Some days my written words come easily. Other days I need to show and tell you what’s on my heart. Today is one of those days.
Please {like pretty please even if you don’t normally watch video posts} click the arrow below 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. 🙂
Today’s Giveaway:
Two friends of mine who serve behind the scenes and are part of our online study, [thank you Donna & Veronica] have donated copies of my book to giveaway today. Together we created 5 gift packs for 5 of you. Each one includes a copy of my book, A Confident Heart {for you or a friend?} and my testimony/teaching message on CD, Letting God Fill My Empty Places.
Let’s Connect {and how to enter today’s drawing}:
I’d love to hear your thoughts about today’s message… and this is an easy way to enter today’s giveaway too. Just click “share your thoughts” right below this post and do just that – share your thoughts. {I love to read them! And pray over you when I do.} I’ll be there reading and sharing my heart with you too.
For More Daily Encouragement join my Confident Heart Facebook page.
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Thank you so much! This is just what I needed at just the right time! God’s PERFECT timing, as usual 🙂 I am going through some struggles with my parents & siblings, and have been considered the outcast because of standing firm in my convictions. I have had such a difficult time letting go and moving forward. God has really been working on my heart and showing me that only HE can fill those empty spaces in my heart … Thank you so much for the reminder <3
Wow! What a great illustration! Beautifully done. I think that this is a lesson I seem to need to learn over and over. Just as I think I have this figured out, life changes a bit, and I’m placed in a position where I need to learn all over again that only God can fill my empty places. I’m amazed at how often I have prayed, “God, I know only You will completely satisfy me”, and yet how often I am disappointed when something I do or get doesn’t make me feel happy for long.
Thanks again for the reminder that only Jesus gives the water that fills us completely–no more empty places!
Thank you for sharing. I get off track from time to time. He is the only one that can truly satisfy.
Amazing illustration. Great encouragement to be mindful of our perspective.
Also, unrelated to the devotional. There is a problem on your website relating to your conference schedule sign up. How do I contact website support?
What a powerful message to make it easier to “see” this truth
Thank you Renee for another great video. The visuals definitely drove the point home! I was so excited, I shared your video with my Christian Singles Small Group. We are currently finishing a series on identity and dating and this fits perfectly with where we look for our confidence, our acceptance, and our identity. It is only God who defines us and who fills those empty spaces. God bless you!
The message really challenged me to see the reason why I have seasons of doing well in my marriage. The times, like now, when I find it hard to love unconditionally are the times that I am seeking my husbands approval and acceptance rather seeking God’s. When I seek God…I can give dispite being hurt, tired, or bombarded with hurt feelings. But the moment that I seek to fill a place designed only for God with worldly affection and approval, I faulter and begin to attempt to feast on that which will never fill or make me whole. K
Isn’t that the truth- about struggling to love our husbands back when we feel that they aren’t giving what we need if that is the ‘source’ we are looking to! I love that connection- that when I am letting God fill me, I will have SO much more to give in my relationships.
This was an amazing illustration, very true and clear. This hit home and gave me inspiration to seek God for fulfillment and not other things. This. Is what I needed. Thank you for giving me this word and message. I know will turn around and start allowing God to fill me with his living water.
Thank you for the “Video Message” notes! They do help this note-taker SO much, Renee! May God continue to help us re-prioritize what we fill up our hearts with. This video was great in clarifying that!!
This came on a morning when that longing for something more was causing an ache in my heart. God has given me everything I ever dreamed of, but of course, as life on earth goes, the fulfillment of each dream never seemed to match up to what I dreamed. From a husband to a house to children to position to things and food…my heart has searched for satisfaction from them all. But each gift He gave came with pain and suffering as well, and great trial in some aspect. Each gift would not fill me, but somehow leave me emptier feeling than before. So, I would think the answer was in the next goal or desire. Mind you, this is all while being His and attempting to follow Him. Now, I have lost the desire to dream, but still have that ache that longs a dream. I believe this devotional and the illustration was meant for me this morning. So God could SHOW me a picture of what I am doing. I know He has tried to tell me over and over, but this was a picture for me. Thank you for pointing me in such an obvious way to the hollow spaces within me and to the God who wants, (obviously or I wouldn’t have received this devotional or if I did I wouldn’t have been pressed to actually read it and then to go on to the video) fill all the empty spaces within that ache to be filled.
I’m asking God, what it is that I must take out of this very full ‘jar’ to make room for Him. I see pouring the Living Water into an already full jar. God’s offering fills in and around the pieces I have put in my life trying to ‘fill-up.’ But there is not room for the fullness of God. I have packed the well with obstacles. I am seeing that I must unpack to release those obstacles into God’s hands to receive the very thing I’m so aching to have. Empty is a good thing to offer up in order to make a way where there seems to be no way. I have not written comments before and don’t know if this will reach you, but I am grateful for the message God has sent me today.
