Hello Ladies,
I pray that you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. While Memorial Day is a day of reflection, remembrance, and gratitude towards the many men and women who have fought and are fighting for our constant freedom, it is also a day of family, friends, and celebration. So, I pray that you all were able to enjoy it. Additionally, I hope that you all had a chance to relax from all the heavy cleaning and de-cluttering you have accomplished over the past few weeks. I have had so many wonderful reports about the progress that everyone has made. I actually had some progress myself.
I love magazines! They inspire me to be creative in my writing, home décor, hairstyles, make-up choices and my designing and sewing of clothes. Magazines help generate my artistic abilities. So, I have a huge collection and it is very hard for me to throw them away. However, through the past two weeks of the de-cluttering application of this blog, I have purged a sizeable amount of my collection. My husband was so happy that he graciously took all the piles to the recycling station in our neighborhood. I never knew how much those piles of magazines annoyed him. I mean, I had a small idea because it was mentioned in one of our marriage classes, but I guess I had not given it any merit. As we cleared away all those old magazines, we laughed and talked. It was great quality time as we worked together. The whole experience was a blessing to both of us. This is what I am hoping for all of us. I have committed to scanning my favorite images into my laptop instead of maintaining my collection of magazines.
Well, I think we should just dive right in this week. Some of you may not like me this week, because I have been told that I am prejudice against my own gender because of what we will discuss this week. However, everything that I believe regarding this topic is based on the word of God. These biblical principles cannot be ignored. They have been ridiculed, misconstrued, and disregarded. But, I come to tell you that I stand for truth and truth is in the word of God! So, brace yourselves, check my resources, and seek the Lord in your own time about what you are about to experience. God has a plan and purpose for all of us and it is mapped out in His word (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV).
A Godly Wife
23 Her Husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. 24 She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25 Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. (Proverbs 31: 23-26 NKJV)
She is discreet and obliging; every word she says, shows she governs herself by the rules of wisdom. She not only takes prudent measures herself, but gives prudent advice to others. The law of love and kindness is written in the heart, and shows itself in the tongue. Her heart is full of another world, even when her hands are most busy about this world (Nelson 1997).
21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything (Ephesians 5:21-24 NIV)
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully 20 For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving an example, that you should follow His steps ( 1 Peter 18-21 NKJV)
Submission - an agreement between parties to abide by the decision of the authority; feeling of patience, humility, meekness; compliance (WordWeb 2013).
There are so many scriptures about submission, I could go on for days. Yet we allow society to encourage us not to submit to the Lord through submission to our husbands. The "S" word has become quite the controversy among nonbelievers and believers. Other women are usually appalled at my perception on submission, however, as I stated above, it is biblically sound.
Lets begin by dissecting the scriptures listed above. If a husband has a publically disrespectful wife, who does not operate in virtuosity as defined by the scriptures of Proverbs 31, will that husband's name be positively respected among his peers? No, absolutely not. Men possess two great fears; the fear of being found inadequate and the fear of being controlled by a woman (Shirer 2011).
We cannot emasculate our men, especially publically, and then wonder why his boss and colleagues do not respect him. We cannot demand that our men operate in a manly manner when it benefits us if we will not submit when it does not benefit us. Keep all that sass to yourself! (Ephesians 4:26 NIV). You are allowed to communicate your frustrations in a respectful manner and limit it to one time. If you continue to beat a dead horse, you are officially nagging! If your husband does not honor your request, and it is a valid request, take it to the Lord. You may also seek out wise counsel, as discussed in Lesson 1. Here is where your accountability partners, life groups, small bible studies, etc. can help you. They can offer wise counsel and pray with you about the request.
God has given us a wide range of emotions, however, we constantly focus on exhibiting behaviors from the more negative ones than the positive. We are not entitled to yell, scream, be violent, and disrespectful just because we are angry. Those are all choices. Women have been told that demanding their "rights" is the ticket to their happiness, but claiming those rights produces much of the unhappiness women experience today (DeMoss 2001). We can choose to be angry and sin not. We can also choose not to be angry. Expressing your negative feelings in a respectful manner will allow your husband the opportunity to respond incline. If he does not, then that is the Lord's problem, NOT YOURS. Remain calm, thank your husband for his opinion and leadership, then move on.
It is not our job to correct our husbands. Correction is reserved for children and subordinates. Your husband is neither! You have stated your opinion in a respectful manner, he has been made aware. Brow beating will not change the outcome. Additionally, watch your tone. Do not state your opinion with attitude and condescending tone as if he is a child or an idiot. Again, RESPECTFULLY, state your claim. I cannot stress that enough!!! Be meek and humble, respectful and honorable.
Now, I am not saying that I have this perfectly mastered. I have surrendered to my flesh and still do from time to time. However, I am diligently seeking the Lord to help me be an honorable woman of God. When I seek the Lord, and focus on Him, and not on my husband's flaws, God reveals my own flaws and I am humbled. We must be submissive to God and that will allow us to be submissive to our husbands. Fulfilling your spouse is an admirable, biblical aspiration worth striving to achieve no matter what state you may find yourself in today; even in unhappiness and dissatisfaction (Shirer 2011).
How can we not submit ourselves to our husband's authority when the Lord submitted himself into the hands of His crucifiers for us? That was a choice. He did not have to endure the grave pain that He experienced for our sins. Yet we cannot take an unkind word from our husbands, supervisors, managers, ministers, pastors, etc. We are so judgmental of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We grow to believe that we are entitled to feel no pain, to never be offended, to have our feelings be the truth. We are only entitled to love one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, and honor one another. Submission is about so much more than swallowing our pride. It is about the ability to follow, to be led, and to be teachable. If the Lord is willing to do all those things, who are we to decide not to do them.
