“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!}
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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
Renee, Thank-you for the wonderful prayer we can join in together. This has been a wonderful study and a comfort for those times that struggles re-surface. There are so many promises from God that you pointed out so beautifully that I can say when needed….but I am wonderfully made, I am a masterpiece, and most of all I am Loved. Blessings to you and your family (and I thought of you and your son as my son and I sat in the Patient First today waiting to see if his leg was broken or not…it wasn’t Praise to God!) and I will definitely be checking back here as well as on the Facebook page.
Thank-you again.
Hi Renee and thank you so much for such an open and honest book! Much of my life I have been hiding my fearful feelings, all of my failures, feelings of worthlessness, insecurities, inadequacies, thinking that a “stiff upper lip” is best, and to keep doing positive things. Unfortunately that was predominantly my way of being a Christian. I have struggled being Beloved, but trying to “Do-loved”. So I thank you for sharing the Good News that God loves me despite my mistakes and failures, and that Jesus pursues me, (so I must not be worthless!) Forgiving myself and allowing myself to be forgiven and loved is so freeing (Thank You Jesus!!!!). He is soo Good! Thank you Renee, for your time, honesty in writing this book, and your love to us all. Much love to you tooo!!!
Deuteronomy 33:12 becausr I’m very insecure about what God is doing and moving in my life and in my families life please pray for us. Anybody. We need all the prayers we can get.
The promises you are chosen and you are called speak loudest to me today, for I have felt inadequate and worthless today. I am certainly inadequate to change others, but God can. And while I cannot change the ones I’d like to change (to open themselves to accept my faith and be saved themselves), I can pray that this will happen for them and be ready to affect the lives God places before me to be a living example of Him. I tend to feel worthless, when others disapprove of something in or from me, but I must remember that Christ gives me perfect worth. If I keep my eye on the Father and what Jesus did, and who He says I am, how can I doubt my worth. I need my sisters and brothers in Christ to keep me mindful of this truth. Pray for me today. I feel weak, but I do hang on to truth. Thank you each and every one of you for your faith and prayers. Live love.
Renee-what really spoke to my heart in chapter 11 was that in the shadow of the Cross I am….I am His, I am loved, I am unique,etc… It seems that I (and others) seem to live in the shadow of the world too much..comparing myself to what the world thinks or agrees with,etc. But i must remember WHOSE I am, WHO it is that was on that cross for ME and live in THAT shadow continuously, rather than to let the world (my coworkers) dictate who I am, what I am able to do or not do and not let “them” dictate my attitude for the day, but rather to live in the shadow of His glorious cross daily, moment by moment to find my identity.
Renee-I will miss this study too, but praise the Lord I have my underlined, written in book to have right handy as a great resource text for future reference!! You are marvelous….such a brave woman of God to be bold enough to tell your life story and how God released you from the grip it had on your life, so that we also can be helped in our stories. God bless and anoint your continued calling with Prov31 women’s ministry!! I can just “hear” that sweet Southern accent reading the words in my book now! I love it woman!
I like knowing I am redeemed. I need not fear for I have been redeemed. God has summoned me by name. He has formed me in my mothers womb and He has a plan for my life.
I heard Iyanla Vanzant say something interesting this week that I am mulling over and over in my head because it seems to go along with this so well.
“How you treat yourself is how you treat God. You are the represenative of God in your life, if you put you last and put others ahead of you it means you are putting them ahead of God in your life. In my life I have to be as good to myself as I want to be to God in order to be of service to others in the world.” My cup has to be full and what comes out of the cup is for others, it comes from the overflow.
Sure gives me something more to think on.
Renee, I am profoundly grateful for this study. For the FIRST time since I started reading your book, I am beginning to understand what it means to turn away from doubt, fear and worry and to the Light. It involves Faith, Trust, Hope and Belief. This language does not come easily when one has experienced grave losses or disappointments. Thank you for the seeds you have planted. As you are able, please continue to pray for the women in this study, that our seeds will continue to take root and GROW. And that we would have a deeper understanding of Christ’s death and resurrection and what this means for us as children of God.
Renee, this is the second study I did of your book, so I will sit out the next one! You need to write another one. 🙂 LOL! No pressure! You have been a blessing in my life. I cannot tell you how improved my life is now from last fall when I first began reading the book. November was my low point and I pray I never go back there again. God is doing marvelous things in my life right now, showing me my ministry and my calling and expanding both! And this is such a far cry from where I was before. He only has good things in store for me! Thank you and God bless you!
I am also going to go through it again. God used it in such a powerful way. Everything I needed to hear, at the right moment. I’d tell Him I was afraid of something, then the next page I turned on the kindle was addressing it. I ve seen that He loves me even when I mess up, I don’t have to make it up to Him and I surely don’t avoid spending time with Him when I mess up for fear of His anger. I have all those perdection mentalities so grace is very freeing!! Truly understanding grace is one of the things I learned out of this study. He knows I’m going to mess up and He loves me anyway! Somehow, I used to think His love was conditional..wow, I’m thankful it isn’t! Is anyone on twittwr? Great way to keep in touch!
Resting between God,s shoulders is a placeI want to become very familiar with inthedays to come. I have struggled seeing God as anyone else but a judge to whom I wanted to prove. My worth. But recently I have realized that I have been trying to control God. Your book has been one of the things God has used to show me that. Now I am giving Him the control back, but Ihave to learn to trust Him is I have been asking Him to show me His character in His names. psalm 9:10 says that those who know His name can trust him and He never abandons thosewhoseek Him. so I am learning that HE is my Soveriegn andHabbukuk says that the Sovereign will bemy strength. Strength instead of fear is a GREAT trade off for control. 🙂