over our hearts, let’s run back to Jesus, turn toward the Light of His Truth, and stand in the shadow of the Cross. In the shadow of the Cross – everything changes:
When you feel inadequate, God says: You are CHOSEN.
“‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he’” (Isa. 43:10).
When you feel afraid, God says: You are REDEEMED.
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isa. 43:1).
When you feel unloved, God says: You are LOVED.
“You are precious and honored in my sight, and . . . I love you” (Isa. 43:4).
When you feel forgotten, God says: You are REMEMBERED.
“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands” (Isa. 49:16).
When you feel insecure, God says: You are SECURE.
“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders” (Deut. 33:12).
When you feel unable or unstable, God says: You are ABLE.
“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Hab. 3:19).
When you feel worthless, God says: You are CALLED.
“Youare a chosen [woman], a royal [priest], a holy [daughter], God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
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I’d love to know which of these promises speaks most to your heart today – and if you’re feeling brave – why does it resonate with you? Also, for those in my online study…what are some thoughts or verses you’ve underlined in Chapter 11? Are there certain things that you want to remember?
{ click “share your thoughts” and do just that…I love to hear from you!}
Thank you, Renee, for this book. I needed it so much. I usually don’t write in my books so that I can pass them on to others who may need them. But this one, I marked it all up. This one, I need to keep so I can remind myself again and again of the lessons I have learned through it. If I had to only choose one, I would say chapter six really made the biggest impact. I left that chapter with a profound sadness. If a friend, or one of my daughters believed what I did about myself, it would utterly break my heart and I would rapidly refute those lies. And yet, here I have lived with them my whole life. And no matter what God has done thus far in my life, I still believed those lies in my heart. It made me so sad. Oh how my Father’s heart must have broken when he looked at me… yet he couldn’t force me to see truth and heal. I hope and pray that I will not believe them again, that I will refute the lies with truth when they come into my thoughts. It is so hard to break lifelong patterns though… I fear sliding back into those thoughts. But He won’t give up on me. He won’t leave me if I do. He will continue to fight for my heart and my healing. I will not be forgotten. I am chosen, I am sought, I am LOVED. Thank you for allowing God to use your life and write your story for his glory!
I am really struggling with feeling loved and chosen right now. My husband is being pursued by a former girlfriend (someone I know has no qualms about being a cheater, as she took up with her own former husband when he was still married to someone else). I trust him, but I don’t trust her, and after four years she shows no signs of giving up. He despises jealousy, is quite scornful of it, and every time I’ve brought the subject up, or asked him for reassurance, it has ended badly. He insists he is not interested in this woman, but also insists that “no one will tell me who I can talk to” I have caught him in some falsehoods about how often they are in touch, and who initiates the contact, and I feel “managed” and deceived. I would be so much happier if he would simply cut off communication with her, but I can’t ask him for that. He sees it as an accusation or statement on him, and he won’t tolerate that. I know I could blow the whole relationship apart if I don’t handle this well.
I know the “correct” response is to realize that his fidelity is between him and God, and that God will take care of me no matter what. I”know” this but have a hard time feeling it. I also have a hard time not feeling rage and hatred toward this woman, and these are unlovely feelings I do not want to harbor. I try to focus on the qualities in my husband that drew me to him in the first place — honesty, loyalty, trustworthiness, and try to keep my misgivings between myself and God, but it feels insincere. This is a very special man, knowing what I know about him I know he would simply leave me and go to her if that is what he felt, and would never deceive me or go behind my back, but finding the self-confidence to truly rest on that is very very hard — my first husband was abusive, and his verdict on me was that I am “not the kind of person anyone could ever really love”, so that “training” gets in my way in this new marriage.
Please pray that I will feel God’s love and assurance, that I can trust my husband as he deserves, and that I can have more charitable thoughts about this woman.
Thank you, Renee! This has been an amazing journey and I appreciate you sharing your story! I really felt God talking to me throughout your book! Thank you!
I am amazed that we finished the book on Easter week. Let me tell you, something happened
Inside of me. I sense that something marvelous it has resurrected in me, as well.