Again, this is another lesson that I could go on for days about. I had many dreams about this topic when I started preparing this lesson. Submission is a passion of mine. I truly believe that a lot of societal problems can be attributed to the lack of role definition between the two genders that God created. It is obvious by the immediate fall of Adam and Eve. Adam was out of place and Eve bit the fruit (Genesis 3:8-15 NKJV). I have experienced so much brokenness by demanding my "entitled rights". Since I have found true submission, I am at peace that the Lord has everything under control (Mark 10:27 NKJV). Whenever I feel my flesh rising up and the adversary magnifying my so called "entitled rights", I focus on Colossians 3:23-25 NKJV). This verse puts it all into perspective. Therefore, whether you are single or married, you are called to Submission in Christ Jesus.
This week we will practice a "Seven Day Submission Challenge"! Are you excited?!?!?!?! We will submit to our husbands this week. Surrender your fleshly desires to the Lord, set free your expectations of your husband, and submit yourself to God's plan for your family. God's plan is not necessarily your picture. Get that image out of your head. Trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV). You can do it!
NOTE: If you are practicing your 20 minutes of quiet time with the Lord everyday, this task should not be difficult. The word of the Lord should penetrate your heart and render the strength you need to be submissive. Additionally, if you normally express your frustration and/or disagreement with physical reaction, transfer that energy into a productive activity like continuing your mission of de-cluttering (Romans 8:28 NKJV).
YOU CAN DO IT!!!
I pray that you all will be strengthened by this exercise and that it will initiate new levels of intimacy for the married women and a stronger bond with the Lord for all women.
Be blessed,
T. Carter
All scripture references are extracted from The Bible - New King James Version; New International Version. YouVersion (2013).
DeMoss, Nancy Leigh (2001). Lies Women Believe; and the Truth That Sets Them Free. Moody Publishers. Chicago, Illinois
Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Nashville, Tennessee.
Shirer, Priscilla (2011). The Resolution for Women. B&H Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee.
WordWeb (2013). Submission. Retrieved from the Apple App Store
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Lesson 4 - Proverbs 31: A Diligent Woman; Keeper of the Home
Hello Ladies,
I hope you all enjoyed last week's lesson. The application portion challenged me. As I minister to you, I am also ministering to myself. While the majority of my home is de-cluttered, I still have some areas that could use a good overhaul. We all have our blind spots. We must maintain accountability to keep the adversary from using our blind spots for his purpose. You, among three other wonderful women in my life, hold me accountable. I cannot encourage you to do something that I am not practicing myself. So I cleaned out a few more areas in my home. I try to do it every time the seasons change. However, this exercise allowed me to go over it with a fine tooth comb. There are about 10 bags, waiting, to be picked up by charity in my front hallway. We really do not need all the stuff we think we need. People all over the world live with a lot less. So, I hope you had some progress with de-cluttering this week as well.
Additionally, I pray that you have been consistent in your time with the Lord. I find that having time with the Lord allows me to enjoy such pleasant days. Even when I am faced with adversity, God gives me such an inner peace to face those challenges. A peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV). Someday, I will share my entire testimony of inner peace, maybe in a book, so you can better understand my passion for finding it.
A Diligent Woman; Keeper of the Home
20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:20-22, 27 NKJV).
She is careful to fill up time that none be lost. She rises early. She applies herself to business proper for her, women's business. She does what she does with all power and trifles not. She makes what she does turn to good account by prudent management. Many undo themselves by buying without considering whether they can afford it. She provides well for her house. She lays up for the thereafter. She looks well to the ways of her household, that she may oblige all to do their duty to God and one another, as well as to her. She is intent upon giving as upon getting, and does it freely and cheerfully (Nelson 1997)
Why do you think God was so intent on detailing the characteristics and responsibilities of the Proverbs 31 woman? Why do you think it is so important for us to understand her and implement the ways of the Proverbs 31 woman?
We have been designed as a help mate, a support, a foundation.
Foundation - the basis on which something is grounded; the fundamental assumption from which something begins or is developed (WordWeb 2013).
The foundation we must lay starts at home. Yes, God requires us to be charitable, but charity starts at home (1 Timothy 5:8 NKJV). Ladies, we cannot provide productive ministry outside the home if we have not ministered in our homes first. We can minister to our families, husbands, and ourselves by keeping a clean home, grocery shopping, preparing meals, taking care of ourselves and our children. We are the foundation to keep our men grounded. If our homes are not in order, then we are unable to minister the word of God to others effectively. We must maintain the characteristics of a self-controlled, disciplined, and good-natured homemaker so that the word of the Lord will not return void (Titus 2:5 NKJV).
There is so much rich text here. I could really write an entire book on these few scriptures, but I will try to keep it brief due to the medium in which I am writing. However, I urge you to find a concordance and take these verses from last week's and today's blog and study them. We need to understand that the magnitude of our habits, behaviors, attitudes, appearances, and disciplines affect our husbands, children, loved ones, friends, family, etc. Charitable living is ministry in itself (Romans 12:1 NKJV). Therefore, we must set the standard and allow our husbands to dictate the pace. Be a strong peaceable foundation for your husband and children.
Single women, again this does not exclude you. The word of God specifies that your husband will find you (Proverbs 18:22 NKJV). You have to be that "Good thing" in order to be found. Just because you exist does not constitute you to be deemed a "Good thing". You must be that "Good thing" defined by the word of God (Proverbs 31:10-31 NKJV). Again, ready yourself for your Adam. Stay in the word of God. Keep a good home and be charitable in the way you live. Live virtuously out loud, so others may see Christ through you!
