I know you sometimes feel ordinary but you’re not.
You are one of a kind ~ a unique and beautiful blend of all God wants you to be.
You may feel invisible … like you’re just one of millions of others.
But there’s no comparison. God sees you friend.
And when God sees you, He sees someone He loves.
Listen as He whispers…”You are precious and honored in my sight …. and I love you.” Is 43:4
He also sees someone He knows.
“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.” Ps 139:1
Since God knows you, has a purpose for you and loves the way He made you, I’m confident He wants you to feel the same way. Watch, listen and let Him sing these truths over your heart today. {And if you’re reading this in email, click here to watch it online.}
You really are…
Beautiful
Loved
Cherished
Chosen
Treasured
Sacred
You are His!
May God’s sweet affirmations replaceall those comparisons. As you identify, understand and embrace who HE created you to be, I’m praying you will be able to say with confidence, “Lord, You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb, I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Ps. 139:13-14)
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Want to find out more about who God created you to be?
Here’s a link to a FREE Spiritual Gifts Assessment to see what your gifts are!
It’s FREE for everyone!
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ENTER TO WIN: I’m giving away 5 copies of the personality assessment that I talk about in my book A Confident Heart {on sale now for $6.99}
In chapter 8, I share an in-depth section about personalities and how our unique traits play a key role in our God-given purpose. Today’s giveaway is called Wired That Way Personality Profile and includes a time-tested profile with definitions, instructions to eliminate confusion, a detailed explanation of your scores, and a handy team-building chart that shows how the different Personalities interact. To enter: Share a little bit about what God is showing you as you continue to read chapter 8, or today’s blog post and/or music video. Simply click “share your thoughts” below. And let me know if you’ll be on our Conference Call tomorrow night!
FREE Confident Heart Conference Call
Thursday, May 9th, at 9pm EST
Topic: You’ve Already Got What It Takes
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Love the words to this song and the video was very touching!! Thank you for sharing!!
I wanted to share also my 1st and 2nd personality….I am mainly melancholy with a close 2nd phlegmatic….I found this so interesting and recognize what I have to work on but more important that I do have some awesome abilities. <3
I am going to play catch-up with this lesson. I have read it and outlined it but have not answered the questions …one because some a little hard and second…you know the saying it comes in 3’s, well I got that this week. Husband bp would not stay down…his dad not doing well and may not come out of it, and my mom in hospital with her sugar problems and uti infection. And we have started a roofing job. Sooooo I had to sit down take some breaths and ask God for help. Things are leveling out a little now but oh how glad I am to be taking this study at this time. Now to catch up with you beautiful ladies. Please pray for my family while we take the journey of caring for our aging parents. <3
That video was very moving. I loved it. It really spoke to me. That is something that God is trying to teach me now is that I am beautiful. Thanks for sharing Renee.
Mary
BEAUTIFUL! I went online and copied the words to this song to share with my son’s girlfriend almost two years ago…I wish I had felt this way about myself when I was young…I only figured it out when I began my journey with God and developed a relationship with Jesus…loved hearing it tonight! Ps they still play it on KLove radio all the time or you can request it!
LUKE 7: 43…
I surrender myself to you JESUS, and I offer my ways that are pleasing to you. forgive me lord just like to forgave women in Luke chapter 43. please take away my doubts that I have within, and let me hear your voice in a quite voice. let me know it’s you, and most importantly let me be obedient to you. use me lord to do your will. lord show me what it is that you want me to do, what is my purpose lord. help me to find what you created me to be, and let me be faithful to you just as king David did. you were very pleased with David. let me be in the here and now, give me peace within, and most importantly bring me joy so that I can share that joy & confidence with my two grown daughters. this prayer I pray in Jesus name amen. thanks Renee for conference call, it was very helpful. thanks again for sharing, caring, and thank God for speaking through Renee so that we can know we are not alone, and things are going to be ok. thanks lord for loving me.
I have been praying about going on a mission trip this summer.. It’s something that I feel is a desire God has put on my heart… It’s something I prayed God would open that door and now that it has.. I wander am I sure he wants me to do this..? Is this something he wants me to do. Any advice?
