Hi friends! I am so excited to start this “Confident Heart” journey with you!
We have almost 8000 women from around the US and the world signed up! I’ve been closing my eyes and picturing us gathering together in small groups (cause I’m a small group kinda girl). Anyhow, it’s so amazing to be here with YOU learning how we can live beyond our doubts by finding our security and confidence in the power of God’s loves and promises!
The first thing I want you to remember is: This is YOUR journey.
You’ll be reading the chapters. You will be asking and listening for God to speak to your heart. You’ll be the one who takes time to highlight sentences, promises and quotes you want to remember.
You’ll be looking for ways to apply and live what you are learning. You’ll be answering reflection questions and interacting with the group.
You’ll be doing the faith-work of not only believing in God, but really believing God.
I’ll be shepherding, leading, praying, encouraging, connecting and pacing us. I’ll be sharing more of my story – and inviting co-leaders who are helping me with the study to share theirs.
I’ll be praying for you, encouraging you, believing in you and challenging you – but you will make the heart investment and be the one who gets out pretty close to as much as you put in.
Here are a few IMPORTANT reminders:
What’s Needed: A copy of the book, a notebook, a Bible, and a ready-for-God- to-do-a-new-thing in you attitude!
When We’ll Meet: Because we’ll meet online, you can check in at your convenience any time of the day and week.
(Day 1) Assignment
Read the Acknowledgements. This will give you a peak into my current personal life and I’ll be asking you to share about yourself later this week too. 🙂
Read Chapter 1.
- If you don’t have your book yet, you can click here to read Chapter 1 .
- Highlight verses and sentences that grab your attention or tug on your heart.
- Write down what you sense God is speaking to your heart in the margins of your book or in a journal/notebook.
- If you’ve already read chapter 1, share your thoughts here. And then take time to look up the verses mentioned in the chapter prayer and answer the questions at the end of the chapter.
Connecting in Community: Click “Share Your Thoughts” below and let’s all answer this question:
What sentences in Chapter 1 resonate with your heart or speak to you in a personal way? How did you relate to my story in this chapter?
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I thank you for writing this book and am very excited about this bible study. I can really relate to you saying that you were needing someone to “fill your cup.” This book came to me at the best time it could have. I really need to reconnect with God and need to gain a lot of confidence. I am currently a single mom of three children. I am going through a divorce from an abusive husband. I am very broken and torn to shreds as are my children. I am really looking forward to moving along in this book and already feel after reading the first chapter that this is truly a blessing.
I relate to your story, Renee, first hand, especially when you spoke about newlywed marriage and trust issues. This was a big struggle for us initially. But with God’s help we have been able to address this concern and move forward into a more rewarding marriage.
More recently, God has been speaking to me and calling towards a new line of work, but as much as I want to persue His calling, I get so far and then let doubt and the “negative energy” pull me down and tell me I can’t do it because I’m not god enough. This first chapter has already given me a boost of confidence to turn back towards the light and forge ahead because He will be there to help me every step of the way.
I’m already being encouraged! On page 24, I love your statement “…when I choose to dwell in the assurance of Whose I am and who I am in Him, I have a confident heart.” I also love that you included a verse that has a very special meaning for me – “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Is 43:19). I am grateful to be reminded of His promise that even in the darkest valleys where we can feel so alone and feel like we aren’t doing anything right, God is right there with us, making something new out of the waste. Love it!!
one of the many phrases that resonated w/ me was ‘doubt will win every time and our hearts will be eroded by attitudes and emotions of defeat’…growing up w/ a teen mother and a bio-father who abandoned us…trust was not something I even had a concept of. I had so many moments where I would cry & ask God ‘why’…those moments carried over into my marriage and adult relationships. The only thing I had confidence in was my ability to take care of myself & not rely on anyone. I grew up feeling defeated, cheated, rejected, abandoned, unworthy, unloved. It took me 13 years and a lot of therapy to surrender to my sweet husband’s love…I could not be confident it was sincere.
With the help of extensive therapy, loving spouse, loving safe friends, I was able to do a lot of healing. This book came at right time after almost a year of my therapist walking me thru Search for Significance…I have been praying for my heart to believe & have confidence in His love for me. I am looking forward to buliding on the truths I learned in Search for Significance, however geared towards my female heart. Always room to grow & stretch in my relationship w/ the Lord…and gaining God-confidence in my heart to finally have rest in Him.
I am so excited to start this Bible study. For a long while, I have been living in the shadows of doubt and hopelessness. I am ready to allow God to light my path into freedom and confidence! I will also be sharing my journey on my Facebook. I know there are some who are in the same place as I am and I want to encourage those to trust in our LORD!!!
