Hi friends! I am so excited to start this “Confident Heart” journey with you!
We have just about 3500, 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 for us!
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 others who have to share theirs — so that we can see again and again that we are not alone in this journey and struggle towards a confident heart.
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.
So, what’s my best advice?? Each time I do something new like this, I ask the Lord what I need to give up – so I can give more to Him. And this time is no different. I’m cutting back on checking emails all throughout my day (which I love to do) and saying no to some fun projects and other time-consumers so I can give more of me TO HIM and to you (for the next 10 weeks)!
Will you pray and block out at least 5 to 10 to 15 minutes every day to let HIM give you all that He has for you?! You are worth it….but more than anything…. JESUS is worth it, right? Are you ready? Here we go:
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(Day 1) Assignment
Please Read the Acknowledgements. This will just give you a peak into more of my current personal life. I think that’s an important part of building community and I’ll be asking you to share more about you later this week 🙂
Please Read Chapter 1. Please highlight verses and sentences that grab your attention or tug on your heart. What is God saying to you though this chapter? Write down what you sense God speaking to your heart in the margins of your book and/or in a journal/notebook that you’ll use throughout this study.
Let’s Connect: What sentences in Chapter 1 connect with you or resonate with your heart? What might you cut back on to make time for Him and yourself these next several weeks?
Click “Share Your Thoughts” below and do just that. {If you’re reading this via email, click here to return to my website/blog and connect with us in community.
Please Check Your Inbox: Our first Online Study Email was sent and in it I explain how our online study will work. Just want to make sure you know it’s there. If you can’t find it, here’s a link to it online.
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The phrases “God doesn’t want us struck in a cycle of defeat”. Yet, doubt and hope cannot live in our hearts at the same time. Having conversations about where you are, how you got here, and where you really long to be. These phrases really hit home with me. The next thing that spoke to my heart was the questions at the end. It brought me back to my abusive days as a child didn’t realize that some things where still bothering me. I thought I let all that go through the years. Ouch! The good news God brings promise I look forward to changing my routine in the mornings and spending more time studying this book. Thank you Renee for taking time out of your schedule and spending it with us.
Ok….correction. “stuck in a cycle of defeat”. Although sometimes you can feel your struck to be stuck. ;0)
God, thank you for shining Renee and bringing her study into my life. Her truths and self struggles Lord speak to many and allow them to come forward and pursue YOU lord. We all know deep in our hearts that WE have NO control and all the control is in YOU LORD! I pray that we are all able to LET GO and trust fully in YOU and your Word. Lord I pray that you will call to me when I am weak and lead me to your teachings and speak to me in ways that change my heart and mind. I pray these things in your name, Amen.
Perhaps you are good at hiding your doubts and no one but you knows the paralyzing power they have on your life…… WOW could this not be more true for me. I find myself trying to have that confidence and full belief and in reality it is just weighing on my heart. I would rather people not see that weakness in me and hide in my shadow. But The God of all hope is calling ME out of the shadow of your doubts, so you can have a confident heart….. he truly is and he is calling us ALL. That is why we are here and I hope and pray that at the end of 10 weeks we have all grown in confidence and/or found the tools that will help us to continue and pursue that confidence. The biggest thing for me is knowing I AM NOT ALONE! I always feel that everyone else has it all put together and so much stronger than I. I just want to be that person. I want to make HIM proud. I look forward to doing less of media in the morning while my son is napping and devote time to reading God’s word and fully participating in the study to help me grow and put HIM first.
Renee, I too want to thank you for your obedience to God in this labor of love. It is all too easy to justify and rationalize our actions that are based on our feelings, especially as women. The “gems” you shared on your own personal journey certainly “stood out” to me….”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.” My prayer during this study is that “we” will MAKE time for the quiet moments, as God whispers and the world is loud.
