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Renee Swope

Encouraging and equipping moms to parent with God's grace and confidence.

What if I really believed God?

How would today be different if I really BELIEVED God?

Sometimes my emotional ups and downs make we wonder if I really believe God’s promises.

In my heart, I know I believe in Him, but do I really believe Him?

If I actively BELIEVE God, then I’ll trust He’s working everything out for good today – even though big expenses have drained our savings account and our son needed emergency oral surgery last week.

If I  intentionally BELIEVE God, I won’t be anxious today when little inconveniences get in my way. Instead I’ll turn to Him for peace and I’ll thank Him in advance for helping me accomplish what has to be done.

If I truly BELIEVE God, then I’ll go to bed on time tonight, because He doesn’t want me to stay up late working endlessly trying to get it all done. Jesus says He wants to give me the gift of rest.

How could your day be different, if you really BELIEVED God?

  • How would your outlook be different?
  • How would your relationships be impacted?

I don’t know about you, but I don’t often realize Im not believing God. I need something to help me recognize and redirect my thoughts.

For instance, I’ve said “My life is too hard”  to myself, my husband and my God quite often the past few weeks. We’ve just had one thing after the other going on around our house :). And if I believe that my life IS too hard…

  • I get overwhelmed and want to quit. That’s my point of belief. Will I give in or will I grab a verse from God’s Word to believe and help me remember God promises to be with me; to give me strength and time to accomplish His purposes that day.
  • I get courage to keep going when I focus on His truth over my feelings and choose to really believe Him.  And somehow my active believing opens His acts of providing {or my eyes of seeing} and I end up with all I need to get through my days, my dilemmas and my doubts.

WhenISay_MyLifeisTooHard

As I wrote my A Confident Heart Devotional book, I kept thinking about this and I realized: I need a new thought map.

I included a “When I say…God says…” statement {like the one above} at the end of every devotion to help me {and hopefully you} replace OUR thoughts with GOD’s thoughts!

That way, we find ourselves lost, stuck or struggling we can turn to God’s truth and remember to BELIEVE.

How could YOUR day or week be different it you really believed God today?

Click “share your thoughts” below and do just that. When you do, you’ll be entered to win one of 3 copies of my new A Confident Heart Devotional with 60-days of encouragement and truth to help you really believe God.

Swope_ConfidentHeartDevotional_CVR.inddFREE bonus DOWNLOADS with Purchase: 

If today’s post resonated with your heart, I hope you’ll get a copy of my new A Confident Heart Devotional book. When you purchase it this month, you can also receive a link to download FREE BONUS RESOURCES including 18 beautifully designed “When I say…God says” promise cards like the one above, plus  ”Confident Heart Prayer Journal” pages to download and print.

{Click here to see the FREE RESOURCES you can get with your purchase!}

To receive the FREE DOWNLOADS – {EMAIL your receipt to –> [email protected]}

devo_04 copy

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Comments

  1. Hi Renee: Can’t wait until I get the devotional book as well. I loved what you shared about “God says”
    that is what I am learning even more since I’ve been studying with you. When we really focus on what God has to say about matters it can and does change our outlook.
    God bless!

  2. If I REALLY BELIEVE God, then I would be much calmer in the mornings with my kids and more relaxed after work. I would trust that I need to leave the little things to God as he is in control. I would also know what I need to do each day including but not limited to: spending time (EVERY DAY) with our Lord in the morning, let the little things no worry me, not worry about each task and concentrate on what God wants me to do and I would enjoy my kids and the silly little things they do each day instead of the messes they make. If I really believe God, my life and each day would be more peaceful and I would be filled with hope and a desire to live like God wants me to. Thanks for sharing Renee! I had just posted this as a struggle of mine just a few weeks ago on the OBS Blog!!

    • Praying for you Crystal as you seek His face and for His peace to fill you to overflowing.

      Donna B
      Renee Swope’s Ministry Team

    • Thank you for sharing Crystal. I love how you processed your thoughts with God and looked at all aspects of your day. I think we can all relate. It’s so hard to balance what we want to do and what we need to do with what is realistic and what God is actually calling us to do. I have found He’s much more ok with my house being a little messy than I am 🙂

      Enjoy those kiddos. 🙂

      • Thank Donna and Renee! I agree that God is more okay with many things than we are. Have a wonderful week!!

  3. If I really believed God this week I wouldn’t be so worried about how I was going to tackle the huge issue of improving the lives of those affected by autism. I would realize that so many people who can help me and guide me have already been placed in my life! And I would remember that I keep meeting and getting re-acquainted with those who can help with this daunting task. I don’t have to have all if the answers now. I just have to keep moving forward trusting and believing!

  4. If I truly believed God today I wouldn’t have gotten upset when I woke up this morning and discovered we had no water because of a water main break down the street and now it’s 12:30 and it’s still not fixed. I had plans to do laundry today. But it is a beautiful fall day, so I need to be thankful for all of this anyway. Praise the Lord.

    • Praying you got some great time outside enjoying the beautiful fall weather while waiting for the water to be fixed. Our internet went out recently on a day when I had TONS of online work and emails and limited time. Oh my word, it was stressful but like you, I tried hard to find something else to be thankful for. I did so-so that day 🙂

  5. If I really believed God, then I would believe that:

    1. The way those of this world view me is not how God views me.
    2. I was not created to please people but to worship and glory God through all my words and actions.
    3. That I need not accept the accusations of others, but will focus on the truth of God’s word that I am loved and chosen by Him.

  6. If I really Believe God, I would experience happiness, peace and calm week, no anxiety or depression. I can overcome negative thoughts when they attack my mind. I can strenghten my family and be the helper to my husband, as God wanted me to be. I can encourage others without being accused of being a hypocrite. I can combat all doubts and gain strength. I can show more grace than judging in facing my or others’ shortcomings.

