If you’re reading via email, please click title above (“Known”) so you can read it to my website. This post includes a powerful video and a FREE download that won’t come through via email.
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From Chapter 2, A Confident Heart
“Jesus knew Sam’s (the Samaritan woman’s) story and He knows yours. The Greek word for “know” is yada. It means a deep emotional experience; a bonding between two people when one truly feels the emotions of the other. Jesus knows your pain, fears, doubts, and disappointments. He understands your dreams and desires.
Although some of us feel uncomfortable that God knows so much about us, it is good to be known, to be listened to and not judged. Jesus is the only One who can meet our deepest needs to be accepted and delighted in simply because of who we are. We can offer nothing but our presence, and He will desire us just the same…
Christianity is the only faith that offers a relationship with the living God. We don’t just know about our God; our God wants us to know Him. We were created for that kind of relationship. He wants us to find lasting soul-security in knowing we are valued and pursued by the One who knows and loves us—the One who created our inmost being and wove us together in our mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13). Have you let the gospel of God’s grace move from your head to your heart, so that you know without a doubt you are known intimately and loved completely by God?” (p. 40 printed copy)
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Our word this week is “Known”
Our verse of the week is: Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” (NIV)
This week’s video message is one that shows us we are known and loved. Please click the arrow below to watch this video – all the way through. You’ll be so glad you did.
(from video script)
I WANT TO BE KNOWN
I want someone to look at my face
And not just see two eyes, a nose,
a mouth and two ears
But to see all that I am, and could be
all my hopes, loves and fears…
And YOU know me
You actually know me
all of me and everything about me
Every thought inside and hair on top of my head
Every hurt stored up, every hope, every dread
My past and my future, all I am and could be
You tell me everything,
You tell me about ME
And that which is spoken by another would bring hate and condemnation
Coming from Youu brings love, grace, mercy, hope and salvation
I’ve heard of One to come
who could save a wretch like me
And here in my presence, You say
I AM HE… ( read full script here)
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Today’s Assignment:
- Download our Free Printable PDF of this week’s word and verse — or find it here in a Word doc format if you prefer. Please print it and post it everywhere so you can remember God KNOWs YOU and He loves you!!
- Read this week’s memory verse (Jeremiah 1:5). Ask God to remind you all week that He knows the way you long to be known, pursued and loved!
- Start or continue reading chapter 2. Remember, take your time and highlight or underline sentences that resonate in your heart.
Connect in Community:
What sentences in Chapter 2 are resonating most with you?
- Please lick “Share Your Thoughts” below this post, and do just that. (Remember you have go to my website to do this)
- Share them on our Confident Heart Facebook Group Page
- Share them with me on Twitter(@reneesswope). Use #AConfidentHeart so we all find each other and share how God is speaking us!
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I’ll announce last week’s winners in my next post.
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The only way we’ll have a confident heart is if we move beyond knowing about God TO knowing and relying on Him–to depend on His Word with our whole heart, mind and soul.
This is what stuck out at me and what I long for 🙂
I so relate..
It’s such a wonderful feeling to know that God, knows EVERYTHING about you but He will still love you no matter what. I need this truth so often, I have never been very confident or secure in anything I did, but I have been learning more on the Power of God’s love everyday and the truth that all of His words speak. Thank you God for everything!!!
The fact that God loves me no matter what is something that I have to remind myself of regularly. Ch. 2 spoke about how we tend to remind ourselves of our past wrongs, and reminding myself that he still loves me despite these wrongs and has forgiven me of them is the hope that I need some days.
“A personal relationship with God sets us free to be all we were created to be. As children of God we were designed to find our identity, our significance and our confidence in Him.”
I love this sentence, society has designed us to find our identity, significance, and confidence in our successes, possessions and others opinions of us. As mom’s society has designed us to find these things in the way our children act in public, and if they can get out of the house without toothpaste on their shirts. As wives we are taught to find these things in our appearance, our ability to keep a home clean for longer than 1 hour, and the pressure to prove our equality with our husbands.
This passage reminds me that there is one person I need to base anything in, including my identity, my significance and my confidence in and that is God.
It seems that I am always trying to find who I am and what I’m doing here but I don’t need to keep searching and searching; all I need to do is open my bible and read.
