Do you know if they give “bad blogger” awards? They should give them to people who say they’re going to do a great give-away on their blog, and then they don’t show up until that night to do it – when everyone has logged off their computers. 🙂
Ok, so here’s the honest truth. A bunch of things came up today that I embraced as great excuses for not writing. Why? Because I knew I was going to tell you something that if I tell you, then I’ll have to follow through and do it. And that kind of accountability made me want to change the plan.
It’s that whole stinkin’ doubt thing – you know those thoughts that make you question if you can really follow through on something you feel called to do.
So I am just going to say it…I sense God is calling me to write a book – about DOUBT!!!
I’ve prayed about it, thought about it, spoke about it, been encouraged by friends to write about it, and you better believe I have also doubted it. But now I am going to quit talking, quit doubting and do something about it! I said it. Yes I did! (Whew)
Well, I never ever thought my first book would be on doubt, and honestly I don’t want it to be becauseI’ll be tested in it again and again. Yet, God has allowed doubt to be a struggle most of my life which allows me to write about it from personal experiences and from a personal expression of His life giving power that has been available to me when I BELIEVE.
I pray that these last few posts have somehow encouraged you in your journey, in seeing God’s protection, preparation and process of calling in your life. My hope that is in sharing my story you will see more clearly into yours.
This week I am going to work on my book proposal and I really want you my bloggy friends to be part of this process. Lysa was just asking me the other day if I had thought about getting your input. We talked about how doubt has cast its shadow on all of us, but it affects us differently. So, this is where you come in – and that great give away I promised!
I’ll do a drawing from the comments on this post and any that follow through Wednesday at midnight. Thursday morning I will announce the winner of a $20 gift card to Starbucks, Target or Wal-Mart! (winner gets to choose)
Here is the first thing I’d love to know: How does doubt affect your life?
You can post your answer by clicking “comments” below. Please list your email so I can get in touch if you win. Also, be sure to come back as I’ll be posting other thoughts and questions through Thursday morning.
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Doubts affect my life by just popping up out of the blue and turning into fear. One that I struggle with frequently is believing that people aren’t just giving me nice words that they really mean what they’re saying. Such as, a couple of my friends and I have been wanting to sing in church some more together (we’ve only done it once). Well, I keep thinking of songs and 1 in particular doesn’t think too much about it. The doubt keeps coming that maybe she doesn’t want to sing with me, maybe she just couldn’t say no the first time. Usually after I give it to God, she’ll come to me and say “What do you think about this song?”. If I let satan get the best of me we would never sing and glorify God. I would live my life believing that I am no good. With no real friends.
I thank God that he HAS given me true friends that want to do God’s will also.
Denise
I forgot to post my e-mail…
[email protected]
Thanks,
Kelli
I think the enemy feeds us big doses of doubt everyday, especially as women. Doubts about our looks, about what we can accomplish, about our friendships, about parenting… and the list goes on.
We just need to keep telling ourselves that Christ is our hope and in Him we can do anything or accomplish anything.
Some days we need to keep telling ourselves that every hour and sometimes every minute 🙂
Whenever those thoughts creep in… I try to change the thought immediately and say… I am His and the evil one can have NO part of me!! Then I feel so big and victorious shooting down the enemy.
Have a blessed day,
Kelli
Hi sweet sister!
You want to know how doubt affects my life? Oh boy, where do I begin. The thing that I am struggling with the most at the moment is the doubt “of being a mother capable of raising her son in such a manner that he comes to desire a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” I so want to get this relationship right and I know that I can only do it through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is often very difficult to release our fear and doubt to God when He is intangilbe. We have never physically touched or viewed God with our eyes, yet we KNOW that He exists and works everything for our good.
As the others have said, satan uses this tool so effectively and I think that because we women tend to be overly critical of ourselves and often lack self-esteem, doubt is a particular danger for us.
I will be praying for you as you make your way along in this process.
6Doubt affects my life most by affecting others around me. It keeps me from reaching out when I should. It keeps me from speaking when I should. It keeps me from loving the way that I should. It keeps me from…fill in the blank. That’s what it does most, I guess, it keeps me. I don’t see that I’m being “kept” until I see it affecting others. And it is often contagious. I always hope that my doubt will cause someone else to be confident and fill in the gap. It is usually just the opposite.
