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.
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.
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Ive been dealing with clinical depression for the past year and i dont want to medicate it just because i dont like medicine. but with prayer and asking God how can this be different, how can i change my feelings towards you God, lately i have been very needy very ugly and upright mad at God i felt like he left me and no matter how much i cried and asked for help my answers were not yet. i have a lot of unforgiveness in my heart and God was trying to get me to work it out and i was being that rebellious child. and was hold that close to my heart. i Thnak GOd for this trail right now and i have to remember to let him fight for me and not try to take on anything like forgiving into my own hands. God has shown me my faults and im glad he has cuz not only am i hurting myself im dragging my family with me.
I have been struggling with this for quite a while now. Sadly, it seems that I just believe in God’s existence and in the salvation He offers to mankind.
I am trying to recite daily a pledge I learned from Beth Moore:
God is who He says He is.
God can do what He says He can do.
I am who God says I am.
I can do all things through Christ
God’s Word is alive and active in me.
I’m believing God.
Merry Christmas Rachel. We don’t know one another but I felt compelled to send a “thank you” for this daily pledge! I’ve written it on my index cards that I carry with me as reminders of God’s love, promises, etc…when I face the world.
Blessings…
How timely is God’s plan that I read this post now! Having just been diagnosed with yet another sinus infection, merely 10 months post sinus surgery, I have felt so defeated and incapable of just doing life, one day at a time. However, my God is good, my Healer is mighty, my Rest is in Him. Thank you for the reminder and opportunity for grace and peace!
I LOVE this!! I find that even though I am in pain and fatigued every day(from chronic illnesses) and even though my husband lost his job and even though we lost our home, that it is those times that I sing worship music to God, or those times I watch a church service online, or those times I do a Bible study or just read the Bible, God comes so close to me that all those things instead of not mattering, they matter more, but in the sense that God comforts me and shows me how He can now use that to bring others(including myself) to Him!!! But even with this there are still times that in the middle of the day or night that all the stresses and worries and pains get to me, and I am always looking for something just lke that card you wrote!
If I really believed God: then anything that came my way I would kow that God was stronger and that in God I can then overcome it too! I would know that even if I never was cured thi side of Heaven, that God promises me a future with no more pain or tears!
Thank you for sharing this!!! I can only imagine the things we could do if we just put God’s Word up against all of life’s problems!
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away.”- Revelation 21:4
Praying for continued healing & strength. Would love to win the drawing! 🙂
Thank you Renee for helping me recognize gods promises by changing my negative thoughts with God’s word.
1Peter5:9
Remind me to stand firm and alert.
41:10 do not be afraid I’m with you.
Isaiah 43:19
Behold I’m doing a new thing.
Thank you Jesus because you are with me. I’m not afraid. I will stand firm and alert waiting for what you will do in my life.
Allot of times I say I can’t do this …I am not strong enough…then God says but those who hpe in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40: 31
If I really believed God, then I truly could do all things through Christ who gives me strength. If I truly believed God, I could be content, no matter what. If I truly believed God, then I would know that ALL things really will work together for good. Thank you for this thought provoking question. God bless you for being so real.
If I really believed God…. Wow, that says a lot. For me if I really believed God I would have thanksgiving on my lips and rest in His continual beauty and since I am made in His image I would rest in my continual beauty that comes from knowing the Lord, spending time with Him and embracing the fact that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
If I really believed God, I would rest in the fact that what I make happen for others, God will make happen for me-He will put me on others hearts the same way He puts others on my heart. I would trust Him as my way maker and get out of my own way. I would stand in awe that the King of the Universe wants me, and I want Him. 🙂
This book has challenged me, ripped me open, comforted me, and has given me hope.
It is giving me the courage to take the next steps towards understanding God’s unconditional
love and delight in me, Thank you also, for also making this available on the on-line book study.
Sincerely, Yo
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This has really spoken to me ~ I feel like God is reminding me that He is near. I need to focus more on Him then my troubles. Life has been so turned upside these past 3 years & there are days that I feel so lost. I need to find something to get me back on track & focusing on Jesus. Thank you.
When in the mist of a trial, I remember something I read in Charles Stanley’s devotional a couple of years ago…”when you are in the fiery furnace, remember…God’s hand is on the thermostat and His eye is on the clock”.
