Woman's Secret for Confident Living

Karol Ladd

Description

Bestselling author Karol Ladd shares powerful truths from Colossians and reveals an exciting path to confident living through God's love and grace. With biblical wisdom and an inspiring belief in God's purpose for each woman, Karol helps readers transform the way they see themselves and how they live out their lives as they discover their value and confidence in God. With this vital perspective shift, a woman will:Transform her thinking through powerful prayersCultivate potential by exploring the dreams God gives to herStep forward with a strong sense of identity in ChristDeepen relationships and communication with others and with GodShine with joy and assurance of what she brings to the worldKarol's study questions bring dimension to God's leading and hope for women and provide individuals or groups a practical way to explore, know, and live boldly in God-confidence.

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
• Date de parution: 01 août 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736942171
• Langue: English

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.
Verses marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NET are taken from the New English Translation (NET) BIBLE copyright 2003 by Biblical Studies Press L.L.C. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Cover by Koechel Peterson Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cover photo Hemera / Thinkstock; back-cover author photo by Shooting Starr Photography, Cindi Starr, www.shootingstarrphotos.com
A WOMAN S SECRET FOR CONFIDENT LIVING
Copyright 2011 by Karol Ladd Published by Harvest House Publishers Eugene, Oregon 97402 www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ladd, Karol.
A woman s secret for confident living / Karol Ladd.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-7369-2965-3 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-4217-1 (eBook)
1. Christian women-Religious life-Textbooks. 2. Confidence-Religious aspects-Christianity-Textbooks. 3. Bible. N.T. Colossians-Textbooks. I. Title.
BV4527.L2535 2011
248.8 43-dc22
2010051945
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 / VP-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To every woman who desires to experience the joy of walking in God-confidence rather than self-confidence .
A special thank-you to the tremendous Harvest House team, and to the numerous people who allowed me to share their stories in this book.
C ontents

Introduction: Bold and Beautiful
Part One: Transform Your Thinking
1. Where in the World Is Truth?
2. Powerful Prayers You ll Want to Pray (Colossians 1:1-14)
Part Two: Grow in Christ
3. The Joy of Knowing Him (Colossians 1:15-20)
4. Embracing the Lover of Your Soul (Colossians 1:21-23)
Part Three: Step Forward
5. Hidden Treasures and Hope-Filled Dreams (Colossians 1:24-2:5)
6. Confidently Walking with Christ (Colossians 2:6-23)
Part Four: Be Your Best
7. Glorious Makeover (Colossians 3:1-11)
8. You Look Divine! (Colossians 3:12-17)
Part Five: Strengthen Your Relationships
9. How to Live with Those Closest to You (Colossians 3:18-4:1)
10. Mastering Meaningful Conversations with God and Man (Colossians 4:2-6)
Part Six: Shine with Joy
11. Recognize the Blessing You Bring to This World (Colossians 4:7-18)
12. Stepping Out in Confidence!
Discussion Questions
Endnotes
Notes
About the Author
A Woman s Passionate Pursuit of God
More Harvest House Resources to Help You Learn and Grow
I NTRODUCTION
B old and Beautiful

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
R OMANS 15:13
Choose to accept and become the person God has made you to be.
J OHN M ASON
C onfident? That s not exactly how I would have described myself for much of my life. No, words like insecure and self-doubting were much more accurate. For many years, even as a Christian, I battled self-defeating thoughts and guilt feelings in my mind. Perhaps you can relate to what I m talking about in your own life. Most women struggle with some form of insecurity. Even women who appear confident on the outside often struggle internally with a lack of self-assurance. It s one thing to look confident; it s another to be confident. This book is all about discovering a rock-solid confidence in your heart and mind. The truths in this book have impacted my own life personally, and I believe they can make a powerful difference in your life as well.
At first glance it may seem like the focus of this book is on you, but it actually isn t completely about you. I know you would think a book about confident living would center on you and how you can become a more self-assured woman. And yes, as a result of reading this book I believe you will have a new inner confidence and a powerfully positive perspective on life, but I just don t want you to get the idea that this book is focused entirely on you. In all honesty, it is about God and the grace-filled love and purpose He has for your life. True and lasting confidence is found not in focusing on ourselves, but focusing on the One who created us and discovering our confidence in Him. He is the One who gives us the strength and power to walk boldly in this world.
The word confidence means to have a firm belief or trust. Its root word, fidere , means faithful or faith and is the same root you see in words like fidelity or confidant . To have confidence means you have faith or trust in someone or something. Now we can try to live our lives by placing our confidence in our appearance or a relationship, or in having the right job or enough money, or in being a good parent, but none of these can offer lasting security or inner strength. A God-confidence (faith in our Creator and Savior) is different. When we place our hope and security in Him, no one can take it away. It is a rock-solid confidence from the wellspring of our soul. How do we get to a place where we live with a God-confidence?
The apostle Paul said, Let your roots grow down deep into Christ. He penned these words to the early believers living in Colossae (now in southwest Turkey) as he expressed the importance of knowing Christ and finding satisfaction and security in Him. The truth is, the entire book of Colossians can lead us to a greater understanding of who we are in Christ and how we can confidently interact with others. It is a unique book filled with wisdom and knowledge about our relationship with God. A Woman s Secret for Confident Living is a delightful and deliberate examination of the truths about God in Colossians, which can literally transform the way you see yourself and live your life.
Paul encouraged the Colossians to live boldly and confidently in Christ. He wanted them to know what they believed and then to live out those beliefs with a wholehearted passion. His desire was for them to experience a very real faith based on a relationship with Christ, not religion or rules. He hoped they would come to realize that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ. These are my dreams and desires for you as well, as you read this book. Confidence begins in our thinking and what we believe, and it plays out through the way we live our life in relationship to others. Our confidence spreads its wings and soars when we realize that God has a purpose for our life, and as we use our gifts and talents for His glory.
What to Do with This Book
You can enjoy this book as you read it on your own, or you can work through it with a friend. You may want to gather several girlfriends together and use it for a group study. The first group book study I ever taught was in my own neighborhood, with women I hardly knew. I left flyers in mailboxes and hoped someone would show up. They did! We started our first neighborhood study with a handful of women from all different religious backgrounds and all different ages. The study offered a great way to meet my neighbors and to help women in their walk with Christ no matter where they were coming from. I encourage you to reach out to co-workers, neighbors, or acquaintances and invite them to read through this book with you. The title is inviting, and it offers a wonderful way to get to know each other and to search through spiritual truths together. You will discover that this study can be a real connector for you and your friends as you discuss the chapters together.
At the end of each chapter you will find a helpful section called Confident Steps. It is a way for you to take what you have read and personalize it. It offers additional scripture to read if you want to dig deeper. In this section I have included a part called Battle for the Truth, which offers a Confidence Builder and a Confidence Defeater (a false idea we tend to believe). It is important to recognize some of the lies that pop into our minds and wage war against our confidence, so I want to help you identify some of these thought patterns. You will also find a list of choices you can make as a result of the truth. Finally, the Confident Steps section ends with a deliberate plan, which is an action step to carry out what you have just learned in a practical sense. I believe it is one thing to read a book, but another thing to personally apply it to our current circumstances. Confident Steps gives you the tools to help you make each chapter a little more real in your daily life.
Group study questions can be found at the back of the book. These are meant to help you stimulate meaningful discussions and to help build conversations about the scripture studied in each chapter. You can also use the coordinating six-session video series, which highlights the key points in the lesson. I think you may like the videos even if there are just a few of you as it will help you facilitate the study and hear additional information and stories. For me personally, the study of Colossians has not only deepened the foundation of my confidence in Christ, but it has also challenge