We all must live today as if our children's tomorrow depends on it (Shirer 2011). This is not limited to birth children. We are all children of God! (Galatians 3:24 NKJV) We must charitably live today, setting an example, laying a foundation, for the children of Christ's tomorrow. Again, we present our lives a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1 NKJV). That means sacrificing our choice way of living for God's way of living.
I pray that these verses penetrate your hearts and that your homes, lives, loved ones, and communities are blessed by your virtuous way of living.
This week, we will continue with the same applications we have practiced the past few weeks. I urge you to stay diligent in your time with the Lord. I have received many emails, text, Facebook post about how the time with the Lord is making a change for you. Press on! God is with us! Furthermore, continue to get your house in order. De-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter!!! You cannot imagine how de-cluttering is so liberating. One young lady shared with me how blessed her husband was when he came home and the kitchen was cleared off. She said that sat and talked for hours around the table that evening. Ladies, we can do it!!! The Lord is so interested in blessing us if we will just do the work!!!
I hope that you will have a blessed week! Till we chat again, continue on your road to becoming a virtuous woman of God.
Be blessed,
T. Carter
References
All scripture references were extracted from The Holy Bible - New King James Version
Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.
Shirer, Priscilla (2011). The Resolution for Women. B&H Publishing Group. Nashville, Tennessee
WordWeb (2013). Foundation. Retrieved from the Apple App Store
I hope you all enjoyed last week's lesson. The application portion challenged me. As I minister to you, I am also ministering to myself. While the majority of my home is de-cluttered, I still have some areas that could use a good overhaul. We all have our blind spots. We must maintain accountability to keep the adversary from using our blind spots for his purpose. You, among three other wonderful women in my life, hold me accountable. I cannot encourage you to do something that I am not practicing myself. So I cleaned out a few more areas in my home. I try to do it every time the seasons change. However, this exercise allowed me to go over it with a fine tooth comb. There are about 10 bags, waiting, to be picked up by charity in my front hallway. We really do not need all the stuff we think we need. People all over the world live with a lot less. So, I hope you had some progress with de-cluttering this week as well.
Additionally, I pray that you have been consistent in your time with the Lord. I find that having time with the Lord allows me to enjoy such pleasant days. Even when I am faced with adversity, God gives me such an inner peace to face those challenges. A peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV). Someday, I will share my entire testimony of inner peace, maybe in a book, so you can better understand my passion for finding it.
A Diligent Woman; Keeper of the Home
20 She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21 She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet 22 She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness (Proverbs 31:20-22, 27 NKJV).
She is careful to fill up time that none be lost. She rises early. She applies herself to business proper for her, women's business. She does what she does with all power and trifles not. She makes what she does turn to good account by prudent management. Many undo themselves by buying without considering whether they can afford it. She provides well for her house. She lays up for the thereafter. She looks well to the ways of her household, that she may oblige all to do their duty to God and one another, as well as to her. She is intent upon giving as upon getting, and does it freely and cheerfully (Nelson 1997)
Why do you think God was so intent on detailing the characteristics and responsibilities of the Proverbs 31 woman? Why do you think it is so important for us to understand her and implement the ways of the Proverbs 31 woman?
We have been designed as a help mate, a support, a foundation.
Foundation - the basis on which something is grounded; the fundamental assumption from which something begins or is developed (WordWeb 2013).
The foundation we must lay starts at home. Yes, God requires us to be charitable, but charity starts at home (1 Timothy 5:8 NKJV). Ladies, we cannot provide productive ministry outside the home if we have not ministered in our homes first. We can minister to our families, husbands, and ourselves by keeping a clean home, grocery shopping, preparing meals, taking care of ourselves and our children. We are the foundation to keep our men grounded. If our homes are not in order, then we are unable to minister the word of God to others effectively. We must maintain the characteristics of a self-controlled, disciplined, and good-natured homemaker so that the word of the Lord will not return void (Titus 2:5 NKJV).
There is so much rich text here. I could really write an entire book on these few scriptures, but I will try to keep it brief due to the medium in which I am writing. However, I urge you to find a concordance and take these verses from last week's and today's blog and study them. We need to understand that the magnitude of our habits, behaviors, attitudes, appearances, and disciplines affect our husbands, children, loved ones, friends, family, etc. Charitable living is ministry in itself (Romans 12:1 NKJV). Therefore, we must set the standard and allow our husbands to dictate the pace. Be a strong peaceable foundation for your husband and children.
Single women, again this does not exclude you. The word of God specifies that your husband will find you (Proverbs 18:22 NKJV). You have to be that "Good thing" in order to be found. Just because you exist does not constitute you to be deemed a "Good thing". You must be that "Good thing" defined by the word of God (Proverbs 31:10-31 NKJV). Again, ready yourself for your Adam. Stay in the word of God. Keep a good home and be charitable in the way you live. Live virtuously out loud, so others may see Christ through you!
We all must live today as if our children's tomorrow depends on it (Shirer 2011). This is not limited to birth children. We are all children of God! (Galatians 3:24 NKJV) We must charitably live today, setting an example, laying a foundation, for the children of Christ's tomorrow. Again, we present our lives a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1 NKJV). That means sacrificing our choice way of living for God's way of living.
I pray that these verses penetrate your hearts and that your homes, lives, loved ones, and communities are blessed by your virtuous way of living.
This week, we will continue with the same applications we have practiced the past few weeks. I urge you to stay diligent in your time with the Lord. I have received many emails, text, Facebook post about how the time with the Lord is making a change for you. Press on! God is with us! Furthermore, continue to get your house in order. De-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter!!! You cannot imagine how de-cluttering is so liberating. One young lady shared with me how blessed her husband was when he came home and the kitchen was cleared off. She said that sat and talked for hours around the table that evening. Ladies, we can do it!!! The Lord is so interested in blessing us if we will just do the work!!!
