Have you ever gotten that awful pit-in-your-stomach feeling after finding out you let someone down?
It felt like the wind had been knocked out of me as I read through an email from a client, sent to my manager and forwarded to me, describing how I had let some details fall through the cracks on a project.
A horrible sense of discouragement and embarrassment moved in for the kill.
In the past, I would have welcomed my uninvited critical thoughts to stay a while, resigned to the fact that I must be unable to do anything right!
But not this time; too many hurtful experiences had taught me to recognize failure as an opportune time for my opponent, the devil, to devour me with feelings of inadequacy and shame. This enemy is bent on making me believe that when my best isn’t good enough, I’m not good enough.
Fortunately, times of pain have also included hours of poring over God’s promises, gathering wisdom to deal with this unwelcome intruder. I have learned to be alert to the devil’s schemes and ready to stand against them. In 1 Peter 5:8-9, Peter tells us how:
“Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour. Be firm in the faith and resist him, knowing that other believers throughout the world are going through the same kind of suffering” (1 Peter 5:8-9).
After reading the email and letting my thoughts run wild for a few minutes, I knew I had to clear my mind. I asked the Holy Spirit to help me un-clutter my thoughts with the clarity of truth from logistical, circumstantial and spiritual points of view….
Read the rest of this story and what happened in my Encouragement for Today on the Proverbs 31 Ministries blog. But BEFORE YOU go…
ENTER to WIN a Fall Book-Bundle
I’m giving away 3 Fall Book-Bundles
including my Confident Heart Devotional and Lysa TerKeurst’ new best-selling
book, The Best Yes! I’m giving away 3 bundles that include a copy of each book
plus a fall-scented candle from Bath & Body Works!
How to ENTER: She your thoughts about today’s devotion OR how you’ve walked through needing to remember your best is in good enough in God’s eyes even when it’s not good enough in the eyes of others.
Just click SHARE your THOUGHTS below this post and you’ll be entered to win.
{If you are reading this via email, PLEASE click here to ENTER}
Happy Fall Ya’ll!
Discover more from Renee Swope
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The Lord’s been working on this with me for the last several years. He’s been trying to teach me to keep my eyes fixed on Him; to look to Him to get all my needs met and not to look to or rely on anyone else but Him. It’s such a hard lesson to be learning. I find so much encouragement in scripture where it talks about how much God loves me, how He wants the very best for me, that I’m created in His image.
I know n my head God’s grace is for me, but my motions and mind tend to run wild with my failure and my perfectionist standards that are not from my Heavnly Father. Thank you for being real and your faithfulness to share how much God truly loves us in the middle of our mess. 🙂
I am so grateful for you and your ministry. The Lord has used your book and blog to challenge me and help me many times….that includes this devotion. The Lord showed me that I am giving Satan room to discourage me when I don’t keep my mind fixed on Him and His Word . Blessings to you and your family.
Renee –
I love your thoughts/posts. It is so easy to fall prey to negative/former ways of thought and feel as if you are being devoured. One tool I used was to carry verses of truth with me in my pockets wherever I went so that whenever I needed to combat the lies, the truth was right at hand. It also aided in my memorizing several vereses.
Thanks for sharing your heart.
Sherrri Woodbridge
It seems no matter how much time passes between my visits here, When I return, the devotion for that day seems to be directed at me…Speaking deeply to my heart & soul….Thank you, I desperately need all the encouragement I can get….
Good morning:
I’m currently reading “A Confident Heart” and enjoying it tremendously. It is so appropriate and hits so many areas in my own life. My purpose for entering your giveaway is actually to “give it away” to another. So many hurting women out there.
thanks for sharing your thoughts and your life
Thank you for sharing this. I often feel like I am not good enough and have let everyone around me down. I now see I need to look at my committments and schedule and see what is really important and what can be cut. And God does not call us to live our lives as failures….we are daughters of the King. Just wish I could remember that all the time. 🙂
I think as women we are especially hard on ourselves. We have to be so many things to so many people….wife, mother, daughter, employee …its a full cup for sure. I know I am hard on myself. I recently failed on a project at work and I beat myself up all day. My boss was respectful about the issue and moved on. Not me I couldn’t move on….failure set in. I spent the day questioning if this was a sign I should be doing something else with my life. I know this for sure, with God there is always forgiveness and thankfully, second and third and fourth…..chances to get it right!!! We are not perfect because then we wouldn’t need God…thats his way for us to need him and to stay connected. We look outside ourselves for answers and only need to look inward to God!
