“In the security of our relationship with Christ, God wants us to ask questions and look for answers that usher us into the depths of His redeeming love. He wants to give us the courage to live in the promise that He offers hope for our future despite the pain of our past.”
from Chapter 4, A Confident Heart
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Our Word for the week: HOPE
(Download in a PDF or download in MSWord). Please print it and post it everywhere this week.
HIS Word for us this week:
“May the God of hope fill [me] with all joy and peace as [I] trust in him, so that [I] may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13, NIV
Our Assignment for Today:
- Read the prayer at the end of Chapter 4 to begin your day. Start or continue reading chapter 4.
Remember, take your time and highlight or underline sentences that resonate in your heart. - Let’s commit to memorize this week’s verse together :)!
My friend Heather is a Word girl!! When she was in college she performed in over 14 plays and memorized hundreds of lines, so I’ve asked her to share some tips to help us hide God’s Word in our hearts this week. Here are a few she shared. I’ll post more each week.
Ideas for Memorizing Scripture
- Write the scripture on several index cards or post-it notes and place them in areas where you will see them frequently throughout the day. Examples: on the bathroom mirror, refrigerator door, in the car, at work, etc…
- Get a stack of index cards and on each one write one or two words from the verse, including the reference. Shuffle them up and see if you can put them in the correct order again. Save the cards and reuse common words found in other verses.
- Send the verse to friends and family by typing, texting, or writing it out by hand. You can look at the verse, but do not copy and paste! Try writing it at least once a day.
- Study with a friend, your spouse, or teach it to your kids! Quiz each other and keep each other on track. What a great way for families to spend time in the Word together!
- Change the wall paper on your computer to an image that has your Bible verse.
Connecting in Community:
As we read chapter4 this week, let’s share our hearts below – answers to the questions, sentences we’re highlighting, thoughts we’re thinking, feelings and fears we’re experiencing. This can be a hard chapter for some because it addresses our past and our pain. Let’s pray for each other each day and commit to memorize this week’s verse together! If you are in, leave a comment by clicking on “share your thoughts” and tell us how you plan to memorize it. I’m writing it on a ceramic plate in my kitchen. I’ll be praying it for you every time I see it.
REMEMBER: If you are reading this via email, click here to return to my website to connect in community. That is the best part of an online study, so I hope to see you there!
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I am going to print out the verse and put it on the fridge. I will see it a lot this way! 🙂
I am writing it on index cards and putting it in my bathroom and car
Hi there ladies,
Just writing in a need for prayer. I’m thank ful for all of you looking at this post today. I see how hard I am on myself…I need prayer for this. God bless you all Jesus, I’m praying May the God of hope fill everyone of his daughters with all joy and peace as we trust in Him so that I may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I’m filing for a separation from my husband and am wanting more of jesus.
In Jesus Name
Oh Catherine, Praying for your heart and for wisdom with every move that you make!
God bless you
Catherine I know how difficult today will be, just know that our God will sustain you, lead you you provide for you, in Isaiah 54 he said He will be your Husband, your covering, your strength, your protector… I pray you will not only know that God is with you through this difficult time, but that you will physically feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. We don’t know what brought you to this point, but I know who will bring you through!! Will be praying for you Catherine- Peace to You!
I was kind of ticked off to realize that I am still a codependent. My dad and every other man that I’ve ever loved have all been addicts, and I seriously thought that I had handed the codependent part over to God. Why can’t I stop working so hard? Why do I constantly live in fear of thinking, saying, or doing something to make God leave me? sigh…I guess I still struggle with my past after all. If you were to read my journal from last week, you would see that the scripture from Corinthians about using your hurt to eventually comfort others and then Isaiah 61, are my scriptures that God gave me for my my future ministry as a Christian counselor; pretty crazy when both of those were used in this week’s chapter. I think that along the way, that I lost my ability to say “No”…or to put up any kind of boundaries with people, because after begging my dad to get clean and other situations that rendered my voice silent, it seemed that it was easier to just allow everyone else to call the shots….like maybe it hurts less if I don’t tell people what my needs are…that way there is an illusion that nobody has hurt me. The problem? The Holy Spirit often asks me to address things that need to be addressed….and the enemy comes right alongside and tells me that this is wrong or gives me wrong ways of doing so. Also, I am then essentially controlled by other people and what they do/don’t do..say/don’t say…feel/don’t feel…etc…because I have given them that power. It is all an act that has never quite worked out anyway. I still feel the pain of every situation and I am still screaming at them inside of my head…and then getting angry when they don’t hear it. lol. I am a hot mess!!!
I feel like I could have written your post! Saying a prayer for God’s freedom and peace to wash over you, Laura.
So sad that you relate but so thankful for a sister who understands my struggle! Praying the same for you, Katie!
