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 goes so well for me with yesterdays message from Bible Gateway Proverbs 31 message. For those of us that run to our thoughts instead of prayer. http://links.biblegateway.mkt4731.com/servlet/MailView?ms=NDEyOTA0OTMS1&r=Mjc1MjUzMTk5MTcS1&j=MTg0MjczNTU0S0&mt=2&rj=MTg0MjczNTU0S0&rt=0
Renee, what an Amazing illustration of God’s unfailing love. We tend to allow so many things to superficially fill our lives; and God in His simplicity shows us that ‘stuff and things’ are only a placebo, and that only He is the Real Deal! Thank you again for reminding us all that the emptiness that we often feel and the ‘stuff’ that we resort to using to fill that void, are nothing compared to the joy and completeness we get… IN HIM! I am so loving this study!!
Okay so let me sum up what God is showing me.
1. Misplaced value – overvaluing or undervaluing whether on key relationships, things , achievements , ect…leads to the edge of the pit of hopelessness. The beginning of hopelessness which is what happens when we believe what Satan has said or others who we’ve given to much value said about us INSTEAD of believing what God has said about us.
2. What are we giving worth to in our lives. Is this lining up with God’s economy or the worlds ( what does God say we should value)
3. Worship (worth -ship), What do our thoughts reveal about what we are truly worshiping, What tapes do we play about what others have spoken int our lives.
All these things lead to hoping in the wrong things. It’s misguided, false hope lead by idol worship. The Bible states that Hope deferred makes the heart sick.
Lets look at our thoughts and hopes ….are they built on lies we have believed or on how God looks at us.
God is the author of our mental health! I see how I have set up idols unknowingly, I have entanglements because I have given someone more value than they are to have and allowed them so speak into my life more than God. I’ve listened to the wrong voice/voices. So I have given the idol power over me…
This is the beginning of taking all thoughts captive to God’s word. This is the beginning of sliding int the pit. I guess I’m wising up to Satan’s progressive plan. First satan distracts you ( how busy are we and what are we thinking about, or how hurt you are by someone- this is where he caught me) then our misplaced value/ worth of people and things causes hopelessness which leads to despair which leads to depression which leads to destruction. Satan wants to destroy us. That is his desire to convince us he has destroyed us. For as a man thinks so he is. Proverbs 23:7
WOHOOO! You all can’t see it but I’m jumping for joy and for freedom sake. GLORY TO GOD! Greater is he that is in me (and You) than he that is in the world. Enlarge my steps under me Psalm 18:36
I FELT THE HOLY SPIRIT JUST READING YOUR COMMENT.
Hi W I felt my heart touched when reading this I want to copy this . May I In Christ Love
“God is the author of our mental health!”
“Satan wants to destroy us. That is his desire to convince us he has destroyed us. For as a man thinks so he is. Proverbs 23:7”
These 2 statements! Woo! Truth.
Your video and message was awesome. I am searching for something to fill my heart. I am a Christian woman but lately have felt a burning hole in my heart. I cannot find a a comfortable place. I am so blessed with a nice home, loving husband, grown, successful children and a grandchild, but yet I yearn for something and desperately for peace. I keep wondering what I am searching for. I am grasping at everything and my mind races day and night. Thank you for your message as I search through all the tangled webs in my mind and heart. I know Jesus loves me more than I could ever imagine, but I don’t feel it. Thank you for your message today!
Thank you so much, Renee, for sharing that beautiful message & lesson today. It speaks volumes to my heart (in the most simplictic way)! I am reassured that this time in my life, is meant to be just as it is ~ for the Lord is there with me and allowing me THIS TIME to reconnect w/ HIM. It’s a nice feeling (especially after you said it in your video) to fill the empty spaces (in my life). I have been given my blessings in my life and I’m continuing to be thankful for HIS LOVE everyday.
Thank you again.
Love & God’s blessings to you.
Thank you Renee for this study. It is wonderful to be with you, these other women and God every day. God is so good that he gives us so many wonderful gifts to enjoy. I believe he wants us to enjoy our time on earth, with friends, family, meaningful jobs etc. It is when we take our eyes off God that these gifts become a replacement for God. When we turn off our hearts and only think with our minds, then we believe we can exist with only the gifts and not the giver. That’s when we feel empty. Again thank you for reminding us to be full of God’s love every day!
It has taken so many years for me to understand this. It’s freeing to realize we don’t have to go after all these worldly things. Thanks
I’m such a visual person and LOVED this video! Thank you so much for taking the time to give us a visual demonstration. God’s love is SO fulfilling and truly does leave us lacking nothing.
This is a wonderful illustration. Thank you for being that vessel that God can work through to speak these truths into our hearts. I have forwarded this video to my dear friends and pray that they too find the value that I found in it as I watched. May God continue to bless your efforts in spreading His word… and may he abundantly fill each of our jars!
Thank you, Renee, for this awesome reminder! Although i learned this long ago, i know that there are times still when I catch myself looking at the gifts rather than the Giver. Like most things, if we don’t make a conscious effort to look at the Giver it is too easy to look at and for the gifts so again, I thank you! Even now, I am asking our Giver to show me anything that I’ve hidden in my heart that shouldn’t be there!