Page 23 – “‘See, I am doing a new thing!’ ‘I am worrying all things together for good, because you love me and are called according to my purpose.’ ‘All things are possible to [her] to believes'”
I was raised in church. I am a Christian. I know (in the sense of being educated about) God. However, I want my knowing God to be more. I don’t want to doubt. To think things can’t get or be better. I don’t want to worry. I have been taught all my life to believe the verses from page 23. I can say I know them and believe them, but I want to truly believe them down deep in my heart. I want to apply them to my life every single day. I want to live like the royalty I know I am as a daughter of the King.
Page 22 – “You can only see the shadow because you have turned away from the light. Turn back toward the light.”
A closer, deeper relationship with my savior is what I need. To turn back toward the light.
I am single and have no children. I am not currently in a relationship. I read a great deal. I basically have promised myself and my Lord I will devote no less than 30 minutes a day to the book study. This will be my reflection time. Time spent posting in the online community and/or writing in my journal. I am re-reading the book for the second time as I go through the online study.
What spoke to me was to “rely on the power of His Words and live like they are true no matter what my feelings tell me.” Along with that was the promise that “those who hope in Me will never be disappointed” (Isa. 49:23).
These words spoke to me also. Our feelings can get in the way of what we know is right. So having these words in my head will help to live a more righteous life. I recently completed Beth Moore study and the things learned from Genesis were amazing to me. It is all there in the Bible for us to learn and live by.
I hear you Kayse, I also thought that I am a fairly confident woman- the problem for me is that it lies in myself too. When I read. “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” 1 John 5:14. I realized that I am not sure I am acting IN HIS WILL as often as I should.
Today I pray, Thank you for this Bible study and all the women who are a part of it. Lord go before me, before my thoughts, words, and deads. Open my eyes and change my heart. Please guide me on this incredible journey so that in the end I am the woman you designed me to be and that I learn to rely on you completely. That I would be filled with YOUR confidence. In Jesus’ name I pray Amen
Hi Renee! I cannot even express to you how excited I am about this study! I am so overwhelmed right now with excitement because I am so multifaceted when it comes to issues in my life that to know that someone else has felt the same way I have or has uttered some of the same crazy things that say is encouraging to say the least! I wasn’t exactly sure what this study had in store for me but after reading chapter 1 & your story I’m convinced that this is just what I need. I am very confident outwardly, but the inward struggle not many know about nor can they believe it when I share it. I made a mistake this summer that has totally erased everything I thought I ever knew, ever overcome, & who I thought I was or who I thought God wanted me to be! Satan has had a blast with me for too many months now & I am trying to reclaim, rebuild, & renew all that I am in Christ for myself & my family! There were alot of things that touched me in ch. 1 but these are the words that gave me comfort to know I’m not really that off or crazy for having said or thought this, “The unknown is too scary. Although you’ve been miserable, at least the misery is familiar where you are now.” How many times I have said that to describe how I feel & why I get stuck! To the optimist that is the craziest thing they’ve ever heard! LOL! Anyway, I am so looking forward to getting unstuck from this sea of doubt! Thank you so much for sharing who you are & where you’ve been! God Bless!
Hi Stephanie, Your post really touched my heart and the Lord has impressed on me to write a note to you and to pray for you. I love the term ‘multifaceted’ that you used to describe the issues in your life. I think many of us here can relate to that. I know that I can. When I look back at some bad choices that I’ve made and realize that God brought me through it all, it is amazing! I’m excited to be doing this journey with all of you, and hope that we can all be an encouragement to each other. Try not to be too hard on yourself. Know that God loves you right where you are and He’s going to guide you through to reclaim, rebuild and renew!
I’m looking forward to hearing the stories of others as we journey together to a more confident heart!
Blessings!