Good word, Tonya!
Tonya,
That was the very statement that really impacted me also. God truly is the ONLY one I need to base anything in. God bless.
Karen C.
Thanks Karen and Suzanne, as easy as the concept may seem it takes daily reminders (speaking for myself of course) to remember that God is the only one who can say who I am and what my value is. 🙂
Yada. Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10
It was if God said, “You don’t realize WHO it is you askfor help from on a daily basis. IF YOU did you’d have more confidence in MY ability rather than your own!” I felt it lovingly and powerfully. It is also convicting.
Page 32: Someone asks how we’re doing and we lie though our teeth: “I’m fine!” – That sentence struck me because I recently heard a definition of fine as:
Failure to
Identify
Numerous
Emotions
That has REALLY stuck with me and reminds me to STOP and IDENTIFY what I truly am feeling at the moment and why, which helps me to go to God and ask for His help if it is something that is bringing me down.
This is only ONE of the MANY sentences that I have highlighted in this chapter, though! LOL Another was the one about wanting to be loved for “who I was” and not what someone else wanted me to be.
I love this Kathryn it makes so much sence and a good thing to keep in mind thanks for sharing it.
p. 43 “The only way we’ll have a confident heart is if we move beyond knowing about God to knowing and relying on Him — to depending on His Word with our whole heart, mind, and soul.” I haven’t always felt His promises were for me. I would want to accept a promise for me, and then I would be reminded of someone else in the Bible that didn’t receive that same promise. I think I’m learning that it’s a choice to accept those promises as true for you because His Word says it is, and the reason others don’t receive is because they didn’t believe. So I choose to believe that His promises are for me. And if anyone can receive them, then it can be me because I believe 🙂
Loved the video and the whole chapter!. It would take up too much space to tell you all I received from it so far. I got a lot out of the quote at the beginning of the chapter by John Eldredge and Brent Curtis. I need to get that book too! 🙂
I am leading a group of ladies from my church starting this Friday in this study. I’ve got to say that I’m learning how to step out of my doubts and into confidence in what I can do with the Lord equipping me and trusting Him and the Holy Spirit to lead me. This will be a real time of growing for me! Wow!! What was I thinking? And yet I know it’s an area where I see so many of us ladies struggle in, including me. We doubt ourselves so much in so many areas of our lives, look to others to fulfill the emptiness within and want to be known and loved for who we are. So I’m thankful for the opportunity to go on this journey with these ladies and look forward to the transformation in all our lives through this study that the Lord will bring, and to all of you too!
My hearts cry? To be known and loved for me! Not for the person I think others will accept or the person I think I should be. Not for the things I do for others or for the Lord to gain that acceptance. To know that I am loved just for me? That the Lord knows me intimately, the good, the bad and the ugly and all the in between and loves me unconditionally! How amazing is that? As the psalmist said in Psalm 139:6, “this knowledge is too wonderful for me to understand”. He loves me unconditionally, without any conditions. He wants me to have that intimate relationship with Him and as I get to know Him more, I will know freedom and healing. I believe all of us will!
TO BE KNOWN IS TO BE LOVED~ How awesome the idea is, but how sad so many don’t feel it or experience it.
This part of the poem is what stands out the most:
“A woman unclean, ashamed, Used and abused
An outcast a failure a disappointment, a sinner.”
The words resound in my head as I have been addressed like this in the past. I have wanted to get close to people and reveal who I am but have been fearful if they knew the truths of my heart they would reject me in the end.
My past is a long and dramamtic story it began with a baby girl being abandoned by her mother that grew up abused and used with details I care not to explain. If you saw my heart would you love me, accept me for who I am, or would it be a surface act that I have grown accustom to daily without end.
BUT then I saw the face of TRUE LOVE and HE invited me in and knew about the tears of my heart before I even began. I love this man that I call FATHER for HE knows me and does not run. HE sees all of my scars loves them just the way they are, HE is healing me within and teaching me to love myself correctly as I begin. I begin to take HIS hand as HE leads me HIS way and TRUST HIM no matter where we may end.
This is a new step that I take, a leap of FAITH of sharing of WHO I REALLY AM!~ I am a CHILD OF GOD that HE is restoring from within, I will not listen to the lies that have been told and the past of shame, guilt and doubt is no longer allowed in.
