I am Woman, Hear me WAR!

Christian women often hear about the Proverbs 31 woman and cringe. She is this seemingly perfect woman that has her life together. Often, we compare ourselves and become disheartened. First off, she “rises while it is yet night…” you might be lucky if you make it out of bed before 10am. Or “she makes linen garments and sells them.” Um the only thing you are making is plans to go shopping. Personally, I have no desire for typical woman things. Can I do most of them? Yes, however is just isn’t me. As I read this proverb and thinking how she can be an example to me, I was led to read the commentary. What I read completely excited me! Here is what it said:

“The Hebrew word used to describe this virtuous wife is khayil. The meaning of this word cannot be contained by one English equivalent word. It is often used in connection with military prowess. This is a warring wife. Khayil can be translated “mighty; wealthy; excellent; morally righteous; full of substance, integrity, abilities, and strength; mighty like an army.” (biblegateway.com, The Passion Translation)

I can get on board with this! A warring wife. This might me the very reason that I love action movies! I was meant to be a warrior! As a woman so are you! Women get a reputation of being weak, mild mannered, or even shy and timid. If that is your personality, I am not knocking on it, I am not that person. I am full of life, sometimes over the top, and definitely BOLD. There are all types of woman so be comfortable with who you are. I have never seen myself as just a “wittle ole” woman, but I feel I can stand up to anyone, anywhere with confidence. I am not shy nor intimated anywhere I go whether it be in a room full of women or men. Put me in the game coach. Maybe that is the warrior inside of me… Words of encouragement, THIS CAN BE YOU! Don’t try to be a man either. There is power in our femininity. We have influence and I think that is why so much of society tries to tear us down because they see our power. I once heard a statement; “Men may be the head but the woman is the neck that makes the head turn.” (Quote not mine but I LOVE IT) 

It was WOMEN that caused the wisest King Solomon to turn away from the True God and worship idols and pagan gods. It was a WOMAN that through her boldness rescued a whole nation of people. (Esther) It was a woman that unfortunately influenced her husband to bring death and destruction to mankind. (Eve, not our proudest moment) BUT ultimately it was a woman that took on insult, slander and the demolishment of her reputation (MARY) to have the courage to deliver the Messiah that changed the trajectory of our lives! Talk about warring. The adjectives used to describe this Proverbs 31 woman were not weak words. As woman we hold so much power that society has tried to beat out of us.

It is now time to rise and be the woman God intended for us to be. Warring. We need to turn the tides as a mighty army and take back not only our strength but also our confidence that has gotten extinguished. You don’t have to play by anyone’s rules. Our only marker as a woman is the Word of God. We are mighty, excellent, full of substance,excellence, ability, integrity and full of STRENGTH! Let those terms define you. We need to study and understand who we are in Christ and let that that be what gives us our identity,

 WAR for your marriage. WAR for your children. WAR for your entrepreneurship. WAR for your vision. WAR for your family. As a single lady WAR for your integrity and virtue. WAR for your mind. WAR for your emotions. Fight the good fight of faith and take back control of everything that has been stolen from us. I am woman, Hear me WAR!

“Do You Even Work Bro”