I needed to hear this truth today. Thanks for sharing . Doubt and fear make us judge ourselves harshly
Thanks for the encouragement! I often feel not good enough – as a mother, as a friend, as a disciple, as a worker…appreciate the reminder that in God’s eyes, I am more than good enough. I am His.
I think as women it is so easy for us to try and make it look like we have it all together, at least for me this is true. It is when I begin taking on more than Ican handle and striving for perfectionism and not simply relying on the Lord that I find myself in these situations. I have never stopped to think about though how this gives the devil a perfect chance to feed lies into my life. Thanks for the reminder.
I am the new women’s ministry leader at my church and this truth is something I will need to remember – that my best is good enough in God’s eyes. Praying I’ll always be giving my best to God and his people. Thank you!
My heart so wants to be affirmed by other but I am learning that other people are flawed and can never really affirm me. My affirmation comes from Christ
God is so ‘on time’! Just this morning I was crying (real tears) to God ….why do I struggle with losing weight… I’m so stupid for not getting it. Losing weight is great for everyone else but elusive to me. I then opened the Bible randomly to:
1 Peter 3: 3-4 3 What matters is not your outer appearance – the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes – 4 but your inner disposition.
God reminded me he loves every part of me, top to bottom, inside and out. This encouraged me to take another step forward instead of wallowing in self-pity. God is so ‘on time’!
Thank you Renee for these encouraging words. God knows when we need encouragement and His timing is always on time! I am and have been going through tough times at work for quite a while now. I have been demoted and my salary cut quite a bit, I am back to where I was 12 years ago, but expected to do the same work. I know that I am not the only one who experiences this and that God is in control and I am thankful I still have a job and benefits. It is just hurts when push yourself to please your boss, everything is placed on your shoulders and you have to ask for approval that you did a good job. Satan is a liar and he and his demons are working overtime on our minds. We just have to remember to pray and turn our eyes on Jesus! God will protect and provide what we need. Thank you again for your devotion today! I needed it!
I seen to be reassured, daily that I am good enough. Because of an abusive childhood, I isolated myself, even from my own children, causing them great pain. As I heal, my oldest does not forgive, tells people I am dead. So through scripture and c devotionals, I am reminded I am good enough, always, a chosen daughter of a King
This devotion touched me in so much that I printed out so that I can be reminded of God’s promises. I have always compared myself to others which in turn just knocked me down more each time. As I have been reading all your devotions it is helping me to take God’s word and replace it with the doubts and fears of satans lies. Not always easy and I still have my pity parties but with God HE picks me up and helps me to learn and move forward. I am so blessed to be on this mailing list. Thanks to all of you who share your hearts and God’s word with me. God bless each of you.
I think we must think of those of you who share and bare your souls with all of us as super human? All of you who are called to this – thank you! And my prayer is that He will remind you every day just how powerful a tool you are through Him!
I guess you could say that I have that perfectionism bully hiding under my bed, like one of the scary monsters that used to make me hide under the blankets – so reading that others struggle with it and seeing what you do to get past these incidences is so very inspiring and uplifting to me! Nothing I can ever do on my own will be enough in this cruel world, but EVERYTHING I do through Christ Jesus is!
Our mental battle I feel is our greatest threat against us…and yes the devil uses that time and time again. For me it is my job, my kids, my life…all the times I have come short of what I thought was the best. But have learned that when those times come to step back look at it through the mirror of God’s eyes praise Him that He loves inspite of the failures around me…and that I learn to lean in on Him. Thank you for your honesty about this you are a blessing.
Oh, how I needed to hear this today. That “roaring lion” has been on the prowl and discouragement has been on the increase. Thanks for the words of encouragement and hope!