I can’t wait to see what God has in store! I am ready to have a Confident Heart, I am so tired of Lu ing in the shadows of my doubt, it is something I struggle with not just daily but hourly! I am to really believe Him and relying and praying His words. I pray that I will be able to cast away the shadows and always look toward the light!!
Oh sweet friends, how I wish I could leave a comment and a prayer on each of your notes. My heart is bursting with so much emotion – joy that you’re hear, sadness for your hurts, hope for you healing, thankfulness for this time together.
He is up to something big. Jesus came to set you free!! It’s time for the enemy to be defeated. Can you imagine the power of this many women shutting down our doubts and letting God replace every single lie and insecurity with confidence and truth. Oh my goodness, generations can be changed. The world can be changed.
You are so much more than you think. You are chosen, called, pursued, valuable and loved. And you are about to be redeemed from all that has held you back. Let Jesus have His way my friends – give HIM your WHOLE heart tonight. Invite HIM to erase what was and make room for what is – He’s come for you!! He wants to love you into a place of beauty from the ashes. I can’t wait to watch His glory increase in each of your lives!!!
All for HIM!
Renee
Thank you for this study! I was a little hesitant doing a study online because I wasn’t sure how it would work out, but I am enjoying it so far and reading what all the ladies are posting. I feel like I am in a rut right now and suffering from “stinkin thinkin.” I know it is because I am not consistently in His Word and I love the reminder from Ch 1 to pray scripture out loud. It’s nice to know someone is in my (our) corner and praying for us ladies out here who need some encouragement. It’s time for a change in my way of doing life and I’m hoping and praying to turn a corner soon!
I am a notorious people pleaser, and i always put way too much pressure on myself for fear of letting others down or not living up to expectations. I am overly critical of myself and constantly doubt my abilities to ” measure up”. Ive always searched for approval and praise and am quickly disappointed when the same is not done for me in return or if what i do is overlooked. My self-doubt and insecurities makes it hard to live life to it ffullest. Reading through so many posts helps me realize that God places certain situations in your path to build you up, make you stronger, and provide comfort in knowing we are never alone. Looking forward to some breakthroughs and changes in the way i think about myself…and shifting that to how God views me: perfectand complete! Thankful for this study already. Thanks to all who shared their stories!!
Wow, meggen,
Reading your post was like reading something I had written about myself….We are so much alike….although I take up a notch further by including God in the pleasing …I want to make him smile but I feel like I am always letting him down…I feel like no matter how many times he brings me to something I never learn it without screwing it up first! I am hoping that I learn through this study to let go of all this pleasing stuff and just start living out his will for my life!
its hard for me to put my thoughts down on paper, its really hard for me, so i will try to explain this the best i can, i am in a season right now where i have noone to encourage me , that i hear from God that i know what He said, i still have those doubts, even after i have obeyed things He has told me and seen it come to fruition. I want to have a confident heart so i dont have to suffer with these doubts anymore, im sick of them. God bless all.
Lisa, I pray that God works through this study to help you to release your doubts and fears. I also pray that this online community will be a great source of help and encouragement for you.
John 12:13
They took the branches of the palm trees, and went out to meet him, and cried out, “Hosanna! Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!”
I am very excited about this online study. I realized after reading chapter 1 that I do struggle with self doubt even though most people would say I am a very confident person. I too seem to second guess myself and my self worth. I find myself saying, you could never do that or I will never have the confidence I need to get there. What spoke to me most was page 22 ” you can only see the shadow because you have turned away from the light. Turn back toward the light”. I also loved the ” It’s not supposed to be this way” paragraph. I am going to start praying God’s word out loud! I love the statement “When we pray God’s words out loud and hear them, the Holy Spirit engraves them on our hearts and writes them in our thoughts.”
Thank you to everyone and Renee! I have spent hours reading over your comments and already know that God is working through this study!
Renee, I first heard the story you shared about the ‘shadow of doubt’ on Women’s Ministry.net, when you did a guest video. That story made a tremendous impression on me! And it was also my introduction to you!
The timing of this Bible study with the current events in my life couldn’t have been more appropriate. My husband submitted his paperwork for a May 1 retirement so we can go into full time ministry. It’s a huge leap of faith!
