Day 13 — Monday, September 1, 2025
Confronting the Wounds
Scripture Focus: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3
Sis, It’s Time to Stop Running
Some wounds we can’t see in the mirror — but they live in our hearts every single day. Wounds from childhood trauma. Wounds from abusive relationships. Wounds from rejection by family or abandonment by the people who were supposed to love us. Wounds from choices we made in addiction, toxic love, or self-destruction.
Here’s the hard truth: many of us at Encouraging Her Resilience have learned to function while bleeding. We know how to dress the part, how to show up at work, how to serve our families, how to even lift our hands in church — all while silently carrying unhealed wounds.
But what we won’t confront will always control us. Pain that is not healed becomes poison. And poison doesn’t just stay in one place — it spreads. It affects how you love, how you trust, how you see yourself, and how you see God.
The enemy knows this. That’s why he whispers, “Don’t deal with it. Keep it buried. You’re too broken. You’re too dirty. You’re too far gone.” But he is a liar. And today, Sis, I came to tell you: it’s time to confront the wounds.
Finding Courage to Confront the Wounds
Confronting wounds takes courage — but not your own. God Himself supplies it.
Joshua 1:9 says: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
That means when you sit with the memories that make you want to run, God sits with you. When you write in your journal about the pain you swore you’d never tell anyone, His Spirit comforts you. When you cry tears over the wounds that still ache, His hand holds you.
Sis, courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s the decision to face fear while holding onto God’s strength.
Why Confronting Wounds Matters
When you confront your wounds, several things happen:
- You Break Silence. Silence is the enemy’s playground. He thrives when you keep everything hidden. But the moment you speak your pain out loud to God, a trusted sister, or a counselor, chains begin to fall.
- You Stop Rehearsing Lies. Shame thrives on secrecy. Once it’s exposed, it loses power. Confrontation forces you to replace “I’ll never heal” with “By His wounds I am healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
- You Create Room for Healing. God cannot heal what you won’t reveal. Psalm 34:18 promises, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Confronting the wound invites God into the very place you tried to keep Him out.
The Cost of Avoidance
Sis, avoiding your wounds feels easier, but it always costs more:
- You end up stuck in toxic relationships because you believe you don’t deserve better.
- You numb yourself with drugs, alcohol, or isolation because you can’t face the pain head-on.
- You lash out at loved ones because unhealed trauma leaks into every interaction.
- You struggle to trust God because if He let it happen once, you fear He’ll let it happen again.
Avoiding wounds builds walls, but those walls become your prison. And Sis, you were not created to live imprisoned.
Steps to Confront and Heal Wounds
- Acknowledge It. Healing starts with honesty. Admit that you’re still hurt. Stop saying “I’m fine” when you’re not. Name the wound. Write it down. Speak it before God.
- Pray Without Pretending. Stop giving God the edited version. He already knows. Tell Him the raw, unfiltered truth: “Lord, this broke me. This crushed me. But I need You to heal me.”
- Invite Safe Support. Healing rarely happens in isolation. Seek counseling, coaching, or a trusted sister in Christ who can walk with you. God often heals through community.
- Replace Lies With Scripture. When the enemy says, “You’re worthless,” answer with Psalm 139:14: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
- Take Small Steps. Healing is not overnight. Some days you’ll feel like you’re moving backward. That’s okay. Every prayer, every boundary, every honest confession is a step toward freedom.
The Power of Prayer in Confronting Wounds
Prayer is not just therapy; it is warfare. When you pray, you are refusing to let the enemy define your story. You are declaring that your past pain will not have the final word.
Philippians 4:6–7 says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
That’s the peace you need when the wound feels too raw to face. That’s the strength you need when memories flood back. Prayer places your wounds in the hands of the only One who can heal without leaving scars.
A Word to My Sisters of Encouraging Her Resilience
Sis, I know some of you have been carrying wounds for years. Wounds from being abandoned by your parents. Wounds from men who promised love but left you broken. Wounds from addiction that made you believe you’d never recover. Wounds from shame that told you to stay silent.
