Holley Gerth - Do You Know Youre Already Amazing?: 30 Truths to Set Your Heart Free

2016 by Holley, Inc.

Published by Revell

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.revellbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4934-0524-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations labeled GW are from G OD s W ORD . 1995 Gods Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations labeled NCV are from the New Century Version. Copyright 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Italics in Scripture quotations reflect the authors emphasis.

I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way.

Psalm 139:14 NCV

To my grandma, Eula ,

my mom, Lynda ,

and my daughter, Lovelle

your love helps me believe the

truth about who I am.

Contents

Why We Need to Know the Truth about Who We Are

I pose this question to a group of women online one evening: What lies are our hearts tempted to believe? Think about yourself but also your daughters, sisters, friends, and others. I expect a trickle of responses, but instead Im struck by a waterfall of words. Hundreds of women share confessions like, Im inadequate, I feel invisible, and If anyone really knew me, they wouldnt love me the same way.

I nod in understanding and feel a fierce longing to reach through my computer screen and wrap protective arms around every person who has left a comment.

Our battle against the lies our hearts believe goes all the way back to Eden. The enemy tempted Eve with the question, Did God really say... ? That phrase is the tip on every sword of untruth. And he still uses it to pierce the deepest parts of who we are.

Did God really say youre loved?

Did God really say youre enough?

Did God really say he has a good plan for your life?

Before we know it, the lies slip in and our joy, peace, and sense of purpose slip out. But we dont have to live that way. We belong to a Savior who promised, You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). How do we discover this truth? Through an intimate relationship with Jesus, the One who is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6). Heres the secret: Truth is not just a fact we store in our heads. Truth is a Person we seek with our hearts. We do so by spending intentional time with him and hearing what he has to say.

More than one hundred thousand women have read Youre Already Amazing (the book this devotional is based on). I addressed the lies we believe in one chapter, and readers told me, We want more! This devotional goes far beyond that original content, which covered only five lies, and instead addresses thirty. It includes powerful Scriptures, new insights, and prayer prompts to help you draw close to Jesus and receive the truth he wants to whisper to your heart. When you finish, youll also be better equipped to share encouraging truth with other women in your life who need to hear it too.

Psalm 139:14 declares, I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way (NCV). In other words, recognizing the truth about who we are leads to praise , not to pride. Honoring our Maker is the ultimate goal of what were doing together.

We may have been wounded by lies, but we have not lost the battle. And we have been promised victory. Were going to defeat discouragement, banish fear, and break free from all thats been keeping us from embracing who we are and becoming all God created us to be.

Its time for us to fight until we fully believe the truth about who we are, because we bring God glory and change the world when we do. (If that still sounds a bit wild and scandalous to you, just keep reading. I used to feel that way too.)

Lets win this war for our hearts together, sisters.

Are you with me?

About This Devotional

Each of the thirty devotions in this book addresses a lie our hearts are tempted to believe and shares the truth God wants to offer us instead.

The truths and lies shared are based on actual conversations Ive had with women as an author, blogger, counselor, speaker, and life coach. While each days reading has a womans name connected with it to make it feel more personal, for privacy reasons these are not the actual names of any particular people. Instead theyre examples based on real instances that are intended to provide stories and perspectives we can all relate to. Ive also included women from the Bible because they struggled with lies just as we do now. Sometimes what they say is quoted directly from Scripture, and sometimes Ive paraphrased the truths their stories tell us.

Following each devotional entry are prayer prompts. While the messages provide truth that applies to all of us, its important to spend time with Jesus sharing the specific lies youve believed and asking him to reveal the truth you especially need to hear. If he seems silent, thats totally okay too. Just enjoy some peaceful moments being with him as you would with someone you love.

While youll have peaceful moments, confronting the lies we believe really is doing battle. If you struggle with insecurity or other challenging emotions at times as you go through this book, know thats normal. Keep fighting, and ask God to guard your heart. You cant lose with him on your side! It can also be really helpful to share your thoughts with someone you trust and ask for extra prayer. The more we get honest about the lies we hear, the more we help each other heal.

Life can be busy, and youll probably miss days at some point. If so, just pick up where you left off and continue. Give yourself grace on this journey, and treat yourself with extra gentleness. Try to avoid attacking yourself with critical thoughts or unrealistic expectations. Instead stay focused on what matters mostand thats simply connecting with Jesus, who always welcomes you.

Also remember that it takes time for what we know is true to actually feel true. If your emotions and experiences dont change right away, just keep repeating the truth to yourself day after day. Our brains create new neural pathways when we begin thinking differently, and thats not an instant event but a process. As you persevere youll be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2), and your emotions will eventually catch up.

Sharing what were learning with others can strengthen our minds as well as our hearts and speed up the change process. Consider inviting someone in your life or even a group of women to go through this book with you. You can do a thirty-one-day truth challenge together! Be creativeyou can meet in person, set up a group online, talk on the phone, or whatever works best for you.