I am so grateful to Jesus for led me to this online study.
God is enough for me, I believe Him, now!
I have been touched in every chapter, I can´t wait to see you again in later April.
You are blessed
Your are a blessing,
and You bless Me
ILU
Midi
Hi Renee, Thank you so much for the opportunity to be reading this book online. I am so grateful.
I just opened the email from yesterday, and missed the deal to share with my cell sisters that I got together with again. But I am still so blessed for having taken advantage of this opportunity to hang out with you all for the past 3 months. At our meeting last night. in my head I kept refering to your text . I so want to share it, since no one else has it yet except for the annodoted quotes in emails, I am forced to learn this deeper, and continue working on memorization of verses.
You asked about changes since we had been in the study, and I believe I am more confident in sharing with others the Good News of Jesus. Chapter 8,9,10 guided me through the enough questions and God’s promises. Asking for the support of others for specific things in prayer and your description of”in dependence” was huge light bulb going on. It felt like when I was at the dental office and they started the laughing gas. No one was in the room and I found myself smiling and starting to giggle saying “now I get it..this is why they call it laughing gas!!” I am living more in my given name and attempting to be a vessel for God’s Light to shine through.
Thanks again, will drop in now and then on the next session, and hope to see you in person sometime so I can give you a real hug!!
Lucinda
Thank you so much Renee for the information on your free book I sent the email to some friends thet were interested in reading the book. And between the free and the deal for $2.99 a couple of them got the book. So your book has hit the Springs of Colorado. And the amazing stories and promises you have inside the book will now be shared with others. Isn’t it amazing how God totally answered your prayers?? We all (that is all the sisters doing this study and reading this book) serve an awesome GOD. I am so proud to be called His daughter, His child. I love Him so and He has brought me through so much and I know He will continue to do so. LOL to you all.
Just this past weekend I gave my copy of A Confidnet Heart away to someone who I felt would
really benefit from the truths it holds. Now to receive a free copy just as I was about to order a new one for myself! What validation that giving it away was the right thing to do. Now I am praying that the give away copy will make an impact on the recipient as it has on me. This book has the power to radically change lives! Thank you Renee for every word.
Thank you soooo much Renee for the free copy of your book!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!! I cant wait to read it!! And I just shared the email with some friends that would also love to read your book!!
I pray God continues to bless you so you can continue to bless us!!!
The promise I cling to is that He remembers me & that He has written my name on his palm. I am humanly forgotten & isolated & lonely.
WHAT A WONDERFUL SONG. I REALLY NEEDED IT TODAY. MARCH HAS BEEN ONE OF THE LONGEST MONTHS I HAVE EXPEREINCED IN A LONG TIME. THE MARCH 2ND TORNADOES IN SOUTHERN IN REALLY HIT HARD. MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE DONE AS MUCH AS WE COULD. OUR CHURCH IS STILL OPEN FOR HELP WITH TORNDAO VICTIMS. PROBABLY WILL BE FOR A FEW MONTHS. I GO AT LEAST A FEW HOURS ONCED A WEEK. MY HUSBAND GOT VERY SICK WITH FLU FROM GETTING VERY HOT IN COLD WEATHER HELPING A FAMILY MOVE. WE ARE SO BLESSED WE HAD NO PROBLEMS. WE ARE 10 MILES FROM HENRYVILLE WHICH WAS HIT THE HARDEST. WE LIVED THERE 1966-1976 SO IT BREAKS OUR HEARTS. WE WANT TO DO WHAT WE CAN. FIBROMYLAGIA AND ALLERGIES SINUS HAVE KNOCKED ME ON MY BOTTOM THIS WEEK. I KNOW WE HAVE MADE THE DEVIL MAD SERVING GOD THE BEST WE CAN. I AM GLAD HE IS MAD BECAUSE I KNOW WE ARE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT. I HAVE READ YOUR BOOK BEFORE AND WAS DOING THE BIBLE STUDY WITH YOU BUT MARCH HAPPENED AND I DIDN’T GET FINISHED . I PLAN TO START AGAIN IN APRIL. THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE FOR US . GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS KAY