Thankyou for Chapter 4. God is a God of perfect timing. So the last year has been a time like you spoke of for me… one thing at a time from my past I have been taking to God and going through the process of healing. I was brave once and asked God in prayer why He allowed all this junk in my life and He spoke very clearly to my heart that it was :”For such a time as this” I believe that my past is the story God gave me… it was filled with a lot of pain and broken heartidness. God has restored my hope. The timeliness of this chapter though is in reference to my relationship with my father… or lack of relationship with my father. My step mother aproached me recently and asked me how I feel about him. I really feel like last year sometime God helped me forgive him for pains I experienced as a child through his choices. I really needed something from my father as a little girl that I didnt get. Once the Lord and I walked through the forgiveness process I started looking to God to fill that void. I have had very little contact with my dad over the last year because I wasnt chasing those needs anymore. Recently and then with my stepmom approaching me I have been thinking about him alot. I don’t want to lose him and feel regretful that I didnt have a chance to talk to him more. So Ive been the last few days revisiting my feelings about him and life. I was actually writing a letter this weekend and some of the sadness was still there. Reading this chapter the Lord spoke to my heart. I need to seek my fathers forgiveness for the bitterness I carried in my heart all these years. It has kept me hostage and thats the missing piece here I think. I also feel like I have offered him forgiveness but that maybe my little girl heart needs to feel that and grieve a little. I think I will take some time to cry over a little girl that never had the love or affection of her daddy. He is a very different man then he used to be. God is a God of restoration and Ive known all week as Ive been thinking about my father that Gods heart on the matter for us is to start something new here… I just didnt know what was left for me to do… now I do.
I feel very similar towards my mother that you feel toward your dad. Especially, the not chasing needs of mine to be met by her.
We had a fight last Easter. She told my husband and I all the things that we had done that upset her the past 10 years. I tried to let it go, not harbor anger, but she made it difficult because she didn’t want to be around us. She wanted to see her grandkids, but not us. Eventually, I stopped trying, I stopped listening and feeling. We (my husband and I) stepped back. Many times I wanted to fix it, but I had to stand through that time. Just stand. I had to be patient and wait for the Lord because she wasn’t ready. I was afraid to check emails or read texts from her because they were full of accusations and guilt laden words. It shook me to my core, but God. Oh, but God, He carried me.
After Christmas she approached me a church and asked us to stop by. We did and we have had a shallow relationship since then, my toes are barely in the water. I am doing it for my kids, so they can see their grandparents.
This sounds cruel, but I don’t need her anymore, I don’t need her approval, or acceptance, or her criticism. I guess what I don’t need is the hurt that I feel will come from a relationship with her.
Like Renee wrote “ We hesitate to ask others for forgiveness because they might think we’re the only one who did something wrong – and they won’t think they need to change. Or we’re afraid if we bring something up again we’re going to unearth bitterness we don’t want to deal with, so we just leave it buried. But any time we bury a hurt that’s still alive it just rises from the dead to haunt us.”
Sounds like you’re on your way to unearthing your hurts.
It has been nice reading through all the comments so far. I can so relate to a unhappy marriage. I have been married for almost 10 years to unequally yoked man (that is a challegne) and unhealthy person. I have tried to make things work and in the process have become more insecure and feel like a failure. I came into the marriage at 38 and acquired 2 step daughters who lived with us and I barely even knew my new husband. I have hung on for so long. I have left a few times but have come back. We are like roommates. My fear of failure and starting all over again is overwhelming. My family will always support me but it is hard to change. My childhood issues haven’t been resolved even though I have seen counselors and have grown up in the church throughout my life. I am and have always felt like I had to control my stuff yet I can’t even stand up for myself. I want to scream sometimes. I want to be rescued instead of doing all the hard work but know that is not possible. My father left me and my siblings when I was 9 and that has impacted me throughtout my life. Even though I love my dad and we have a relationship. Even though I have forgiven him I am still angry with him for what he did to me. I have struggled all my life to be accepted not rejected, yet I can’t even accept myself. I done a lot in my past to fill that void of my dad leaving and it has only gotten me no where. I feel like I am on a treadmill and I can’t get off. I do pray and have a relationship with Christ. I am afraid to let go.. I will write this verse down and put it by my bedside table. Talking about a person that can’t let go of the past or living in the past that would be ME… Thanks for letting me vent..
I love this verse and already memorized it but in a different translation. Just have to change a few words plus make it personal.
I live in Virginia. I recently turned 69 and believe that one is never too old to learn. In my spare time I use to eat compulsively, read novels, watch movies, and play mindless games on the computer. Especially since starting this online study — my mindless game playing has been greatly minimized as I pay more attention to this study and God’s word. I have spent the last 30 years hiding from a psychological and spiritually abusive husband who hides in alcohol. I have learned the hard way that I can’t change anyone else — but, with help from Christ I can change me.