But hear me today: you are not your wounds. You are God’s daughter. You are His masterpiece. You are healed, whole, and free in Christ.
Confronting your wounds doesn’t make you weak. It makes you brave. It makes you dangerous to the enemy. Because every time you face what hurt you and hand it to God, you’re breaking chains — not just for yourself, but for every woman watching you.
Point to Remember:
What you won’t confront will continue to control you. But when you bring your wounds to God, He doesn’t shame you — He heals you.
What you won’t confront will continue to control you. But when you bring your wounds to God, He doesn’t shame you — He heals you.
Day 10 – Doubt and Identity
Friday, August 29, 2025
Scripture Focus: Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Recap of Days 6–9: The Journey So Far
For the past few days, we’ve been breaking chains of doubt and exposing how it keeps us bound:
- Day 6 – The Root of Doubt: We saw how Peter sank when he shifted his focus from Jesus to the storm. Doubt is always a focus problem—it distracts us from Christ and magnifies the chaos around us.
- Day 7 – The Cost of Doubt: We confronted the truth that doubt robs us of answered prayers, peace, and stability. It makes us double-minded and unstable, leaving us tossed around by life’s storms.
- Day 8 – Doubt vs. Faith: We faced the tug-of-war between faith and doubt. Doubt whispers defeat, but faith declares God’s promises. Our destiny depends on which voice we choose to listen to.
- Day 9 – Doubt and Delay: We uncovered how doubt creeps in during seasons of waiting. Yet God’s delays are not His denials—they are His timing, His preparation, His protection.
Today, we step into one of the deepest battles of all: doubt in our identity.
Doubt and Identity: The Silent Battle
For many women, the hardest storm is not outside of us—it is inside. It is the whisper that says, “You’re not enough. You’re not worthy. You’re not loved.”
Let’s be clear: this voice does not come from God. It is the enemy’s weapon of distortion. He knows that if he can twist how you see yourself, he can sabotage how you walk with God.
So, instead of believing that you are chosen, loved, and set apart, you start to live like you are forgotten, unloved, and unworthy. Instead of embracing the promises of God, you accept the lies of the enemy. And slowly, doubt about your worth eats away at your faith.
Why We Doubt Our Identity
The women of Encouraging Her Resilience know this battle well. Many of us have lived through trauma, abuse, addiction, rejection, abandonment, or betrayal. And those experiences left scars.
- Abuse convinces you that you’re damaged beyond repair.
- Addiction whispers that you’ll never truly be free.
- Rejection tells you that no one could ever love you.
- Shame keeps you replaying the mistakes you’ve made.
These experiences begin to shape how you view yourself—and if you’re not careful, they drown out how God views you. Doubt settles in, not because God changed His mind about you, but because you stopped believing what He already said.
Who God Says You Are
Jeremiah 1:5 shouts against the lies of the enemy. God says: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.”
Think about that: before your parents even knew your name, God already called you His. Before your trauma, before your failures, before the heartbreak, before the addiction—He already set you apart.
This means:
- Your identity is not tied to your past—it is anchored in God’s purpose.
- Your worth is not earned—it is given.
- Your value is not determined by people—it is declared by God.
When God looks at you, He does not see what you did. He sees His creation. He sees His daughter. He sees His masterpiece.
The Danger of Doubting Your Identity
Sis, let’s talk real. Doubting who you are in Christ is dangerous because it:
- Shrinks your purpose. When you think you’re worthless, you stop stepping into the assignments God gave you.
- Weakens your faith. If you doubt God’s love for you, you’ll doubt His promises to you.
- Chains you to the past. When you doubt your identity, you keep living in old labels: “addict,” “victim,” “unlovable.”
But here’s the truth: you are none of those things. When Jesus died on the cross, He stripped those labels away and gave you a new name—redeemed.
