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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When I began reading this book I have cried just about on every page. It was like my story was being told the one I never told anyone. The parts that affected me most were “What;s wrong with me?” Always questioning if I am good enough to be loved or to love? I fee I have more self doubt and insecurity at age 50 than I have had in my life. You would like being a single mother all my child’s life who is now 24 years old that I would have these feelings more than I do now? Is it because I have stuffed how I felt and I was to afraid to ask for help? There are so many questions now reading this book will I ever be worthy?
Christy, praying for you today. May God strengthen and guide you in this journey. May you discover that your true identity is wrapped up in Him. You are loved, wonderfully made, worthy and so much to your loving heavenly Father.
I am really excited about this study and the topic really hits home for me. I started a new job this year and live in a new place. Everything has been new and scary. I have always struggled with doubt and insecurity, but have watched it become almost debilitating this year. Fortunately, God is good. He has gotten me through some really hard circumstances and has put excellent support systems in place for me, including this study. The part of chapter one that hit me the hardest was that Hod doesn’t want us to be stuck in a cycle of defeat or living in shadows of doubt. Renee gave a great analogy earlier in the chapter of how uncertainty creates such a huge shadow of doubt that is much larger than us. She then pointed out that doubt and hope cannot live in our hearts at the same time. I love this!
So many sentences tugged at my heart as I read. Page 22 “Self doubt blocks the promised of God’s power and truth that change us from the inside out so that we can live with a confident heart.” I so want to change and have a confident heart. Page 23 “doubt and hope cannot live in our hearts at the same time”. It is my desire to break the cycle of defeat with the Holy Spirit’s help. Thank you for reminding us of the importance of praying God’s words. My greatest periods of victory have been when I pray God’s words.
I so relate to your story, Renee. I so often listen to the lies telling me I am not good enough and I will always fail. It has been a life long struggle. My mom was not good at telling me she loved me. I developed very low self esteem because of the things she said at times. I know God loves me but I fall in the trap of wanting my cup filled by the wrong things instead of my Lord. I want a steady confident heart. He is all that really matters!!!
Thank you for this study. God Bless
Thank you for this study. Thank you for daring to be so vulnerable with us… It gives us hope. Never did anything online before but for the study I’m diving in and looking forward to it. Feeling kind of broken right now but the Lord keeps showing me that he hasn’t given up on me so I’m going forward. Tried so many things to fix myself but all out of options and ideas, don’t don’t know how someone could know Jesus and still be such a mess but since hasn’t given up on me so I’m gonna take one step at a time. Thank you again.
Val, I am so glad that you decided to take this journey. I am praying for you as you take one step after another following God’s leading.
I have gone through a lot of hard stuff since becoming a Christian and this has seemed very confusing at times. However, one thing I heard from God over the Easter weekend was that what I have gone through has helped to chip away at my pride so I can let in more of his healing, love and grace in. I still have a ways to go but am grateful for how far I have come too.
Someone posted something that broke my heart about a man never looking at her twice…but I can’t find it in the comments. I began praying for you (I believe your name is Jennifer) and a scripture popped into my mind immediately: “As it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” (1 Cor 2:9-10)
I believe God wants you to hold onto that promise. I will fall asleep praying for your precious heart.
-I asked God-once again-to please take away my uncertainty. I hated feeling this way.
-I mean, if God calls you to do something, shouldn’t you feel confident about it? Shouldn’t you want to do it? Shouldn’t self-assurance be part of God’s equipping?
-I desperately wanted to move out of the shadow of my doubts, but all I could do was go through the motions and pray that God would zap me with confidence.
These sentences are thoughts that run through my mind often. I found myself saying “I’ve said that before!” I cant pinpoint a moment where I lost my confidence or to be honest, if I ever really had it. But I know, I am positive that I want it. One of my main motivations is my 2 year old daughter, I dont want her to feel the way I felt growing up. I cant prevent everything but if I can show her what God can do, that’ll be the best I can do.My main reason for wanting it, I dont want to feel this way and neither does God! This chapter has literally given me hope that I havent felt in a while. I am excited to move forward. There is still doubt in the back of my mind saying “this wont work” but I am trusting in the Lord that I am in this for reason and I WILL be blessed!
My favorite- Self-doubt blocks the promise of God’s power and truth to change us from the inside out so that we can live with a confident heart.
He’s led me beyond believing in Him to believing Him by relying on the power of His words and living like they are true no matter what my feelings tell me (pg 23-24).