If I really believed God in my circumstances, I would trust His word that says I am made FREE in Christ Jesus and I would walk in obedience to His will…and be healed. I am overweight, have diabetes, Meniere’s with profound hearing loss, vision decreasing as I age (I’m 60)…I may currently “have” these issues, but they don’t have to “have” me! I know God is bigger than ALL these things and I need to pray and obey! He says “if you love me, you will obey me” and I am lax in the obedience department. I want o change that and am willing to surrender…now!
I imagine my life would FEEL very different for me if I really believed. When the fear comes (and it always does) about the small things…how will I get it all done today? to the big things…..am I making parenting mistakes that will have lifetime consequences for my children? I imagine that I would be stronger inside and be able to push the fear away. If I really believed that God is my advocate, I imagine I might be able to shut my mouth in a disagreement instead of needing to “defend” myself and pushing an argument one step further. If I really believed, I imagine the nagging voice in the back of my mind that reminds me of my mistakes and failures would finally be silent. I would hope that in this place of belief, one day grace would overflow from me to my husband, children, friends, and others, that would bring joy and peace to the chaos of life. That’s how I imagine life would be different. I wonder if I am not there because I don’t do the work of praying and believing enough, or if this is just a journey towards that place and no one ever really gets there all the time. I do know I would like to really believe God all the time.
This was such a timely post for me. I know but often find myself not believing because I see things positively happening in others lives and I feel I have been praying over and over for the same things without change. Daily I seek to let my concerns go but much like Paul I do the very thing I don’t want to do knowing full well what I should! Oh, the road of good intentions….
I read a different devotional that did this and I hadn’t seen one like it until I just read your excerpt. As women I think we get caught up in trying to be everything to everyone and forget that God has it all under control! God’s word provides strength and gives us that BELIEF in Him! Thank you!
Whenever I feel overwhelmed or stressed, I know I’m not believing God in my circumstances. When I am truly trusting that He “knows what He’s doing”, I get this inner peace, even in the midst of some very trying times. Those are the times I’ve looked back on and thought, “there is no way I could have ever made it through that on my own; God HAD to have been carrying me”. It’s not easy to trust. Sometimes I’m not so sure whether I really start out believing at first or whether I’ve just gotten so tired of trying to hold on myself that I just surrender and say “God I can’t do this anymore” and then He shows me, He can. This, in turn, causes my heart to believe, “of course You can”. “Sorry, God!” 🙂
One thing that I have been struggling with lately is the idea that God wants the best for us. I don’t remember the verse, but there is a verse about how we shouldn’t worry because God even cares for the birds, making sure they have enough to eat, so of course we will care for us. Another verse talks about how he has good plans for us, plans not to harm us. How do I explain that to my kids when they ask me about starving children in third world countries? Even here in the U.S. there are hungry people, people who are loosing their homes, schools being shot up. I tell my girls “God has a plan” and “His ways are not our ways”, but my faith is weak in this area. How can we trust is word when we see what is going on this world? I’m trying to believe in His promises, but it can be difficult.
If I really believed God, I would believe He will take care of those I love when I am not there. I will believe that He has plans for them plans to prosper them and not to harm them. Plans to give them hope and a future. And I will be peaceful and rest in believing that.
Praying for your recovery from this current illness! So blessed by your writing and your posts. I struggle with self doubt way too frequently. I believe God is trying to refocus my energy on Him instead of my worries. 🙂 Thank you for your honesty and for believing!
If I truly believed in God, I would not have spent 2/3 of the day today crying! I have been telling God the same thing lately; life is just too hard. I think even the sweet cashier and bag boy at the grocery store today could tell something was wrong. They both, in a more sympathetic tone, told me to have a good day. With life’s struggles, the demands of work, the feelings of inadequacy as a working mother and the overall question of is any of this going to get better, I have to admit that I do struggle with truly believing God in these circumstances. I question Him as to why I do not see Him in that very moment of feeling the most at need. Your blog was one I had to reread to soak in the truth in how I should combat those times of true depression over the state of my life at the moment it all comes crashing in. It usually happens when I’m utterly exhausted (like today). What I have learned over the years is how faithful He is to show his presence in my life, especially when I call out to Him. He is such a loving Father! Tonight I had a wonderful time of fellowship with my family and small group (Women’s Bible Study) around a bonfire listening to praise music. We were also packing shoe boxes for Project Merry Christmas. Being at peace in His creation, and watching the children pack those shoe boxes brought the peace and rest that I so desperately needed. Thank you, Renee, for being open and sharing your struggles. Thank you for comforting with the same comfort in which you have been comforted. Praying for you and your sweet family.
