Welcome to my NEW website!! I’m so glad you stopped by today! If you found your way here from the Proverbs 31 Ministries invitation to join us on The 7-day Doubt Diet, click here for more details or simply sign up in my sidebar.
If you’re visiting after reading my P31 devotion, “When Worry Makes Me Wonder”, thanks for hopping over. In my devotion, I shared how a few years ago I felt like I was suffocating under everything that was going on in my life. Have you ever been there?
Slowly, I let worry weave it’s way into my thoughts and wear me down. Eventually, I came to a point where I was exhausted and ready to resign from just about everything…life, ministry, etc.
I ran out of fuel and felt like I didn’t have enough energy to handle all of my roles, relationships and responsibilities.
I also ran out of faith. I started doubting my ability to to hear God clearly and to do all I assumed He wanted me to do.
All my worries started making me weary. And they made me wonder… I wondered if I could manage my life. I wondered if God noticed and cared about all I was doing for Him, and others. And I wondered why God wasn’t doing something to make my life easier.
One day I was reading in Luke 10 and noticed Martha felt the same way. She couldn’t get everything done and it was making her come undone. That day I noticed something. She went to Jesus. Yes she was freaking out, but she went to Him about it.
And she asked Him the same question I’d been asking in my heart:‘Lord, don’t you care?
“She came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care?that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’” Luke 10:40b (NIV)
And how did Jesus respond to Martha’s doubts and demands? “’Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’” (NIV)
I knew God wanted the same for me. He did care. He did notice. He’d left a note for me right there in scripture to show me what was going on in my own heart. And He’s done the same for you.
I sensed He wanted me to come to Him and talk to Him, instead of talking to myself (in my head) which only made me worry more. And when I did come to Him with my concerns, He replaced my thoughts with His thoughts. He replaced my worries with His peace.
Some days I needed to do more than pray. I needed to give my worries to Him. So I wrote them down on index cards and put them under a cross I have next to my bedside. Physically placing them there, and giving them to Jesus was so powerful.
I also looked up promises in scripture to replace my worries and doubts. I found verses like Psalm 55:22 that says: “Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you…” (NLT) I also found 1 Peter 5:7 that reminded me: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” (NLT)
We need God’s presence and the promise of His care as a dwelling place for our hearts. And on those days when we we just can’t do it all and we wonder if God notices how hard we’re trying, He wants us to know He notices and He does care. He cares about us and He loves taking care of us and all that concerns us, too.
I’ve got a list of “Peace-giving Promises I’d love to share with you on my FREE resources page. And I’d love to pray for you today, too. Be sure to leave “share your thoughts” below and let me know one worry you want to leave with Jesus and I’ll pray for that concern. And also be sure to enter my drawing for my “Contagious Confidence” Give-aways.
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Peace-Giving Promises GIVE-AWAY!
In my book, A Confident Heart, I share in chapter 9 how we can turn our fear-filled thinking into faith-filled believing and stop Satan from stealing the confident peace that’s meant to be ours in Christ. Today, I’m giving away 5 copies of A Confident Heart to ONE of you – along with a Free “Confident Heart” Q&A Conference Call. That way you can gather some friends to go through the book together and we can talk about it if you want to! And, because I want more than one winner, I’m giving away 2 more Advanced copies to another one of you, too.
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I would love for you to join me in sharing God ‘s peace-giving promises today! Here are a few things you can do to enter today’s give-aways:
1. Share this post or a link to the “Peace-giving Promises via email, Twitter, your blog or Facebook. Let’s encourage as many women as we can and disarm the enemy from his weapon of worry. My “Tell a Friend” buttons below makes it really easy.
2. Sign up for the 7-day Doubt Diet (if you haven’t already) and invite friends too! It includes a week’s worth of devotions with more powerful promises, personal encouragement and scripture-based prayers to help you lose the weight of worry and doubt so you can gain a confident heart!
3. Sign up for my email updates in the little box at the top of my website to receive news on give-aways, free resources, blog posts and more! I’ve got all kinds of announcements coming up!
Leave a comment by clicking “Share Your Thoughts” below and tell me how I can pray for you. Also, let me know which or all of these you are doing to share God’s peace-giving promises today. Your comment will enter you into the drawings. I’ll announce the winner on Monday, July 18th!
And be sure to download your copy of more “Peace-giving Promises. “
“My one worry I want to leave with Jesus” is my daddy’s current battle with cancer. This is his second battle with an entirely different battle with cancer. He is currently at mid-point of his chemo and having complications with it. Please pray the Lord heals him completely of cancer and destroys all the cancer cells in his body and gives him many more years of live. Thank you. love you.
