Do you ever wonder why you didn’t get the gift of confidence like others you know? I used to feel slighted by that. But over time I realized there was more to confidence than just being born with it.
Lasting confidence comes from knowing and believing that our value isn’t determined by our performance or competence. But that is not always easy to believe because we have an opponent who will do all he can to convince us otherwise.
Some avoid talking about the devil because they don’t want to give him too much attention. But I think it’s important that we realize we have an enemy. The Bible calls him the accuser of the brethren. Satan loves to accuse us and make us feel worthless so that we never become all that God created us to be!
One of the ways he works is by getting us to doubt ourselves. In my P31 devotion today, I shared how a few years ago I realized I was going along with the enemy’s schemes every time I’d do something wrong and then ask: What’s wrong with me?
A few years ago, it dawned on me that every time I asked, “What’s wrong with me?” I was actually telling myself something was wrong with me. Then I would try to figure out my elusive fault so I could change it or hide it. Do you ever do that?
It’s not what God wants us doing to ourselves, but Satan loves for us to focus on all that is wrong with us (real or perceived) so that we become consumed by self-doubt and condemnation as a result. Peter tells us what we need to do about him: “Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8, GW).
Keeping Our Minds Clear
Jesus says in John 14:26 that God has given us an Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to teach us everything and to remind us of all that Christ said. The Holy Spirit lives in us as believers, and He is great at helping us keep our minds clear. Let’s ask Him daily to clean out the clutter of insecurity, pride, and Satan’s lies in your thoughts and replace them with the clarity of Truth.
Staying Alert
We can stay alert by listening to our thoughts. If our thoughts are against us, then our feelings will be too. What we think determines how we feel, and our feelings often determine how we live.
Think –> Feel–> Live
However, with the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Promises, we can ask Jesus to change the way we think, which will change the way we feel and eventually transform the way we live!
The next time you start having negative feelings about yourself, stop and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what you’re thinking that is making you feel that way. Then compare your thoughts about yourself, or the circumstances you are in, to God’s thoughts. Do they match? If not, find a promise in God’s Word to replace the lie that has filled your heart with self-critical thoughts For instance:
- When you feel defeated, focus on the truth that God says, “In all these things [you] are more than [a conqueror] through him who loved [you]…” (Rom. 8:37, NIV)
- When you feel worthless, focus on the truth that God says, “You are precious and honored in my sight, and . . . I love you.” (Isa. 43:4, NIV)
- When we feel inadequate, focus on the truth that God says, “’You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.’” (Isa. 43:10, NIV)
If we have Christ in us because of our faith in Him as our Savior, then we have God’s power and promises available to live with a confident heart!
* If this is an area of your life you sense God leading you to dig deeper into, more about this part of my journey and this topic are in chapter 6 of A Confident Heart,
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As part of a little celebrating we’re doing at my house, (see note below) we’re giving away 5 copies of A Confident Heart along Confident Heart Scripture stickies we’re having created this month!! Just leave your name or a comment to enter by clicking on “Share Your Thoughts” to let me know what God has you thinking about after reading this post, or my devotion. I’ll be reading your comments today and praying for you. It would be my honor to do that.
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Today my family and I are celebrating some “only God could do this” news we recently received…over 20,000 copies of A Confident Heart are in the hands of women around the US, and it’s now being published in Korean!! We’re totally blown away – that in the midst of my father’s passing, my daughter’s speech disorder diagnosis and my mom’s hospitalization all during my book release – God is doing immeasurable more than we could even imagine. I know part of it is women reading reviews and hearing from other women so I want to thank you for sharing those, too. JJ and I love reading the stories in the reviews and seeing what God is saying to your hearts through the words He poured through mine in each chapter!!
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Think. Feel. Live. I often need to be reminded that what I think affects how I feel and ultimately what I will do. Thank you for your words of encouragement. Sometimes I get so focused on my own negative thoughts I lose sight of the Truth of His Word,
I am reading A Confident Heart right now and participating in Melissa Taylor’s online study. I love your book, I downloaded the Nook version but would love to have an actualy copy to write notes in and/or give to a friend of mine! Thank you for your continued P31 devotions and sharing your insights!!!
I would love to receive a copy of this book to read for myself and be able to share it’s wisdom with the many young girls I mentor through youth sports.
your message today is so important and a much needed one thanks for sharing.