Examples of Doubt vs. Identity
- Doubt says: “I am broken.”
God says: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3) - Doubt says: “I am unworthy.”
God says: “You are more precious than rubies.” (Proverbs 3:15) - Doubt says: “I am unloved.”
God says: “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3) - Doubt says: “I am a mistake.”
God says: “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14)
Finding Your Worth in God
Sis, the key to breaking free from doubt about your identity is to root yourself in God’s Word, not in your wounds.
Your past says you’re broken. God says you’re whole.
Your trauma says you’re worthless. God says you’re chosen.
Your shame says you’re disqualified. God says you’re called.
Your trauma says you’re worthless. God says you’re chosen.
Your shame says you’re disqualified. God says you’re called.
The enemy wants you to measure yourself by your mistakes. God wants you to measure yourself by His mercy.
Reflection for the Women of EHR
For too long, many of you have rehearsed the lies of the enemy instead of declaring the truth of God. Today is the day that stops. You are not the sum of your failures. You are not the product of your pain. You are not what happened to you.
You are who God says you are: chosen, loved, set apart, redeemed, and fearfully and wonderfully made.
Reflection Questions
- What lies about my identity have I believed because of my past?
- How have those lies shaped my decisions, my relationships, and my faith?
- What does Jeremiah 1:5 reveal about how God sees me?
- How can I begin replacing the enemy’s lies with God’s truth every day?
- What bold step can I take today to live like I am chosen and set apart?
Declaration for Day 10
I will no longer doubt my worth. I am not who the enemy says I am—I am who God says I am. I am chosen. I am loved. I am set apart. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I reject the lies of the enemy and embrace the truth of my identity in Christ.
Closing Word
Sis, hear me: the enemy fears a woman who knows who she is in Christ. When you embrace your true identity, every chain of doubt begins to break. Today, you stop questioning your worth. Today, you silence the lies. Today, you walk boldly as the daughter of the King.
Day 9 – Thursday, August 28, 2025
Doubt and Delay
Scripture Focus: Habakkuk 2:3 (NKJV)
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”
Recap of Days 6–8
Before we step into today’s lesson, let’s remember the journey God has already taken us on in Session 2:
- Day 6 – The Root of Doubt: We uncovered how doubt creeps in when we take our eyes off Jesus. It distracts, divides, and drowns. Peter’s fall in the storm was not because of the waves, but because of doubt.
- Day 7 – The Cost of Doubt: We faced the reality that doubt is costly. It robs us of answered prayers, peace, and stability, leaving us tossed by the winds of life. Doubt always demands more than we realize.
- Day 8 – Doubt vs. Faith: We stood in the wrestle between two voices. Doubt whispers lies, while faith declares God’s truth. We were reminded that we cannot live in limbo forever; faith must win.
Now we stand at Day 9: Doubt and Delay — where faith is tested not by storms, but by silence.
The Weight of Delay
Sis, let’s be honest. Nothing cuts deeper than waiting on God when it feels like everyone else is moving forward. Nothing tests your heart like unanswered prayers. You’ve cried, prayed, fasted, believed — and still, the door has not opened. It is here, in this painful pause, that doubt comes knocking.
But hear the Word of the Lord: “Though it tarries, wait for it… because it will surely come.” Delay is not denial. Delay is not abandonment. Delay is God’s declaration that there is an appointed time for your promise, and until that time comes, He is preparing both the blessing and the woman who will carry it.
What Does God Mean by Delay?
Delay in God’s Kingdom is not wasted time. It is sacred preparation. God delays because:
- He is protecting you. Some doors would destroy you if they opened too soon.
- He is developing you. Delay forces us to lean not on our own understanding, but fully on Him.
- He is aligning you. God is bringing every piece into place — the people, the resources, the timing — so that when the promise comes, it will last.
But the enemy wants to twist delay into disappointment. He wants you to believe God has forgotten you, when in reality, He is fighting for you behind the scenes.
