I have a P31 devotion today and want to say hello and “welcome” if you found your way here through it! I’m so glad you stopped by!
I wish we could sit in a coffee shop and chat today.
I’d love to talk with you about things that are weighing you down or worries that are making you weary. They always seem to lighten when shared with a friend.
I’d tell you about the year I let my problems pile up and how all that pressure almost took me down. It’s all in chapter 9 of my book including the story about how I accidentally took my dogs medicine one morning.
In my devotion, I shared how God has been changing me and rearranging me. I also promised to share three steps to overcome worry and a practical way to physically give God your concerns! Since we can’t chat in a coffee shop today, I decided to share my heart in a short video post.
Message Notes: You can download my “Video Message Notes” in a PDF here or in a Word doc here. They include the points of my message, verses and blanks to fill in. {If you’d like to watch more FREE Confident Heart videos based on my book, click here.}
Let’s Connect & A Giveaway: I’d love to hear your thoughts and one thing you want to apply after reading today’s devotion and hearing the video message. Click “share your thoughts” right below this post and do just that. 🙂
Your comment enters you in today’s “Come to Me” stress-relief gift pack giveaway which ncludes a Bath & Body Works Eucalyptus Mint candle, God-iva Dark Chocolate and an Chamomile Lavender scented Anti-Stress Comfort Wrap that can be refrigerated or microwaved depending on your preference – my favorite home spa treatment!!
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This couldn’t have come to me at a more perfect time. I lost sleep last night as I worked and churned over in my mind all that I have going on and all the worry in my life. I just couldn’t turn it off. So I got down on my knees and asked God for peace and to help me slowly hand each and every one of those things on my “mental to do list” over to Him for safekeeping. The peace that I felt was amazing and I was able to get back to sleep. Waking today and reading your devotion was God’s way of answering my middle of the night prayer. He was saying to me, “Child come to me for rest.” And he send you as the messenger. Thank you. 🙂
Your message was just what I needed to read today. Sadly, you described me when you wrote…”My mind is wired to think a lot .” Praying for his rest and to focus on him instead of my worries! Thanks for sharing!
I have been having a surgical procedure done now for the past 2 weeks and had one done yesterday. I woke up this morning and was in so much pain and I literally just wanted to die. I have to have these done for the next 6 weeks. I decided to simply move very slowly to my computer and read the devotional that Renee had for us and it was perfect. What I realized is that I am so overcome with worry and it is making me so weary and yes I do wonder if God even cares because I am hurting so much physically. Thank You so much Renee for your words of comfort and for reminding me what worry can do to me. I really do appreciate your words of encouragement especially during this time. This has really touched my heart in a very special way.
Perfect timing Renee!! Thank you for sharing. Sometimes we forget that others have been there and we think we are the only ones. Deadlines, commitments and expectations of others have really drained me. My family just got home last night from a camping trip and I too was plagued by the worries of coming back to my life. In fact, the whole first day of our trip I couldn’t relax because my mind wouldn’t let go of “all” I have to do back at home. I must confess that I am not seeking or serving God only because the business of life has become more important. I am going to change that. I am going to PRAY about everything! And I am going to apply your index card under the bedside table cross, because I love the idea of placing tangible things at the cross.
Thanks for sharing your heart, it is beautiful.
It’s amazing how appropriate some of the devotionals are to my life at that moment. I do feel worry about so many things in life and have not learned to “let go and let God.” It’s a great motto that doesn’t seem to stick in my head long enough to make the difference. Thank you for your words of encouragement and your book. Please pray for me to put it into action.
Thanks for this wonderful reminder message. I love the look of the cross and the anti-stress comfort wrap! I have placed a note on my desk that says “Today” and it lists the three steps you mentioned – Stop worrying, start praying, and keep thanking God. I’m asking God now to help me remember to do this!
This was the perfect devotion for me to wake up to. I had a bit of worry, as I had an optional summer nursing program to take which I had prayed about, in the end it worked out that I wasn’t able to get in. I know it is God’s path, as I had prayed about it. I realized reading this, that it was a break I needed and exactly how worried and stressed I am throughout the school year. God has guided me every step through the Nursing program and has helped in my success. As a mom, wife, and nursing student I needed this devotion. Thank you so much for sharing your words (and God’s word) with us.
Our God is so awesome – He knows just when we need to hear from Him through those He has set before us. +
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for Renee and her words of encouragement and hope that we as women, homemakers, workers in the world can step away and find peace in You! Amen
Thank you for sharing. I have been finding myself awake at night with my mind rushing with thoughts. I know I need to take them to God. Thanks for the reminder.