Christy Leake
[email protected]
I just want to say again “Thank you” for sharing your message on Doubt at She Speaks. It greatly ministered to me.
I have struggled with doubt throughout most of my life. As a child coming from divorce, doubting love. As a child placed up for adoption, douting my worth.
Now as an adult, feeing called by the Lord to speak and write, doubting if I can do this…Not sure where to really start.
My doubts have been rooted in fear and insecurities…Not being good enough, fear of failure, not having what it takes.
But I am constantly reminded by the Lord that He desires me to bring to Him my avaiablity and not my ability because only through Him am I able. I am reminded that “Not by might or power, but by the Spirit of the Lord” I can do all things which he Has called me to do. He doesn’t need me to do HIs work, but He wants me too.
Just this morning in a devotional email I am again reminded of the scripture to rest in the shadow of the cross. I can’t find the reference right now.
I am amazed by the Lord and how He continually brings Himself to us with exactly what we need.
Thank you for letting us all know that we are not alone in our struggles. I know all of us reading these post are encouraged!
Angela Whitmire, [email protected]
Oh goodness how to respond in less then a novel 😀
Doubt causes me to not move forward when God is clearly telling me to.
Doubt causes me to make stupid mistakes.
Doubt causes me to forget my blessings
Doubt makes me think God doesn’t have plans to prosper me
I am *so* thankful, *so* thankful you are addressing this issue. It causes us such undue grief, frustration, fear, disobedience and heartache. I know God will use all the doubt you’ve experienced to free others from this monster. God’s blessings to you dear sweet Renee.
In Christ,
Mari
[email protected]
Well, don’t forget that Sookie was a virgin until she met Bill. So she was pretty inexperienced in sex, personally. Not counting what she heard from other people’s heads. She was also raised by her grandmother, so I’m not sure there was a whole lot of frank sexual talk in their house. And finally, as SVB pointed out, Sookie uses the language of the romance novels she reads to talk about her sex libp;&nbse.&nfsp; 8 likes
Thank you so much Renee for this post and for all the comments. I am going to have to bookmark this post so I can re-read it often to reassure myself I am not in this struggle alone.
My days of doubt are those in which I don’t “feel” spiritual. I have experienced enough times of speaking or writing that were absolutely “God-made.” These are the times I know that I am completely in His will and following His lead. I relish those times when God moves so powerfully.
Unfortunately in the day-to-day activities of being a wife, mother, and friend, finding God-made moments is much more difficult. This is especially true when I am tired, discouraged and “done.” These are the times that doubt creeps in and asks “Are you really listening to God? Are you really following Him? If you were, would you really be such a grumpy mom, frustrated wife, or absent friend? Shouldn’t you have overcome this by now?”
I “know” in my mind that the doubts are from Satan and combatting them with scripture is the key. Choosing truth over the lies is so important. Unfortunately, sometimes I forget to ask God to give me the mental energy to fight, and I end up going down with the last blow. Thank goodness His mercies are new every morning! Thank God that He is not a God of feelings, but of truth.
Thank you again for your posting. And be sure to add me to your list of potential book buyers. I’m sure the acquisitions editor would appreciate some marketing numbers. Hee hee!
KristenM
[email protected]
Hi Renee,
What an amazing journey you are on! Doubt, oh the power it seems to hold. In my life doubt is the paralyzing element of every insecurity I have. It is doubt that feeds the lies into my head in deep succession. It is effortless how the doubt runs through my mind when I know the truth of God’s Word should be taking residence instead. I am becoming aware of the falsehood of the doubts as God reveals the Truth that only He is. I find that when I verbalize the doubts audibly to others I hear the stupidity of it all. How could the doubt have sounded some real in the confines of my head? I am so thankful that God allows us grace beyond understanding to grow in relation with Him. Those divine “God” moments seem to be too far apart for my liking; yet, I know that hunger and thirst for Him keeps me seeking the fullness of relationship with God. Thank you so much for sharing your blog. I enjoy reading your thoughts! Forever seeking~ Tammie [email protected]
Doubt can affect every area of your life. Do you know there are stores I don’t go in at the mall, because I doubt my worth?? I mean really, from a store?? I am actually now (at 40 – for Pete’s Sake) marching right into those “high class” stores and feeling like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. But I had so much doubt of my worth, in my life, that there were stores I felt unworthy to go in.