OH Sharon!! I am praying for you!! What a brave confession and powerful testimony you shared today. I love how God is replacing your go-to places with HImself and His word and this place of community online. I am so thankful you are here with us for such a time as this. God is up to something big and wonderful in you, I sense it in my heart. I pray you will let Him encourage you, speak to you, and show you how to live in the confidence of His love and the security of His plans for your life despite all the hard things you are living through. He’s for you and with you – and we are here cheering you on!!!
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!!
Amen. God bles you richly Sharon
I print the verse off and hang it in my desk at work. I can look up and see it all day long. I might have to post this one on our fridge at home as well. We need it this week!
I have written the scripture in my journal I am keeping for this study.I go over things Ive written daily, and keep highliting in my book, I tell you the pages are all turning yellow LOL…….Praying for all you great ladies, and love being able to share and read your stories, Thank You…
I learned a long time ago instead of asking “Why me?” I learned to ask “Why not me? That is how I dealt with my pass hurts and other issuses in my life.
I have a trick that I’ve always used when memorizing anything. I take the first letter of each word in a sentence and I create and memorize an acronym for it. It is so much easier for me to recollect the scripture when I do it this way. I also put it into my cell phone on my post it app to look at throughout the day. If you have an Android phone there is an app called “Versed” It is AWESOME! Unfortunately the iphone doesn’t have it 🙁 I was so upset when I switched phones and discovered this. lol.
I encourage you to check out the In-Courage blog today. It is very appropriate to this chapter.
A lot in this chapter. The part about forgiveness especially touched me. I really have a problem with this and I know it has really affected my life. I cannot move into future relationships or even find my calling from God until I let go of the past.
I am going to write the verse on index cards and have my son help me memorize it! Thank you everyone for sharing and listening and praying!
The OBS is just amazing! And God is so amazing how he ties everything in our lives together. For the past three weeks at church, we have been doing a series on Bridges: Building and Burning Relationships. Yesterday the topic was “Build a Bridge and Get Over It!” The focus was on forgiveness. And what I learned yesterday is forgiveness is not only for the offender, but the offended. When we forgive we are being set free from resentment, bitterness, and any other negative feelings that keep us from God. If we don’t forgive, out Father doesn’t forgive us. Matthew 18:35. Ouch!
I want to share with you how Pastor Ed told us how to get over it:
1. Lead out in Construction
See Romans 12:18
Cancel the debt.
2. Let go of your emotions
See Galatians 5:22-23
You don’t always feel like doing what’s right, but after you do you feel sooooo much better. Kind of like working out!
3. Lift them up to God
See Luke 6:27-28
4. Leave the situation to God
See Romans 12:19
I pray this will bless someone in addition to the wonderful teachings by Renee.
Oh! And to answer the original question I am going to write these verses on index cards and change the screen saver on my computer and iPad.
Thank you for sharing Courtney!! Such great counsel and wisdom!!
I am posting this on my computer here at work to let me see it at all times.
As I go over my daughter’s verses for this month with her, I will have her be my “teacher” and help me to learn mine also. We use: hanging the verse on our bedroom door and read it out loud each time we leave the room, make up a melody to sing the verse, and quizzing each other each night by reading the verse to the other person and leaving blanks for the person to fill in.
Hi everyone! I’ve not started chapter 4 yet but hopefully today will start reading. As far I’m wanting to share something. The marriage is hard! Been seperated long time and he’s in Christian treatment, try visit least once month for 2 days. He will be staying in treatment for long time. He working full time, church, classes. He want to change and improve himself by allowing God in his life. He raised in Chrisitian home and had problems with addict with drinking. I thought long ago I wanted it ended marriage and he want this marriage. Sometimes it hard to forgive but as times goes by I forgave him and rely on God more thru His words. Sometime I wish things would be difference in the past, but know it has nothing to do about it by his bad choices. My parent doesn’t want him aroind as he’s not welcome. I felt somewhat numb and asking myself am I stupid for wanting to stay in marriage? I need prayer please!
I’m praying for you Tracy!
Cling to God and his promises, dear one!
He will make everything new!
Thanks EM!
Love this verse! Yesterday I pretty much lost hope that certain situations will ever be different in my marriage. But this morning after reading and thinking about this verse, hope is slowly returning. If my situations never change, I want to be at the place that I can trust God and live with joy and peace regardless of my circumstances.
I Googled the verse and clicked on Images then saved one of the images to my desktop.
I will be using index cards as well. One thing I like to do is leave one on my nightstand so I read the card first thing when I get up in the morning and right before I go to bed at night.