I hope that you will have a blessed week! Till we chat again, continue on your road to becoming a virtuous woman of God.
Be blessed,
T. Carter
References
All scripture references were extracted from The Holy Bible - New King James Version
Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.
Shirer, Priscilla (2011). The Resolution for Women. B&H Publishing Group. Nashville, Tennessee
WordWeb (2013). Foundation. Retrieved from the Apple App Store
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Lesson 3 - Proverbs 31: A True Help Mate
Hello Ladies,
I wan to start this week with a little housekeeping. Initially, I truly appreciate all of you following along and your diligence towards seeking closeness with the Lord. Secondly, I have received many emails and text regarding the ability to "comment" on the blog each week. I encourage the "comments" because the discussions will allow us to grow spiritually (Proverbs 27:17 NKJV). It has come to my attention that in order to post a "comment" to each blog entry, you must become a follower of the blog in general. If you decide to become a follower, you have complete control over your information and what you would like to be seen by other viewers. Additionally, you will not receive annoying random junk mail. However, you may opt to receive notification when a new lesson has been posted. So, those are your options. I hope that you all will take advantage so that we may initiate deep thought provoking discussions. I personally enjoy all your feedback, questions, opinions, etc., but it would be such a blessing to share with other women. Therefore, if you would like to "comment" on any of the post whether it is a question, concern, encouragement, testimony, praise, prayer, good, bad, or indifferent, you will need to become a follower of the blog. I look forward to beautiful and enlightening discussions through the "comments" section of future post.
Now, on to this week's lesson.
With the last two lessons we should have a sturdy foundation to build a house of proverbial womanhood. We have acquired virtuosity and learned to honor the Lord, our husbands, friends, co-workers, superiors, etc. God is building us, through His word, to fully obtain the characteristics and the walk of a Proverbs 31 woman. Now we must do the work!
God specifically designed us, women, for a purpose (Genesis 2:18 NKJV). We must remember that purpose. It is very easy and alluring to become enthralled by the expectations of this world and not the divine design of the Lord. We are pressured as women to become just as successful or even more successful than our men. We are trained to dominate through "girl power" when God specifically indicated in His word that we are the weaker vessel (1 Peter 3:7 KJV). Additionally, as part of the curse in Genesis 3:16 (NLT), we strongly desire through our sinful pride to control and rule over our husbands while convincing ourselves that we are submitting.
God requires more from us! He has given us a plan to live in this world, but to not become of this world (Romans 12:2 NKJV). Let us review some of the details of God's plan for us.
A True Help Mate
13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for servants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks 18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
Are you genuinely availing all of your efforts, talents, and gifts to benefit your home? Do you operate in a level of excellence in your gifting? Do use these gifts to bless the people around you?
While you may not sew, garden, or work outside your home, these scriptures are generalizing a major point that God wants us to understand. He wants us to spiritually sow, plant, nurture, and harvest. He is requiring us to apply our gifting, talents, skills, and efforts specifically towards our own homes and loved ones. God has created us all different (Psalm 139:14 NIV). We all have something to offer as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1 NKJV).
It will be a sacrifice to serve your loved ones the way God intended. She is one who takes pain in her duties, and takes pleasure in them (Nelson 1997). You will sacrifice that extra hour of sleep, that extra 20 minutes of television, those 15 minutes you like to chat on the phone with your friend. God is requiring more discipline from us (2 Peter 1:6 NIV). We are sometimes caught up on the verbiage of these scriptures, but basically they are just requiring more servitude from us. Yes! We should cook, clean, keep a good home, be frugal in our spending, work in excellence in our jobs and/or home! However, GOD WANTS MORE!! He has given us life and that more abundantly. Can we not give Him excellence through servitude in return? Serving our loved ones in Godly manner, blesses the Lord.
Single ladies, you are not excluded! While the Lord has your Adam in a deep sleep, preparing him while God is working on you. GET YOURSELF IN POSITION! Ready yourself for the awakening of your Adam. Identify your gifts, talents, and skills. Hone them, so that when the time comes, you are readily prepared for your Adam. Maintain your existing home, practice those cooking skills, be frugal in your existing income, serve in your church and/or local community, practice honoring others, and most of all BE VIRTUOUS!
Now, if the Lord has commissioned you as a single woman to stay single, then acquire these characteristics so that you may bless others. This will aid in the overall Kingdom of God. Be a help mate to the Kingdom of God!
It is always my prayer that the word of God will permeate your hearts as you read these post. My words are just a conduit for God's purpose for all of us. I am striving with you on this journey to become my own God form. The form/design that is His plan, not my own.
I hope that you have been diligent in your time with the Lord. Whether that is; 20 minutes of silence, waiting in expectation for the Lord, praying, studying the bible, and/or memorizing scripture. Please continue to actively perform one or all of these exercises. Consider it to be spiritual calisthenics. Tone those proverbial muscles!
Additionally, this week we will start a regimen of maintaining our homes to the standards of Proverbs 31. My personal gage is: Am I able to receive visitors on any day at any given time? If not, then I've got work to do. No one is expecting a spotless home, just a tidy one; organized, free of clutter. A cluttered home breeds a cluttered mind. So, this week, pick one room and thoroughly organize it. It doesn't matter which room you start with. I suggest the first room a visitor may see when entering your home. DO NOT JUST MOVE THINGS TO ANOTHER ROOM!! Throw out things that you haven't used in the past year or two. If you haven't used it then you most definitely will not. Recycle all that junk mail. I have a red decorative crate in my dining room. We throw all of our junk mail in it. Then on Wednesday it goes into the recycling bin next to the trash for trash day or we take it to local recycling bin. If you have small children with lots of toys, purchase an inexpensive bin at Dollar Tree, Big Lots, Target, etc. Teach your children to put their own toys in that bin when they are finished (you are planting). Then you are leaving a legacy of self-control, discipline, and tidiness (you are sowing). Everything has its place. If it doesn't and you need to keep it, create a place for it. YOU CAN DO IT!