The Danger of Doubt in Delay
Here is the truth: doubt thrives in delay. When heaven feels silent, doubt whispers:
- “If God was going to move, He would have moved by now.”
- “You’re wasting your time praying.”
- “Maybe this isn’t for you.”
And if you let those whispers take root, doubt begins to reshape your entire walk:
- Your prayers lose their fire. You pray with your mouth but not with your heart.
- Your faith loses its focus. You stop expecting, and you start settling.
- Your purpose loses its pace. You delay obedience because you doubt God’s timing.
The cost? Missed blessings, unanswered prayers, and cycles that never break. Doubt doesn’t just slow you down; it locks you in a prison of disappointment.
What Delay Teaches Us
Delay is not your enemy — doubt is. God uses delay as a teacher:
- Delay teaches patience. James 1:4 tells us that patience makes us complete, lacking nothing. Without delay, we stay immature.
- Delay teaches dependence. In waiting, we realize our strength can’t carry us. Only His power can.
- Delay teaches discernment. Not every open door is from God. Delay helps us learn the difference between opportunity and trap.
How This Hits Home for the Women of Encouraging Her Resilience
Sis, let’s make this plain. For many of us:
- You prayed for freedom from addiction, but when the cravings hit again, doubt whispered that you’d never change.
- You prayed for healing from trauma, but when flashbacks returned, doubt told you healing was impossible.
- You prayed for love, but when loneliness lingered, doubt tempted you to run back to toxic relationships.
- You prayed for provision, but when bills stacked up, doubt convinced you God had forgotten you.
Doubt always knocks hardest when the answer feels delayed. But don’t confuse God’s silence with His absence. Don’t confuse His waiting with His rejection. His Word still stands: “It will surely come.”
A Bold Word to Remember
Sis, if you don’t remember anything else from today, remember this: Delay is not defeat. Doubt is.
Delay is divine timing. Doubt is a thief. Delay is a classroom. Doubt is a prison. Delay refines your faith. Doubt destroys it.
You cannot control when God moves, but you can control what voice you believe while you wait.
Reflection Questions
- Where has doubt taken over in my season of waiting?
- Have I mistaken God’s “not yet” for “no”?
- What promises have I been tempted to give up on because of delay?
- How can I train my heart to wait with faith instead of frustration?
- Which scripture will I declare to silence doubt while I wait?
Declaration for Day 9
I will not let doubt define my waiting season. Delay is not denial. I trust God’s timing. I refuse to settle. I refuse to give up. I believe that what God has promised will surely come to pass. Though the vision tarries, I will wait with faith, because my God is faithful.
Sis, hear me: you may be delayed, but you are not denied. The chains of doubt will not hold you back. God’s timing is perfect, His promises are true, and your faith will carry you through the silence until the vision speaks.
Day 8 – Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Doubt vs. Faith
Scripture Focus:
“Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” — Mark 9:24 (NIV)
Recap of Days 6–7
Sis, before we dive in, let’s look at where God has already brought us:
- Day 6 (The Root of Doubt): We saw how doubt slips into our hearts like a seed planted by fear, trauma, or disappointment. Doubt distracts us from Jesus, divides our minds, and eventually drowns our faith. The truth we learned? The storm isn’t the real enemy — doubt is.
- Day 7 (The Cost of Doubt): We faced the reality that doubt is not harmless. It has a price. It costs us answered prayers, peace, stability, and missed opportunities. We declared that we would not keep paying the high cost of unbelief, but instead walk in the reward of faith.
Now here on Day 8, we move into the heart of the struggle: the constant tug-of-war between doubt vs. faith.
What is Doubt?
Doubt is hesitation in the face of God’s promise. It is uncertainty about God’s ability, His timing, or His love for you. Doubt doesn’t always scream; sometimes it whispers. It says:
- “I know God can… but will He do it for me?”
- “I’ve failed too many times… maybe I don’t deserve His help.”
- “What if He doesn’t come through this time?”