Thank you so very much for your efforts and dedication to helping empower and strengthen Christian women. If we could shuck the negative, inadequate image of ourselves that Satan has impressed on us we could rise up and be the strong, confident Christian women God intends for us to be. Confident in His love, confident in our worth and equipped to share His word and blessings. Haven’t read the book but I believe the message is one all women should hear. Would love to read it with my 15 year old daughter. How empowering to go into young womanhood knowing exactly who you are in Christ. Thank you.
Wow, does this hit close to home. I think we all do this and don’t even realize it. Thanks for the devotion today!
Renee,
Thank you for your devotion today & for your blog post. Last night I led an event at our Church for the Wives of the Deacons & Ministers. All day yesterday & this morning I have had doubt & insecurity over how the evening went. Many times throughout the day I thought of your book and reminded myself that God had a plan for the night. If I followed His guiding and let the Holy Spirit guide the prayer time then His Will would be accomplished. I know these doubts & insecurities are from the enemy. Thank you for that reminder.
Mary
Thank you so much for this devotional! I heard you yesterday on the radio and my heart was touched as I heard you share. Your words entered my heart and bore witness with what God has been speaking to me for the past couple of months during my prayer time and through our pastor’s teachings about the accuser of the brethren. I have struggled my entire life with self-doubt and with speaking negative things about myself, and I have always wondered why I tend to do that so much. I am trying to break those habits and learn how to replace them with recognizing God’s thoughts about me and what His word says about me, and speaking those things in place of the accuser’s thoughts. I feel like I am beginning a new journey that will help me be more effective in all areas of my life as a wife and mother, and in ministering to others. Thank you so much for your ministry! I know God had his hand in letting me come across you on the radio program yesterday. God bless you as you bring freedom and blessing to others!
Lori
This was so timely for me today! I received some devastating news yesterday afternoon and spent the entire night in tears, with the enemies lies hammering away at me. Reading your devotion in my email was like a breath of fresh air. I think I may actually be able to get through the day now. 🙂
May God bless you…
Kimberly
Good Morning !
I have given a copy of your book to my daughter, Sarah, who struggles with self doubt. She is a college student and is struggling with her classes. I had bought the book for myself, but after I began to read it, I knew this is something she needed to read.
Your devotion and blog gave me the words of encouragement I needed for today.
God Bless,
Grace 🙂
I was was really touched and blessed by this part of the teaching. I find myself comparing and trying to measure up against other people particularly in the way that they pray. I would think perhaps if I prayed like that God would answer me more etc but I know that is nonesense but sometimes that thought comes across my mind and then I get back on point and the holy spirit will remind me that it is not about big words and long dialects that appeals to God but it is the heart that the prayer is coming from. When I read your devotion today I was nodding and agreeing and sitting up in my seat -lol because it spoke to me. Thank you Renee for letting God use you in this way though these devotions thank you for being willing to be open about your experiences in order to help others. God bless you continually.
The opportunity to win a free book would be great and greatly appreciated but I live in England so I dont know if the offer would be eligible for me. Is is just for people in and around the United States? If the offer is world wide I hope that I could be considered. Thanks again Renee
Thank you for sharing your insights. With my new job 2 months ago, kids, husband and life this is exactly how I am feeling (thinking). I would be honored to win/read your book.
Thank you for today’s devotional regarding those infamous words i say to myself, “What’s wrong with me?!” I needed to hear that today!! My identity is in Christ, yet Satan has such a way with me as he whispers doubt in my ear all the time. My teenage daughters struggle with this too, I know, and I would love to share your book with them!! God Bless you!
Thank you for this devotion. I actually have said words to myself that are not true just as you described in the devotion. I never really thought about it as Satan telling me lies but after reading both the devotion & the blog I am convicted & see the need to work on stopping this pattern in my life. Congratulations on having your book sell so well & thank you for your prayers for myself & for all the other women who are working on doing things God’s way & not listening to the deceiver!
~Blessings~
Thank you so much for sharing this. I look back and see how I have been doing this my whole life. I am making an effort to change my thought patterns. Your prayer is appreciated.