Renee,
My life is such turmoil these days i don’t know what to do other than to pray. My marriage of 21 years is falling apart. We have had a wonderful marriage until 2 years ago when i went through a major depression and he couldn’t handle it so he started having an affair 10 months ago. He has been back and forth wanting to work on our marriage but when he would find out that he would actually have to work on our marriage and earning my trust again he would leave saying that i was trying to control him etc. He has once again left our family (we have 4 children 19, 16, 13 and 6) and resumed talking to the other woman. I pray constantly just to make it through the day. I pray for strength for me, comfort for my children, for God’s will to be done and for my Husband to be humbled by God so that he will realize that Jesus is the only way to turn his life around even if he never comes back home. Please pray for our family when you can. In Christian Love,
Shannon
I find myself caught up in the midst of worry about so many things, and so often, that I’m ashamed of my fear and doubt. I tell myself, “if I’m truly saved by God’s grace, shouldn’t I have more faith? More peace?” then I start worrying that somehow my heart isn’t true and that I am fooling myself – that I’m not even really saved.
My fears have plagued me throughout my life, starting with smaller things as a young girl, and have moved on to bigger and “better” worries now that I’m an adult with children of my own.
I would like to ask for prayers that I can accept God’s grace and embrace his promise of peace to those who believe in Him.
Thank you for your book and your devotionals – I look forward to reading them!
Hi Renee Don’t know if I should be on here since I’m a guy but I have been plagued by all the things you have mentioned. I have been struggling with divorce,finances,and doubt(just the tip of the iceberg). However God has been merciful to me and I have claimed some of his promises but would like to claim them all and hear his voice clearly. I know guys are supposed to be strong but we get overwhelmed also. I often ask people to pray for me because i believe that the more people praying for you the better,and that the prayer of a righteous man availeth much,but also because i doubt and feel unworthy of Gods’ love. Rod
Renee –
just wanted to let you know sister, you have hit the nail on the head with this book. You have hit a homerun in honor of our baseball fans (Go St. Louis Cardinals). Thanks for writing this for allowing God to use you in this totally honest telling of a woman and her confidence and/or lack of confidence.
Yes, you are stepping on toes, we know we are fearfully and wonderfully made, why can’t our hearts follow suit?
Oh….thank you from the bottom of my heart for this book. I would like to know your thoughts on using it for Bible Study? I am trying to figure out how can I use this book in Wed night studies? The doubt-diet has been so helpful as well. Just had to tell you, this was just what I needed.
God Bless you!
I am doing the 7 day doubt with you. I am on day 5. I just give my life to the Lord July 12th, 2011. I went out with some friends Saturday night. knowing it was the wrong thing to do, but went anyway. I drunk some and later that night I got a D.W.I. I sat around all day Sunday didnt go to church and pretty much beat myself up. But today (Monday) I got up with a different atttitude and repented. Always heard you’re never a failure until you give up. I am not giving up. Just need prayers PLEASE!!!
I am doing this all today! Please pray for me to keep my eyes on God and to not give up in the daily struggles and to look at these struggles as blessings. Thank you for your posts everyday!
Hi Renee! I really enjoyed the devotionals. God has blessed you with the ability to give others hope and peace through your gift of writing. I’m struggling with finding full time employment, so please pray for me. I know that God has a plan for me, so I will continue to pray and ask God for guidance. I will never lose faith!
Many thanks and blessings!
I came across this devotional today after just dropping off my four kids on a mission trip. Talk about timing. I am trying so hard to not worry. Thanks for reminding me to put off my Martha thoughts and crawl back onto Jesus’ lap. Trust is a hard endeavor for me but I know it leads to His Peace. So thank you. I look forward to your 7 day doubt diet devotional.
This website came to me at the exact time I have needed it. I am so full of worry about some things in my life, two in particular, I am waiting on an answer to my son’s schooling with financing and I am also praying that the Lord will give us favor in a real estate deal gone bad and that we find our perfect home soon. I am a thinker/worrier and also tyoe A personality to letting go and letting GOD is not always easy for me. I have done all of the above to not only enter for the books but because I need PEACE. Please pray for me.!!!
I have been a pastor’s wife and a missionary and found myself in uncharted waters as I am now divorced. I never planned for this nor did I see it coming. I just knew that God would bring us back together…wouldn’t that bring Him the most glory? But it has not happened and does not look like it will. Through all of this, I have found myself second guessing my decisions, afraid to make new ones and trying to faithfully walk daily w/ him…not realizing the negative thoughts that I have, until I find myself in the land of doubt instead of peaceful faith. I look forward to reading your book as so many books are out there from the counselor’s point of view, but few allow God to be the counselor through His Word. I look forward to receiving your book. Only those who have encountered these doubts/negative thoughts and have come through them can share with others the way up and out! Thank you for sharing your journey and the promises you claimed!