Bless you, Sharon! So glad you are here and hope you’ll return!
I have never been happier since I started letting God fill those empty spaces….my desire is to show others how they can achieve that peace…..because it is amazing!
Thank you so much for this timely message. After a very difficult move to Texas with 6 kids, I have been searching for so many things to help fill up the emptiness I have been feeling. I know where to look, I have just lost that focus. Leaving family, friends and everything familiar left our whole family searching for happiness in things and activities rather than in our Creator. My husband and I have been working hard to refocus our family in the past few weeks. Your visual Is going to end up in our family devotional 🙂 thank you!
Thank you so much for your message Renee! How timely God is, always waiting for the perfect time just for us…that is how much He loves us! Your message and illustration could not have come at a better time for me. I’m closing the door to the fridge and the cabinets to fill me up(food) knowing that HE is the Only One that is able to do that! Praying for all those who have commented with their own “fill-ups”! What a blessing you all are at P31!
Dear Renee’…what a timely message this is. I was just sharing with a friend last night the “emptiness” they feel in the loss of a loved one. When I opened my e-mail this morning to find this message, I immediately thought of my friend and sent it to them. I had done a sermon in our church last month and some of the scripture I had used said God was not a respecter of persons…when we are in Him that there is neither Jew, nor Greek, male nor female….I reminded this person of this, because it is a “male” friend that I sent it to. And as I told him, even though this message was from a women’s group, designed for women, it was a timely message for him too….thank you…and it always “amazes” me “how” our God works!!! “He” is “oh so good!” Praise be to the King!! In His Love…:o)
Praise be!
Good morning ! Thank you for your message! God knows I need things right now in black and white and your message not only was that it was in color and spoke right too me! 🙂 how awesome is He! I do long to fill my empty spaces..I feel it’s on the tip of my tongue..although I go to God ALOT more than I used to I would love to visit about how to do this in my business and personal life…I keep talking,listening,waiting and such until He tells me. So in the mean time I’m glad I found proverbs 31 and your personal site as well! Your prayers are greatly appreciated! I look forward to tomorrow
The Lord sent your message to me today, in the most amazing way, at the most perfect time. For weeks He has been trying to get my attention by taking away the things I use to try to fill my empty spaces for example: my cell phone, (my connection to friends for affirmation)- mine fell in the toilet ruined, a friend gave me one to switch my number to and it couldn’t be switched for some unusual reason, I planned to buy a new one and the transmition on my truck went out – no money for new cell phone, so I switched to plan B my Nook & Laptop= my connection to pintrest, which is like virtual shopping and facebook for affirmation from friends and family! Only to have a freak power outage, only on our street, in whole the subdivision – no Internet with no power, I went to look for my Nook charger to take it over to my mothers and surf the web, it had completely fell apart, wires falling out of the adapter. No internet, no ability to charge the devices, no cell phone, no extra money to go out and by new replacements- Okay Lord, I guess I am finally listening-you have my attention!
So I finally sat in prayer and meditation yesterday and came to hear/realize the same words you spoke here, only to wake up this morning with an email from my “spirit friend”, with a link to Proverbs 31, where I saw this link, your link -my “reinforcement” message for the day! The Lord letting me know, I got it!! ( Followed by him saying “Now go DO something with this knowledge!”) I have some hurts to heal, forgive and pay attention to, but thank you for your words, video, and thank you for letting God speak through you, to me, today!
Thank you so much for this message. My husband and I are going through a trial right now. I am the more spiritual one and I am the one that (I feel) is closer to God, but I know that I’m not as close as I need to be. I know that I can always get closer. I would LOVE to have your book to help plant seeds in my heart that I don’t know I’m missing. I know God is filling my soul but I know that I’m not letting Him shine out of me like I need to. Maybe I’m not letting Him…
Thank you for your words. Thank you for Proverbs 31 Ministries. It has changed my life. I found you guys at just the right time in my life. God is really cool like that!! 🙂
This was a really good illustration. I have done this. I realize now that only God can satisfy me. I need to focus on him filling my jar and not anything else. Thank you for this video.
Thank you for sharing your heart to help me heal mine. This clip was very powerful for me as I am a bible study table leader with 9 women looking to me for guidance and I am battling my own struggle with self worth so I have been seeking Him and His word. He led me to this clip today to remind me of who I am in Him and all that I long for with unconditional love can be met simply and completely in Him. Thanks so much for being an inspiration to me so I an share this with others! May you have a very blessed Mother’s day!