As I read the story of Martha and Mary, I realized that I totally identify with Mary. To lay at the feet of Jesus and to just glean on everything that He is saying, YES PLEASE! The problem with this is our fast pace society and our work ethic sees this as Unproductive. Like “But are you even working bro?” If we don’t have our hand to the plow everyday people seem to think that we aren’t doing anything. Mary, though it seems opposite, is indeed working but not on anything that can be seen by the human eye. She is working on her spiritual growth. Our society has lost the importance of the principle of resting in the Lord. We take on a Martha attitude. We frustrate and busy ourselves in the things of the Lord and we never really “still ourselves and know that He is God.”(Psalms 46:10)  We are trying to impress God with our works, and I think that is exactly what Martha was doing. “Jesus I SERVED in this area, Jesus I MINISTERED to this person…” We have this “look at me attitude” SIDE NOTE: Isn’t it just like siblings to tattle on you when you aren’t doing what they want you to do. Martha clearly had control issues. The best part of this was that Jesus wasn’t the least impressed by her works.  Jesus was smart. I bet He saw right through what she was doing. His response was basically “Chill out! You are taking on more than you need to do right now. Do the most important thing and rest in me.” Psalms 91:1 says “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Dwelling in the secret place is being in the presence of God. What happens in the presence of God, REST! I think we end up with anxiety because we don’t take the time to ask God for guidance on our days overwhelming ourselves and never simply rest. With Jesus’ response He also eluded having a wrong heart about your works. Even if it is for the Lord, it can burn up and be taken from you but the knowledge of the things of God will ALWAYS remain. So next time you have to choose between being busy of productive AKA Martha or Mary, I encourage you to be Mary.

A Strongfident Women

I am woman hear me roar.

The things that I do are not to be ignored.

I live in a way that honors my King.

So don’t think that you can regard me a fling.

The standard of Virtuous is what I uphold.

I will act like a lady while standing bold.

I am a woman who knows the value of my worth.

So respect and honor must always come first.

Don’t regard me as a walking arousal.

I don’t respond at all to your attempted perusal.

I don’t look at what society calls beautiful.

Their definition is fleeting and very futile.

The beauty I have has an unseen glow.

With a gentle and quiet spirit I will let it show.

I am not defined by the size of my waist.

Or even the makeup I have on my face.

The clothes on my body hides my significance.

It actually covers the true appearance of my deviance.

I will not measure myself to match other women

It hides my true beauty and the gifts I was given.

The image and likeness that I will try to imitate.

Is not of anyone who on this earth can relate.

A Proverbs 31 woman is what I will display.

Righteous and humble for all of my days.

Hidden Reward

Fake it until you make it, is the speech I give my heart.

Because right now my whole world falls apart.

Nothing is happening, no difference do I see.

While the people all around are changing before me.

Every day the same old life, no excitement in the air.

Sometimes the consistency is very hard to bare.

I cry and cry with no relief for a new season to come.

To be honest it seems like my tears will never be undone.

So many questions as to why I am in my current state.

Lord I am begging answers please before I become irate.

I faithfully serve with all I am and still to no avail.

The desires in my heart seem like they will never prevail.

Others who do wrong are flourishing it seems.

While here I am with no reward and many unfulfilled dreams.

I feel like I have lost the will to go further with my vision.

Even though I know the things I see are really God given.

Where are you Lord? Why are you silent? Did you forget about me?
I need you to come swiftly to set me free from my misery!

He didn't waste the good surprise on you.