I pray that you all are blessed by this as we continue on this journey together. We are becoming virtuous women who honors our loved ones, and are God designed help mates of excellence.
Be blessed,
T. Carter
All scripture references were extracted from The Bible - King James Version; New King James Version; New Living Translation; New International Version
Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Nashville, Tennessee
Nelson, Thomas (1997). The New Strong's Concise Concordance & Vine's Concise Dictionary. Nashville, Tennessee
I wan to start this week with a little housekeeping. Initially, I truly appreciate all of you following along and your diligence towards seeking closeness with the Lord. Secondly, I have received many emails and text regarding the ability to "comment" on the blog each week. I encourage the "comments" because the discussions will allow us to grow spiritually (Proverbs 27:17 NKJV). It has come to my attention that in order to post a "comment" to each blog entry, you must become a follower of the blog in general. If you decide to become a follower, you have complete control over your information and what you would like to be seen by other viewers. Additionally, you will not receive annoying random junk mail. However, you may opt to receive notification when a new lesson has been posted. So, those are your options. I hope that you all will take advantage so that we may initiate deep thought provoking discussions. I personally enjoy all your feedback, questions, opinions, etc., but it would be such a blessing to share with other women. Therefore, if you would like to "comment" on any of the post whether it is a question, concern, encouragement, testimony, praise, prayer, good, bad, or indifferent, you will need to become a follower of the blog. I look forward to beautiful and enlightening discussions through the "comments" section of future post.
Now, on to this week's lesson.
With the last two lessons we should have a sturdy foundation to build a house of proverbial womanhood. We have acquired virtuosity and learned to honor the Lord, our husbands, friends, co-workers, superiors, etc. God is building us, through His word, to fully obtain the characteristics and the walk of a Proverbs 31 woman. Now we must do the work!
God specifically designed us, women, for a purpose (Genesis 2:18 NKJV). We must remember that purpose. It is very easy and alluring to become enthralled by the expectations of this world and not the divine design of the Lord. We are pressured as women to become just as successful or even more successful than our men. We are trained to dominate through "girl power" when God specifically indicated in His word that we are the weaker vessel (1 Peter 3:7 KJV). Additionally, as part of the curse in Genesis 3:16 (NLT), we strongly desire through our sinful pride to control and rule over our husbands while convincing ourselves that we are submitting.
God requires more from us! He has given us a plan to live in this world, but to not become of this world (Romans 12:2 NKJV). Let us review some of the details of God's plan for us.
A True Help Mate
13 She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. 14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 15 She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for servants. 16 She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 17 She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks 18 She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
Are you genuinely availing all of your efforts, talents, and gifts to benefit your home? Do you operate in a level of excellence in your gifting? Do use these gifts to bless the people around you?
While you may not sew, garden, or work outside your home, these scriptures are generalizing a major point that God wants us to understand. He wants us to spiritually sow, plant, nurture, and harvest. He is requiring us to apply our gifting, talents, skills, and efforts specifically towards our own homes and loved ones. God has created us all different (Psalm 139:14 NIV). We all have something to offer as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1 NKJV).
It will be a sacrifice to serve your loved ones the way God intended. She is one who takes pain in her duties, and takes pleasure in them (Nelson 1997). You will sacrifice that extra hour of sleep, that extra 20 minutes of television, those 15 minutes you like to chat on the phone with your friend. God is requiring more discipline from us (2 Peter 1:6 NIV). We are sometimes caught up on the verbiage of these scriptures, but basically they are just requiring more servitude from us. Yes! We should cook, clean, keep a good home, be frugal in our spending, work in excellence in our jobs and/or home! However, GOD WANTS MORE!! He has given us life and that more abundantly. Can we not give Him excellence through servitude in return? Serving our loved ones in Godly manner, blesses the Lord.
Single ladies, you are not excluded! While the Lord has your Adam in a deep sleep, preparing him while God is working on you. GET YOURSELF IN POSITION! Ready yourself for the awakening of your Adam. Identify your gifts, talents, and skills. Hone them, so that when the time comes, you are readily prepared for your Adam. Maintain your existing home, practice those cooking skills, be frugal in your existing income, serve in your church and/or local community, practice honoring others, and most of all BE VIRTUOUS!
Now, if the Lord has commissioned you as a single woman to stay single, then acquire these characteristics so that you may bless others. This will aid in the overall Kingdom of God. Be a help mate to the Kingdom of God!
It is always my prayer that the word of God will permeate your hearts as you read these post. My words are just a conduit for God's purpose for all of us. I am striving with you on this journey to become my own God form. The form/design that is His plan, not my own.
I hope that you have been diligent in your time with the Lord. Whether that is; 20 minutes of silence, waiting in expectation for the Lord, praying, studying the bible, and/or memorizing scripture. Please continue to actively perform one or all of these exercises. Consider it to be spiritual calisthenics. Tone those proverbial muscles!