Doubt can enter every area of your life and make you feel worthless in all of them. And God can pick you up, dust you off, and show you your worth – in him.
I’m back! Okay, so here is my list of things that can consume my heart and mind with doubt if I allow it.
1. Marriage–Am I the best wife I can be?
2. Motherhood–Am I doing this right?
3. job–Are you really qualified to do this?
4. home–Your home just doesn’t measure up so don’t invite anyone over because they may just tell you how small your house is…how it’s in the middle of a pasture. They won’t care that you love it…they won’t, and that’s all that matters.
5. education–Did you really travel the right road? Should you have done this or that differently?
Are you even using the education that you are still paying for?
6. God–Why does He continue to love me? Does He just shake His head when He looks at me? He can’t really use me, I’m nobody. Why would He want me to lead this study or that study….I’m so not qualified. Why do I think that I can write when I so obviously can’t?
7. Friends–Why hasn’t she called me? Have I done something to offend her? What did that statement mean? Has she found another friend better than me?
8. Looks–I’m ugly. I’m overweight. When my husband says I’m gorgeous, he doesn’t really mean it…he is just throwing me a bone.
9. Cooking–Who am I kidding? I can’t cook. Nothing I fix is right. Why isn’t my husband saying anything? Doesn’t he like what I just slaved over?
10. Salvation–Are you really saved? hmmmm…why would you do that if you were really saved?
ARGH!!!! The devil just tries to defeat us at every turn! Like I said in my previous post, the only way I can combat the devil is to spend time with God and keep repeating His promises over my life.
Congrats on the book idea/proposal! I think this is a much needed book!!!!
Prayers and blessings, Renee!
Rebecca
P.S. And one more doubt that has recently crept up…why hasn’t so and so left a comment on my blog? Did I offend them? Do they not like what I have to say? Have mercy! God is good though…He sets me straight on my doubts!
Renee – What an awesome, God-inspired idea! Funny, my 10 year-old daughter was just doing her devotional time this morning and the topic was none other than DOUBT. I was telling her that when the enemy puts doubt into our mind, it’s a great opportunity for God to grow our faith in Him and His Word. Anyhow, I get lost in doubt when I stop believing God’s promises to change, heal, grow and transform me. I was just there yesterday and I have to say, the feelings it brought up really stunk. Can’t WAIT to see what God teaches us through you! Praying His blessing upon your writing (& learning) process!
I constantly doubt my abilities in mothering amd being a wife after God’s own heart. I also doubt my talent in the field that I would like to pursue as a career. Rejection creeps in and Satan tells me that I am not as good as I think I may be or have been told from others. However, i know that God tells me something so different about myself & I try to always remember that I can nothing apart from Christ. Prayers for your book!!
I’ve come to realize that doubt isn’t always about faith. I know that God can do anything and I’ve never doubted that for a moment. My faith in who He is has never wavered but my question tends to be; will He move like I thought He would and how will I react?
The person I tend to doubt most is me 🙂 For me doubt is a nagging thought that seems to burst forth whenever my focus shifts off of the Lord and onto myself. When I began to doubt my ability as a wife and mother I start focusing on “me” and not who my heavenly Father say’s I am. As long as I’m focusing on the Lord even huge circumstances seem small. When I get the focus off of myself and truly understand how much He loves me and just how He sees me; my outlook completely changes. I view myself, my husband, and children completely different and just can’t help smiling; even when things aren’t perfect 🙂
As I see some of the others have said, doubt makes me think I have nothing to offer. It keeps me from reaching my potential because maybe, just maybe, this is all there is for me …
I know that’s not true, but it sure comes to mind a lot!
prov31grace (at) yahoo (dot) com
Great book idea. Doubt keeps me from seeing my dreams come to fruition. It keeps me where I am…in a comfortable place. I want to be a stay at home mom but have to have a substancial income. I know there are other options other than corporate america but I am afraid to try them. I DOUBT I will be sucessful and send my family in financial turmoil. I really have to remember my faith in GOD and know he will get me thru it.
