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Renee Swope

Encouraging and equipping moms to parent with God's grace and confidence.

Living “Loved”

I have something really important to tell you today. Lean in close. Really let this get past your self-doubts and into those assurance-seeking places in your heart…

God is absolutely crazy about you!
Yes you. The beautiful one sitting there looking at the screen.

I know it’s hard to believe sometimes, but it’s true. You fill God’s heart with absolute joy and every day you take His breath away with your smile.

Just a slight glance in His direction makes Him pause. He loves the unique way you do things. He really enjoys watching others love on you and bring out His best in you. And He’s not critical of your mistakes like you sometimes think, or waiting for you to do something productive. He simply delights in you because you are His. And that is enough.

It took me 20 years to understand and 10 more years to truly believe this was the reality of God’s love for me. The same was true for my friend Sheri Rose Shepherd who I’ve asked to be a girlfriend guest blogger with us today. Like many of you, I’ve been blessed by God’s words written through her, so today I’m giving away a copy of her book, “His Princess.“ More about that in a minute.

Sheri Rose is a woman who can relate to almost any woman’s battle. A former Mrs. United States, she grew up in a dysfunctional home and was severely overweight as a teen. As a young woman, she battled depression and an eating disorder. In spite of an English teacher telling her she was “born to lose” and a learning disorder—Dyslexia—Sheri Rose has (in God’s strength) become a Best Selling and award-winning author. Sheri Rose is also an internationally known speaker and Bible life coach.

Today, in my devotion on P31 and Crosswalk, I shared about God’s lavish love for us and how He wants us to live “loved” because we are. Then I asked Sheri Rose to share with us what she believes is the most important thing for women to know, so we can grasp the depth of God’s love for us. Here is what she said:

People often ask me, “How did you break free from your painful past and the lies and learn to embrace truth.” To be honest, I still have to fight the lies I’ve believed about myself. It seems to be the battle each woman I have met faces.

Many of us have experienced what I call “Spiritual Identity Theft.” We’ve somehow lost our confidence in who we are in Christ, and we feel worthless or wounded by someone’s words.Others of us hold in our hearts a false identity. We believe a lie about ourselves and we have allowed that lie to define us.

I understand what it is like to feel worthless and walk with a wounded heart from hurtful words. Perhaps you’re just recognizing the root of the lie you have been living in.Maybe it was hurtful words spoken to you by a father or mother, brother or sister, teacher, boyfriend or husband. Maybe it was an employer who thoughtlessly felt like dumping lies on you.

I don’t think those hurtful words are easily forgotten but I do know healing and wholeness can become reality in our lives when we learn how to embrace God’s truth.You do not have to let others’ hurtful words define you anymore. They did not give their life, as Jesus did, to prove your worth. We are Daughters of the King of Kings whether we feel like it or not.

Let me be a spiritual mentor and give you the three keys to unlocking lies and finding your true identity, I call it “a truth makeover.”

1. Know the Truth. You Are…

  • Chosen By God (John 15:16)
  • A New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
  • Holy and Pure (1 Peter 2:9)
  • A Trophy of His Grace (Ephesians 2:8)
  • His Princess Warrior (2 Timothy 4:7)
  • His Beloved Bride (Psalm 45:11)

2. Speak The Truth…
Whenever a lie is spoken to you or a lie enters your mind, speak this Truth out loud…
“That is a lie. My worth is not in what anyone else says about me or what I feel at the moment.”

3. Fast Off Speaking Lies
Try a seven-day fast by not speaking anything negative about yourself or repeating any lies that have been spoken over you or about you. If possible, ask a friend to hold you accountable to speak only truth.

4. Read this Love Letterfrom God:
My Chosen Daughter,You are royalty even when you don’t feel like a princess. How you feel about yourself will never change the truth of who you are in Me. You are My treasure, and I have chosen you. If you ever begin to doubt your significance, just look to the cross and remember I gave my life to prove your worth. I see your heart and I know you fight to find truth. So start by recognizing who I am: the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and your Daddy in heaven. Saturate yourself in My truth and you will discover how loved and treasured you are.