Additionally, this week we will start a regimen of maintaining our homes to the standards of Proverbs 31. My personal gage is: Am I able to receive visitors on any day at any given time? If not, then I've got work to do. No one is expecting a spotless home, just a tidy one; organized, free of clutter. A cluttered home breeds a cluttered mind. So, this week, pick one room and thoroughly organize it. It doesn't matter which room you start with. I suggest the first room a visitor may see when entering your home. DO NOT JUST MOVE THINGS TO ANOTHER ROOM!! Throw out things that you haven't used in the past year or two. If you haven't used it then you most definitely will not. Recycle all that junk mail. I have a red decorative crate in my dining room. We throw all of our junk mail in it. Then on Wednesday it goes into the recycling bin next to the trash for trash day or we take it to local recycling bin. If you have small children with lots of toys, purchase an inexpensive bin at Dollar Tree, Big Lots, Target, etc. Teach your children to put their own toys in that bin when they are finished (you are planting). Then you are leaving a legacy of self-control, discipline, and tidiness (you are sowing). Everything has its place. If it doesn't and you need to keep it, create a place for it. YOU CAN DO IT!
I pray that you all are blessed by this as we continue on this journey together. We are becoming virtuous women who honors our loved ones, and are God designed help mates of excellence.
Be blessed,
T. Carter
All scripture references were extracted from The Bible - King James Version; New King James Version; New Living Translation; New International Version
Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Nashville, Tennessee
Nelson, Thomas (1997). The New Strong's Concise Concordance & Vine's Concise Dictionary. Nashville, Tennessee
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Lesson 2 - Proverbs 31: A Woman Who Honors
Hello Ladies,
Now that we have laid a hearty foundation of virtuosity, we can build a structure based on the principles that God has mapped out for us. It is amazing how God's perfect order plays out in His word. He intentionally expressed the importance of virtuous character first, before expounding the necessary daily behaviors required to maintain virtuous character (Matthew 6:33 NIV). God's perfect order (1 Corinthians 14:40 NIV). So, first we must surrender to God in order to obtain genuine submission for God's perfect plan for our lives, in every area of our lives.
The first area of submission we will discuss is the relationships God has designed for our lives. God requires us to honor the relationships in our lives (Romans 12:9-10 NKJV). Those relationships include our husbands, children, family, friends, siblings in Christ, pastors, ministers, deacons, co-workers, supervisors, managers, etc. All of these people are touched by us when we share our lives with them. Therefore, we must be conscious of our behavior and conversations in these relationships. We must maintain a presence of virtuous honor through the word of God and relationship with Jesus Christ.
A Woman Who Honors
11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:11-12 NIV)
Can your loved ones have full confidence in you? Do you bring good things to your loved ones' lives?
Having confidence in someone renders a feeling of reliance, extreme comfort in ability; faith or belief that one will act in right, proper, and effective way. (m-w.com 2013)
Are you exhibiting consistent biblical behavior and language that provides full confidence to your loved ones, as expressed in the definition listed above?
She can be trusted, and he will leave such a wife to manage for him. He is happy in her. And she makes it her constant business to do him good (Nelson 1997).
Can you be trusted?
In order to honor our husbands, and/or loved ones single women, we must be women of great confidence. If we are practicing the behaviors of a virtuous woman, as we discussed last week, we can implement honor and confidence towards our husbands and loved ones. The virtuous characteristics is the foundation of confidence for the relationships in our lives. We have to make ourselves aware of our everyday conversations about our husbands and loved ones (Proverbs 18:21 NIV). Negative conversations about these people in our lives will produce negative fruit that will cause those people to lose confidence in us. Ladies, we must strive to practice honor with our tongue and not destruction. We must cover the all of the important people in our lives by maintaining trustworthy behaviors and conversations.
So when we're having lunch with a girlfriend, dinner with family, working out at the gym, hanging with co-workers, enjoying a play-date with the kids, etc., we should practice restraint in conversations that are dishonoring to the people in our lives. This is NOT an opportunity to vent our frustration with our spouse, children, boss, other co-workers, other friends, etc. While I understand this may be difficult for some of us, we can do it through Christ! We should take our frustration to Him through prayer and supplication (Philippians 4:6 NKJV). We can also join a bible based small group and/or obtain Godly accountability/counsel from fellow bible scholar women of God (Proverbs 12:15, 15:22). God is calling us to a new level of honor and confidence in Him. We must extend the honor and confidence to the people who are impacted by our lives. Practice conversations and behaviors of honor towards the people in your life this week.
I pray that you all enjoyed last week's post and accomplished at least one of the application tasks. A few of you contacted me regarding your choice of the application task and I was very blessed by your eagerness to grow closer to Christ. Some of you completed all three...Wooohooo!!! If you didn't complete any, then we've got some work to do. Not by my standards but by the requirements of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let me encourage you by telling you that it will get better. Whenever you start a new task, venture, job, etc., it is an adjustment. However, this new task, WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!! Growing deeper in the word of God and growing closer to Him is your lifeline. You need it! WE ALL NEED IT!
This week we will attempt to accomplish another task from the list provided last week. Try a new task from the list this week or intertwine two of them. Expect more from yourself! Require excellence through Christ Jesus! You can do it!!!
Ladies, implementing these practices will enrich your life. Time with the Lord everyday will allow you the strength and courage to practice honor towards the people in your life. Additionally, this is an effective and practical way to grow closer to our Savior. HE WANTS TIME WITH YOU! His primary love language is quality time. He loves us enough to require our undivided attention. That is so awesome!! Lets give it to Him!!
Again, I pray that this lesson has blessed you and that these applications will bless you throughout the week. Journey on virtuous woman practicing honor and confidence.
Be blessed,
T. Carter
All scripture references were extracted from The Bible - New King James Version; New International Translation. YouVersion (2013).
