One of the downfalls, in my opinion, of the church is that we don’t teach people how to conduct themselves in this life. We (the church) are very good at telling husbands to love their wives, wives submit to their husbands, parents to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, children to honor their mother and father, and everyone to be a good employee. That part we do fairly well, however, we fail to tell people HOW to do it!
Early in our call to the ministry, the Lord gave me a passion for issues such as these. It is my desire with the help of the Holy Spirit to teach women in particular how to be the godly women that He has called us to be.
Titus 2:4-5 “These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to take care of their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.” NLT
A few years ago I started a group, made up of women of all ages where the older would have an opportunity to train the younger – the fact is, no matter how young you are there are always ‘younger’ to teach and no matter how old you are they are always ‘older’ to learn from. I called it Women of Gods Design.
The purpose of “Women of God’s Design” – my vision for this ministry is to teach woman what the Word of God has to say about us. If we are going to truly be the woman God designed us to be we must discover Who we are in Him! Who He says we are and should be – Not what this world says.
I have taught these truths to women in my circle but now, through my blog I want to share them with you.
The world tells us as woman we should Look fabulous – it offers us an array of beauty products, diet suggestions, and trendy clothing, while at the same time we should cook delicious meals, keep a spotless home, support our husband and children AND maintain a successful career.
In this Women of God’s design blog series I will talk about:
Emotional issues
- Inferiority / Comparisons – Gal 3:28-29 “In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.” MESSAGE
Physical Issues
- Diet: 1 Tim 4:3-5 ” But God created those foods to be eaten with thanksgiving by people who know and believe the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it. We may receive it gladly, with thankful hearts. For we know it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” NLT
Spiritual Issues
- Character 1 Tim 4:12-13 “And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.“ THE MESSAGE
- Ephesians 5
- 2 Peter 1:5
- Romans 12:3-17
In the coming weeks, we will discover that emotional and physical issues are in fact spiritual issues as well. When we apply the Word to our emotional and physical problems we will see that God shows us exactly how to conquer them.
We are going to begin to talk about emotional issues and in doing so, I think it is first important to note that our human race, BOTH male and female were made in the image of God, Who desires a relationship with us.
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1″26-27 NLT
1 Cor 1:9 “God will surely do this for you, for he always does just what he says, and he is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” NLT
God has built within us a rightful hunger for relationship, a longing for impactful relationships. These needs are built-in and legitimate. We are also emotional beings. Emotions are perfectly appropriate and are part of our created nature.
God has emotions:
- Anger – Exodus 4:14, Mark 3:4-5
- Compassion – Duet. 33:36; Mark 8:2
- Jesus Wept – John 11:35
- Sad – Matthew 26:38 “ Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” NKJV That word sorrowful in the original Greek language, means grieved all around, intensely sad.
I find it interesting to know that there are some basic needs of a woman – EVERY woman has the same ones. The first and most important or greatest need of a woman is “Security” yet all women struggle with feelings of inferiority or insecurity.
Main Entry: in·fe·ri·or
1 : situated lower down : lower
2 a : of low or lower degree or rank b : of poor quality : mediocre
3 : of little or less importance, value, or merit
Main Entry: in·se·cure
1 : not confident or sure : uncertain <feeling somewhat insecure of his reception>
2 : not adequately guarded or sustained : unsafe <an insecure investment>
3 : not firmly fastened or fixed : shaky <the hinge is loose and insecure>
4 a : not highly stable or well-adjusted <an insecure marriage> b : deficient in assurance : beset by fear and anxiety <always felt insecure in a group of strangers>
Why do we struggle with these feelings of inferiority and insecurity? 1. Because we are looking at ourselves through our own eyes, and not as God sees us. 2. Because we are comparing ourselves with each other. The Ironic thing is – we are comparing ourselves with other women who feel just as inferior and insecure as we do!
The Word of God says, in 2 Cor. 10:12-13, “For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” NKJV
To conquer our insecurities we must first discover the origin of them. While a LOT of them are a result of our past – words that were spoken to us by parents, peers, siblings, employers, etc. we cannot allow the past to predict our future. The KEY to overcoming those words and situations is found in one thing! Our thought Life!!!
We spend too much time judging ourselves for not being…! Not being smart enough, rich enough, thin enough, happy enough, flexible enough, pretty enough. The list could go on forever. We are looking for acceptance from others because we don’t accept ourselves! In fact, many of us have put so much effort into trying to be what we ‘think’ others expect us to be that we don’t even know who we are anymore.
Are you familiar with the movie, Runaway Bride? Julia Roberts is so consumed with being what she thinks others want her to be, she conforms to whomever she is with – she doesn’t even know what kind of eggs she likes! My guess is, we can ALL relate!
We must learn how to tell ourselves, “I’m exactly who I’m supposed to be, that I’m doing my best, that my best is good enough, that nothing and no one’s missing from my life, that I love how I look, I love what being me feels like, that when I make a mistake, it’s okay because it means I can learn and grow from it.”
- Rom 15:7, “So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.” NLT
- Eph 1:6 “to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” NKJV
Accepted = charitoo (khar-ee-to’-o); from NT:5485; to grace, i.e. indue with special honor: to be highly favored!
- Acts 10:34-35 “Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God doesn’t show partiality. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.” NLT (Accepted = approved)
YES Ladies…. God has indued you with special honor! YOU are Highly favored!
I guarantee that you would be amazed to see how you are perceived by your peers, AND what a contrast there is in how they see you and how you see yourself.
If you would like to learn more about becoming the woman God created you to be, simply click the ‘follow’ button at the top of this blog. I will continue this topic in the weeks to come.
In the meantime, get yourself a cup of coffee, defuse some Young Living Essential Oils (I’ve referenced some below), and grab your Bible (dust it off if you need to) and mediate on the scripture references mentioned in this blog. My prayer is that through these Biblical truths you will learn to be You and love it!
Heb 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.” NLT
*Essential Oil recommendations for creating a calm and peaceful atmosphere:
Life! Yes that is a good way to describe it. I’ve been using Young Living Essential oils for a little over a year now and I cannot imagine my life without them.