Love, Your Lord who is Truth

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Thank you Sheri for sharing your heart and God’s amazing love with us today. And thank you for so generously giving away2 FREE Bible Life-coaching sessions! What a huge blessing for one of our girlfriends that gather here today. And there is more!


Living Loved Give-away

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To enter to win, click on the word “comments” below this post, and type in the white box. Sheri Rose and I would love to know your first name, your age, where you are from, who you will invite to do the Bible life-coaching sessions with you or who you’d give the extra of my message on CD to. Please be sure to sign up for email updates in my right sidebar (so you will know if you win), or leave your email in your comment so we can notify you. I’ll announce the winner next Monday, March 7th.

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Comments

  1. You bring comfort to my heart, sister. I wish we lived closer to one another; we could bask in God's love for us together!

    It is a hard concept to learn, practice, receive. To know that we are loved and then to believe it. I've messed up so many times in my life, feeling isolated from God because of my sin. I want to live better; to love better. To be so wrapped up in the heart of the Father, thus allowing him his work in me and through me.

    Thanks for joining me on the road in this season. I greatly appreciate your kind words of encouragement. You are a beautiful blossom in God's kingdom!

    peace~elaine

  2. My name is Kerri and I am 40 years old. I am from Binghamton, NY. If I won the coaching and CDs, I would share them with my cousin Tracy. She and I have been going through the Made to Crave journey together. We have been encouraging one another, supporting one another and praying for one another. Thank you so much for this beautiful post and for offering the contest.

  3. My name is Vivian and I am 60 years old and reside in VA. I would share the cd with my church friends/ladies Bible study and the book with my sister-in-law in PA who recently lost her brother and had to have her mother taken to a nursing home for 24 hour care. Thanks for sharing and encouraging me.

  4. computer just wants to do its own thing, I wasn't done. God bless you guys richly for your ministries to encourage and pray for us. Thank you for loving Jesus and doing His Will.

  5. Greetings in our loving Lord Jesus.
    My name is Brenda Manning, I'm 32yrs old and I live in Gallup, NM. I am a native american from the Navajo tribe. All my life I've struggled with love-receiving and giving it. When I thought I was beginning to understand God's love for me, I was hurt, betrayed and abandoned all over again. God is speaking to me about depending on people's love will always fail me and that I need to start depending on His love which will NEVER fail me. Just today I have surrendered the lies of love to Him and made a decision to receive God's love for me and to live loved from this day forward. To put His truths into my heart and believe His truths about love and not put my trust in people's love anymore. If I receive the coaching or cds I will share them with the women on the Navajo reservation who are blinded by abuse of every kind from the One True Love, Jesus.

  6. hi my name is rose and i am 46 years old and from Baltimore. i would love to win this and give the 2nd one to my daughter. thank you and may God bless you.

  7. Hi Renee. I am 44 years old would love to share the Bible life-coaching sessions and cd with a lady from my Bible study table at church. Thanks for offering this giveaway!

  8. Hi Renee. I am 44 years old and would love to offer this free Bible life-coaching session and extra cd to someone at our Bible Study group table who could definitely benefit from them – almost as much as I could!

    Thanks for offering this giveaway.

  9. I'm Angela, 36, and in desparate need of any reminder that God is at work for me right now. I live in ND…where it's cold!

  10. This devotional is such a God thing for me. Just today I went and bought me a small spiral notebook so I could write verses about God's love. I have felt myself believing lies lately. I am 37 years old and live in Georgia. I would share the life coaching with my friend Malissa. Thank you!

  11. I am 51, live in Texas, and feel I am on a roller coaster ride that will not stop. Each day I look forward to reading the devotionals I receive from Proverbs 31. I know God has something there just for me. So many times we give it to God and just keep taking it back.