M-W.com (2013). Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web Version. Retrieved from: App Store
Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Nashville, Tennessee
Now that we have laid a hearty foundation of virtuosity, we can build a structure based on the principles that God has mapped out for us. It is amazing how God's perfect order plays out in His word. He intentionally expressed the importance of virtuous character first, before expounding the necessary daily behaviors required to maintain virtuous character (Matthew 6:33 NIV). God's perfect order (1 Corinthians 14:40 NIV). So, first we must surrender to God in order to obtain genuine submission for God's perfect plan for our lives, in every area of our lives.
The first area of submission we will discuss is the relationships God has designed for our lives. God requires us to honor the relationships in our lives (Romans 12:9-10 NKJV). Those relationships include our husbands, children, family, friends, siblings in Christ, pastors, ministers, deacons, co-workers, supervisors, managers, etc. All of these people are touched by us when we share our lives with them. Therefore, we must be conscious of our behavior and conversations in these relationships. We must maintain a presence of virtuous honor through the word of God and relationship with Jesus Christ.
A Woman Who Honors
11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. (Proverbs 31:11-12 NIV)
Can your loved ones have full confidence in you? Do you bring good things to your loved ones' lives?
Having confidence in someone renders a feeling of reliance, extreme comfort in ability; faith or belief that one will act in right, proper, and effective way. (m-w.com 2013)
Are you exhibiting consistent biblical behavior and language that provides full confidence to your loved ones, as expressed in the definition listed above?
She can be trusted, and he will leave such a wife to manage for him. He is happy in her. And she makes it her constant business to do him good (Nelson 1997).
Can you be trusted?
In order to honor our husbands, and/or loved ones single women, we must be women of great confidence. If we are practicing the behaviors of a virtuous woman, as we discussed last week, we can implement honor and confidence towards our husbands and loved ones. The virtuous characteristics is the foundation of confidence for the relationships in our lives. We have to make ourselves aware of our everyday conversations about our husbands and loved ones (Proverbs 18:21 NIV). Negative conversations about these people in our lives will produce negative fruit that will cause those people to lose confidence in us. Ladies, we must strive to practice honor with our tongue and not destruction. We must cover the all of the important people in our lives by maintaining trustworthy behaviors and conversations.
So when we're having lunch with a girlfriend, dinner with family, working out at the gym, hanging with co-workers, enjoying a play-date with the kids, etc., we should practice restraint in conversations that are dishonoring to the people in our lives. This is NOT an opportunity to vent our frustration with our spouse, children, boss, other co-workers, other friends, etc. While I understand this may be difficult for some of us, we can do it through Christ! We should take our frustration to Him through prayer and supplication (Philippians 4:6 NKJV). We can also join a bible based small group and/or obtain Godly accountability/counsel from fellow bible scholar women of God (Proverbs 12:15, 15:22). God is calling us to a new level of honor and confidence in Him. We must extend the honor and confidence to the people who are impacted by our lives. Practice conversations and behaviors of honor towards the people in your life this week.
I pray that you all enjoyed last week's post and accomplished at least one of the application tasks. A few of you contacted me regarding your choice of the application task and I was very blessed by your eagerness to grow closer to Christ. Some of you completed all three...Wooohooo!!! If you didn't complete any, then we've got some work to do. Not by my standards but by the requirements of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let me encourage you by telling you that it will get better. Whenever you start a new task, venture, job, etc., it is an adjustment. However, this new task, WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE!! Growing deeper in the word of God and growing closer to Him is your lifeline. You need it! WE ALL NEED IT!
This week we will attempt to accomplish another task from the list provided last week. Try a new task from the list this week or intertwine two of them. Expect more from yourself! Require excellence through Christ Jesus! You can do it!!!
- Carve out 20 minutes a day to sit with the Lord. (He is worth getting up early or staying up late for).
- Choose a scripture, print it in large font, hang it somewhere in your house, and memorize it! (a scripture that specifically speaks to you and/or ministers to you)
- Look up the scriptures mentioned in this week's lesson and meditate on them
Ladies, implementing these practices will enrich your life. Time with the Lord everyday will allow you the strength and courage to practice honor towards the people in your life. Additionally, this is an effective and practical way to grow closer to our Savior. HE WANTS TIME WITH YOU! His primary love language is quality time. He loves us enough to require our undivided attention. That is so awesome!! Lets give it to Him!!
Again, I pray that this lesson has blessed you and that these applications will bless you throughout the week. Journey on virtuous woman practicing honor and confidence.
Be blessed,
T. Carter
All scripture references were extracted from The Bible - New King James Version; New International Translation. YouVersion (2013).
M-W.com (2013). Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web Version. Retrieved from: App Store
Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Nashville, Tennessee
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Lesson 1 - Proverbs 31: A Virtuous Woman
Hello Ladies,
I am very excited to get started this week!! I hope that you all have had time to review Proverbs 31. I hope that you are well versed in the descriptions and details of the virtuous woman depicted in these scriptures. We will focus on Proverbs 31:10-31. We will start this week with verse 10. Lets get right to it!
A Wife of Noble Character
10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. (Proverbs 31:10 NKJV)
1. Does this verse represent or describe you? Are you a Godly representation of Christ?
To be a virtuous woman is to be morally chaste, good impeccable, righteous, display vestal modesty and purity (WordWeb 2013).
2. Is your every day behavior a reflection of a woman who is morally chaste and displays vestal
modesty?
As we assess ourselves and think about the answers to these questions in our own lives, I pray that God will reveal our true reflections in that spiritual mirror.