  7. Thank you for this perspective. It helps me remember and invite God into my thoughts, to remember that He is working out healing for our daughter, that He is working on the heart of our son, that He loves me and His Presence is with me always. Thank you for your depth and transparency that is helping us to pres into God and apply His Word.
    Okay, I already feel better!!

  9. If I really believe God this week I’ll trust that He has a plan for our lives even though things aren’t going according to our plans. I’ll believe wholeheartedly that He works all things for our good even though I’m struggling with health issues and my husband’s career is in jeopardy. When I really believe Him I will have peace and joy no matter what our circumstances may be.

    • Praying for you. Asking God to fill you with His peace that passes all understanding.

      Blessings,

      Donna B
      Renee Swope’s Ministry Team

  10. If I really believed God this day or this week, I would stay in perfect peace and allow life to unfold it’s answers in God’s time and in God’s way. I wouldn’t try to make things happen by manipulating or maneuvering outcomes. I would wait on God and trust His heart for me. ” My soul wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him.” Psalm 62:5 By God’s grace, I will believe! Thank you Renee for writing such an inspiring book.

    • What a great scripture to declare over you!
      Praying for your mind & heart to be at peace through the knowledge of Him.

      The person who wins out over the worlds ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.
      1 John 5:5

      Be Inspired,
      Veronica
      Renee Swope’s Ministry Team

  11. Amen!!! I loved this post. Why? Because it’s so true! For me, I have to make a conscious decision to choose to trust. My feelings immediately sway toward worry and unbelief. Having experienced how God works when I choose faith has been one of the reasons why I MUST share this with other women. Thanks for being transparent.
    I am choosing to believe God for physical pain that doctors can explain, financial stresses, family challenges and wisdom in ministry decisions. He is Sovereign!!

  12. If I am really believing God then I would not spend time worried or stress over my health, am I going to continue to be able to work or situations out of my control. I would just go to God’s promises and stand on them since they are the TRUTH and know Christ is in control which keeps me in peace and quote his word when a negative thought comes into my mind. God bless you Renee. I hope to win this book!

  13. If I did that, then I would probably feel more confident at the end of the day. Things in our human nature overtake what God intends sadly. Need to remember to keep eyes locked and focused on Him!! Thanks for your post!

  14. If I believed God more then I would use HIS word to over come the negative thoughts that I have on a regular basis and to break down the walls around my heart that I seem to keep rebuilding and not letting HIS love shine through completely. Thank you for this devotional I think it will be great just like your book. Thanks for sharing. God Bless

    • Praying today’s post and the devotional will really help you Bonnie! Im so very excited by what God gave me to put in it 🙂 Praying for you to have overcoming power today as you replace your thoughts with HIS!!

  15. I am reading this as I sit in the doctor’s office waiting for my 87 year old mother have some medical tests. What we thought were going to be simple x-rays has turned into 4 hours worth of tests. Not what we prepared for today. Your post is the Lord’s perfect timing in my life.

    • Hi Cindy,
      After I posted my blog post yesterday, I was offline speaking at an event in TX. But I wanted to check back in today to see how your mom is doing. Can you share an update?? We’re praying for you and her!

      ~Renee

  16. My days would be calmer and I would be able to think clearer if I “believed God” more. I find when I step back and relax knowing that stressing about an issue won’t help me, but praying for guidance will, my day runs much smoother. I have been really working on this concept and your emails and posts have been very helpful. Thanks!

    • Im so with you Maryann. I need to keep working on balancing what I do and what I need to trust God to do because when I don’t, the stress levels are so outside of what He wants for me and my family. Praying for you as I pray for me!

  17. I think my day and week would give me hope. I get frustrated with myself because my head doesn’t match my heart. Believing the lies of Satan over the Truth of God is a constant battle. Thank you for this post. My focus this week will be on His truth over my feelings!

    • It is a constant battle isn’t it? In Eph 2:2, the Bible refers to Satan as the “Prince of the unseen” which means this battle is invisible which makes it hard for us to recognize. That’s why writing down my thoughts and really thinking about what Im thinking helps me to see where Im being attacked, believing lies and take up my sword to fight this battle with truth. There is so much power in His word!!

      Praying for you to have victory over at least one thought pattern today! Even if it’s just for 15 minutes – that is progress! 🙂

  18. I think this and every day would be different if I REALLY believed God’s thoughts for me and not let the enemy poison or cloud my thoughts. I think your format of replacing our thoughts with God’s thoughts would really help me in my marriage and with my insecurities. Thank you for continuing to write book so we can believe in ourselves and not the lies we have been told. God bless you!

    • 🙂 Praying for you Jessica. We’re in this together. Let’s keep believing GOD each day – even with just one doubt and promise at a time we’ll see a difference!

  19. I believe that if I went through my week fully trusting in God I will have a peace that would come over me like no other. I would remain calm… level headed… happy.. helpful… considerate… empathetic… and apathetic no matter what the situation. When you read how you’ve worded this particular blog today… you realize how much we do go through the motions daily without really trusting in God. A great eye-opener! Will have to apply this to my journey’s this week!!

  20. I appreciate the way you present the problem, challenge, or difficulty, but then you provide the “God” answer, solution, and/or relief. Thank you for providing the part about what God says to help people in their time of need.

    • I love how you describe what I shared here. I guess you could say, I don’t like struggling with the same things over and over so Im always looking for ways that God offers a way out or over or through the challenges we face – with His word to light our path, with His promise to pave the way to hope and transformation.

      I love that I get to share it all here with each of you! 🙂
      Renee