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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Thanks for the reminder. I’ve really been struggling with work & home life & I need to remember to give it ALL to Him, not just the things I think He wants to hear. I like the idea of writing out what we are struggling with. I know I have thoughts in my head but to see them written out sometimes puts things in perspective, then I need to remember to give them over to Him, because I know He loves me! What a comforting thought.
Hi Renee. Boy, this is just the reminder I needed this morning. I am currently studying for a big exam and have worked myself up into such a worried mess about it that I can’t even concentrate on studying for it. I bet I have spent more time over the past few months worrying about learning what I need to know than I have actually studying for the exam. I have turned it over to God several times, but keep picking it back up.
I love the idea of writing it down on index cards and physically placing it at the foot of the cross as a symbol of turning it over to God. Thanks so much for sharing your ideas, struggles, and life lessons with us here.
God bless you!
Connie
great message i really needed to see this clip thank you so much the putting them on the index cards at the end of the day really a great idea for me
I have worried about things all my life. I am finding out that all I have to do is cast my cares and worries on Him. I also deal with anxiety that seems to live it my chest. I know it does not happen overnight. I have faith that God will make a way in my life because He already has. I pray and tell God that I believe.I need help with my unbelief. Thank you so much for your words and encouragement. It helps me in my time of struggles right now. God Bless you.
Renee ~ Thank you so much for the encouragement! I have been receiving them for over a year now. I started sharing them with a few friends, then a few more…now I have a “Daily Devotions” distribution list of 50 ppl (family, friends, and coworkers). The devotions are always something that I need to hear and a reminder of how perfect God’s timing is! I just love your idea of writting our worries down on index cards and giving them to God (I also love the beautiful cross you have on your nightstand)! I’m going to put your idea into action immediately! I can totally relate to today’s message…I have been married for almost 25 years (together almost 29). We have 3 children, and just had our 5th grandchild on 6/10/12. My 71 year old father lives with us, as well as our soon-to-be 24 year old son. My husband has been a truck driver (OTR) for many years and he isn’t home much. When he is home, it’s like I am constantly catering to him and it is exhausting. I am also active in my church (Kitchen Ministry) and have not been able to help out too much because of my family responsibilities. I know I should be seeking God more and asking Him for the strength and encouragment to carry on. Thank you so much for putting things into perspective. May God richly bless your Ministry! 0;o)
I so thank you for this..I recently lost my mom and i thought all was okay, but lately i am not sleeping, tired all the time, my body hurts and just really realized I am stressed out. Not focusing on the one that can help me which is God, not realizing that he is where my comfort and joy comes from when I get in his Word. Today I am going to give it all to him.
Thank you and be blessed,
Tiffanney
Wow! Thank you so much! As a mom of four (almost grown) children, (youngest will be 18 in two months,) the saying, “Let Go, Let God,” has come to mind more times than I really want to share. It has, however, become easier as each child gets a little older…I don’t know if it’s because I actually DO let God take control or if they are doing pretty well on their own. I know letting go and letting God have control used to be so much more difficult but as I have learned to trust him more and he continues to be faithful, even when I am not, it becomes easier because I see his grace and goodness in all things. Thanks again for your message; always uplifting to hear how others weather the storms of this life.
I can so relate to worry and an anxious spirit. I woke up with on my mind today. I am seeking God to show me where this is coming from and seeking his voice and will today. Then I look and see your devotion. It is another way for God to speak to me today. Thanks! I needed this wisdom today. My last 15 years of stress with my youngest son and my last 2 years with my family has been more than one should have to deal with. But these last 2 years and most recently I feel like I am truly walking through the desert of fire!. Please pray for my family
What a perfect message for me today! I found myself in the worrying mode this morning about a recent situation that happened. I dove into God’s Word trying to find something to help; some guidance. Your video message was exactly what I needed. Thank you! It was a reminder to not worry, pray about it and that God has it totally under His control! Thank you. I pray that God continues to bless you and watch over you in your ministry!
Thanks so much for the encouragement to trust God more…I especially like the challenge to “seek” God more and not to be overly consumed with “serving” Him. Balance is important! I’m like many of the others…the idea of leaving my worries at the foot of the cross at my bedside, is an excellent way to practice Phil 4:6,7
Thanks for the encouragement! I am dealing with anxiety and your reminder of the practical ways we can cast our worries to God because He cares made me push the pause bottom. As you say about Philippians 4, it sounds easy, then why do I struggle to let go of my worries? I am printing an index card with that verse to keep with me at all times…May the Lord bless you richly for all you do to serve Him…
Renee,
Thank you so much for your Godly advice on things that keep us from our focus on the Lord. The Holy Spirit showed me the same thing about myself, and put the same message on my heart just days ago. Your devotion was simply a gentle reminder for me. He is ever-faithful!
