The Confident Woman Devotional

365 Daily Inspirations

Joyce Meyer

• Publisher: Hodder Faith
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781529300086
• Topic: Teología y religión
• Subtopic: Religión

Based on her #1 New York Times bestseller, THE CONFIDENT WOMAN, Joyce Meyer taps into the concerns and issues that trouble women most. She provides encouragement and tools to help resolve problems in the areas of life women struggle with most-including confidence, self image, and relationships. It is easy to get caught up in what the coming weeks, months, or years might hold and forget to slow down and live in the present. This powerful daily devotional will help women on their journey towards a confident life filled with love, laughter, and God's acceptance, one day at time.

Week Fifty-Two

The more anger toward the past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving in the present.

—BARBARA DE ANGELIS

Unresolved anger weighs us down and keeps us focused on the pain of the past. Are you carrying anger in your heart? If so, this week ask God to help you leave it behind.

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Lighten your load. Focus on this prayer: “Father, please show me the root of my anger. Thank You for the power of Your Holy Spirit to change me and help me forgive those who have hurt me in the past. I know I can only do it through Your strength.”

December 24

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Be Courageous

Then came the daughters of Zelophehad … before Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders … saying, Our father died in the wilderness … and he had no sons. Why should the name of our father be removed from his family because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father’s brethren.

—NUMBERS 27:1–4

Rosa Parks (1913–2005) was the unknown seamstress who started the modern American Civil Rights Movement. On December 1, 1955, in the city of Montgomery, Alabama, she refused to move to the back of the bus after a white man got on board and wanted to sit in a front seat. Rosa’s mother believed “you should take advantage of the opportunities, no matter how few they were.” Rosa said that her lifelong acquaintance with fear made her determined and gave her courage to appeal her conviction during the bus boycott that followed her arrest and conviction. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional. Parks was the first woman to receive the Martin Luther King Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize.

Rosa refused to live in fear; she was determined to have what was rightfully hers, and her determination sparked government reform for all.

From Rosa’s life, we see that if one person is courageous enough to step out and attempt to do something about a problem, other people with the same desire will also come forward.

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Lord, help me to always have the courage to not allow others to take what is rightfully mine. Help me to confront what is wrong, using the truth of Your Word. Amen.

December 25

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From the Inside Out

They tie up heavy loads, hard to bear, and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger to help bear them.

—MATTHEW 23:4

You and I pressure ourselves and other people when we have unrealistic expectations. We often expect more out of people than they are able to give us. Continued pressure on people we are in relationship with will ultimately cause the collapse of that relationship. God does not want us or others to live under this kind of pressure.

I remember the years I furiously tried to change my husband, Dave, and each of our children in different ways. Those were frustrating years, because no matter what I tried, it didn’t work! We cannot change people by pressuring them or by nagging them. Only prayer and God’s love will work.

As humans, all of us require space, or freedom, to be who we are. We want to be accepted and loved as we are. We don’t want people giving us the message, even subtly, that we must change in order to be “in.” I am not saying that we must accept sin and wrong behavior in other people and merely put up with it. I am saying that the way to change is prayer, not pressure! For change to be lasting, it must come from the inside out. Only God can cause that type of heart change.

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Lord, I have tried to change loved ones, and it’s always failed. Show me how to pray for them and to release them into Your hands. Amen.

December 26

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Be a Servant

For you, brethren, were [indeed] called to freedom; only [do not let your] freedom be an incentive to your flesh and an opportunity or excuse [for selfishness], but through love you should serve one another.

—GALATIANS 5:13

Jesus said, in essence, “If you love Me, you will obey Me” (John 14:21). To say “I love Jesus” and walk in disobedience is deception. Words are wonderful, but a genuine love walk must be much more than words. Jesus also instructed us that if we are not feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, and visiting those in prison, we are not doing anything for Him (Matthew 25:34–45).

I definitely love my husband, but the fulfillment of love must find some service to flow through. How can I say I love my husband if I never want to do anything for him? It is very easy to slide into an “everybody wait on me” attitude, but I am determined to swim upstream, against the pull of my flesh, and to be a servant and a blessing everywhere I go. Serving others sets them free to love. It disarms even the most hateful individual. The whole purpose in being a servant is to show others the love of God that He has shown us so that they too can share in it—and then pass it on.

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Lord, Your call is clear that through love I am to serve the people who surround me. Help me to share Your love and be a blessing today. Amen.

December 27

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Glorious Freedom

So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free.

—JOHN 8:36

Some people say children are gullible, meaning they believe anything, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. But children are not gullible; they are trusting. It is children’s nature to trust unless they have experienced something that teaches them otherwise. And another thing we all know about children is that they can enjoy just about anything, even turning work into games.

Our heavenly Father wants us to know that we are His precious little ones and to put our complete faith in Him to care for us. He wants us to take His hand and lean on Him, continually asking for His help. Everything that God calls us to do, He must help us do. He is ready, waiting, and more than willing. But we must come humbly as little children—sincere, unpretentious, honest, open—knowing that without Him, we can do nothing.

As God’s children we were never intended to live in bondage of any kind. We should be experiencing glorious freedom and liberty—freedom to enjoy all that God has given us in Christ. He has given us life, and our goal should be to enjoy it. Seek to become and remain childlike with all the simplicity of a child. It will enhance the quality of your life in a most amazing way.

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Lord, I come to You as Your child and ask You to set me free from any sin or bondage. Take my hand and lead the way. Amen.

December 28

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Celebrate Life

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

—JOHN 10:10

It is possible to live our lives blandly going through the motions of working, accomplishing, doing, but to never truly enjoy life. This is true of unbelievers as well as believers who have not learned to enjoy the life God has given them. Jesus gave us life so we can derive pleasure from being alive, not just so we can go through the motions until He comes back for us or takes us home.

We need to learn how to celebrate in God’s joy, to live life “to the full.” Enjoying life is a decision that is not based on enjoyable circumstances. It is an attitude of the heart, a decision to enjoy everything because everything—even little, seemingly insignificant things—has a part in God’s overall “big picture.”

Doubt and unbelief are thieves of joy, but simple childlike believing releases the joy that is resident in our spirit because the Holy Spirit lives there. As we believe that it is God’s will for us to experience continual joy, we will discover a power that lifts us above our life circumstances. We will be free to leave our problems in God’s hands while we enjoy His blessings.

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Lord, I don’t want to miss out on the fullness of joy that You have for me today. Help me to live life to the full and leave my problems in Your care. Amen.

December 29

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Celebrate the Positive

The words of a [discreet and wise] man’s mouth are like deep waters [plenteous and difficult to fathom], and the fountain of skillful and godly Wisdom is like a gushing stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].

—PROVERBS 18:4

Our thoughts and words about ourselves are tremendously important. In order to overcome the negative thinking and speaking that have been such a natural part of our lifestyle for so long, we must make a conscious effort to meditate on and speak positive things about ourselves. We need to get our mouth in line with what the Word of God says about us. Positive confession of the Word of God should be an ingrained habit of every believer. If you have not yet begun to develop this important habit, start today. Begin thinking and saying good things about yourself: “I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. I prosper in everything I lay my hand to. I have gifts and talents, and God is using me. I operate in the fruit of the Spirit. I walk in love. Joy flows through me.”

We can appropriate the blessings of God in our lives if we will continually and purposefully speak about ourselves what the Word of God says about us. That’s when we will receive positive results.

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Lord, I will make the positive confession of Your Word an ingrained habit of my life. Help me to get my mouth in line with the truth of what You have done for me. Amen.

December 30

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Unforgiveness

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything a...