Oh how I am LOVING reading so much about each of you. Gosh I wish we could all meet!! What an amazing group of women of all ages and from all places God has gathered here in HIS name! Makes me just about burst with joy! And now, I’m so glad today is here. Some days my written words come easily. Other days I just have to show and tell you what’s on my heart. Today is one of those days.
{If you are reading this via email, click here. You can only see the video on my blog, not in an email.}
Please {like pretty please even if you don’t normally watch video posts} click the arrow to “hear” today’s message from my heart to yours. I don’t want another day to go by without you knowing this…
{Are you a note-taker? If so, I created “Video Message Notes” in a PDF and in MSWord just for you. Even included blanks to fill in. 🙂
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This is all so true to me . I realize how much I desire love in all the wrong places. If I can just learn to let God fill my empty places and realize after I do that my life will be filled with HIM not the material things. I so hope this study teaches me to let those things go and stop trying so hard for the material things and try harder to let God fill my empty places with HIS love!
Thank you Renee for sharing such a beautiful message. It is so true that I try to fill up so many spaces with material things and people who I think can fill me. God has shown me that it is truly Him I seek and no one person or thing can ever take His place in my heart and in my life. It’s funny for years I would think ” Oh, well this new SUV is going to be great!” only to find as soon as we drove it off the lot I still felt empty even though my friends and family thought it was a great thing. Or the new house, the bigger house, still empty! The new job, still empty! New clothes? Nope empty. It wasn’t until last August when i started having panic/anxiety attacks that I realized only God could fill me, He was what I needed all along not all the “junk” in life just Him and his unconditional, powerful, everlasting love for me! Amazing and overwhelming all at once. I cried tears for joy then tears of unbelief. I’m still a work in progress but what a great work I am with God as my potter! Thank you for this study for your book! Thank you for acknowledging that I’m not the only one who tries to fill the empty spaces with empty things. God bless you and this study and all the women in it!
I love the illustration of the empty jar being filled with “stuff” and then with the Living Water. I made my profession of faith when I was ten years old but now at 61, I am learning afresh and anew that Jesus is my “all in all” and He is everything I need. I am for the first time in my life really becoming a confident woman in Christ. Thank you !
This video really spoke to my heart.
My love for my Lord grows more deeply as I long to know Him more and trust He will supply my needs, not the world to which I long to belong.
I desire His unfailing love and have to remind myself to let go of the things I am tring to fill my jar with that only cause frustration, anxiety, and disappointment.
Thank you for this wonderful reminder…
God, you continue to amaze (& love) me with your tenderness and compassion and offerings of resolution to our aching hearts. Thank YOU, first, Father, for speaking here in ‘this room’ of ladies and for the words you share with us through Renee – and all of these precious ‘sisters.’ Praise Your Name Father
SO many of us have SO many of the same daily battles…. being filled up this morning, for this day anyway, as it is a daily need and desire (Ta’avah)!
I’m so glad I took the time this morning before to work to watch the video!! What a strong message! I have been trying to “let go” of how a co-worker makes me feel in the things that they do. It’s so hurtful when people seem to go out of their way to be hurtful and not forthright. While this subject is a little off-topic to the message, Renee is reminding me to turn to God and know that I don’t have the power to change this person and I should pray for them.
I really liked watching the video. Having the hand outs are a great addition and are an awesome learning tool to have. Watching the video helped drive home and reiterate the message from chapter 3. Thank you Renee for the video and handouts!
I have been so guilty of looking to worldly possessions and relationships to fulfill me. As I was reading this chapter and watching the video I kept thinking to myself, “Yup, I’ve looked to that to fulfill me before.” I once allowed the amount in the checkbook dictate my thoughts and attitudes. More so, I allowed it to place value on me as a person. Through my walk with Christ, I have surrendered that to Him and now I no longer find comfort or value in how much is in the checkbook. (I could give many more examples of how I have looked to worldly possessions and relationships to fulfill me.)
