Defining Womanhood

Many women can be skeptical about an identity completely found in Christ. Our own failures, fears, doubts, weaknesses, insecurities, and sins tell us that we are undeserving of His love; that we are undeserving to be used by Him and for Him. The scriptural truths about our identity in Christ are not there to make us dwell on our inefficiencies, but to let us know how wonderful God is and to impel us to obedience in Him. Can I love my husband, child, parent, coworker...? Can I trust God with my job, finances, family situation, health...? Can I serve God through...? Many women look at their own strengths and question, "Can God use me?" Only through Christ's blood and righteousness can we live to serve and honor Him. It is a daily battle we face. That is why we must DAILY bring ourselves back to the scriptural truths of our identity or we will become enslaved to fear, distrust, and confusion. What are these scriptural truths? I would like to share four passages with you, b...

Today I would like to let some other voices speak on this issue for me. I have struggled at many periods of my marriage with my role as a wife, and I am yet to be a mother. Society pulls for women to be independent and strong, while the Bible clearly guides us to healthy submission in our marriages and godly counsel in parenting. Through prayer and the leading of God through His word and Spirit, I am beginning to see not only see my identity as a woman in marriage, but am seeing it in a beautiful light. I continue to pray for the same leading as a soon-to-be mother. The following excerpts are from author and speaker Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Pastor John Piper, who spoke at a convention titled, "Voices of the True Woman Movement, a Call to the Counter Revolution" in 2008. I pray that their words would reach into your heart and guide you to a fuller understanding of your identity in marriage and motherhood. Nancy Leigh DeMoss "One of the greatest challenges in our day is ...

Being a single woman can feel very lonely or confusing in our society. People are left to feel inadequate or unlovable if they are single for any amount of time. Before I met my husband, I was single for two years and felt very discouraged at times. This time in life can be hard for young women because it seems that everyone else their age is getting married and having children. Older women also struggle as they see their time for having children drift away or feel the pains of loneliness. Regardless of age, one's self esteem can take a major hit. The questions may begin to arise; What is my identity? Why am I still single? Is there someone out there for me? Take hope! If you are a Christian, you have already found your Soul Mate. Christ is the only One who can fill every void in our lives, and is faithful to never let us down. Earthly marriage is a picture of our spiritual marriage to our Savior. I know for some of you that answer may still seem discouraging. You still long to...

"Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you to judge your neighbor?" (James 4:11-12) I have admitted to those that I know, on more than one occasion, how difficult it can be for me to control what I say. As women, we seem to have an extra hard time holding back our comments and opinions whether good or bad. Our church has been preaching through the book of James for the last several weeks, and the Holy Spirit has been convicting me of my speech more than ever. You might assume that I am referring to the passage in James on "Taming the Tongue", but I was given some new insight from chapter 4 during the service yesterday. The Bible gives us several verses in warning against gossip, slander, and...

I finished reading Philippians this morning and felt drawn to chapter 4. Paul is addressing peace in the life of believers. As women, we seem to struggle with balancing the chaos of life and the peace of Christ. What insights can we take away from Paul's letter to the church in Philippi? My bible breaks the chapter into three sub-headings; Peace with Others, Peace with Self, and Peace with Circumstances. -Peace with Others Here we see Paul mediating a situation where two women have not been getting along. I'm not sure what the issue was, but it would be easy to fill in the blank. There could have been gossip, slander, lying, cheating, false accusations, jealousy, or a number of other issues. These are the types of things that cause disunity among women in today's world and were even in the early church. We know though that when sin looms over us, the peace of God can not also dwell there. Paul calls for the help of a godly individual, who will show no partiality, to step...

In Proverbs 31 we read about a woman who seems to be super-human. She is an awesome wife and mother, seamstress, cook, investor, gardener, laborer, fashion designer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. She possesses selflessness, strength, dignity, wisdom, kindness, and creativity. Her husband and children praise her and claim that she has surpassed all other women. I don't know about you, but this lady is intimidating to me. I know my own faults and limitations all too well. If this is who we refer to as the Virtuous Woman, then I don't think I stand a chance. Have you ever felt this way? Christian society places a lot of criteria on how a woman should present herself. It can become overwhelming when we begin to compare ourselves to other women or listen to the requirements of those around us. I believe the answer to becoming a virtuous woman lies in verse 30 of Proverbs 31. I love how The Message translation words it: "Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to ...

In order to really look at the role of a godly woman, I think it is only right to start from the beginning. Most anyone you ask would be able to tell you who the first woman was, but I want to dig further than that. -Why was it necessary for God to create a woman instead of another man? -What was the primary role created for Eve and each woman thereafter? -Have these roles changed since the time of Adam? Let's start by looking at the creation of woman in Genesis 2:18, 22-24 (NASB) For the first time in the creation story God says that something is not good. "Then the Lord God said, ' It is not good for the man to be alone ; I will make him a helper suitable for him.' The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, 'This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.' For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, an...