    To be totally honest, I would have to search my heart, ask God to help me with the decision who to share these wonderful give aways with. I know several girlfriends who are in their own trial. Each person's trial is "huge" to them as it is their own personal situation.

    I thank God for women such as you who He has given the talent to share and are willing to share their hurts with others. Thank you both for being Jesus' hands and feet in this very troubled world.
    Dierdre

  12. Thank you for the encouragement today..I would share the CD and coaching with my niece, who is getting married in June. She needs to know that God loves her deeply, and she doesn't have to always be the center of everyone's attention. I truly enjoy your devotions! I am 51, and a worship leader in my church in Illinois, so I know how important it is to share with everyone that God loves them…no matter what!
    Dori Cox
    [email protected]

  13. Hi Renee and Sheri… Thanks so much sharing God's Love Letter to me today. I really needed to hear it. My name is Paula. I'm 44 and I live in Wisconsin. Just recently moved here with my husband and my dad. My dad passed away last week and even though my heart and mind knows He's with the Lord now, it's so hard to realize that my dad is not here to love me like He's always been. He's been the one constant person in my life that has shown me that I am special and valued. I miss him so much.

    Thanks for bringing my eyes back to our Heavenly Father Who is the One true love of my life and reminding me that I am His always.

    I'm not positive who I would share the 2 week life coach thing with, I've never done anything like it so I'm not sure what it is. Part of me would love to give it to my daughter seeing how we both are aching with the passing of my dad/her poppa. Same with the CD, I think. I'm not sure if she'd be willing to try it, but I guess if it happens then I'll leave those details in His Hands too to open her heart to hear Him again and the love He has for her.

    Thanks so much for your encouragement and love! God is clearly using you for building His Kingdom!

  14. My name is Tina. I live in Ohio and will be 40 this summer. I really enjoyed this blog post. And would love to share the coaching or CDs with my close friend.

  15. I am 51 and my name is Patricia.I live in Maryville, TN. I have been blessed with raising five beautiful children. three are grown now and married, but I still have a 17 year old and a 10 year old at home. I also have three beautiful grandchildren ages 8, 4, and 9 months. I would give the second bible coaching session to my eldest daughter who just got married November 6. She has walked with the Lord from when she was little, but I believe she would welcome this gift. She invited me to a women's luncheon at her church where I was blessed to learn about this Proverbs 31 devotional site.

  16. My name is Karen, I am 44 and live near Kalamazoo. Your devotion, Renee, really touched a deep place within me. I needed that reminder, the fact that He loves me not because I'm doing anything for Him but simply because I am His. I'm having a hard time lately wrapping my head around the fact that He can take and interest in me, amongst the billions of people on this earth, let alone love me regardless of what I do or don't do and many other things. So I clicked on the link to your blog where I read the list of who I am in Christ. Thank you for that. Thanks to Sheri also. It was a very meaningful message for me. So, on to the giveaway: the CD I would give to my mother-in-law; she is a constant worrier. The coaching is a more difficult choice. One of my 3 oldest and dearest friends or a very special young woman I've known for her lifetime & have been very close to.

    Again, many thanks for sharing the truths we so desperately need to hear.

  17. I would invite Melanie for coaching and give the extra copy of the CD to my 14 year old son who struggles with anxiety and OCD.

  19. I would share the gifts with my friend Nancy, she has a hard time letting go of past hurts and I'm always trying to get her to see that it is ok to let go She's also going through some tough times and I try to get her to give it up to God.

  20. My name is Brandie and I am 34 from Indiana. Amazing! That is all I can really say. Sheri and Renee you have truly turned the light on for me! Thank you! It is hard to see that you are loved, when you don't love yourself or are struggling with finding who you are. I am slowly getting there, but I deal with constant head chatter on how I could do so much better. I am a work in progress, but I am getting there! Again, thank you for this post!