These words remind me of how important the words of Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) are, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do no lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIM, and HE will make straight your paths.” When we choose to trust in God’s words, and live by His promises, we will never fail. However, when our hope and trust rest in our weak and sinful flesh and we allow ourselves to be guided by our own thoughts and feelings, we are guaranteed to fail in every decision, situation, trial, etc. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9, ESV) Therefore, our hope and confidence should rest in our God who is infinitely wise in all things and whose ways are perfect and holy..
I am so thankful for this study! This is one I really need, I have never had much confidence in myself even as a child I suffered with insecurities. From being bullied in elementary school to trying to find myself thru “other” avenues as a teenager. Getting married at 18, having two children to finding myself in a divorce at 28.
Failures upon failures. Now married to a man who doesn’t love me anymore! Depressed yet?
Three things that stuck out to me tonight in chapter 1 are:
I need to hope that life can be different
I must rely on the power of God’s words and live like they are true no matter what my feelings tell me
I must dwell in the assurance of Whose I am and who I am in Him
After reading the first chapter I believe God will help me, I don’t know how but I believe He will!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. My insecurities developed from childhood from a mother who desperately wanted to be loved by my two step-sisters, not leaving room to love her own daughter; her never having time to listen to my thoughts and problems growing up and never having a godly father/male figure in my life to point me to Christ. I struggled all my life choosing other people and things to fill the void in my heart. It wasn’t until I became pregnant out of wedlock that God humbled and captured my heart through great mercy and grace and filled the deep longing in my life to have a godly father/male figure in my life. I am thankful for His unfailing love and that He chose to redeem my heart when I wanted nothing to do with Him.
The same points that stuck out to you pierced my heart as well: I need to hope that life can be different.
I must rely on the power of God’s words and live like they are true no matter what my feelings tell me.
I must dwell in the assurance of Whose I am and who I am in Him.
Praise be to God that “All things are possible for one who believes.” (Mark (9:23, ESV)
I am very “ready” to quit letting satan have any hold on my life. After marrying the same man twice, this second time I realized how much my trust had been betrayed, and my confidence has suffered. I really trusted that he had changed, as he led me to believe for the first 10 months, but then I saw the same verbal, emotion abuses happening again, the same as it did the first time we were married. I wasn’t going to let it become physical abuse, as it did the first time though. I told him to leave in mid September. My confidence, self-esteem, finances, emotions, and self-worth has taken a beating. I want to believe in Him, and believe Him as you have said in your first chapter, and come to the realization of my worth in God…..not my worth to someone who has left me completely empty.
I look forward to learning, and applying what God has for me, and all who share this wonderful journey.
Thank you Renee
I alsp felt “spoken to” beginning in the forward. I have “daddy” issues. Rejection as a child, teen and adult from parents hurts. I think I am too old to feel this hurt and even anger at times. That I will outgrow these feelings but Im not in my mid 30s, married, with children and still experience these feelings. I too searched for love in all the wrong places. Going around with my little love cup asking any one and any thing to fill it up. What my cup was filled with was regrets the devil enjoys still reminding me of. God led me to a good, Godly man. But I wanted him to fix me and my brokeness. I learned through our marriage with Gods guidance I was putting too much on my husband. Its Gods job that He enjoys fixing our brokeness. I struggle so much with confidence still. Im a pastors wife. To think God would put me in this position is humbling, people ask me for counsel so I went to school because I wanted to give good counsel and feel adaquate. I still dont. I still feel so inadaquate in almost every area. Gods with me, I know this and cherish that, but I still feel like a failure and not good enough. I am looking forward to what the Lord is going to teach me through your words in this book. Thank you for letting me be able to open up in this safe environment. God bless.
Thank you Renee for offering this study. I love to study God’s Word and enjoy learning more and more. I am a facilitator of our Morning Bible Study at our church and just really felt that God told me to prepare myself for teaching more women about who we are in Christ and helping them to understand what God has for their lives. That is how I came to sign up for this study, I have been not only reading the Word but also have recently ordered more books that will help me minister to other women. I am a first hand believer in the fact that through Christ Jesus, we can overcome any circumstances and move from being victims to being victors through Christ Jesus.. Thank you and I look forward to learning from all of the women participating in this study. God Bless you!
“Sometimes we agree with them and they become our own.”
That sums up my life. I can tell you all the good things I should say and believe, but I won’t say them and I won’t believe them. They don’t seem like lies at this point; they’re the truth. I’m unloveable and unlikeable.
I won’t say that I’ve read every comment, but I’ve read many, skimmed a lot, and even did a few keyword searches, and I don’t think there is anybody else (so far, at least) who has never married. Some are divorced or widowed, but at least someone loved them enough once to marry them.