I Love The Thought Cards Idea! Can’t Wait To Get The Devotional!
I think if I really believed God, I would see the little and the big challenges as His will and trust that it’s ok if life appears messy! He is working it out even when I can’t see it or feel it!!!
I so badly need this devotional. I need to read it over and over and over again. I can read the Bible and get lost in the bigger parts – the stories of someone’s life or trials or ministry, how they needed God and how He provided or they felt without Him for a time. But I have such a hard time *personalizing* it FOR ME. Add that to the difficulty I have in recalling verses when I’m in a pit. I went through the worst depression of my life last winter and felt so alone from God. I was so lost. I bought your book and encouraged a couple friends to read it, too. But this devotional, to just keep reading over and over again… the way you break it down above: “When I say… God says…” Now *that’s personalizing it. That’s how I need to read His word.
I’m headed into middle-age and discovered a few weeks ago that I’m expecting our 4th baby. While we weren’t trying, we also weren’t *not* trying. Somehow, though, it still caught me by such surprise that I’m having a hard time being excited about it. I’m overwhelmed at how our lives will change, how we need to adjust our house to make room, how to keep up with 4 when I have a hard time with 3 (2 of them have sensory issues that can be quite overwhelming.) Pray for me, please. I fear the same post-partum depression I had previously and I fear a recurrence of the depression I had last winter.
If I chose to really believe God with all my mind, and with all my heart and with all my soul, I would see His activity throughout my day, and throughout my week. If I focus only on myself and my strength I rob myself of believing in Him and experiencing His strength…I need less of me and more of Him!
When I become anxious and feel overwhelmed I used to except thous doubting messages and let them stand for who I am.
I feel the three key points are very important
If I actively Believe god, Intentionally believe God, and, if I truly believe God. I will use these daily to help me get closer to God. This will help me focus myself on how the Lord sees me and not feel that I have to feel excepted by the fallen world. I would start to begin to love and except myself the way God does. For everything is created perfectly by God nothing is broken. Just like the trees, clouds, and sun reflecting off the water back to are loving father Jesus Christ. Perfectly made by Jesus. God has spoke to me and told me I am as beautify made.
My relationship would be impacted by God’s love, God’s world, God’s promises. I would feel free from all the hurt of the world, and would be refilled with God’s unfailing love,Joy, peace, love, compassion, kindness, tenderness and gentleness that only God provides. All the scares of the world would be washed away and I would be new. All the negative imprinted messages will be washed away. You will begin to see how I see you. A buitiful child perfectly made in me Jesus Christ. Corinthians 5:17
New International Version (NIV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!
God spoke to me and said in every situation find a bible verse that fits your situation. Then you will be able to receive my word and refocus the pain of your situation back to me. This will give your great hope and you will know I your father love you, will take care of you and will get you through this. Don’t let the situations of the world distract you from me. Come back to my word, pray and share your heart and I will transform you to my victory I have waiting for you.
Since I’m such a feeling person, I really have to boss my emotions around. And right now I find myself Ina season of grief and aloneness as I navigate deep waters of a painful divorce. I really needed this post today! I have become lukewarm in my dependence of scripture – and I’m usually the one encouraging others to memorize His words! When I think too much and dwell on thoughts, that’s when I need His Word the quickest. It’s His voice I need to hear, and I’m desperate for it!!!
Thank you for your gentle reminders, and praying you feel His healing touch tonight.
So many times I think that God doesn’t understand all the pieces of my life that cause stress and worry. He always provides though. I need to make my faith and belief in Him stronger.
I would love to be able to be able to daily actively, intentionally, truly believe God. My head, heart & emotions are all tripping over each other. My daughter, son-in-law & 7 month old grandson are leaving next month for long term missions in a somewhat closed country. I know that’s what God has called them to do, but it’s going to be so hard to send them off not knowing when I’ll see them again. I’ve got to be able to go on faith not on feelings.
Hi Renee!
