As per God's usual, He sent the following devotion and another one from Pastor Hintz to reaffirm a lesson that I had already learned yesterday and the day before. I was firmly planted on the AM dial on Monday. Try as I might, I could not switch to any FM station. It surely was a miserable and heart wrenching time.
Unfortunately, I am becoming familiar with these times. They are coming regularly...about once a month (that might give you a clue as to the cause :-) ). And, though I would avoid these experiences completely if I could, it does serve to remind me of the faithfulness and mighty power of the Lord. He was with me the whole time; right there in the trenches. In describing my experience to a dear friend I likened my day to doing the belly crawl across a battle field. The war was being waged within me and I was just doing my best to keep my head down and crawl to safety. But, guess who was next to me? He never left me alone. He listened as I cried out in fear, anger, frustration, sadness and despair. And His Holy Spirit reminded me that this too would pass. He showed me the clearing up ahead and kept reminding me of His previous victories for me.
When I'm in that place it is so hard to believe I will ever come out of it. I really, really, REALLY don't like being there. But, oh the joy of the dawning new day when the world is bright and fair. When I stand up in the trenches and realize that there is no more battlefield. It is my own personal miracle. I am once again planted on the FM dial and listening to my internal praise music singing of His amazing joy and love.
He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.Dear Lord - I surely do not know what I would do without you. You are my rock and my redeemer. You go to battle for me when I can't even lift my head up to see what I'm fighting. Thank you for hearing my prayers and the prayers of my friends and loved ones. Thank you for returning me to me. You are my joy and my crown. You are my light and life. I can do nothing with you! I love you. Amen.
He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me.
He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. - Psalm 18:17-19 (NLT)
You light a lamp for me. The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness. - Psalm 18:28 (NLT)
Blessings and peace,
Leah
 | August 10, 2011 Beat Up or Built Up? Renee Swope |
One morning I woke up feeling beat up by discouragement. My mind was being bullied by thoughts of doubt: I can't do it all! I am not cut out to be a wife, a mom, a daughter, a speaker, a writer and all the other things God has called me to. My thoughts were against me, and my feelings were too.
As I lay in bed feeling completely inadequate, my radio alarm came on. Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by Twila Paris singing to me. With confident assurance, she spoke truth to my soul, telling me this was no time for fear, but a time for faith and determination. She challenged me not to lose my vision or be carried away by my emotions, but to hold on to all that I had hidden in my heart, and all I believed to be true. Then she reminded me of the most important truth of all: God is in control. [1]
As I heard these words, my thoughts aligned with God's truth. It changed my whole perspective. I went from feeling afraid to feeling determined and from feeling out of control to knowing God is in control.
We have the choice either to let doubt beat us up or to let God's truth build us up.
If we have Christ in us, we have full access to God's power and His promises to live with a confident heart. But it won't just happen because it's possible. We have to take action.
When my alarm came on that morning, I was so glad I'd set my radio to that station the night before, so I would wake up hearing encouraging music and truth. Just like I tuned into that station, we need to get intentional about tuning our thoughts into God's thoughts toward us, every day.
In the same way a radio has AM and FM frequencies, so do our thoughts. They are either AM (against me) or FM (for me) thoughts. The truth is, we are often our worst critics and have a lot of AM thoughts.
And if our thoughts are against us, our feelings will be too.
So, the next time you get those feelings of uncertainty and self-doubt, stop and ask the Holy Spirit to show you what you are thinking that is making you feel that way. Then compare your thoughts about that situation to God's thoughts, which are reflected in Scripture. Do they match? If not, find a promise in God's Word to replace the lie that has filled your heart with doubt. Here are few to get your started:
• When doubt comes against me, saying I'm weak and all alone, I will focus on the truth that God is for me! I can be strong and courageous because the Lord my God is with me. He will never leave me nor forsake me. (Deuteronomy 31:6, NIV)
• When doubt comes against me, saying I'm not good enough for a certain role or position, I will remember that God is for me! He says I am His masterpiece, created to be new in Christ so that I could do good things He planned long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NIV)
Lord, Your Word says I am a chosen woman, a royal priest, a holy daughter, a woman belonging to You. Help me remember that You are calling me out of the darkness of my doubts so that I can tell others about the Light I've found in You. Thank You that You are with me to fight for me against my enemies of insecurity and inadequacy. In all these things, I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
For more AM/FM thoughts visit the FREE resources page on Renee's website. That way, when doubt tries to beat you up, you'll have God's promises to build you up instead!
A Confident Heart: How to Stop Doubting Yourself & Live in the Security of God's Promises. If you'd like to find out more or order a copy, click here.
Join over 25,000 women who have gone on Renee's "7-day DOUBT Diet" — it includes a week's worth of FREE devotions from her book, A Confident Heart. To sign up for "7-day DOUBT Diet," click here.
When you purchase resources through Proverbs 31 Ministries, you touch eternity because your purchase supports the many areas of hope-giving ministry we provide at no cost. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for each and every purchase you make with us. Thank you!
Application Steps:When feelings of self-doubt come, write down the AM (against me) thought you are thinking and look for a FM (for me) promise in scripture to replace the lie that has filled your heart with doubt. Click here for a list of more AM/FM thoughts.
Reflections:
What area of my life—as a woman, mom, wife, friend, daughter, housekeeper, professional, leader, etc.—do I currently have the most "against me" thoughts in?
How can I get intentional this week about replacing my AM thoughts with FM—God is for me—thoughts from His Word?
Power Verses:
1 Peter 2:9, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (NIV)
Deuteronomy 20:4, "For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." (NIV)
Romans 8:37, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (NIV)
[1] "God Is In Control," © 1993 by Twila Paris. All Rights Reserved. From He Is Exalted: Live Worship CD.
© 2011 by Renee Swope. All rights reserved.
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