This week we will read and discuss Chapter 1 so your assignment is to read the chapter and highlight/underline anything that speaks to your heart. Then come back here and answer the discussion questions listed below.
Having a discussion online can be tricky so please feel free to ASK any other questions that come up, we don't have to stick to just the discussion questions posted in the chapter even though I will list a few of those for us each week as a guide.
Discussion Questions for Chapter 1
1. Has insecurity ever kept you from doing something?2. What do you think hinders you most from living with God-confidence on a consistent basis? Is there a problem listed in the chapter (or other discussion questions) that speaks to your greatest need right now?
3. Read Jeremiah 17:7. What does this verse promise and encourage you to do? Think of one situation where you could live in the power of this promise and describe what that would look like this week.
**Also if there was anything in this chapter that just spoke to you please please share that with us as well!!
1. Has insecurity ever kept you from doing something?
ReplyDeleteInsecurity has kept me from doing a lot of things. It almost kept me from starting this Bible study. Insecurity kept me from going to college (until I was 26). One of the biggest things insecurity has kept me from doing is writing. I love writing but always feel like I’m just not good enough or no one would want to read what I write.
2. What do you think hinders you most from living with God-confidence on a consistent basis? Is there a problem listed in the chapter (or other discussion questions) that speaks to your greatest need right now?
I think that I have come to realize for me is that trust is the biggest hindrance, I had no real idea how difficult it is to fully trust and rely on God. When we are young we trust so easy, and then as we get older thing happen that really test that trust and it is hard to rebuild it when we feel like it has been broken. I mean I always believed that God would never give me more than I could handle, that’s what I was taught, and believed. Then when I was just barely 23 years old very suddenly God took my mom Home. At the time I felt that I couldn’t handle it, and I didn’t handle it very well. I went through some very serious bouts of depression, I refused to celebrate mother’s day for many many years and I just felt so angry at God because I felt He did this to me. I had trusted Him and here I was at 23, without a mom, and my kids were missing out of their grandma. I was mad that my brothers’ and sister’s kids had gotten to have my mom as their grandma but my kids didn’t. I am realizing now that God isn’t going to give us things we can’t handle because He is going to give us the strength we need to be able to handle those things that we have no control over. I think that losing my mom helped me to be as strong as I needed to be when it came time to help my dad in his last days. So anyway, I am learning to trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean on Him instead of my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5)
3. Read Jeremiah 17:7. What does this verse promise and encourage you to do? Think of one situation where you could live in the power of this promise and describe what that would look like this week.
This verse promises me that if I trust in God I will be blessed, how awesome is that! It encourages me to trust in God and to be confident in Him. I am trying so hard to turn everything over to Him. Looking at this week I think that an area where I can live in the power of this promise is in the area of learning to be patient and waiting for God to show me His answer. What I think that would look like is me praying for what I need, according to God’s will, and then waiting and trusting that he will provide it. A more specific example could be with finances, we are trying to save for our daughter’s upcoming wedding and it seems like when I try to save on my own things come up and drain what I have saved so I think I will pray over our savings account, ask God to help us make it enough and then trust that he will provide exactly what we need. I know that’s not specific to this week and is more of a long-term example but it’s a start.
1. Yes,most my life. I am very insecure bout my actions, my words and my looks. i never feel like i am good enough. insecurity has raised my fears. was scaredto go to church alone. afraid to share my feelings with my own husband and the list goes on.
ReplyDelete2. fear and trust. fear keeps me from trusting, even in Him completely. when i trust others, i get hurt andthat fear makes it hard. i am trying to trust him completely but i am also a controller, i want fix things and make them right which means i usually react quickly and make even more mistakes.
3. That verse encourages me to trust in the Lord. There are times when i do and things work out. like two Sundays ago, i went church alone after being absent for over a year. i trusted that God would show me if this is where i belong. as i sat alone and read the daily flyer i saw that starting THAT DAY was a 10week group study for those who were new to the bible and a relationship to, it is called Starting Point. I put my trust in him that day and he showed me my path. it was so obvious. and i know i must trust him even tho it hurts and seems to take forever but i am trying to trust that He will lead my husband and I down the paths he has laid for us. but again rises the fear. what if our paths dont join? why wud God punish me so? so it is a struggle for me but i will not give up and i will keep trying daily to put more trust in my God.