I am still reading chapter 8. I needed to find someone to read part of this chapter with me. My mom is going to read it with me tomorrow! I am sorry that I missed the call.
In Christ’s Love,
Christina Beebe
I don’t feel beautiful. Haven’t since I was sexually assaulted in college and six years ago at the hands of a neighbor. I hope that by the end of this study I can say YES.
Stephanie Mitchell, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! And YOU have much courage to share a part of your story.
Don’t those who hurt you steal your inner beauty from you. God is wrapping His arms around you, holding you, loving you!! I will be praying for you!
Love the message in the song. Having a hard time today . Had to take my beloved scottish terrier to the vet today for the “big sleep”
crying my eyes out. I will miss my always happy little guy
He was BEAUTIFUL.
Kittie, I am so sorry you had to take your scottish terrier to the vet and say goodbye. That had to be very difficult. We love our pets because they are our family. **Hugs** this evening for you.
Thank you so much Susan
Oh Kittle, i am so sorry. I lost my sweet Chelsea {our miniature daschund} five years ago and it nearly did me in. Praying for you!
Thank you Renee. I know my post had nothing to do with chapter 8. But it was what was on my heart last night
. I listened to the song as i read the blog. Then listened again and watched the video. I was always told i was ugly as a kid. Now i know i’m not but it doesn’t take much to drag up old wounds.
Played the video for my sister this morning and it made her cry just as it did to me.
When we listened to your video about the rubber plug that went to your tv remote my sister said” i have been searching for that little rubber plug all my life”. Always wondering what wasnt done right to someone elses expectation and what punishment would come as a result of messing up. We have discussed alot of the book together. And have had many meaningful conversations.
Doing better today missing my Seamus.
I recently hit a milestone birthday and with that I realized how much I have to learn about really letting go of my need to “know” and to trust in what God does know. I can look back and see a few examples of amazing things that happened when I trusted God fully; but the reality is these moments are far and few between.
After reading something late last year about choosing one word to focus on, to pray on, to purposefully pursue with all my heart, and to be open to how God will teach me, I chose the word Confidence. And then I discovered this wonderful Book and online Bible Study. Between Chapter 5 and 6 (or 6 and 7) I thought my marriage was going to end. My husband and I are reaching just over 20 years together, and we have a lot of baggage between the two of us. It was a very rough few weeks, but God has been our rock. And when I recognized that maybe Satan isn’t liking the “confidence” I am learning about, and when I pray on the words God says about me rather than my auto default doubting thoughts, I know that God’s plan is unraveling as it should. Together – we represent a magnificent truth. Thank you Renee for your authentic truthful story, your courage to show up and speak up and for touching us with your love.
Love this study. After having a very abusive and demeaning boss for years and finally leaving the company, this study is really helping me to rebuild and not see my value as attached to any human’s perceptions rather through God’s eyes. Thank you for the time you have invested in this book and the study. Praying about ways I can help other woman who have gone through similar circumstances once I rebuild fully.
Thanks Renee
I have recently begun writing seriously after a few years of just “playing around.” When you talk about doubt coming into your head telling you, “Who am I to think I could write something women would want to read,” I actually wrote the word “Yep” next to that. God has done a mighty work in me as of late, and I am believing that He has called me to do this writing thing, and He will equip me to do it. My confidence has grown, and I am more convinced than ever that I am within His will for my life. Thanks so much for sharing your story throughout this book. I’ve had a lot of “Yep!” moments while reading!