Thank you Mary for obeying the Lord’s call to write to me! You have no idea how special that made me feel! Literally squeezed my heart & brought tears to my eyes! It hurt & felt good at the same time. I have often wondered why God impresses others upon my heart but doesn’t seem sometimes that I am impressed upon theirs. So, thank you~I was watching the Hallmark movie Firelight last night & one scene really stuck in my heart & mind. A girl was being bullyed by other girls in prison mostly because they were jealous & trying to prove they were top dog & when the girl decided to defend herself she ended up being put in isolation for 2 days & as they slammed the door she was beating on it, crying “It’s not my fault, it’s not my fault!” This of course was a loaded statement, but my heart broke into because I want to cry that but won’t allow it because I did make choices on my own but I was also deceived & used & left to suffer in my pain with no remorse from the other person. I got so much out of that movie. I realize I have alot of work to do but I believe for the next 10 weeks it starts here! Not sure why I’m sharing this except that I felt led to. Confession empties the soul of darkness & pain. Thank you so much for your prayers & your obedience to God’s call!
The sentences that really resonated with me were “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.” then “Yet, doubt and hope cannot live in our hearts at the same time.”
As many have said in previous comments, we must more than believe in the promises but actually BELIEVE Him and His promises. Reminded me of James 1:5-8 , paraphrasing – the one who doubts is like a wave tossed by the sea and will not receive what he asks of God because he is doubleminded.
Renee, thank you so much for offering this study and for helping us grow towards having Confident Hearts.
Loving Father, I pray blessings on all the women taking this study and on Renee and her leadership. Thank you for making this available at this time in our lives.
My prayer has been that God will teach me what I need at the right time for me to receive it. He is faithful and my hope is in Him. I will be meditating in His word all throughout the day/week. Thank you for making a difference by your obedience! I will be getting up a bit earlier and commit to applying myself to this study that God has brought me to! Blessings!
Renee, thank you so much for this study! God knows exactly what is needed and sent it through you dear one. I stand in awe of His power!
Hard to choose just one sentence as they all hit home for me but this one is so very important:
“”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 “Then you will know that I am the Lord,. Those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
Yet doubt and hope CANNOT live in our hearts at the same time. “”
Wow, I must learn to fill my heart with hope and get rid of the doubt!
I will be giving up some computer time and sewing projects as I follow this study…..willingly, as the gain will be tremendous!
Sue, you pretty much summed it up for me! DITTO!!
Thank you Renee for writing this book and putting together this study. Thank you also to my friend Jennifer who convinced me to read this book. This is definitely something that I need in my life right now. I recently found out that I am losing my job due to downsizing, and I am lacking the confidence that I desperately need to believe that I can find another job and excel at it.
Here is the quote that jumped out at me: “He’s led me to beyond believing in Him to REALLY believing Him by relying on the power of His Word and living like they are true no matter what my feelings tell me.” I need to believe that God will lead me through this time in my life, despite what my lack of confidence is telling me.
I am cutting back on TV and online “surfing” to make time for this study. I look forward to reading your comments and interacting with you during this study.
He’s led me beyond believing in Him to really believing in Him by relying on the power of His words and living like they are true no matter what my feelings tell me.
This statement really resonated with me because I have just recently become aware of what is really become aware of my thoughts and how I let them guide my emotions without thinking about whether they are actually true or not.
A goal that I have throughout this study is to find out more about the character of God and the promises of the bible.
I am currently living in China 12 to 15 hours ahead of most of the people participating so I have made a commitment to stay up a bit later and prioritizing my reading as the first thing I do when I get home. I have also given myself an interesting challenge to combat my addiction to “wasting my life” on Facebook. I can only spend 20 percent of the time I spend reading the bible, studying and/or praying on FB or Pinterest. For example if I spend 40 minutes praying and reading I earn 8 minutes on Facebook.
I, too, and here because of the free Amazon book! Extras are not in the budget right now, so the free book for my kindle is a huge blessing!