My earliest memory of feeling insecure is from when I was between 8-10. Long story. And it’s definitely kept me from stepping out before. What doubt whispers to me is, “You’re not good enough; you can’t be good enough — you’re broken inside.” When I read Scriptures like Isaiah 49:23 and 43:19 and Romans 8:28, it makes my heart flutter. It’s weird. And I’m not sure I can explain this … I know how those Words apply to my current life and try to live in belief … but with regard to past events … they still have a stronghold. So, full circle, the thing that most hinders me from living with God-confidence is that whisper, “You’re not good enough.”
A woman with a confident heart … she’s humble–secure in and quick to acknowledge God’s provision and direction.
Somehow I accidentally read the foreword and I now realize it was no accident at all. I don’t think I’ve ever spent an hour and a half really STUDYING God’s Word! But the TRUTH just jumped out over and over again – as if to say HEY YOU – YEAH, you say you can’t really get into my Word, well, let me put it to you another way! I bought my book, my journal, had my Bible ready and even bought a keychain that you can write your own scriptures on! I wrote every scripture listed and on the back of each card I wrote the “TRUTH” that it was speaking directly to me! I didn’t realize God DOES want to speak to me! I’ve been paralyzed for so long, that it’s become my identity. I’ve owned fear so much that I can’t imagine freedom. I’ve hidden behind my facade for so long, that I can’t even fathom what living breathing promises in my life will even look like! But, tonight, I lay it all down. I will no longer simply “go through the motions” – I will be vulnerable even to the point of embarrassment. I’ve been “operating as a Christian” for almost 19 years now, but just now feel like I’m going to actually encounter Christ. He hasn’t been lost….I have. I’m ready to take this on…with everything I am!
I was very glad to read that God says with confidence that things can change on page 23. “See I am doing a new thing!” “I am working all things together for good, because you love me and are called according to my purpose.” ” All things are possible to them who believes.” Those verses gave me such comfort and power to know that God is there and He can change things for the good. Blessed to be a part of this study!!!!
The sentence that spoke to me in a personal way was “The God of hope is calling you out of the shadow of your doubts so you can live with a condifent heart!” I know God is calliing me to a higher level in Him but everytime I move forward, the doubt or fear paralyze me from being all God has called me to be.
Renee, I could so relate to your story. I have an assignment at my church this week and I am trying not to allow doubt to come in and hinder what God would have me to do for His glory! I thank you for sharing because it opened my eyes to see what it really is that is causing this roller coaster ride in my christian journey. I am excited about what God is going to do in all of our lives during this online study. Be blessed ladies and let’s keep each other lifted in prayer.
The sentence that stood out to me was “perhaps you are good at hiding your doubts and no one but you knows the paralyzingly power they have on your life.”. I struggle with having to appear to always have it together when the reality is I definitely do not. Natalie Grant’s song “The Real Me” pretty much sums it up! I want to be confident enough in myself that I can be real with those around me.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, for the Lord will be his confidence…..I have prayed this many times throughout the day today & feel it has helped me manage my insecurities and self doubt. Thank you for making it easier to “stand in the light” on this day!
As I was reading the chapter, I was thinking about when I lost my confidence. I have had it so many times in my life, and had to regain it many times also. Obviously, I haven’t mastered it. After the breakup of my first marriage, I was completely broken … but God was so faithful to put people in my life to encourage me along the way, and I rediscovered strength and confidence in Him. Then he put an amazing man in my path, and my life changed completely. As much as I love him, it has been a tremendous adjustment to move out of state with my husband and leave behind friends, family, job, and a tremendous church family that supported me through so much before. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am where God wants me to be, doing the work that He had planned for me when we moved. So why do I feel such a lack of confidence in so many areas? I am looking forward to what God has in store for this journey.
Two things stuck out to me when starting to dive into this devotion in chapter 1:
“Doubt robs of us joy”. This is SO true and I’ve seen this in so many areas of my life over the years and I’m DONE. Jesus said, ‘it is finished” and I need to cling to that promise!! I want joy and I want it for myself and for my family. Just as Renee pointed out, that “self doubt blocks the promise of God”, I need to meet this issue head on and make it a part of my daily life because it’s no longer welcome to rob me of any of Jesus’s love for me and HIs plans for me.
The 2nd point I felt impressed on me was that this, like anything, is a process. Today is step 1 in the right direction. This is me moving out of the shadow and into the light. I’m glad to have someone to go through it with!
The statement that stood out to me was, “Just like my shadow on the wall was distorting my shape, my doubt was distorting my thoughts and overpowering my emotions with confusion and questions.” My head knowledge knows that God loves me and I am living in His will to the best of my ability, but Satan works full-time sending doubts as I constantly compare myself to others, and fall into those shadows. If I can just recognize when I’m looking at shadow so I can turn back around!