My readers often ask me where I get the inspiration to write my books.
Truth be told, God has to deal with me in certain areas of my life and then He has me write what I have learned as a way of cementing those truths into my heart. In other words, He keeps teaching me about Himself, where I’ve messed up, and what I still need to grasp in order to follow Him more closely.
So, I want to give you, in 10 simple statements, the most impacting truths He’s taught me in the past 15 years, which also represent 10 of the 14 books I’ve written.
Pay attention to the key words in boldface. The first person to respond in the comment section with the titles of the books these statements have inspired will receive a free book of their choice. Keep reading, there will be another way to win a book at the end of this list, too.
The Top 10 Things God Has Taught Me in the Past 15 Years:
1. God is the Only One who can satisfy our heart’s hunger and meet our primary emotional needs.
2. Our alone times can be doorways to discovering a deeper intimacy with God.
3. God would rather have me rest and spend time with Him than do a bunch of things for Him.
4. God has whispered a dream on each of our hearts that is as unique to us as our fingerprints. And He is waiting for the day we will discover it and live it out for Him.
5. God will often lead us out to the edge where we are desperate for something to change so He can change us and make us desperate for Him.
6. Marriage is a journey, not a destination. And God desires we develop a closer connection with one another through that journey that ultimately makes us more like His Son.
7. Instead of asking God to change my husband so he can be all I want and need in a man, I need to start asking God to change me.
8. Only God can redeem our hurts and turn them into something beautiful, allowing us to find our purpose from our pain.
9. As I seek to be the woman God designed me to be, I can then inspire my daughter to be all God has designed her to be.
10. Our broken hearts are precious to God. And when we surrender to Him — tears and all — He can turn our heartaches into hope and our longings into a legacy.
Tell me which one of these statements you can relate to the most and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win a free book of your choice. (And, if you can guess which book was inspired by each statement, you’ll be entered that many more times into the drawing as well. For some help, see my list of book titles, on my website.)
Give it a try. I’d love to hear what you come up with. (Winners will be announced on this post on Aug. 6.)
1. God’s whispers to a women’s heart. 2. When women walk alone. 3. When women long for rest. 4.When a woman discovers her dream. 5. Women on the edge. 6. When couples walk together. 7. When a woman inspires her husband. 8. When a woman overcomes life’s hurts. 9. When a mom inspires her daughter. 10. When God sees your tears.
Each of your books, God has sent to me “at just the right time”. Right now, “When God Sees Your Tears”, means the most to me. Sometimes we feel alone, like we are the only ones who would understand what we are going through, with no one to talk to about what we are going through, BUT, as your cover says: God knows, God hears and God sees me…. and He loves me!
Wow, Susie! You are an avid reader of my titles. (For the first one, I was thinking of “Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs, but I do put forth that underlying message in “When God Pursues a Woman’s Heart” so I’ll give that one to you.) Besides, only my hard-core fans are aware of the book, “When God Pursues a Woman’s Heart” so congratulations, you win! Great job. Private message me with your choice of books — go to my website to see if there’s one you don’t have yet 🙂 — and give me your current mailing address and I’ll get it out to you this week. For the rest of you, you can still win a copy through the drawing.
#7 is where I am at now. this is hard because there is much that DH needs to truly change in for the betterment of the family, but I need to worry about me.
I understand, MD. God honors our prayers when we start with “Change me, Lord.” Thanks for commenting.
#5 resonated with my heart the most. I’m well aware of the “edge”. I’ve been there and the lesson’s God taught me as my feet dangled over the ledge were profound. Life lessons that have strengthened my soul. Eternal lessons that I now share with other women who find themselves on that “edge of desperate” today.
Great devo at the P31 site! Loved it.
Thank you, Leah, for expressing that. I wish I had included those quotes of yours when I wrote my book, Women on the Edge. 🙂 Keep telling your story.
“5. God will often lead us out to the edge where we are desperate for something to change so He can change us and make us desperate for Him.”
currently in my quiet time whispering the very same when i came upon this in your blog post. it’s my heart’s cry.
your sentence made me circle back to #4. “God has whispered a dream on each of our hearts that is as unique to us as our fingerprints. And He is waiting for the day we will discover it and live it out for Him.”
i have begun to pursue it, even while out on the edge where i can teeter into an abyss of failure or into a limitless flight of success. am counting on the latter because i am – in faith – stepping into my dream – becoming a film maker. FINALLY.
thank you for all your honest writings. i see them on crosswalk.com at just the right moment and marvel at your gut wrenching transparency. God’s timing of when I have seen them have kept my heart tender as I “faith” it through this challenging season. thanks, again!
a fan,
-aj
AJ, that’s an excellent point how we can be on the edge when it comes to a dream on our hearts, as well. Thank you for pointing that out. And thank you for following my writing, here and on Crosswalk. I appreciate your encouragement that it comes at just the right time. Blessings.