This past year, I have recommitted to doing life with the Lord, and through my church, women’s Bible Study, reading, and other resources (just like this online study) I have “turned from my wicked ways” (2 Chronicles 7:14) and am following Him. I am mindfully choosing to look to Him to fill and fulfill me. Doing so requires continual effort and obedience. The results bring peace and assurance in Him. I’m happy to say that I now praise God for providing the funds that are in my checkbook instead of desiring a “bigger bank account.” Thank you Lord!!
This is such a great study, and Renee’s video just helped drive home the truths in her book that we all need to hold in our minds and hearts – and never forget. We all need a ‘confident heart’ so that we can share Christ with others, and battle the enemy – and put him in his place!
God bless you all my sisters!
I REALLY RELATED TO TODAY’S POST. I ALWAYS THINK THAT EVERY NEW TYPE OF MAKEUP
THAT COMES OUT WILL BE THE ONE THAT WILL REALLY MAKE ME LOOK “GOOD ENOUGH”.
What a wonderful visual representation of the concept you want us to learn, Renee! I love how it’s simply put, so that we realize it’s attainable and doable for all of us. I will think of the jar when I need a daily reminder of what I should be filling mine with. Thank you!
I realized from watching this video, that I too, have looked to so many people and things over my life to fill me up. I just recently found Jesus and this is all so new to me but it makes so much sense. It’s no wonder I never felt fulfilled or satisfied. I now realize that only Jesus can do this for me. Thank you for this Bible Study- I am learning so much from it and all the wonderful comments posted by everyone.
Thanks for the great video. What a great illustration of how we try to fill our jars with worldly possessions and people, and yet we are still not fullfilled and completley satisfied , yet when you filled the jar with the water representing Jesus there was not a single space left void. Jesus does fullfill our lives we just need to put our trust and hope in him and not just believe IN him but believe HIM( like chapter 1 states) that he will be there for us and fill our needs and love us for the women we truley are .
So what I needed to hear and seeing your beautiful face actually speaking the words made them seem even sweeter. How hard I have struggled for years trying to fill that void and just like you illustrated….never feeling full. Thank you for that great illustration and your tender words that help us to know that we ALL struggle with that same issue but giving us the confidence to go to our Heavenly Father and ask HIM to fill us!
I loved the message today. I’m a very visual person so seeing the visual was a great way to help everything sink in a little more.
I want to be filled with The Living Water and know without doubt I’m filled. I don’t know that feeling….
I loved this video message. I learned this the hard way several years ago when I was looking to a boyfriend to fill my voids. He felt like he was not good enough and I was always disappointed. I now know that only Jesus can fill me the way I need to be filled and I am forever grateful.
what I really love about the Sam story/Jesus giving living water/you using water to illustrate how thoroughly He will fill us, is just that…water will fill every nook and cranny, will get into every crack, completely. there is no empty space nor surface untouched.
Renee,
Thank you so much for incorporating the video message. It further amplified the reading. Chapt. 3 is so powerful and is spot on! I believe I highlighted the entire chapter. All I can say is “I get freer by the chapter!”
Glory to God!
Take your masks off ladies, I did it for the first time (other then my husband) to my oldest son, he still loves me & even more I think, he has the same problems i do, which i thought he did but never talked about it, what a freeing experience that was, i can not say how good it felt, i was able to cry when i haven’t been able to for so long, it’ll be easier now to tell others, these are my problems, if you want to stick around & be my friend and help like i help you, if not, they weren’t my friends to begin with, praise God for this, now i know He truly brought me to this bible study, and i can’t thank you enough renee for doing what you’re doing, i know it isn’t going to be easy all the time, but this is a giant step for me, I CAN’T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT HOW FREEING THIS WAS, PLEASE DO IT LADIES!
I was blessed by the video. I can honestly say I have tried to fill my void with many of the objects used in the video but soon realize that I needed so much more. I thank God for loving and caring for us and knows just what we need and when. Thanks for sharing… There is no greater love!!!! Thank you Lord for filling my voids.