And I know, before someone tells me–don’t make marriage an idol, a husband won’t save you, you can still be lonely and be married, etc., etc. I know. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m in my thirties and a guy has never even looked at me twice (or probably even once). In a Christian world where everything is about marriage and babies, I’m very much on the outside looking in.
Wanted to make sure you saw this!
Laura says:
April 2, 2013 at 1:16 am
Someone posted something that broke my heart about a man never looking at her twice…but I can’t find it in the comments. I began praying for you (I believe your name is Jennifer) and a scripture popped into my mind immediately: “As it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” (1 Cor 2:9-10)
I believe God wants you to hold onto that promise. I will fall asleep praying for your precious heart
I have always felt self doubt in many areas of my life. The analogy of the large shadow really fit how I feel about myself. For many years I did not feel worthy of many different types of relationships. When I was young I did some things that could have ended me up in jail. By the grace of God I was not taken to jail, and was able to repay my debt without having anything on my record. This happened well over 20 years ago, and up until about 3-4 years ago I did not feel worthy, loved, and I even felt judged by people who didn’t even know my story. I finally was able to forgive myself, and move forward in my walk with Christ. Today something very similar is happening in my life only this time I did not do it, and at first all I could think was that was going to have to relive the terrible feeling of not being worthy, and being judged allover again, so the negatives started swirling in my head. Then I was invited to go to winter camp with the youth from our church, and the band there sang a song that said God worked all things for the good of those who believe, at that moment I just knew that God was going to perform a miracle, and find me innocent of this terrible thing I am being accused of, and he was using this terrible thing as a way to heal my family. At this moment I am 2 weeks away from my miracle, and my family is on the mend. So, I am standing in my belief that God does and is working all things for the good.
Shannon that is wonderful news. Thank you so much for sharing what God is doing in your life.
What jumped off the page was the sentence “If God calls you to do something, shouldn’t you feel confident about it? Shouldn’t you want to do it?” I feel like God is pulling me to be more involved in my church ..and I am jumping in , but there is a part of me that hangs on the side not feeling that I am good enough….or worse yet that I will fail and drown in my inadequacies (whether real or imagined) I see that there are so many that can quote scripture as quickly as they can say their own name and then there’s me…a person who has trouble finding the verses during service. I feel like saying….”who me? you want me to do what?…You must have the wrong person.” Knowing that God just does not make mistakes helps me to keep going on…..but I am still afraid.
I’m feeling so much better after reading some of your posts…I know for sure now that I’m not alone in my struggles. I’ve grown up in a Christian home all my life, and since about my freshman year of college have really started to grow my relationship with Jesus. However, I have so many moments when I feel a little out of touch with Him, not able to overcome my own emotions. From there it spirals into thinking that I’m failing or doubting God because I’m not as “strong” as I should be. I’m praying that through this online study I’ll be able to realize that I don’t need to rely on MY strength, but to fully trust Gid to be all that I need, and not rely on my own understanding, to know He’s equipped me to get through all the things He allows to cross my path. This is my 2nd time reading ACH, and 1st time doing the online study, I’m hoping discussing it with a group will help expand what I’m reading/thinking. I think a few of the sentences that jumped out at me were “You can only see the shadow because you have turned away from the light. Turn back toward the light.” (Pg 22) “God doesn’t want us stuck in a cycle of defeat or living in the shadows of doubt. He reminds us in Isaiah 49:23. (Pg 23) and “He’s led me beyond believing in Him to really believing Him by relying on the power of His words and living like they are true, no matter what my feelings tell me.” (Pg 24) that last sentence, about not letting feelings overtake is something I need to focus on. I have PTSD/anxiety, and oftentimes I let my fear take over and it becomes crippling. I’m hoping I can work through ths book again, and really “let go and let God”.
It’s funny how lack of confidence can almost keep me from posting 🙂 My lack of what to say and how to say it always seems to creep in…..
I loved the part about seeing the shadows because of turning away from the light. I don’t feel I’ve as much turned away but just not listened. I’m somewhat afraid of the light for what I might hear? If I don’t stop and listen I can’t hear what He may be asking and with that I’m thinking if He doesn’t ask I cannot fail him.
I am excited to begin this study. I read the book last summer on my own but hope to gain more this time working as a group.
Thanks Renee!
Welcome Jfrink glad we r in this together.
“As God’s girls, we need to know and believe that change IS possible”!!! Amen!! With trusting in God our hearts can be changed and WE CAN have A Confident Heart! I tend to pray daily not only for God to help me have a confident heart but I pray for God to help all of us have one, we can’t do it on our own! God is almighty and with Him we can be confident women for God!
Laura,
Your absolutely right so we can’t let the
enemy win God wins and that’s awesome.
Godbless 🙂