Tammy I'm right there with you! Trust was my tough spot but I'm learning and growing. Usually when my boys are out beyond my bed time I would pray over and over and over again for God to watch over them and protect them. I would beg him "please God watch over them, please keep them safe, please please please, I couldn't bear it if anything happened to them" I wasn't telling Him anything He didn't already know, He loves them more than I do so of course He is watching over them, and He knows exactly what I can and can't bear. So now if they aren't home and I start feeling anxious I simply say "OK God, I know you love them more than I do and I am trusting you to keep them safe" I think the hardest part with trust comes from the Lord's prayer "thy will be done" my MY will by His. That's the hardest part of trusting because we don't know what His will is and we want it to match up with ours but it isn't always going to, and that's when we really have to trust. Him.
DeleteTammy, that is awesome about the church story! You need a church right now and many prayers over you during this time. Don't be afraid to join that group and ask them to pray for you it is ok :) That is what kept me during my seperation from my husband. God is gonna move in you TAmmy! I AM BELIEVING that for you. I also journaled in my time of pain and I looked back to see where God has answered prayers for me. It just helped me a lot. He cares so much for you and will never leave you. In Hosea it says he will be your husband.
DeleteHosea2:14
.Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her.
15 There I will give her back her vineyards,
and will make the Valley of Achor[b] a door of hope.
There she will respond[c] as in the days of her youth,
as in the day she came up out of Egypt.
16 “In that day,” declares the Lord,
“you will call me ‘my husband’;
you will no longer call me ‘my master.[d]’...
Tammy my heart is with you! I know God is LOVE and will love you during this time! Jesus, fill Tammy with all your love and comfort and peace as she is needing you so desperately right now. I ask you to bring beautiful Godly women in her life to pour into her life. Ones that she is comfortable around ..that you send Lord. Divine relationships. I thank you lord that you collect all our tears and know our pain. I pray you heal her husbands heart and bring him closer to you too in your holy name Amen!
Cindy, Mom always said to pray your prayer and then THANK GOD for answering it. Do not keep praying over and over...He already knows what needs to be done, or that your boys are perfectly fine. :) By ending your prayer with a thank you, you are demonstrating your faith in Him...but by asking over and over and over...you demonstrate that you have no faith in Him answering. Mother was pretty smart about "God things". I think she would be amazed of home much of her words I heard. I was blessed to have had more time with her, you were so young when God took her home. She would invite me to come on the Methodist Women's weekends, where we would spend 2-3 days together in various places studying the Bible. I would go with her more for her than me, and it gave us something that was ours. The car rides there and back...I will always treasure those memories with her. But, it also gave me many opportunities to ask her things. She told me on one car ride how to listen to God. I said "Mom, you always say God talks to you...how does this happen?" She basically said you have to shut up and listen to the voice in your head...I said well, I thought that was just my conscious, and she said God IS your conscious. (Did I spell that right? you know what I mean, and I KNOW you will correct my spelling/grammar)
DeleteKathy, I really wish I could have met your momma( My husbands grandma, my children's great grandma)! She is still with us through you ladies. I believe and know from stories she truly loved God and I thank God for you and Cindy and all that your mom gave to both of YOU for all of us and JESUS is still being lifted and praised because of her in OUR family.....TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOR ALL HE IS DOING.... Thank you lord for your love and how every woman here is so open LORD that is what you desire! Thank you Lord for your love and GRACE! thank you lord for strong women to impact my life and a MOTHER;s prayers who are stil being answered I strive to be like her more every day! Thank you NORMA JEAN....... I can't wait to meet you in heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!
Delete1) Yes, I used to doubt I was good at anything and that I had no gifts.God has shown me over the years and many trials through my marriage, job, family etc. that he is on my side and I am equipped with all I need from him. I just have to learn to use and exercise them (ugh exercise) and believe he's got me. Even now doubt tries to tell me I can't get another job like the one I have. That's a lie.
ReplyDelete2)I think what hinders me is my self. Is it really God? Is it me or him speaking...questions like this. I have discovered when i step out in my doubt he will get me where I need to be :) I just sometimes wait too long. Well, I like that in Chapter 1 God declares with Confidence that things can and will change. My Feelings get in my way! I got a new haircut for this new study! I Got it all cut off(the shortest it's ever been)! I want to LIVE IN GOD's word. A new thing is coming :) I want God Confidence by learning and speaking His word over me and my friends in prayer. NOt just faith but using HIS words like Chapter 1 is saying.