Leigh Fant
[email protected]
Renee,
What a perfect subject to write about,a subject that we all know to well.
Doubt has been around since Eve pondered the question that Satan put before her…”Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?”
He still today uses the same question…”Did God really say____?”
For me,when doubt steps into my space I start to second guess my abilities as a wife, mom, friend, speaker and writer.
Doubt has lead me to make wrong choices,to compare myself to others and to become fearful at times.But it also makes me run to the feet of Jesus.
Hi Renee. I wanted to leave my mother’s words to me on doubt and how it can be a good thing.
A few years ago, I told her I doubted I was a good mom. Silly, huh? She shared with me that she felt that same way with her girls (me and my sister). She said the good thing about that is that you know you aren’t perfect at being a mom, but always have it in your mind to strive to be great.
Also, how about that comfort zone? I don’t like to leave it and I am sure DOUBT and FEAR (which is the defination if used as a verb) play a huge role in it.
Defination as a noun is uncertainty of belief or opinion that often interferes with decision-making.
Synonyms – distrust, distrustfulness, incertitude, misgiving, mistrust, mistrustfulness, skepticism, suspicion, uncertainty
Related Words – disbelief, incredulity, unbelief; anxiety, concern; compunction, qualm, scruple
Near Antonyms credence, faith
Antonyms assurance, belief, certainty, certitude, confidence, conviction, sureness, surety, trust
It’s important as to what do we do with doubt, it can be bad, but it can be good. Hope this was helpful, Cindy
Renee;
God knows we need to encourage each other in our calling. He has called me to educate, edify and encourage women as they walk out the call He has for them through writing and speaking opportunities.
I just began seminary in May and in my Spiritual Formation class we had to put together a Holistic Formation Portfolio listing our core beliefs on every area of our lives and setting goals for improvement for each area. Once I submitted my portfolio, the test of faith began. Yikes!!!!! Everywhere I turned there was an opportunity for me to do just what I had planned to do in my portfolio! Opportunity was everywhere and all of my accountability partners were just waiting (and salivating I think!) for me to step into my destiny. I even received a letter from a friend who said she had been thinking about me and prayed that the Lord would continue to make me the brave woman she knew I was. Whew, too heavy for me!
So naturally I ran – in the opposite direction of course! Doubt and fear were my closest friends last week. If they could have been any bigger and any more consuming…I couldn’t eat enough chocolate or consume enough Coca Cola!
I encourage you to write this book and if I can help you (and my ever-present “buddies”) please let me know. Maybe in the process the two of us can truly understand that the confidence needed for the big visions must be in God and not in ourselves.
Be encouraged and blessed.
Monica
Superbe article.!!! Et terrifiant. Il est clair que la prochaine fois ce sera une &#p;&02sim8le2#8221; explosion en plein New-York, sans missile nécessaire. Et contre qui nos amis américains se tourneront-ils? Le Pakistan? L’Iran?
Doubt is rooted in FEAR, and it is Satan’s tool to steal, kill, and destroy!! We can face our fears by rebuking Satan at the frist whisper in our ear, quoting scripture, praising Him daily, and meeting with Him daily.
Doubt will get you no where, but women especially struggle with doubt at every turn and chapter our lives. Will I get to be cheerleader? Will I have a boyfriend? Am I skinny, pretty (fill in the blank) enough? Will I get married? Will I have children? Will my husband leave me? Will I get fired? How can I make it as a single mom? Who will love me? The list of doubt can go on and on like the vast wilderness for the children of Israel.
God doesn’t want us to wander in the wilderness of doubt. He is our strength, or source, and our Strong Tower. Satan can’t do a thing about that.
D – Disturbing
O – Outlandish Thoughts
U – Ugly
B – Binds you to Satan
T – Ties you to your weakness
Good Luck with your book.
Tonya Mankin
[email protected]