Hi Cindi,
I am reading your blog for the first time today, following a link a friend posted on facebook. Thank you for all your encouragement and for using the gifts the Lord has given you to encourage others. although I can relate personally to ALL of your points I am definitely at #5 right now, feeling like I need a BIG change in my life, and I thought that meant a new city and a new job, but all doors were closed. I am just moving forward, and trusting God. Thanks again for your encouragement, and I am looking forward to reading more.
Beth Ann, thank you for coming over and commenting on my blog this morning. Those closed doors may be more of a blessing than you realize. I will join you in prayer that God shows you clearly where He wants you and gives you the strength to walk confidently there.
Cindi, No. 8 speaks so loudly to me right now. I have been struggling for over a year dealing with the pain & hurt caused by the lack of relationship from my son & his new wife. I pray continually for God to show me the way through this dark tunnel. There have been glimmers of light but they continue to flicker and then go out. I have not read any of your books but read your devotion today (8/5) on Proverbs 31 devotions. I was intrigued by your reading & also interested in your book “God Whispers To A Woman’s Heart”. I found your blog in trying to comment to win a free book. Thank you for your insight & hope through faith in Him. God Bless you & your ministry.
Debora, thank you for reading my devotion and my blog and for coming over to comment. I appreciate you sharing which of those statements resonates the most with you right now. Keep looking for those glimmers of light and hope. God sometimes gives us just enough to continue on, with our hope set firmly in Him.
ohhh where do i begin.. Everyone of those i am dealing with right now.. but the one that stood out the most was
As I seek to be the woman God designed me to be, I can then inspire my daughter to be all God has designed her to be
i have raised 5 kids 3 boys 2 girls i am on my last daughter and she just turned 17 yeah.. the wonderful age of 17 lol the age they know it all and i am just in the way i pray everyday now that i would just take a deep breath and give everything up to the Lord ,, she is making choices that i would not want her to take for her life.. But i have to remember ,, she was made for a purpose.. God created her for a purpose and i give it all to him..
Thanks, Carolyn, for your honesty. I remember when Dana was 17 and felt she knew it all. God did a lot of work in me during that time. 🙂 Today, my nearly 22-year-old is such a beautiful blessing in my life. And those “difficult years” don’t seem so difficult when I look back on them. They seem a part of life that God used to sharpen me and to sharpen her.
all of them actually seem to speak to me, I have not had the honor to read any of these books yet, so sounds logical I probably need to start at the beginning which I think would be When Women Walk Alone.
1. God is the Only One who can satisfy our heart’s hunger and meet our primary emotional needs.
– Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs
2. Our alone times can be doorways to discovering a deeper intimacy with God.
– When Women Walk Alone
3. God would rather have me rest and spend time with Him than do a bunch of things for Him.
– When Women Long for Rest
4. God has whispered a dream on each of our hearts that is as unique to us as our fingerprints. And He is waiting for the day we will discover it and live it out for Him.
– When a Woman Discovers Her Dream
5. God will often lead us out to the edge where we are desperate for something to change so He can change us and make us desperate for Him.
– Women on the Edge
6. Marriage is a journey, not a destination. And God desires we develop a closer connection with one another through that journey that ultimately makes us more like His Son.
– When Couples Walk Together
7. Instead of asking God to change my husband so he can be all I want and need in a man, I need to start asking God to change me.
– When a Woman Inspires Her Husband
8. Only God can redeem our hurts and turn them into something beautiful, allowing us to find our purpose from our pain.
– When a Woman Overcomes Life’s Hurts
9. As I seek to be the woman God designed me to be, I can then inspire my daughter to be all God has designed her to be.
– When a Mom Inspires Her Daughter
10. Our broken hearts are precious to God. And when we surrender to Him — tears and all – He can turn our heartaches into hope and our longings into a legacy.
– When God Sees Your Tears
Great job, Amber. You nailed each one. To start at the beginning would be to read my book, Letting God Meet Your Emotional Needs, which I wrote 15 years ago and is the foundational message of my ministry. Thanks for taking the time to do this and I’ve entered your name in the drawing.
Cindi, Your blog and your devotional are new to me as well. All your words resonate in my heart. Currently 6. and 9. are my daily struggles and both are daily in my prayers. I’ve recently remarried after having been widowed for 5 years. I am blessed and truly want us to grow in our relationship with the Lord. My daughter (21) has many issues with my remarriage and despite being a small group leader and having a heart for the Lord, is very rude and distant to us both.I would love to be able to delve deeper into God’s word in working thru these issues. Thanks for writing!
Thank you, Laura. It’s nice to meet you here. I appreciate you stopping by to read my blog. I will keep your situation with your daughter (and your new marriage) in my prayers. Those things that break our hearts today help grow us into who God wants us to be tomorrow. Have a blessed day and thanks again for your comment.
Congratulations to Susie Hampshire and Amber M. for winning a copy of the book of their choice from last week’s blog contest. Thank you to everyone who participated. And stay tuned, I’ll be offering another book giveaway in next week’s blog.
Hi Cindi,
All 10 are simply beautiful and speak to me…..just like your books!
Thank you, Chery. 🙂