I love all you have written and I love to watch yr video messages. I especially live when I can join in on yr live chats! All of the above have helped me tremendously. Thank u so much. U see , every time I achieve peace in my heart, a tragic event happens and I become so deflated. I believe in God’s promises. I just wish they would happen faster than they do. I am climbing an uphill road that is discouraging at times. I hope My LORD AND SAVIOR UNDERSTANDS THESE FEELINGS. I do love HIM So
This sounds like a book I would love to read. I know sometimes I get caught up in my own thoughts that I don’t stop to listen and actually hear God.
Like you, I know I *believe IN* God, but I do have a hard time simply believing him, especially when I feel like I have been doing “all the right things” and yet it feels like things aren’t going in my favor – or the way I think they should go. Unexpected bills (husband needed oral surgery) kid issues (My son’s PICA is flaring up, which means he’s stressed!) health issues (3rd kidney infection in 2 months!) , school issues (mine and my husbands) homeschool issues (why did I agree to this again?!) car issues (need parts they can’t find UGH!!!) … It all adds up.
I know that if I really believed him I would not worry so much. Worry is doubt, a lack of faith. I would sleep better and have less stomach aches, I wouldn’t argue with my husband so much, when I stress I tend to nit pick (you mean you couldn’t switch that empty TP roll?! Don’t I have enough on my plate!!!!) I know this is a ME issue, it’s a FAITH issue and it needs to change, but it is like I am addicted to worry. I *WANT* to have that kind of faith.
That kind of faith, how insane is it that I need MORE faith to believe that God is in complete control and I don’t need to worry than I need to believe in the virgin birth, or Jonah being swallowed by a giant fish or the entire world being flooded or Jesus rising from the dead! THAT I believe with absolute faith, but God will take care of me?!?! I worry.
So much of this topic has been weighing heavily on my heart for the past week. Amazing how God works in these same ideas everywhere I look. Been challenged to not just believe, but to look to him to live out those beliefs. Can’t wait to use this devotional!
I think if I truly believed God my outlook and relationships would improve so much and to the extent God intended them to be. I have fears/phobias that prevent me from truly being the person I should be and doing what I need to. Although I believe, if I truly believed God, He knows what I fear and I can’t change what will happen I can only change my response. I feel like my daily life revolves around avoiding things to lessen my fears. I don’t truly live freely in Him. My relationships would improve so much because I would not have the fears laying in the back of my mind all the time and could be free to truly enjoy the relationships as God planned for me to enjoy and be more involved and closer to people and especially those that I love and my family.
It’s no coincidence that I’ve been spending time in Psalm 91 and you happened to mention it in the post…I sure could use some encouragement in trusting The Lord.
If I really believed God, then I wouldn’t be afraid. I would be free to love others and myself. With fear is torment, but perfect love casts out fear. Jesus is that perfect love. Because the Bible says, true love is this, that one lay down his life for his friends. I really want to “overcome” and I know that going to God and believing Him is what will help and heal me. Still, I say, “Lord, help my unbelief”!
If I really believed God today I would remember that He is writing my life story, not I. Rather than get upset at the unexpected, I can have hope that what I’m going through doesn’t take Him by surprise. He has promised that what I’m facing is nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in me. The Holy Spirit helps me in my weakness and intercedes for me. God works for my good in all things. If God is for me, who can be against me? Nothing can separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus my Lord. Jesus carries out and fulfills all of God’s promises, no matter how many of them there are; and I have told everyone how faithful he is, giving glory to his name! (Romans 8:18, 26, 28, 31, 39 (NIV) & 2 Cor. 1:20 (TLB)
I am learning that I have to believe God minute by minute sometimes. I am currently doing the bible study Confident Heart online and this past week I had to believe God would get me through a very hard time. I was very fearful in a situation and I found myself praying to Him more than ever and actually feeling His peace. I am a long way from where I need to be, but I am getting there one step at a time. I am the one who doubts herself and basically feels worthless and useless around others. I find that when I start believing God for who He is and what He says, then I can start little by little, moment by moment breaking free from lies. I am in ministry and it is so hard sometimes because no one knows the thoughts or feelings i deal with. I feel so alone sometimes, but believing God is the only way I can get through. He has to be my rock and my truth.
