Leading up to Mother’s Day, this week’s devos were written by my best friend and wife, Grace, and our oldest daughter, Ashley, as part of their new book ‘Fearlessly Feminine’. Get your copy for a gift of any amount during the month of May by clicking here.
“So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them…” – Genesis 1:27-28
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, we want to honor the women and speak truth into what God actually says about being a woman, instead of the counterfeit identity from the world and the Enemy that is around every corner. Throughout this week, we will look at the good and the bad from the book of Proverbs so we can accurately assess where we are versus what God intends for us. We will examine four contrasting topics and apply them to being fearlessly feminine: foolish vs wise, seductive vs virtuous, betraying vs loyal, and fearful vs fear of the Lord.
Before we jump into these contrasting topics, we must first establish three core truths from Genesis 1:27-28. These core truths need to be embedded into our thinking in order to be fearless about being a godly woman. These are constant and from God’s word, not changing with the wave of culture to keep us guessing.
- We are created in the image of God
- We are unique as humans, not like animals or angels
- We didn’t evolve by accident, rather we have intentional purpose with God
- We are in the image of God and represent God (capacity to love, create, nurture life, be relational like the Trinity, and experience emotions)
- God blesses us each differently with gifts and abilities and helps us live out His will for us
- Men and women were created with equal value, yet with distinct roles
- God created us male and female, not two males or two females – 2 distinct genders
- God created us with equal value; therefore, we don’t need to compete for our value because it’s God-given
- God gave us both access to the Holy Spirit and dominion over creation
- Neither should domineer (like feminism or chauvinism)
- In marriage, men were created to be the loving head, but God is the head of both (i.e. consider each other, value gifts and abilities, offer wisdom, honor in public and private, serve each other)
- After the Fall, sin didn’t change our role, but corrupted them
- Headship was established by God before the Fall, not because one gender was more capable or smart but patterned after the Trinity where the Son and the Holy Spirit submit to the Father; in Christian marriage, both husband and wife submit to God
- God’s order and design for us as women is still the same as before the Fall in Genesis 3, but the roles are more challenging to live out because of the curse
- ln Genesis 3, the curse made childbirth painful, made raising kids harder because they have a sin nature in a sinful world, and made being a helper that comes alongside in marriage challenging because you will have the desire to rule over (overpower) your husband; he is still the “head,” but after the Fall, he has to work harder and be Spirit-led to not misuse his authority
These Core Truths can be very challenging and repelling for women if they have had a man in their life who misused authority. This can cause her to distrust men (boyfriend, boss, leader, brother, or male family member). God wants you to heal from that so you can follow His plan, not create a new plan out of pain. If you are single, the Bible does not tell you to submit to all men. Ideally, your dad is supposed to love and protect you from ungodly guys, but if he isn’t doing that, find a godly couple that can help you. If you are married, your husband is the first leader and you are the second leader, but you are both serving and valuing each other as equals with unique gifts and roles.
Tomorrow we will look at the wise vs. the foolish woman in Proverbs.
Apply and pray through each of the Core Truths to renew your mind from the lies of the Enemy and culture.
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