Many of you are probably wondering what does a virtuous woman look like. She is a Godly woman of spiritual integrity and Godly principle. In order to obtain the vision of virtuosity for each one of us, we must surrender ourselves unto the Lord and His will for our lives. Through many scriptures God has expressed the necessity of denying ourselves in order to be more like Him, James 4:7-8, Matthew 16:24-27, just to name a few. This requires turning the television off to read the word of God. Ministering to a woman when we really just want to socialize or gossip. Blessing our children with quality time instead of busy work. Being gracious to our husbands when we feel we are entitled to our negative attitudes. We must deny all of the fleshy desires that gratifies our own wants and desires. These examples may not specifically apply to you. However, I assure you that we all have something that we choose that feeds our flesh and not our spirit man. God is requiring us to deny our flesh; deny ourselves.
Once we have surrender to Him and denied our flesh, we must become a new creature in Him. The example is Christ (1 Peter 2:21 NKJV)). God has given us, through His word and the life of Christ, a template to assist us in the physical representation of the virtuosity. We can start by displaying that template by practicing the fruits of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23. Evidence of these fruits can create a gage for your virtuosity.
A virtuous woman is led by the word of God and impresses upon others its truth by walking in the word daily. People are drawn to her because the fruits of the spirit shines through (Ruth 3:11 NKJV). She is gift and not a curse to her family, friends, and strangers (Proverbs 19:14NKJV). She honors the Lord our God with her faith, deeds, and works (Proverbs 14:1 NKJV). Her sole being lives to serve Him (Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV).
Acquiring virtuosity is commitment to assign genuine value to who we are, based on our God-given worth (Shirer 2011). Therefore, the road to acquiring the attributes of a virtuous woman starts with spending time in the word of God. If we can challenge ourselves to find 20 minutes in our day to read the word of God or memorize at least one scripture a month so that God's word can penetrate our hearts, then we can start the process of becoming a virtuous woman in Christ, Jesus. This penetration will manifest itself in changing our life style, verbiage, appearance and attitude to a genuine virtuous woman.
So this week try to accomplish at least one the task listed below:
So, I pray this lesson has blessed you and that these applications will bless you throughout the week. Journey on my virtuous women in training.
Be blessed,
T. Carter
References:
All scripture reference was extracted from The Bible - New King James Version. YouVersion (2013)
ChambersDictionary.com (2013). Virtuous Woman. WordWeb App. Retrieved from: App Store
Shirer, Priscilla (2011). The Resolution for Women. B&H Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee
I am very excited to get started this week!! I hope that you all have had time to review Proverbs 31. I hope that you are well versed in the descriptions and details of the virtuous woman depicted in these scriptures. We will focus on Proverbs 31:10-31. We will start this week with verse 10. Lets get right to it!
A Wife of Noble Character
10 Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. (Proverbs 31:10 NKJV)
1. Does this verse represent or describe you? Are you a Godly representation of Christ?
To be a virtuous woman is to be morally chaste, good impeccable, righteous, display vestal modesty and purity (WordWeb 2013).
2. Is your every day behavior a reflection of a woman who is morally chaste and displays vestal
modesty?
As we assess ourselves and think about the answers to these questions in our own lives, I pray that God will reveal our true reflections in that spiritual mirror.
Many of you are probably wondering what does a virtuous woman look like. She is a Godly woman of spiritual integrity and Godly principle. In order to obtain the vision of virtuosity for each one of us, we must surrender ourselves unto the Lord and His will for our lives. Through many scriptures God has expressed the necessity of denying ourselves in order to be more like Him, James 4:7-8, Matthew 16:24-27, just to name a few. This requires turning the television off to read the word of God. Ministering to a woman when we really just want to socialize or gossip. Blessing our children with quality time instead of busy work. Being gracious to our husbands when we feel we are entitled to our negative attitudes. We must deny all of the fleshy desires that gratifies our own wants and desires. These examples may not specifically apply to you. However, I assure you that we all have something that we choose that feeds our flesh and not our spirit man. God is requiring us to deny our flesh; deny ourselves.
Once we have surrender to Him and denied our flesh, we must become a new creature in Him. The example is Christ (1 Peter 2:21 NKJV)). God has given us, through His word and the life of Christ, a template to assist us in the physical representation of the virtuosity. We can start by displaying that template by practicing the fruits of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23. Evidence of these fruits can create a gage for your virtuosity.
A virtuous woman is led by the word of God and impresses upon others its truth by walking in the word daily. People are drawn to her because the fruits of the spirit shines through (Ruth 3:11 NKJV). She is gift and not a curse to her family, friends, and strangers (Proverbs 19:14NKJV). She honors the Lord our God with her faith, deeds, and works (Proverbs 14:1 NKJV). Her sole being lives to serve Him (Ephesians 4:1-3 NKJV).
Acquiring virtuosity is commitment to assign genuine value to who we are, based on our God-given worth (Shirer 2011). Therefore, the road to acquiring the attributes of a virtuous woman starts with spending time in the word of God. If we can challenge ourselves to find 20 minutes in our day to read the word of God or memorize at least one scripture a month so that God's word can penetrate our hearts, then we can start the process of becoming a virtuous woman in Christ, Jesus. This penetration will manifest itself in changing our life style, verbiage, appearance and attitude to a genuine virtuous woman.
So this week try to accomplish at least one the task listed below:
- Carve out 20 minutes a day to sit with the Lord. (He is worth getting up early or staying up late for).
- Choose a scripture, print it in large font, hang it somewhere in your house, and memorize it. (one that is specific to you or ministers to you)
- Look up the scriptures mentioned in this week's lesson and meditate on them
So, I pray this lesson has blessed you and that these applications will bless you throughout the week. Journey on my virtuous women in training.
Be blessed,
T. Carter
References:
All scripture reference was extracted from The Bible - New King James Version. YouVersion (2013)
ChambersDictionary.com (2013). Virtuous Woman. WordWeb App. Retrieved from: App Store
Shirer, Priscilla (2011). The Resolution for Women. B&H Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee
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