Renee thank you so much for sharing your heart and being transparent it is truly inspiring and appreciated.
This study and community is not only revealing and renewing the women within but it is helping me be a better wife and mama too.
Thank you so much again.
Love and hugs to you Maria! Keep clinging to the truth!
I started watching the video, but then I had to pause it. Now it says access denied. Does anyone know how to fix it? I tried to refresh my screen and I also re-opened the screen again. I also tried to find it on godtube.com and couldn’t. Thanks.
For me these are the workds on Pg 43 “The only way we’ll have a confident heart is if we move beyond knowing about God to knowing and relying on Him- to depending on His Word with our whole heart, mind and soul.” I need this I need to be reminded that we ahallnot live by bread alone but by every word the comes out of God’s mouth.
The Lord is allowing me to be at a stage of my life at the age of 54 where I feel I have lost my status and influence and importance, professionally and socially. I recently gave up a very influential professional job to make a major geographical move, primarily to save my family from disintegration and destruction may be. But I believe it is what God wanted me to do . Now I am adjusting and rebuilding. I have depended on God’s promises all my life but this time its as though I cannot even contribute to helping Him make things happen. So I have to absolutely trust Him to bring us through. I believe that there are lessons He wants me to learn and that He is building a reat testimony for me to share some time later in my life. I am relearning that my relevance is wrapped up in Him not in what I accomplish nor depending on my gifts and talents. So this story of the woman at the well reminds me that I am important to Him and that my relevance is wrapped up in Him and His divine plan for my life.
“as a Child of God I am created in His Image…”. created to be me…not of this world, but of His Holy Kingdom.
Judgments placed on me by this world is overwhelming at times… I constantly have to remind myself that I am a foreigner in this world.
Very well said…. 🙂
Jotting this down in my notebook.
Since last Fri I’ve not had much chance to even think much about this study or to even read any of the book.My fourth grandchild was born Fri afternoon and there were some minor complications that could have been alot worse but with God’s blessings the baby may be going home today. He does he hear our prayers and sends some of the sweetest reassurances to us; little things that I know were from Him.
The sentence that resonates most with me is, “he is perfect so you don’t have to be”. That is so refreshing. I mean as Christians, we know that we sin and we know that we are broken, but we also feel guilty about that brokeness that causes us to sin. We need to be reminded daily that we may not be perfect, but a perfect God loves us with His perfect Love, and in His perfection our brokeness can be healed. What a wonderful God we serve.
Wow I have listen to this video three times. I know Jesus knowns me about what the people that dont take the time to know me. That just look at walk by thinking the know me.. Last night my oldest son had a music program at school. I didnt get to see it because my youngest son wanted to act out when the program was half way started. You see am I single mom raising two boys alone in a new school. I have god help to keep me from going crazy and giving me strength. I could feeel people looking at me like why cant she control her kid? Why did she leave him at home? Yes I did here someone say that out loud. They dont know me and they dont why I could just leave my youngest at home alone.Because not one of them have taken the time to know me. But they want to judge me. My youngest is only three and I know something is not right with him but his doctors wont do anything for him till he is four. I pray that more people would take the time to know someone before judge them because the real beauty is in the inside of a person not the outside. Thank you for this video really says alot about how I feel on this inside.
I will be praying for you Jaime! Keep hanging on to the LORD!
Blessings,
I don’t think it was a coincidence that Jesus came to that particular well at that particular time of day. He knew that Sam would be there. Isn’t that just like our Lord? He is right there, at the right time, everytime! I loved the story that Renee used about the homeowners note about needing to fix up there house. I go along with my daily routine, and I think that I am doing “fine” but all along I am ignoring what’s right in front of me. I can be so critical of those around me and their issues but have blinders on when it comes to my issues. So…as I said that it was no coincidence that Sam was at the well with Jesus, it is no coincidence that Renee is leading this online Bible study for me. I am not confident in myself but I want to be. Thank you Renee for doing this online study!