I feel led to do this study, but at first I was confused. Most of the time, I like to think of myself as a pretty confident woman. But in reading through the first chapter and spending some time reflecting, I am realizing that my confidence only lies in myself. My confidence in God is shaky. And self confidence (self dependence?) is nothing to be proud of. I want to be a woman who relies fully on the Lord, knowing His promises and trusting in Him. I love the idea of a promise book. I think I’ll try and find a notebook around the house just for that. 🙂
The question that jumped out at me was this: “Are you ready to let His Word change the way you think, which will determine the way you feel and eventually transform the way you live (Rom. 12:2)?” I’m already struggling with confidence that this is even possible, but it is what I want. 🙂
I’ll be limiting my Facebook time as well – 30 minutes only for working on my blog page. In the time I normally go waste on Facebook, I’ll work through the prayers and questions in the end of each chapter. I have a little one, so sitting down to do it all at once just isn’t a reality these days!
Thank you Renee!
I am looking forward to this study to help me be more confident in my relationships. I know that as my relationship with God grows, this will help me with my friendships!
I am so thankful for a friend that invited me to do this study! In the reading one of the first statements that resonated with me most was “My doubt was distorting my thoughts and overpowering my emotions with confusion and questions.” As far back as I can remember(literally) I have always been haunted by this overpowering sense of doubt, especially when I commit to something, when I want to believe in good, when I want to have a positive expectation of things. As a Christian, I have hope, I have help, that is Jesus. He is more powerful than I am on my own, and more powerful than the doubt that has had more power in my mind than it should. In my past, I have created confidence in my own strength, knowledge, etc. Lets change that!
I want to live in God’s Promises. I am so thankful for the scriptures:
Isaiah 49:23- “Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”
Isaiah 43:19-“See I am doing a new thing.”
Roman 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Angie,
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. This has been marked in my Bible. I know in my heart this verse is meant to be read over and over again.
Joyce
What stuck out for me is “blessed is the man who trusts in the lord, whose confidence is in him.” I am not trusting right now.
I agree. I think I thought I was trusting God, but after reading the chapter I’m not. I’m focused on the shadows. My biggest issue is that nothing I ever do is good enough – I completely doubt my abilities.
OK I just have to say that this study is perfect right now. I am doubting everything and have gone through some very hard times and things do not seem to be improving. I feel I am running on a hamster wheel with no end is sight. I just read chapter one and I am excited to do this study. Thank you!!
I am so thankful for this free version of this book on Amazon. I am a poor student and up to my eyeballs in debt with more to go. I must say that I have been struggling with trust in God and even belief. The sentence that really stuck out to me in Chapter 1 was “You can only see the shadow because you have turned away from the light. Turn back toward the light.” WOW! Yes I have turned away from the light. It has been almost 6 years of trying to go it alone and the further away I get from God the worse off I have been. I have never had anxiety before and now it has developed into severe anxiety. Self confidence (and self-esteem) have been my biggest problem all of my life. I have limited myself in so many ways because of it. I need to turn back to God again (and slowly I am) because going it alone doesn’t work. I plan to give up TV. I have two weeks left of this semester and will have more time after that, but I definitely need this study for finals week (talk about lack of confidence!). I also have a blog that I will be writing in since I have not done that in a while and it definitely has been healing in the past. It’s been hard to get back. Talk about spiritual warfare!
I have read this book before, but somehow it didn’t stick! I think this on line study is what God will use to make these truths sink deep into my soul. I have been divorced for 10 years and sttuggle with my singleness. I know these truths will help me re define my worth not by what any man thinks, but what my Lord thinks of me. 🙂
What stood out to me was the phrase: “Self doubt blocks the promise of God’s Power & Truth to change us from the inside out so that we can live with a confident heart.” When we believe Satan’s lies of self doubt who are we believing and trusting? We need to be believing the God of Truth who we are Blessed to put our trust, hope & confidence in. The One who works ALL things to good and the One that all things are possible through!
I spend my first waking moments in prayer for the day, releasing everything that comes to mind, my future, my schedule and my family etc. to my Lord and I am committing the first 30+ minutes of quiet time after all the kids leave for school each day to time with the Lord through this study and whatever else He has for me in His Word.