I so needed to read this today. I just need to trust God instead of trying to rely on myself. I am reading your book A Confident Heart and am struggling with being single. This study has helped me in so many ways, but I know that I am still work in progress and it doesn’t happen over night. I am trying to being patient and God knows I am no good at that…lol. His grace covers me and allows peace with in me just knowing that I am changing. Thank you Renee for all you do in sharing your heart with us gals of the world. You have made me understand and know that I am truly a child of God. Much Love & Blessings, Lisa Marie
Thank you for sharing your story with us. It is so comforting to know that we all struggle with really believing how big is our God. And I love what you said about His gift of rest. Oh, how I needed to hear that! I need to learn to let things go and accept his gift of rest joyfully and not worry about all that I think I need to do right this minute: the laundry, the clutter, the lesson plans, the projects, and on and on.
Again thanks and hope you feel better soon.
I REALLY needed to hear your message today. My husband and I have been planning several projects that must occur before I can retire. It doesn’t seem to be as important to him as it is to me (he is already retired). I see the date we set rapidly approaching and so much remains undone! I was very discouraged this morning and your message to BELIEVE God was just what I needed. Thank you!
I really have to rely on Him this week as hubby is on a missions trip. I have to put it all on Him and do my best to remember to give it to Him. If I don’t I know the week will go a very different way.
If I truly believed in God I would be anxious for nothing but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present my requests to God. I would lean not to my own understanding but in all my ways acknowledge him and let him direct my path..
I wrote a poem that said: How did I get here, how could this be, what happened to the woman God purposed me to be, I feel weary, broken hearted, rejected and hurt, I’ve lost my joy misplaced my faith and in my life I can find no worth. I struggle and struggle day after day and with every trial it gets harder to pray.
I ask my self what happened to you and my answer is where do I start, one family crisis after the other, serious health issues have consumed my mind ad invaded my heart.
My laughter is misplaced by tears, my smile is now a frown, when I reach out for help, there is no one around, yet I give and I give unselfishly yet when I’m in need no one gives to me,
Then one day when I was at the lowest of the low, I asked myself where did your faith go?
God didn’t give me the spirit of fear so why am I afraid, God didn’t create a failure , in him I’m wonderfully made.. God said he would never leave nor forsake me so why have I turned away from him, God said look to the hills from whence comes your help comes from the Lord. So if I now all this why am I am I making it do hard. so I decided If I truly believe in God,I would let him lead the way because he is the Only one that has been there each and every day. If I truly believe in God I will relax, relate and release and LET HIM RESTORE MY JOY AND GIVE ME PERFECT PEACE.
I so needed to read this today. If only I remembered to turn to God instead of trying to rely on myself. I am reading your book A Confident Heart and am struggling with letting go of the past and moving forward. I feel like I could have written a lot of your story. It’s a wonderful book!
I believe that if I really believed God that I wouldn’t continue to be so hard on myself, punishing myself for mistakes from my past and allowing myself to be gripped by fear, not allowing anyone even God to get close to me. Instead of carrying pain and bitterness, not forgiving myself in my heart there would be Joy, peace, love, compassion, kindness, tenderness and gentleness that only God provides. My life would be totally different and whatever problems I faced even for a week, I would be able to say God, let’s do it together because I can’t do it alone.
Thank you Renee, for sharing from your heart and letting God lead you to empower and help other women and girls.
I feel like this everyday. If I coukd just really let of and truly believe God things would be much better. My husband and I are divorced but trying to work things out and I know I need to believe gang no matter what happens God knows what’s next.
Wow, it’s very difficult to move past my frustrations sometimes. I’m raising 2 foster children & have them for a year. A 14 year old girl & 10 year old boy, siblings. So many upsets & so difficult to provide and continue with little respect if any at all. However, I need to look past those frustrations & have faith that God has placed these kids with my family for His reason. And God has a plan! I have to trust in Him & Him alone!
His book looks like a dream come true. It is so hard to fight the doubts. Live with god thoughts not our own selfish flesh thoughts
I find myself doubting a lot lately. I believe in God, yes, but I am having a hard time believing that “everything works for good to those who love Him”. My husband lost his job in very difficult circumstances that we don’t understand and wonder how this injustice could happen. People tell me to trust God and that He has better plans for us… In the meantime, I am asking, where is the money to pay bills (Mortgage, utilities, food!) will come from.
This is something I need right now in my life. I also need to get your book that goes along with the devotionals. I am going through a crisis in my life right now and I tend to forget that God is with my and I can turn to him.
Thank you for this bible study! I am a single mom and I struggle with so many things … especially trust and confidence. The way you have been sharing the Word has been such a help to me to get my life back to where it should be … trusting and listening to God and His plan for my life.