3) Happy (Blessed) if I continue to hope and put my trust in the Lord he will never let me down even when I struggle just maybe GoD is refining me to be better than I was before. I like the next verse that says If I trust and hope in him... I will be like a tree planted whose roots are always watered. I LOVE That because I will not be moved when trials come in. I won't go up and down with emotions. I will "BE GOD CONFIDENT" and ready! God help me and the girls exerscise your WORD. Help us remember your powerful words and pray(speak) them over our lives. In Jesus name. Amen
Terri, your response to #2 is right on target with what I have been thinking about all day (and what my latest blog post is about)... listening to Him speak to us and knowing for sure that it is Him speaking to us. Love your responses!
DeleteTerri, I have doubted my gifts too. There are so many people that are so obviously gifted. It is so easy to doubt yourself and your gifts. I have to remind myself that God made me with the gifts and talents that I need, and like you said "believe". It is not easy though. ;)
Delete1. Has insecurity ever kept you from doing something?
ReplyDeleteInsecurity has kept me from doing many things over the years. I think insecurity has hindered me the most in social situations. I have felt insecure about talking to people many times.
I can remember when I started to feel insecure too. I remember loving to play kick ball up until I was in the fourth grade, and then I absolutely dreaded it! I knew that I was not so good at it, and I felt like everyone was judging me. I think kickball is just an easy example. That is probably around the age that I started noticing others' perceptions of me, and thus started feeling insecure.
I must say that I feel much less insecure than I used to when I was younger. I wish I could go back and shake myself sometimes, or I wish I had read this book when I was fifteen. :)
2. What do you think hinders you most from living with God-confidence on a consistent basis? Is there a problem listed in the chapter (or other discussion questions) that speaks to your greatest need right now?
I think what hinders me most from living with God-confidence is getting wrapped up in life's demands and not turning to God like I should. I have been going to church regularly and feel like I have been growing in faith, but I have just recently started doing daily devotionals. I know that this is a crucial element in my walk with God, so I need to keep it up. Spending time with God will help me with God-confidence.
3. Read Jeremiah 17:7. What does this verse promise and encourage you to do? Think of one situation where you could live in the power of this promise and describe what that would look like this week
Jeremiah 17:7 is short and sweet and true. It promises that he will bless us if we trust him. I can apply the power of this promise to my life this week as I pray for some family members. They are facing a serious problem. My busy body self wanted to jump in and help fix it for them, but they don't want my help. Humph! :) I need to pray that everything works out, and that I can have the self control to mind my own business. I also need to trust that God will show me what I can do, IF I do need to help them in the weeks to come.
Can I ask one more thing? I thought it was so sad to hear that the author was afraid her father would leave her on the merry-go-round. Have any of you ever experienced something like that?
I thought that was sad too! I don't ever remember experiencing something like that, but I do know that as a child (and my big sister can vouch for this) I would become hysterical if we were driving along and the car broke down. I have no idea why but I would become absolutely hysterical and I was terrified we would be stuck there forever. I remember my mom used to drive an ice cream truck and if she drove it through a puddle the engine would die. Se took me out with her on her rounds and it started to rain, she was trying to get us home without driving through any puddles - she knew I would flip out if the engine died - well we were about 3 blocks from our house when she hit a puddle and the truck died, we were on the side of the road and I began to majorly freak out, I could literally see our road and could have easily walked the rest of the way home but I just went into panic mode. The really weird thing about it though was my dad was a mechanic so I KNEW he would come get us and fix the car. I don't know what caused this fear of being stranded, its not like my parents dumped me off placed and left me there. I would get very upset if my mom wasn't on time to pick me up from school or any other outing, and I was like in late elementary school before I spent the night away from home.
DeleteGod thank you so much for all the ladies in this group..I am super blessed to be able to share and pray with and for them as we are vulnerable with our lives. I love this group already Lord. Thank you God we are never alone. In Jesus name Amen.
DeleteJennifer, that also struck me. I can't imagine being that insecure, so very sad. So, if this author can do it, we can too!