May He continue to bless you, your family and your ministry.
This is exactly what I needed to hear today. Thank you for sharing Renee.
Whenever I hear (or read) the verse from Matthew 11:28 the next verses (29 and 30) ” Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” follow in my mind.
I remember reading somewhere how an oxen or horse would find it far harder to pull the weight if not for the yoke upon its shoulders. The yoke actually places the weight where it can most easily managed. How fitting that taking the yoke of Jesus upon us makes our burdens lighter and makes them easier to bear.
Hi! This devotion is SO timely. Amazing how God does that! We just miscarried our 4th child. I was like a little over 6 weeks, when I started bleeding. They have done 2 rounds of blood work, and the numbers went way down. Sometimes I feel like my faith is SO small, because I question God on why this happens to families? I know we live in a sin cursed earth and bad things will ALWAYS happen. I have to keep my eyes on Jesus and know that He has a plan in all this and I must trust Him. His Ways are SO much higher than ours. We may never know or understand, this side of Heaven. He is STILL God and STILL on His throne! My sweet Mom died in 2005 at the young age of 55. I can’t help but to think that she is in Heaven holding our little angel. My brother and sister in law lost one a few years back, and maybe my Mom is holding their little one too. Thank you for this devo and for praying for our family in this most difficult time. I praise God for you and your ministry! God Bless! Julie
Proverbs 3:5-6
Sweet Renee,
You have no idea how much I need this today. Facing a stressful next two weeks at our church with the change in ministers and all my Hospitality Team partner and I have to do for the transitions, plus hosting Bycicle Riders who stay over in our church during all this, has overwhelmed me. I admit, though I know how out of hand my worrying is and how it shows my lack of trust in our Lord, I forget to stop and rest in Him. I thank you for today’s devotion and your video to remind me to “Stop worrying, Start praying, and most of all to Keep thanking” Our Lord. He has truly blessed me all my life, and your reminder came at just the right time. God Bless you…
What a wonderful message today – I’m sure it wasn’t just for me, but it couldn’t have applied more. I have been very weighed down the last few weeks & I believe you just shared the perfect prescription. Thank you so much!
really enjoyed your book!
Thank you for reminding me today that my worry makes me weary not the workload. In all I do I do for Christ. From working with my students at home and at work, and for serving in the student ministry at church and adding a week of Children’s ministry to my plate. My priorities are worked out and just enough energy is left to perform without falling over. I needed this today. Thank you!
Thank you for those words. I am going through a tough time in my life and that was exactly what I needed to hear. God bless you!
Thanx for reminding me to “choose the best” and pray about everything.
Thank you for your insight today on worries. Its crazy how God works, always on time and never late. My husband and I have been going through some issues lately in our marriage and as I tell him the things I’m needing as a wife and him telling me how many things are going on outside of our home etc. I start to worry about all the little things that I feel I need to do more of or not enough of. And with one child and being a stay at home mom I am sure he is feeling the pressure but so am i by not having that quality time and him not being home much. But I loved your idea of writing all the worries down on a card and praying about them and I’m excited to see what God will say to me through that process. With all the stress I’m so glad and grateful I have a God that knows what I’m going through at all times. Thank you for your devotional.
Some days it’s just so hard to take time for yourself and to find the stop button on Worry. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I am really enjoying the Confident Heart book and encouraging emails! I used to worry about everything also, but have gotten much better at replacing my worriers with prayers! I like the idea of writing them on an index card and putting them at the cross. I often write out verses that speak to me, and have a card on the table with names of people to pray for.
thanks for the encouragement today – I’ve printed out the 2 verses towards the end of the Prov 31 devotion today and am posting them near my computer! work has got me a little buried and there’s “no time” for rest. need to remember that God does offer that in the midst of any storm.
Sister Renee,
What a great reminder of what we need to do when we are feeling worried and overwhellmed. As a busy Christian women. I haver often fallen into satan’s trap of worry, sel-doubt and being overwhelmed. God always brings me through when I remember to cast my cares on him. What an awesome God we have.
Thanks for the reminder to pray and seek his peace.
God’s Blessings,
Jill Schultz
With the difficult circumstances in my life I am definitely a worry wort. Your words have lightened my spirit and helped to focus on the lord when I do become worried.
Just last night for me to calm my nerves and the tightness in my chest I prayed and talked to the lord about my worries and he gave me such peace so that I could enjoy the moment I finally had alone without craziness in my schedule and trying to remember my 3 children’s schedule as well.
Thank you and God bless!