I too want to be known and loved for who I am. I have always felt as if I had to be perfect to be loved. I know that God loved me even though I wasn’t perfect, but I always felt as if I were letting Him and others down. Then I would feel guilty and feel so ashamed. I have don’t have many friends in my life. The few that I feel are the closest are very special to me. I still find myself playing a role for them on occasion. I fear that doing things for myself is being selfish – taking time away from everyone else that I need to do for. Then I find after I’m so FINE with everything, I am angry and dejected because no one has gone out of their way to make something easy for me. Sounds like a turnado turning round and round tearing everything up in its path. I find that I get like this most with my family and my job. Both areas of my life that are important to me and that I feel the less adept to deal with when I’m FINE. I’m afraid to tell everyone that I’m at the end of my rope because I think they will think less of me.
We are not perfect. But we will die trying… That really hit me. I try so hard to be perfect for everyone. But I am killing myself. Sometimes I don’t even know who I am…really. I came home from work a few Fridays ago. I had worked late and felt so tired. My daughter was complaining about something. My husband was zoned out in front of the TV, not handling anything going on right in front of him. My youngest was vying for everyone’s attention. It was chaos! I’m hit with this as soon as a walk through the door. So, instead of saying anything negative to them all, I calmly go to my room. But when I got there, I just sat and cried. I felt so lonely and unloved. My husband finally came into our room and asked what was wrong. I told him that I wanted to not have to be so perfect for everyone. I guess he just didn’t understand that feeling. I love them all so much. I don’t think they are pushing me to feel this way; I think it is all me. I don’t really know where it all comes from, but I’d love to have some idea.
Please pray for me. I just need to delve deeper into myself to learn where these feelings come from. Thank you God for loving me no matter what my faults.
Kyndle, your post also really spoke to me. (We all share so much more than we ever know.) I feel the same pressure to be perfect for my family and that taking time for myself to spend with God is selfish – as if I only have worth if I am DOING something. I know that’s a lie when I remember the story of Mary and Martha and Jesus praising Mary for spending time with Him. I pray that we can all learn how to find balance and remember that God’s approval is the only one that really matters.
Thank you, Sandee. I too have thought of myself as Martha. I appreciate your thoughts and hope we all can find our way out of these cycles of insecurities. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
I feel the same way! The opening quote of Chapter 2 totally described this feeling. I don’t feel loved for who I am, but what I can do for everyone else. I feel like if I stopped doing things for everyone, I could fall off the face of the Earth and no one would care.
I will pray for you!
Thank you, Pam. That is what I have seemed to feel my whole life. Thanks for praying for me and I will do the same for you.
“The Greek word for “know” is yada. It means a deep emotional experience; a bonding between two people when one truly feels the emotions of the other. Jesus knows your pain, fears, doubts, and disappointments. He understands your dreams and desires.”
Thank you Lord for speaking these words through Renee…I don’t think I will ever forget them…
This is truly beautiful and I will hide it in my heart. May God bless you in this day and throughout this study!
I thought of Sam at that well, and the lengths that Jesus had gone to, to make sure that he met with her that day, and I began to see that well as a symbol of my own life. When I think of a well, I think of a dark and lonely place – a place that echoes my own words back at me – and the deeper the well…the darker and scarier it is! I think I see now that I have dug a very deep well for myself! Every hurt that I have lived through or every time I buy into the lie that I am not good enough, or every time I back down from doing something that I feel I should because of my fear of failure, I have managed to dig my well a little bit deeper. But here is the thing that I saw today – no matter how deep that well is – there is still water at the bottom. That “water” is the real me- not the one who wears the “everything is fine” mask. It is the “me” that I don’t share with the world for now, because it is safer that way. That water holds my hopes and dreams, my God-given talents and my worn-out, somewhat tattered belief that I am worthy. But the deeper I dig my well, the harder it is for people to draw from it, and, because of the effort involved, the less inclined they are to try – and to be honest -that suited me just fine. But, reading the story again today…I saw something new. Jesus asked Sam for a drink of water!! He didn’t mind how “deep” her well was or what the circumstances were that caused her to “dig it” in the first place…he cared about getting her to dip into the well and share her water with Him. He doesn’t care how deep my well is…actually he already knows every inch of it by heart because he watched me digging it. But did you notice that Sam was the one who drew the water from the well? She had to be willing to do what He asked. She could have chosen to stay “safe” and walk away, but he asked her to take the first step. Even if I only take baby steps for now, I know that He is asking me to trust Him. I know it is going to take some effort for me to break old habits of self doubt and to overcome the image I have created of myself, but I believe that Jesus is going to sit patiently at the top of that well and encourage me, until I am no longer a well, but rather “a spring of water welling up”!