Doubt is dangerous because it makes us double-minded — torn between trusting God and trusting ourselves. James 1:6–8 warns us: “The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”
For the women of Encouraging Her Resilience, doubt often grows out of lived experiences: broken promises from people we trusted, trauma that left deep wounds, or disappointments when prayers didn’t seem to be answered. Those wounds can shape how we see God — if we’re not careful, they make us question His goodness.
What is Faith?
Faith is the opposite of doubt. Faith is absolute trust in God — even when you can’t see the outcome. Faith doesn’t mean the storm isn’t real — it means you choose to keep your eyes on Jesus through the storm.
Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Faith is not passive. It’s active. It requires you to:
- Speak God’s Word over your situation even when it doesn’t look different yet.
- Walk in obedience even when it doesn’t feel easy.
- Trust His character more than your feelings.
For the women of Encouraging Her Resilience, faith looks like:
- Choosing sobriety every day even when cravings rise.
- Leaving toxic love behind and trusting God will fill the loneliness.
- Praying over your children even when you don’t yet see change.
- Walking in your calling even when fear says you’re not enough.
The Wrestle: Doubt vs. Faith
Mark 9:24 shows us the reality of the wrestle: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
That father was honest — he had faith, but doubt was still present. And that’s where many of us live:
- We believe God can heal… but we doubt if healing is really for us.
- We believe God provides… but we doubt when the bills keep piling.
- We believe God loves us… but we doubt because of our past mistakes.
This wrestle is exhausting. Living in the middle keeps us unstable. It drains our prayers and weakens our walk with Christ.
The Danger of Wrestling Between the Two
Sis, hear me: when you wrestle too long between doubt and faith, doubt will try to take over. That’s the enemy’s plan — to keep you wavering until you settle in unbelief.
The danger is real:
- Your prayers lose power because doubt makes you pray without expectation.
- Your spirit loses peace because you’re pulled in two directions.
- Your purpose loses momentum because hesitation keeps you from moving forward.
Faith anchors you. Doubt tosses you like a wave. You can’t walk steady with God while holding hands with both.
Examples of Doubt vs. Faith
- Addiction:
- Doubt: “I’ll always relapse; I can’t do this.”
- Faith: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)
- Identity:
- Doubt: “I’m too broken to be used by God.”
- Faith: “I am God’s masterpiece, created for good works.” (Ephesians 2:10)
- Healing:
- Doubt: “The trauma is too deep; I’ll never really recover.”
- Faith: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)
- Provision:
- Doubt: “I’ll never get ahead; my life will always be hard.”
- Faith: “My God will supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.” (Philippians 4:19)
Lesson for Today
Sis, today’s lesson is simple but life-changing: you cannot afford to wrestle forever. At some point, you must decide. Will you keep paying the cost of doubt, or will you step into the reward of faith?
Faith will not eliminate storms — but it will anchor you in the One who speaks to storms and commands, “Peace, be still.”
Action Step for Today
- Write down one area in your life where doubt and faith are fighting for control.
- Be honest: what is doubt saying? What is faith saying?
- Choose faith. Write one scripture that speaks louder than the lie. Declare it out loud today.
Reflection Questions
- Where has doubt had too much power in my life?
- What has it cost me? (peace, blessings, answered prayers)
- What would it look like if I lived fully in faith today?
- Am I willing to surrender my unbelief to God and let Him strengthen me?
Declaration for Day 8
I refuse to live unstable and double-minded. Doubt will not control my mind, my prayers, or my future. I choose faith — radical, bold, unshakable faith in Jesus Christ. I believe His Word, I trust His character, and I know He will not fail me.
Day 7 – Tuesday, August 26, 2025
The Cost of Doubt
Scripture Focus:
“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” — James 1:6–8 (ESV)
“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” — James 1:6–8 (ESV)
Devotional
Sis, doubt is not just a thought — it is a thief. It robs us of peace, steals our prayers, and costs us blessings we desperately need from God. James tells us plainly: when we doubt, we become unstable, tossed around like waves in a storm, and we shouldn’t expect to receive anything from the Lord.