DeleteI must say Cindy, I think the most unusual part of you getting upset was not that you were so close to home and your dad was a mechanic. It was that you were freaked out in an ice cream truck. That is like every kid's dream!
ReplyDeleteLOL Jennifer, goes to show you how deep that fear was, the fact that I was stuck in an ice cream truck never occurred to me, all I knew I was going to be stuck in that truck forever LOL
Delete1. Has insecurity ever kept you from doing something?
ReplyDeleteI would say that I feel like I have a confident heart, I learned from my mother that God is like any other "parent". As parents we know what is best for our children, and sometimes they want something that we do not feel is part of the plan, and we have to say "no". Mother taught me to pray, but to also keep in mind that sometimes the answer is "no". But do not stop praying and talking to God, as you would not stop talking to your parent for saying "no". I will say the my "insecurities" did keep me from having a normal life in high school. I have dyslexia, and am terrible in math, they didn't know much about dyslexia back then. I never enjoyed reading either. I did not feel like I fit in because everyone else "got it"...I will never forget a parent teacher conference when my teacher told my mother that I was a "scatter brain"...I was sitting right there. Well, little did that teacher know, that statement was a "self-fulfilling prophecy". I took that to heart, now I finally had an excuse...I was a scatter brain, who would know better than my teacher...so no wonder I could not understand math, so why try, no wonder I quit school as soon as I had the chance. I did get my GED, and finally developed the confidence to enroll in college...I could never complete the math to be able to move forward past the core classes. I tried...I called Cindy quite often. But, I did find the area where I DO excel and have made a very nice career for myself as an executive assistant (I like telling people what to do). But not sure I will ever try to go to college again... :(
2. What do you think hinders you most from living with God-confidence on a consistent basis? Is there a problem listed in the chapter (or other discussion questions) that speaks to your greatest need right now?
I don't want my family or friends to see me fail. I am a proud person and have developed confidence over the years, my family and friends have always seen me as a strong person. I think I was a very good daughter, and I am a good mother and maybe that is all God expected from me?
3. Read Jeremiah 17:7. What does this verse promise and encourage you to do? Think of one situation where you could live in the power of this promise and describe what that would look like this week.
It tells me that if I trust in the Lord, He will provide me with what I need. This is how I live my life...I ask and pray and hope, and He gives me what He feels I need. I've learned to accept. I have a wonderful life, and God talks to me often, I am NOT problem free. I'm Cindy's sister and also lost my mother and father. We endured the horror of our nephew being shot and now living with paralysis. We recently had 3 deaths in our family in 3 months, but this is life, and while we are sad for ourselves, we know they are living in paradise, so while I grieve, I know it is selfish.), and I have lots of hopes and dreams that come unanswered, but I accept what does come my way. Recently God pointed out to me how blessed I am with a picture in my mind of a poor woman, from some other country, in a dirt floor shanty, trying to protect her baby from the animals that invade her home, no shower, or beauty products, no electricity...He put me here, I am SO wealthy and blessed that he did not put me in a world like that. Maybe I am a person who just accepts things the way they are?
I feel I have a confident heart already, but as we go along we will see...right?
Awe, Kathy you didn't ever tell me that story about school. I had a similar situation. Teachers really have a great impact on our lives.
DeleteI would like to tell everyone Kathy is my mother-in-law and professional mentor. I work in the same progress park with her and a lot of Brilliant Scientists and doctor's who graduated from Harvard and Princeton work with us (I only work there by the grace of God) She is their secretary and everyone knows her in the park and at her company. She is very respected by all and is well known. I have witnessed this. It isn't because she is my mother by the law LOL I mean mother by the LOVE that I am saying these things it is because my God has placed her in a high position at work and I know that. I admire her and she always leads me professionaly. I believe God gave me her for her confidence because I was just scared of everyone at first.She has displayed this through out the years in front of me and my children! When she speaks her family wants to help her not because she is making them. She just has that "Way" about her that I believe was gifted to her when she was born by God. I admire it and am learning to be like that to my children!
I believe God does speak through her things with wisdom. I have gone to church for years and when we speak she always speaks with Love and Strength into me! I am excited to see how God is going to move in us together through this Study!!!
I am very emotional, so I guess that is what was on my heart about her and I want you all to know that and how blessed I am to have her in my life!!! Thank you LOrd for her...Help me love her son with the love from heaven and to honor him for who you made him to be!