When I was wee child, I never believed in Santa like most pups my age. Every year at Christmas, my mom and I would go to TOYS R US and she would give me a dollar amount and tell me to go pick out my presents. She then proceed to tell me that Jesus brought me my presents. So for the longest time I didn't even know who Kris Kringle was! I would wander around with pure excitement because I got to CHOOSE what I wanted. A kids dream come true right! WRONG! After wandering around the store elated (In my heart of hearts I thought that I would get them before Christmas) I would get home and my mom would make me wrap my own presents. Yes wrap them myself! Rude I know. I then would wait in anticipation for Christmas morn to open those very presents.This was every years. So let's just say through those experiences I have come to not be accustomed to surprises. I have always been in control of the "surprises" in my life. With that being said, have you ever heard of the statement that God is a SUDDENLY God? That sounds like a surprise to me. Remember my oppositions to surprises! A lot of things that we can be waiting to receive from God seems to happen at a suddenly rate. For God it was planned from before we were even born. In Psalms 139:16 it talks about how God knows each one of our days before one has come to be. Putting it that way, things aren't so suddenly now are they? Something that I am learning about these suddenly moments is that just because something is potentially a sudden answer to prayers doesn't mean it is a God suddenly. The moments that God has ordained in our life are going to bring PEACE not confusion, worry, or anxiety. Now will there be some questioning involved, ABSOLUTELY! Our flesh is always going to want to be in the know of what is going on. However things can look very good on the surface but aren't necessarily God. What I have come to realize is that the adversary can disguise himself as an angel of light. He can make something look so appetizing on the surface to lure you in. Because it is seems good, you begin to pursue that. Things progress for a while however in time things begin to go array, You wonder how something that started off as good can begin to unravel. Well like I addressed earlier just because something is good doesn't mean that it is God. I know you may be asking yourself "Bekah that doesn't make sense. I thought every good and perfect gift comes from above and this started off so good." You are right but if something eventually causes angst it obviously isn't good, perfect, nor from God. The enemy is a deceiver and imitator of God. Unlike God who wants to build our life, he is at enmity with us. He will make things appealing to our flesh in order to draw us in to eventually get us off track. He roars around like a lion seeking who he MAY devour. If you have cracks in your life, he sees those as opening to slowly bring death to your life. So how do we avoid this and make ourselves unapproachable by the enemy? We have to know God's voice and His voice sounds like His word. It is pivotal that we have God's word hidden in our hearts. This ensures that when cracks in our lives are unprotected God will remind you of His word and seal up the cracks This gives us knowledge to know what to do. Another way of protection is following your peace. Those suddenly God moments in your life are not going to lead you to worry or stress which ultimately leaves you confused. God is not a god of confusion but of peace. Our flesh loses our peace and that is the thing that questions God. We also can create or anxiety in those moments by over analyzing things so be aware of that. When we are so in tune with the Holy Spirit, though we may have questions there is a rest in our hearts that knows it is going to be okay. Isaiah 26:3  He keeps in perfect peace those who trust in Him, all whose thoughts are fixed on Him. Fix your thoughts on God by meditating on His word and you will have that peace, You aren't always going have a burning bush moment of what to do and when to do it (wouldn't that be awesome) so that is why it is important to know what your peace looks and feels like! Am I saying that with things we will get it right every time. Not at all but the great thing about God is that even if we miss Him, through His mercy He understands that we are fallible . Those who are making an effort to follow after Him, He will widen the path beneath our feet and turn our crook-it place straight. Even in the midst of our wrong choice it gives us a learning tool for the next time so don't be afraid to step out in faith. Don't quickly accept every suddenly moment in life but pray for discernment ask God for wisdom concerning that matter and be quick to stop and listen for God's voice. If you do these things you will begin to cultivate a lifestyle where you can distinguish between the "good" God suddenly moments and the "good" deceptive moments of the enemy.

Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder

I have heard the statement, "Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder" many times but it isn't until recently that I have fully grasped what that means. Recently while visiting different churches holding conferences and revivals God, The Beholder, has really opened my eyes to the beauty of the church. Sitting towards the back gives me the opportunity to gaze around the room and see the different types of people in attendance. ALL ages, ALL races, ALL sizes, ALL cultures, ALL socio-ecomonic statuses, ALL styles, ALL gathered together in the name of the Lord! I believe that this is the church that blesses God's heart and makes Him smile. I think that we have our preconceived notions of what we think the church should look like and dismiss the idea that the church is supposed to be diverse. Diversity comes in so many forms. Think about Jesus and his twelve disciples. They were in a sense the foundation of the church. Each one of them differing from the other; different personalities (doubting Thomas anyone), different occupations, (Matthew was a tax collector), different, backgrounds,(Peter was married) and different qualities, all united for ONE purpose. This is what the church should be. God gave me a glimpse of what He sees and what He deems as beautiful. Quite frankly it brought me to tears. How He is no respecter of people and loves and accepts EVERYONE. as should we as a church. Whether you are black or white, short or tall, tattooed or not, dressed in the finest or in jeans and a t shirt, smelling fresh or freshly smelly, the diversity is what makes something beautiful. 1 Corinthians 12:18-19 says "He has made many parts for our bodies and has put each part just where He wants it. 19 What a strange thing a body would be if it had only one part! 20 So he has made many parts, but still there is only one body". That means EVERYONE is meant to be a PART of the body of Christ. We are ALL crucial to the church. If you feel like you don't fit in because there is something about you that stands out, that is exactly how it is meant to be! Not that you are meant to feel insecure about who you are, be confident in who God created you as, but rest assured that God intended for you to stand out and contribute your special abilities, or your beauty, to make up the ONE body. The church isn't supposed to be just a foot, but it also needs toes to help that foot stand, Whatever your gift and talent is, that was uniquely made to advance the kingdom of God. Your uniqueness is what the composition of a beautiful church is. Don't allow the enemy to tell you otherwise. Rejoice because you are FEARFULLY and WONDERFULLY made! Your jagged or straight edges are a beautiful piece to the puzzle. The beauty of a church is it's diversity in order for it to fully function as it should and radiate that beauty. I believe that the beauty of an object or person is not in it's similarity to another but rather in it's ability to stand on it's own in diversity. God is looking for a beautiful church. Churches are a dime a dozen these days but a beautiful church, one where anyone can walk into and find someone from all walks of life is very rare. If that is what you are a part of consider yourself truly blessed!