With a son deployed and a daughter going through a messy divorce in another state, I need God’s peace! Doubt has overtaken all in my world right now. I did all three – I so desperately need this right now. Thank you!
God promises to provide for all of our needs.Praise God for a roof over my head when so many are homeless. Praise God for a job when so many are without work. Praying for food to eat this week for myself & my 11yr old son. My heart breaks as we had to have a conversation today about how we are not going to starve this week, but that he may feel hunger as we won’t have enough for him to eat as much as he is used to. He was born blind and lost significant hearing between kindergarten & 1st grade. While many would see these things as difficulties God has provided for all our needs along this journey. I praise God for these very real life teaching moments of trusting in Him for our every need as our a/c has decided on the hottest week of the summer to break down. There are so many more in our world today that don’t have food to stretch to make it last a week or shelter or jobs so I am counting my blessings. The Lord is good!
I am excited to do the 7-Day Doubt Diet devotions by email but did not receive Day 1 and Day 2. I did receive the introduction and Chapter 1 of “A Confident Heart” on July 15th and then received Day 3 early this morning (7/17/11). Thank you for making this wonderful resource available to us! God’s peace be with you!
“When I find myself standing in the shadow of doubt, I ask Jesus to show me what triggered my emotions. Then I process that trigger point through the filter of God’s perspective and promises. I ask Him to show me what lie I believe that needs to be replaced with His truth. I then ask Him to change the way I’m thinking, which changes the way I’m feeling, and eventually transforms the way I’m living.” Loved this entry!
Thank you, Renee, for sharing with us from your heart, and reaching out to us so that we, too, can get to that place where God intended us get to. For years, I have been running like a gerbil on my own wheel of life, and not getting to a final and blessed destination. All of my adult life I have been listening to lies from my past, from my childhood and even now, in my own present reality, without questioning it and wondering why I always felt like I could not attain that life that Jesus died to give me. This has been a great revelation to me, and I thank you for bringing it to the forefront with your own experiences and your own doubts. God bless you!
All my worries started making me weary. And they made me wonder… I wondered if I could manage my life. I wondered if God noticed and cared about all I was doing for Him, and others. And I wondered why God wasn’t doing something to make my life easier. I couldn’t have said it any better than you did. I’m feeling the same way and don’t know how to snap out of it. Without going into a long story I’m having feelings of rejection.
Hi Renee:
I am a 51 year old female who has been thrown away by society and I have given up all hope. Some days are better than others mostly bad though. I have been blessed by your series of articles from your book A Confident Heart and it has helped me become stronger each day now with a desire to live. I have been unemployed for over 2 years and have lost all hope. I PRAY that I will WIN a copy of your book because I would love to win it all I would purchase it but I have no funds available I’m sitting here now hoping for some kind of financial blessing to keep my utilities on this month I have been selling things on Ebay but this month so far I have sold nothing. PLEASE PRAY FOR A JOB FOR ME OR SOME KIND OF FINANCIAL BLESSING. Thank you for the devotions so far. Connie Hall
i would love to be included in the A Confident Heart give-away. i am an unemployed single mom so i have no money but i would love a copy of your book. So i will be praying that my name gets picked. Thank you so much for all your words, thoughts, and prayers. I am so thankful God lead me to your website. Michelle Dove
Renee thanks so much for this devotion. Sometimes I wonder if I am spiritual at all. I’m definitely insecure in those ways. But in your devotion you talking about just allowing God to lead my thoughts and not me. I truly feel I am in a fog because of everything I have gone through in the past 3 years. I mean my marriage is over in which I am definitely over that, but just the thought that I have been with him for 20 years, but yet I feel he never cared about me at all!! well fast forward to now I am at peace at where I am in my life but feel stagnet, and always worried about finances, my son is going to college.; So here is my prayer request that I will surrender to God all my thoughts, actions etc. Pray that in finances I will glorify God and not myself . That I will align my thoughts with God’s will and not my own. Thanks again!!