As women we take on so many roles and we expect so much from ourselves. As nuturers we automatically do too much. I realized last night how I think I do EVERYTHING in the house. But who’s to blame if I don’t let the “boys” (includes hubby) know what I expect them to do. While feeling dismayed, I then told myself to count my blessings and be grateful for them and be grateful that I can do and am healthy enough to do these things. And after all it’s me that wants things a certain way. God bless! -Ellen
Hi Renee,
This devotional was perfect for me this morning! my marriage of 5 years is falling apart and struggle with staying the way things are. My husband Todd is working two jobs 6 days a week because he won’t make a career decision, and I work part-time, he has ocd, our finances are a mess, i live away from home, we argue when we do see each other and there are some Sundays he does not even want to go to church with me. We live in a small apartment, and it is hard for me to watch others moving up who have been married for less time than us. I grew up in a Christian home and learned about contentment, but I also don’t believe the Lord wants us to be unhappy. I am attending a Christian counselor, but she has encouraged me that I have to make changes. I am now working on myself but the enemy is discouraging me not only that but i also have no other women friends of encouragement.
Sad and lonely,
Lisa
Lisa,
I will be praying that the Lord places whatever or whomever is necessary in your life at this time to help ease the pain; someone who can share His goodness with you and encourage you to continue to walk with Him and trust Him to see you through. Remember, He is a God of restoration! God bless you and your family!
This is such great timing! I’ve been worrying about finding a job and a few other really pressing things. I have also been slacking on my prayer life. I needed your message! And love the idea of writing down my worries and physically giving them to God. I also need to finish your book!! It’s great but I lost the time to finish it. I’ll pick it up today! 🙂 thanks!!
Thank you for your concrete advice and wisdom from God today! I too,like other women have posted, have just been overwhelmed with worry and really questioning where God is in my life. I needed an activity that I can do to retrain myself from going into the downward spiral that Satan sets off with worry. I am reminded that God is real and can take our burdens from us. I will be keeping today’s devotion close!
Thank you for your blog post!I came here through the P31 post, and I just wanted to say I can totally relate, especially with the sabbatical part! I know God has plans for me and he showed me some of those plans, but he hasn’t shared yet when the time will be to put feet to those plans. I find myself getting impatient, and saying, “But if I can do this now, it would make it so much easier and better for me and my family!” But I remind myself that God’s timing is best, and to trust Him, even when it doesn’t make sense.
Thanks so much for your post, it was very uplifting and right-on-time! I woke up with with a headache and feeling tense. I know that God is in control, and that he loves me. He promises to work ALL things out for my good. Please pray for my health (phisically and mentally), and our finances.
O how much I needed to hear this today. In this world that demands so much of my attention, I get so overwhelmed in how I will get everything on my to do list done. Those are times I need to remind myself to just let the Holy Spirit guide me and direct my steps.
I just finished reading your devotional and watching the msg. video. I wanted to share what I experienced a couple weeks ago while sitting waiting for my husband to get his bloodwork done & fill out a status form at the Cancer Center’s kiosk before seeing the specialist. I was finding myself becoming really impatient with the whole process as well the nurses had called him twice already and he wasn’t available yet. I even went over to the kiosk and asked is this really necessary? Silly, huh. After we got his CT scan results which were such a relief to now knowing he was clear of cancer, I was surprised at my level of impatience. After having been so a peace, at rest, and patient throughout the treatment of chemo & radiation and recovery period (which is still a process), I knew I needed to ask God what was going on with me emotionally. Anxiety! Worry! Fear! Whew! Okay…lay my burdens down! When we got home, I went right to my prayer corner & just confessed, let my hands drop to my side and verbally spoke each burden aloud, giving them the Jesus. The peace flooded my soul like a river! Sharing with trusted sisters in Christ, and my precious husband, really helped to get my focus back on the Sovereign One Who has kept us strong, full of courage, and hopeful every step of the way. Ever Faithful One!! So unchanging! God Bless you! Thanks for allowing me to share..Jeanine.
Renee thank you!! I just got off the phone with my husband after yet another conversation about all my worries, feeling pulled too thin, upset because he’s had a long stretch of work travel, etc. etc. etc.. He said he would be praying for me today and I thanked him as I was at the same time putting in a load of laundry, gathering my work supplies, figuring out what dinner will be, responding to an email, and checking facebook. So I sat down at my home office computer to dive into work and saw my daily Proverbs 31 email; I almost didn’t open it because I felt I didn’t have time!! Obviously the Lord pushed my hand to click that email open and I am so grateful HE did! It was just the message and reminder that I needed. Thank you for your ministry!
Thank you so much for this message! I so needed to hear this right now at this moment. I am signing off and going to get a notebook and make my list of things on my plate or should I say my buffet table! 😀
Thank you and God Bless you for all you are doing!