That may sound harsh, but it is truth. Doubt has a cost.
Think about it.
- Doubt costs us answered prayer. We ask God to provide, but we doubt if He really can — and so our prayer becomes empty words instead of bold petitions.
- Doubt costs us stability. We move forward one day, then backwards the next. We proclaim freedom one moment, then rehearse fear the next. Doubt keeps us living in cycles instead of walking in victory.
- Doubt costs us peace. Instead of resting in God’s promises, we live anxious, worried, and consumed by the “what ifs.”
- Doubt costs us opportunity. How many open doors have we missed because we hesitated? How many blessings slipped by because we didn’t believe God would really do it for us?
How Doubt Creeps In
Doubt doesn’t come knocking on the front door with a loud voice. It slips in quietly, almost unnoticed. It creeps into your thoughts when you’re tired, when you’re hurting, when the storm is raging.
It whispers:
- “God isn’t listening to your prayers.”
- “After everything you’ve done, you don’t deserve His blessing.”
- “What if He doesn’t come through this time?”
And if we entertain those whispers long enough, they shape the way we live. Soon we’re not just thinking doubt — we’re operating in it.
- We pray, but don’t expect answers.
- We move, but hesitate at every step.
- We start building our lives not on God’s promises, but on fear of disappointment.
Sis, that’s the cost of doubt: it paralyzes our faith until we settle for less than God’s best.
The Truth: Faith Requires Trust Without Hesitation
The opposite of doubt is faith. And faith is not partial trust. Faith is not halfway belief. Faith is not, “Lord, I believe… but just in case, I’ll have a backup plan.”
Faith is all in. It’s believing God when the storm is raging. It’s trusting His Word when your feelings scream otherwise. It’s declaring His promises even when you don’t see results yet.
Hebrews 11:6 reminds us: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” That means faith is not optional — it’s the foundation of walking with Him.
Faith is what allows the woman in recovery to say, “I am free,” even when temptation comes.
Faith is what allows the woman who left abuse to say, “I am safe in God’s hands,” even when memories haunt her.
Faith is what allows the woman overwhelmed by life to declare, “My God will supply all my needs,” even when bills stack high.
Faith is what allows the woman who left abuse to say, “I am safe in God’s hands,” even when memories haunt her.
Faith is what allows the woman overwhelmed by life to declare, “My God will supply all my needs,” even when bills stack high.
Faith without hesitation is the only way we break free.
For the Women of Encouraging Her Resilience
Sis, I know storms are real. Addiction is real. Trauma is real. Pain is real. But hear me: the God you serve is more real. His power is greater. His promises are stronger.
Doubt will always cost you more than you think. It will cost you time, joy, stability, and blessings. But faith will always reward you more than you imagined.
So today, ask yourself: Am I paying the cost of doubt, or am I reaping the reward of faith?
Action Step for Today
- Write down one area in your life where you’ve been doubting God — healing, provision, relationships, or your future.
- Next to it, write a scripture that directly speaks truth into that doubt.
- Every time doubt whispers today, silence it by declaring that scripture out loud.
Reflection Questions
- Where in my life has doubt been costing me blessings?
- How has doubt made me unstable in my decisions, relationships, or faith?
- What opportunities have I missed because of hesitation?
- How would my life look if I truly trusted God without hesitation?
Declaration for Day 7
I will not pay the cost of doubt. My prayers are filled with faith, my steps are steady, and my heart is secure in Christ. I believe God’s promises over the enemy’s lies. I am stable, unshaken, and fully trusting in the power of my Savior.
Sis, remember: doubt is expensive. It costs too much to keep. Choose faith today.
We are still in Session 2: Breaking Free — Overcoming Fear, Doubt, and Past Pain in our Breaking Chains with Dashonia Marie series. Stay focused, stay resilient, and walk in faith.