Amazed is the only way I can voice how I feel after reading this. I was praying and asking the Lord as I rocked my 2-year old last night what I should write my next blog post about. It was getting close to my self-impose deadline and I was clueless. He laid on my heart all times I have felt like a complete idiot, and he has reminded that I am NOT, I am “fearfully and wonderfully made” exactly they way he wants me to be. Thank you for this reinforcement at exactly the right time! 😉
Thank you for your devotion today. God placed it there for me to see for a reason. Both my son and I needed to hear this today. We both struggle with frequent self-doubt and feelings of not inadequacy. It is so easy to fall into the trap that Satan sets for you. Why we fall for it so often is a question I ask myself frequently. My son is 15 and has some special needs and I have really struggled with how to best help him feel better about himself. Nothing has been very successful for very long. But, I just now realized that the only way to do that is through prayer. Why I didn’t see that before now, I don’t know. God is the only one who knows the perfect time and plan for us. Thank you God for revealing these truths to me today in your word and in this devotional. Please help me to always remember this and please keep reminders like the ones in the devotional today in front of all who need to hear it. Thank you.
As I was reading the Proverbs31 devotion this morning, I clicked on the link about your book, The Confident Heart. I have dealt with this very issue my entire life. As a young child, I followed in the footsteps of an older sister who was beautiful, popular, head cheerleader, etc. and I thought I had to be just like her.
Throughout my high school and college years, I struggled because I built my self worth on a boy, instead of the TRUTH of God’s word. When he broke up with me, I believed all the lies Satan threw my way that if I was more beautiful, gave “into” his advances, tried a little harder, etc then he wouldn’t have broken up with me
I could go on and on, as a young married woman, mother, teacher, etc.
However, it is my 18 year old daughter that I would love to have the book for. Abby is a beautiful young lady of God, but she doesn’t see that. She is constantly bombarded by Satan’s lies and deceptions. She lives trying to win the approval of others.
I do not want her to live her entire life as I did.
Thank you for all you are doing and for allowing God to use you to work in so many ladies lives!
Today was just the reinforcement I needed! I am currently involved in an online study with this book, A Confident Heart. When I first started reading Chapter 6 (which we are currently on), I thought, well, I’ll read it and all, but I dont have a problem with this particular area of negative thinking. Boy was a wrong! As I began to read, God began to reveal the areas in my heart and mind where I question my worth and value. I can see how this way of thinking affects my feelings which in turn affects my life. Today’s devotion was great because it encouraged me to read chapter 6 again. I always find things I would have missed out on when I reread. Although I have my own copy of A Confident Heart, I am hoping to win one to give to my daughter, since my is well worn (and loved) from this study. I have been sharing many of the bible verses from the book with her, but would love for her to have her own copy so that she can also feel confident in her own heart. She has struggled with some health issues that are a result of many of the negative feelings that she, as well as many women face. My hope and prayer is that she will learn just how much Jesus wants her to feel His love each day and take these negative feelings of doubt and fear away. I can just imagine how much better her llife will be if she can learn this at this point in her life (she is 20 years old) rather than wait until she has allowed satan to drag her down for 20 some years of her life, like I did.
P.S. I am 43 today . . . a book for my daughter would be a great Happy Birthday to me!!! 🙂
What a perfect devotion for me to read today. We listen to Satan’s voice too often and assume his thoughts as our own. Thank you, Renee for all you do for women through your ministry!
I’ve never been one to have confindence in myself and I’m 55 years old. We started a new church about a year ago and the ladies of the church came to me and ask me to be the group leader for the Women of Faith Conference this year. Women of Faith??? What was that and what do I do? This was my first year of ever hearing of this and my first year being group leader. I put the group together, got their tickets, got their motel rooms, handled all the details, suprised myself in what I could do since I didn’t believe in myself and what I could do. One more point, I’m unemployed and my husband is disable, so I knew when I took this project on, there was no way I could afford to go, but would do it for the ladies of my new church. It came to the final Sunday that everything had to be turned in to me, we had a meeting about final details, who was rooming with who, etc. I was asked who did I want to room with. I had not said anything before so I had to tell the ladies I wasn’t going because of my financial position. A room full of ladies started screaming yes you are going. They got together, purchased me a ticket, put me in one of their rooms, bought my dinner. I was so rejuvinated when we left on Saturday afternoon. On cloud nine!!!! God bless Women of Faith and even more Thank you God and Bless the Ladies of First Baptist Church Highland City, Bartow, FL for giving me the experience of my life. Now I can do anything!!! Thank you
God brought me right where I need to be today regarding A Confident Heart. I was just sharing with my pastors wife this week how I struggle all to often with “self editing”. I downloaded the first chapter and tried to digest every nugget of help in the chapter. Tonight I mentioned to my husband what a valuable resource this book would be for me and he said get it! My birthday is coming up (Nov. 3). A Confident Heart would be a treasured gift!!
Thank you for this wonderful ministry for all the women. This web site has valuable resources that I am going to make the most of!!