Thank you for sharing the things God is teaching you! God has definitely led me to His message through you! TODAY, I am going to stop talking to myself and start talking to God! I’m also going to MEMORIZE His Word so the Holy Spirit will REMIND me of HIS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, PROTECTION AND PROVISION!!!
I love you! Have a WONDERFUL day!!!
I thank The Lord that He answered my prayer. I was just running around the house, realizing how much I had to do today. As I was making lists, cleaning the bathroom, getting dressed to go to the bank for my daughter who does not have a car, then taking her and me food shopping, still thinking of all I had to do when I got home. I have just recently had 2 surgeries, 1 of them leaving me with a ileostomy, which also leaves me tired. As I was doing all of this, I was praying on the run, “Lord, please help me to learn how to not get so stressed out. I realized, also that instead of praying as I ran around, I should stop and spend some time with The Lord, but did I? No! For some reason, I got the thought to check my email, something I just didn’t think I had time for and found an email from this website on worry!!! I Thank God for Answering my prayer so soon. Reading all that I have read here shows me what my priorities should be. I am going now, into my “prayer closet” and spend some time with My Lord. The bank and the groceries can wait. I am sure my daughter will understand. Thank You!!
When I read this I thought man oh man is she talking about me. I can run down the list of all my commitments but that isn’t necessary. Today I am letting it all go and remembering each time my neck tightens or I just want to scream from the pressure to take a breath and give it to the One who will make it all alright.
Thank you for the reminder.
It is so easy to worry and not remember to first seek the Lord and tell Him first what is bothering you
but when we do He does give us that peace that is beyond our own understanding. Philippians 4:6-8
has long been my favorite scripture in the bible but along with those I think one of the key verses
in the whole bible is “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then all these things
will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 God is so good and He loves us and wants the very best for
us but we need to learn to seek that relationship with Him above everything else.
Thank you so much Renee, I will be using all of your suggestions but especially writing the cards to Jesus. I worry so much it is starting to imbobilize me. I often feel I cant doing anything right especially in my relationship with god and I find myself in deep despair and ready to give up. I know this is where Satan wants me to be, not God, but I get so tired of fighting it. I need yo physically do something to get out pf my own head and give it to God! Thanks agai! Juli
I have a lot on my plate also, and this is just what I needed to read today. I had never heard the term “mental mayhem” before, but feel it often. What a great idea to list all that I “worry” about and ask God if I am doing too much.
Thank you for the perspective.
hugs,
Julie
Renee, I know exactly what you are talking about. We just adopted two baby boys (8 and 10 months) from Ethiopia. They have been home 2 months and I’m still trying to figure it all out. We have five children. All WONDERFUL, but they take a ton of energy…and often I feel drained. Thank you for this entry. I think I’m going to order your book!
Blessings; Micah
Micah, I want you to know my heart is with you! I will be praying for you today and everytime the Holy Spirit brings you to mind. God loves you!!! I recently started reading a book called “How to really love your child” and it’s been an eye opener for me. I pray right now that God would wrap His loving, gentle, firm, joyful, peaceful, strong arms around you! He loves you so much!!!
Wow! It’s like this was written just for me. Like you’d had a bird’s eye view of my life and saw how I was responding. Thank you so much for the words of encouragement and fresh perspective. I need to go to God, lay this crazy life at his feet and thank Him!!
I have been a subscriber for quite some time, but never posted a comment. But, I must post today. I am a worrier, and this particular weekend, I allowed satan to consume me with worry, and fear. I was almost paralyzed emotionally. I even stayed home from church Sunday (which I never do due to ministries I am involved in), and used the time to catch up on some devotions that had accummulated, and pulled out some Proverbs 31 devotionals I had saved, and spent the time with the Lord. I felt like God gave me just what I needed, and this devotional today, was the icing on the cake!! I have done something similar in the past like your index cards and the cross (which I like the cross idea better); but what I have done is put a basket by my bedside, and wrote across the handle “God’s Basket to Carry”, and wrote my worries and concerns on a card and put in that basket. It was a visual to me to let God carry the load. Sad to say, many times I mentally picked the basket up and carried it myself. Again, your devotional was more of what I needed these past few days; I seem to always need a booster shot to my issue of worry. Thanks very much!
Renee,
A friend sent this to me with the message that it spoke to her – little did she know that your words were exactly what I needed to hear as well! Thank you!
this is very awersome message now i can say i will case all my burden to God for I know he cares from me. i always keep praying and stop the worrying.
Renee, you always seem to write about EXACTLY what is on my mind! I thank God for bringing me to your website, book and Pro31.
Thank you for your message. Prayer is the key to letting go of our worry. God is faithful.
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.