I loved your words and felt such a connection. I felt as if I could have written them myself. This was just the encouragement I needed today to stop digging and let the water begin to well up.
Thanks Monique your story of the well is a great description of where I have been, but another thought also came to mind about looking up from the well we face the Light, and no shadows of doubt as Renee talked about in chapter one. As the water wells up the closer we get to the light, and the shadows get smaller.
An interesting way of looking at it Monique. Thanks for sharing.
I love what you see in Jesus and in yourself that you have shared here. So beautiful. He is there patiently waiting and wooing and cheering for you!! And for each of us…
I think that because God is a relational God and wants relationship with us, it is easy to look for relationship in people…our heart is always searching for intimacy and the only one that will never disappoint is the Father…learning to expect the best from the bride while still knowing that she is not perfect is a big lesson because it is not about the betrayals and disappointments that seem to always show up on the scene….I am learning that it is about me learning to never allow my heart to be offended but always choosing love…..and I can only walk that out if I know that I am loved……..
That to me is the Confident Heart, the heart that knows the love and security of being a daughter of the King, not an orphan…..that is a huge lesson that takes so much unraveling of our doubts, fears and self hatred from
life……we are learning to make him our best friend and confidant, the one we run to…..really believing that His word is for me, not just for others……..women are a courageous bunch because we will get up and keep running after the truth……I am so thankful that He made us to be seekers, fighters, lovers…….I am learning to love the body of Christ again, to see her beauty and give her space to be human and make mistakes…….I hear that in so many of you! we have a desperation to be relational and intimate….we are leaning into more!
To the second post at the top, Michele, and all the responses – apparently this must be a very common problem, especially in churches! I have prayed years for a true/real/non-judgemental friend(s). So far, have not found any. When someone comes along that “seems” like it might be the answer to the prayer, it disappoints, and at times there has been real betrayal of trust. It does make one retreat from even trying or hope that it would exist for yourself and not just something for others. Even though I have been in church for 30 years, I have not found that lasting friendship I also long for. The prayers of those of you here mean so much…
My prayers are with you Jean. But I have found it to be true too that there doesn’t seem to be many people out there that want a real true friendship…..I guess that people are so caught up in things of this world that they don’t have time for friendship like that. I have 2 women that are true friends, but they both live a little distance from me, but when we do finally get together or talk on the phone..it is like we have never been apart. BUT, my true, ever present friendship, that has been with me all my life is God. When i really need a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to bend…God presence is here with me. The only one who is there always……Cry out to Jesus
Thank you, Sherri – it means a lot to know someone else out there feels the same. Yes, my trust is in Jesus — It hurts at times and feels like you’ve been forgotten, but I know God is there…….
Jean – I so agree. I’ve been burned more by “friendships” in the church than out of it. How messed up is that? I’m 38 and outside of my high school years, have never had a good, solid, friendship. One that stays throughs the “downs” of life and not just the “ups” in life. I think for me the reason I say I’m “fine” is because the minute I stop being “fine”, the minute I’m no longer the fun party girl that makes people laugh and have a good time, the minute I become the friend with a problem, that’s the minute everyone who has been my “friend” disappears. Suddenly, “friends” are busy, “friends” distance themselves, “friends” can’t take the time for lunch or coffee. So I learned that if I’m not “fine”, no one wants to be around me. I try so hard never to “burden” people with problems and to always be the optimist because I’ve learned that if you talk about a problem, people just don’t like to be around that. I really am an optimist by nature, but even optimists have down days but people look to me to lift them up – and don’t like it to be the other way around. I stopped going to a small church because so many times I just didn’t have the strength to paint on the “happy face” that everyone expected and would disappear if the “happy face” didn’t show up. What message does that send?
I agree with Jean and find it amazing that there are so many of us who share this loneliness. I know God calls us to community but I have been burned so many times by painful church situations that right now I am not attending anywhere on a regular basis. I know churches are made of sinners(all of us) and we have to forgive and move on. I just think it is so sad that the body of Christ so often loses its focus on what truly matters.