Hey 🙂 I have signed up for the daily emails, andthe 7 day diet!! Thank you so much for this contest!! I look forward to my Proverbs 31 daily devotionals in my mail box everyday!! I have been traveling down a path of brokeness for the past year and seprated myself from God and the ones I love. I just recentley woke up from my “Fog” and recommited my life to the Lord. I am so blessed to have a God, family and friends that didnt give up on me. <3
MY FRIEND SENT ME THE 7 DAY DOUBT DIET…I AM ON DAY 3 AND AM JUST SO EXCITED ABOUT IT ALL…AT THE SAME TIME MY MIND IS RACING BECAUSE THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I NEED NOW. EVEN OUR PASTOR IS SPEAKING ON OUR MIND. I AM TAKING A BIBLICAL COUNSEL TRAINING COURSE AND WE ARE FOCUSING ON DOUBTS/LIES/SELF…THIS IS A PERFECT DEVOTIONAL TO COMPLIMENT MY STUDIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I HAVE SIGNED UP AND WANT TO READ MORE. IT IS SUMMER SO I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET UP EARLY AND SPEND THE COOL MORNINGS WITH THE LORD. I HAVE ADDED YOU TO MY DEVOTIONAL TIME. I LEARN BY WRITING SO I HAVE BEEN TAKING LOTS OF NOTES. I AM JUST SO THANKFUL FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS. I HAVE A COUNSELOR WHO HAS BEEN WORKING WITH ME ON WHAT IS THE LIES I HAVE BEEN BELIEVING AND WHAT IS THE TRUTH. AGAIN THIS IS WONDERFUL AND I HAVE FORWARDED THIS DAYS DEVOTIONAL TO HER. THANKS SO MUCH…..JAVENE
PS…i type in CAPS cause it is faster for me and easier to see…LOL….i am not yellin at ya…have a BLESSED DAY….
I love getting your emails everyday! And I love your new “home”! You are so very talented and anointed! I did the 7-Day Doubt Diet a few weeks ago with the first round of emails, oh my how they touched and checked my heart! I am going through a major season of doubt, fear and worry!! I have days I don’t know how I get through with a smile on my face. Thank you for opening yourself up and allowing God to use you! I have followed you for a while now and I have been so blessed by all your writings! No matter how I get it, I will own a copy of A Confident Heart!! This book was writen for me!!
Much love and prayers!
Juanita
I am enjoying you sight already. I just found it yesterday and it is wonderful and I plan on sharing this with some of my friends. Please pray for me as I try to downsize again to a smaller place. My granddaughter has lived with me for the past 3 years as her and her step dad have disowned her because she spoke up on things he was doing now she is finally ready to try living on her own. Still is going through the court system to prosecute him but it is a long journey she has not seen her siblings for 3 yrs now there are 5 other children in the home. I long to understand why my daughter chose him over her own child who was a victim. Then my son looks like he is moving out he may of found work in Ohio. So it will just be my husband of 42 years and me. I pray we don’t get lost in the empty nest.
Renee,
I receive the P31 Devotionals every day and just signed up for the Doubt Diet as well. What an encouragement the devotions are to me! When I read about A Confident Heart I called my husband at work and told him all about your book and how I can’t wait for it to hit the shelves! I’m super excited about getting your email updates as well. I would like for you to pray for guidance I have a 12 year old daughter and I know this is a crucial time in her life. I want her to continue with her love for the Lord and just bloom! Thank you for offering to take time out of your busy schedule to pray for me!
Christy from Ohio
A friend of mine shared the 7 Day Doubt Diet with me. After much procrastination I downloaded chapter one and read it. I immediately ordered my copy of the book and shared it on facebook! I have signed up for your email, want to purchase the Shaped with Purpose set because like you, I shutter when asked the question if money was not an issue , what would you want to do with your life? What makes you come to life? What are your passions and dreams…..ugh the difference between you and me is that in November I will be 55! It seems my life has been hit with doubt the most in the last 8 years. I have been through 2 nasty church splits, lost my dear sister, lost my dad and because of some things I cannot discuss I have had to stop sharing life with a friend who I know was a gift from God to me. ( It’s complicated) Life just hasn’t turned out like I always thought it would. With all of these things , my heart took some deep hits and the enemy came in like a flood to tell me that I wasn’t enough, that I can’t do it, that “word ” was not for me……etc. However it seems like forever that i have struggled with this and it seems be getting worse …….like cancer eats away at the body, this eats away at the soul. I have wanted to give up many times…but God! So I am going to do all that you ask us to do to get in the drawing. I know I am not the only one who needs this. I do pray for God to pick the winner…
This was a divine appointment from the Lord. Thank you..it was strange to see words that I have thought put down on your pages. Thank you Renee…Cheryl / Spencer WV
I signed up for the doubt diet. Please pray for my mother whose dementia causes many fears and doubt.
I love the 7 Day Doubt Diet Devotion but somehow I missed getting the first day is there away to find it or get it sent to me. I thought I had signed up for it before it started. I love this devotion and look forward to getting the book A Confident Heart. Thanks Deanna Myers.