THANK YOU so much for your book, A Confident Heart! It has blessed me in amazing ways and I am so grateful and thankful. For the last 6 months, I have been on a difficult journey of awareness. I have learned that because of my self-doubt and lack of confidence, I had lost myself and my sense of identity. I was looking to others to “fill my cup” and help me feel okay about me. I would compare myself to others (on the outside) and I could never measure up. In addition, I have been living in fear on a daily basis due to my son and his addiction to meth. I have come to learn on a very real, deep level how unhealthy I have been and have had to acknowledge and take responsibility for my actions relating to codependency and enabling my son. I have had to go thorugh the difficult journey of seeing my actions as harmful and hurtful as I deprived him of taking responsiblity for his life and from suffering the consequences of his own actions. Now, through weekly Al-Anon meetings (that are so helpful), counseling, A Confident Heart bible study, and a very supportive family, I am learning who I really am, and it feels amazing. It is hard to even express to anyone how good it feels, as I have hid my deepest thoughts of inadequacy and shame for years, as I knew I wouldn’t be loved it everyone knew and saw me through my eyes. Your book A Confident Heart resonates with me on so many levels, and I will read it over and over again to stay balanced and focused on God, how much He loves me, and seek His Perfect Plan in my life. He led me to this bible study at just the right time, and I am so thankful….
Wow, all I can say is ” how did you know that”? That is the way I feel most of the times. I know God created me for more than this and blessed me with the ability to serve him. I pray that I will be more faithful in his gifts and serve him…”that’s why he made me”.
I was so upset on my former landlord today. I know I made some mistakes and I have to live with the consequenses. There not much, what I can do about it. I only know there are more importend things in my life, than to pay the fee he is asking for. If I,m in deept, than in the deept of the LORD, he lifted me up so many times in my life. Thank you LORD for loving me uncondishendly.
I,m YOURS!
May God’s sweet affirmations replace all those comparisons. As you identify, understand and embrace who HE created you to be, I’m praying you will be able to say with confidence, “Lord, You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb, I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Ps. 139:13-14)
In his name I pray
Amen
As I am learning to declare who I am in Jesus Christ, I have found that I am becoming more bold in sharing with others. I used to have so much I wanted to say, but felt as though others would think I was too inadequate to share my thoughts. But in the last few weeks I am not only sharing my thoughts, but a long time desire to write is starting to blossom in me. Somedays I have so much I want to put into words, I struggle to keep my focus on my daily work. There are times I almost feel like I want to burst. I know that God is bringing me to a new place in Him. He has been waiting for me to be ready and I feel that beginninf to happen and I can’t wait to see what He does with me next! Thank you for your studies and devotions. They are words of life.
I stepped away from the study here for about a week. My mind felt very overwhelmed. I have been speaking the verses from chapter 12, but just needed a break. I started reading chapter 8 today. I am definitely a melancholy. I desire perfection. Perfection from myself and others. I know I can be very hard to please and most of the time would rather do things myself, “the right way”.
It was very true that when my needs of understanding and support, space and silence are not met that I operate in my weaknesses. Or as Renee calls them relational challenges. I have needed space and silence lately. I do not feel like I am understanding myself or a few other people in my life. It is a confusing time. My reaction to not understanding how to help, or why someone behaves a certain way, or hurts me; is to distance myself and become silent. Not always the best approach to conflict resolution.
I feel better about who I am. In fact last night I realized something. I used to associate confidence with arrogance, and I did not want to come off that way, so I would hide or downplay my talents. I realize now that confidence is just liking who I am.
I just love how our God works. I am actually behind in this study. I have been keeping up with the e-mails and printing the worksheets, but I am behind in the reading. This morning I printed out the spiritual gift assessment and decided to take it. Not really knowing my spiritual gifts and I was curious to see what it said. I am a quiet and more of a shy person and am always feeling like I am not heard because of my personality. In the last 3 years my faith has been put to the ultimate test. First I lost my sister in a car accident and then 16 months later my sister in law lost her second battle with breast cancer. Through my sister in laws battle I believed with all my heart she was going to be healed here on this earth, The Lord gave me so many verses of his great healing and trusting Him, and then when she passed my faith was shaken to the core. I still don’t know God’s plan in it all, but I do know with a HUGE surprise that my #1 spiritual gift is FAITH (with a perfect 24)!! I am in awe of his faithfulness to me!!! The very thing that I thought I had lost is my spiritual gift! WOW!!!
Renee, I don’t have the words to thank you enough for putting your heart and life out there in writing this book, but I am forever grateful to you for being faithful to what you have been called to do.