#outofseasonreaping

As summers end is approaching, I love the anticipation of fall! I think about sweaters, scarfs, boots, jackets and quite frankly all the fall essentials. It's funny how when you are in the middle of one season you are so eager to get to the next. I was so eager to get to Summer in Spring because I was excited for shorts, sandals, and swimwear. I guess every season has it's benefits. Like I may want it to transition from Summer to Spring but am I really ready for the roasting temperatures that accompany it? (In Oklahoma 90 degrees is like 115 with the heat index). Or the transition from Summer to fall am I ready to give up my lazy days by the pool for chilly mornings in front of my space heater? If you are single you want to be married. If you are married you want to have kids, If you have kids you are ready to have an empty nest and ready for grand kids and retirement. Just keep in mind that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. There are ups and downs for every season. One thing that the word says about the seasons in our lives is found in 2 Timothy 4:2 "Preach the word of God. Be ready in season or out of season." Just because you aren't in a particular season doesn't mean you shouldn't prepare. It is called wisdom. A definition that I have heard of wisdom is "doing something now that will benefit you in the future." When talking about seasons, I think about a farmer. They plant seeds at the beginning of the season which is not visibly the right atmosphere for growth. They do this in anticipation of the harvest at the reaping time. I believe we should be prepared out of season. You may not see the the next season in near sight and might not know when it will take place, but when you are prepared out of season, guess what, you are also prepared when the season changes! God will send sudden rains for the seeds that are sown out of season time. If you are not prepared for that rain to give nutrients to the seed, you miss out on the effective reaping at harvest time. When you are prepared out of season, the things that could potential wreck you will only take you off guard for a second. Your recovery time will be shortened or you may not even be fazed and you will able to move on. So how do you prepare out of season? Psalms 119:11 "Your word I have hidden in my heart so I might not sin against it." It is hidden so when the time is right it can be found. Play hide and seek with the Word. Think about the next season that you are looking to go into. A new career, dating relationship, schooling, engagement, marriage, retirement, a new home or maybe more independence. Find a scripture that pertains to that. Hide it in your heart by meditating on it and speaking it it out in a confession. When the right time comes, not only will you have knowledge and wisdom concerning that season but also the ability to offset the devices of the enemy. Soldiers don't just show up to a battle and expect to be triumphant without proper preparation. No they all train before! We are soldiers in a battle for our lives and the enemy would love nothing better than to completely obliterate us and destroy our confidence in God. When we are prepared out of season we know how to combat him so he can't shake our confidence. Trials and battle are inevitable, Jesus even said so, but when we are prepared before the battle, we can victoriously take on the next season with joy and peace. #outofseasonreaping