Many, many blessings to you and all of the women who are participating in this study! I am so glad I joined!
Renee I am sitting here thinking about your video and your illustration and something very important came to me. I realized how important it was that you emptied your jar again before let God fill it. It is not enough that we just allow Him to seep into the places that are left empty around our lives, possessions, relationships. We have to fully let Him fill all of the space within us.
I really liked the visual in today’s video teaching. Seeing the things put in the jar, representing how I try to fill up my heart with the approval of men, bosses, people, food (a big one for me), work, but no matter how full the jar is, there are still so many empty places. THEN when Living Water is poured in, it completely fills up the jar (my heart). Seeing this made it so helpful. That is what The Lord wants to do, and only He can fill me completely. A lightbulb experience!
I love the video , and the illusttration of how we can not fill our hearts with things people and fill every place. We still have holes that sometimes seem so big that our hearts feel so empty. We have to empty our jar or our hearts and let God pour His spirit into us and we are totally satisfied with His unfailing love Our God os an awesome God
Turned my computer off and on and now the videos work!
Your video really spoke to me! For years I have fetl that there was something missing in my life. I was always wishing and praying for God to bring me someone to love and to whom I could give my love. God never provided this. I had relationships but never married. Four years ago my Mom fell ill and ultimately passed away. My Dad was in his late 80’s and could not live alone so I made a very difficult decision to move to Florida to take care of him. I was drawn to the church that my Mother had loved so much and I began going regularly. What a sense of peace and love I have felt since I began attending. What I realized was that God did bring me towards someone to love and to whom I could love….God filled my life with love, joy, peace and satisfaction that no other but HE could ever do.
I went through a “valley” a short time ago, looking for someone to befriend, be a prayer partner, sharpen one another, etc. God is faithful & was working in my heart, gently reminding me that He is enough! He alone fills my deepest longing & was I going to choose to be satisfied in Him? Realizing I had invested in others and we would be friends, just not the intimate level I craved, it was then my heart knew (yada) God is All. Now, it seems to be a season where others are sharing their appreciation of how God has used me in their lives! What a huge gift to my heart. God knows when to allow a “dessert” experience so we will totally enjoy the riches of His living water. Thanks for reminding us of Who He is!
Oh, Renee ~ Thank-you so much for this video. I am a very visual learner. I love the jar example. When you filled the jar with water ~ just like Jesus told Sam abt LIVING WATER ~ the water fills every place of that jar ~ and HIS living water fills every crack, crevice, hole, scar and tiny space in our hearts and lives. Your book and sharing have been a true light to me. I’ve walked with Jesus a l o n g time. However I have just been going thru a time of deep disappointment and heart-ache. This has been perfect for me to absorb at this time. I also truly believe in Gods’ time this will be life changing for someone very dear to me. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you.
Thank you Renee for this wonderful video (and the notes). This study is helping me to turn my thoughts to Christ and not my insecurities. Where you said some get tired and quit that is more like me. When I am in a group I tend to stay quiet because I feel what I have to say is never important enough for others to hear. Especially when I am mid sentence and they turn their attention elsewhere. They probably don’t mean anything by it but I have to work at not telling myself I am just dumb because I have done that most of my life and still feel that way sometimes. I feel like I am a not a deep thinker and by taking this study I am praying God will show me how to have the confidence I need.
Thank you for doing this study and all that you have put into it for us.
Staci I am with you too as for watching this video more times. I want this to sink deep into my heart now and forever
Hi Bonnie! I think you are wrong! You are a deep thinker and I read intently every word you said! Don’t ever think your thoughts are not important! You are a child of God! You have the mind of Christ! If someone turns their attention elsewhere while you are speaking, it’s their loss. They are missing out on a valuable message. Thanks for sharing. I’m praying God will bless you and keep you as you walk the path of this life with Him. Love you, dear sister.
Thank you Renee. This message really blessed me. I have found myself really looking to my fiance to help me be confident. I see him as my protector and safe place. I am realizing that he is losing patience with me at times because he feels I should have this confidence internally. I am starting to see what he really means is I should be looking to God for my peace and confidence rather than to the “gifts”. I really appreciate you putting these thoughts into a visual representation. Your words and your actions are really blessing me and I pray that I can apply this to my life and start depending in the Giver rather than the gifts for my self-confidence and my peace. Thank you again for speaking what God has laid on your heart so that I can be blessed as well as the many others in this study who needed to hear it!
It’s a hard lesson to learn for many and as one sister said, some of us have to learn it by losing those things we put too much hope in. Reading others’ posts made me realize something very important and that is, while I am learning to trust God to fill those empty places in MY life, many people that I encounter throughout my day are struggling and still looking for someone or something to fill them. God’s Spirit has reminded me to consider this, to have compassion for others…to reach out and share that love that fulfills and only comes from Him. Jesus, fill us up so that we will overflow and spill over to others around us, each and every day!