Biblical Womanhood

Hello Everyone,

I pray that everyone is well.  I hope that you all enjoyed the break and took some time to reflect on what we discussed in regards to Noah's wife.

During this break, I personally took time to have quiet time with the Lord.  I was searching for the next step in my spiritual journey.  I started this blog two years ago.  It originally was an opportunity for me, as a writer, to continue to hone my skills and expose my talents to people in the industry.  I wrote about current events, lifestyles, and pop culture.  It was completely self-serving.

After a series of life-changing events, I began to seek the Lord more diligently.  I became more present when reading the word of God and I sought to know more.  I attended every biblical education training my church offered.  I read books that Ministers and friends suggested.  Then, two years ago, I attended a women's conference in Indianapolis, Indiana.  The conference is called True Woman sponsored by Revive Our Hearts Ministries.  The conference is held every two years.  This conference allowed me to experience spiritual breakthrough.  I received a phenomenal word from God through the many women sharing their testimonies and the teaching of God's word geared towards biblical womanhood.

This experience brought to light, my soul purpose in God.  God revealed to me that I had been on this journey the entire time.  A journey towards spreading His good news about the importance of biblical womanhood.  I was ministering to other women through my very walk; just exhibiting biblical womanhood in my everyday life.  My pitfalls became the evidence of God's grace and my submission were the promises of His glory.

I came home, revamped this blog to reflect God and started a prayer group, Covenant Prayer Group (CPG).  CPG prays diligently.  We pray monthly as a group and then weekly in pairs.  We lift up the name of the Lord and make our request known to God regularly.  We put God first. We walk in biblical faith rooted in God's word from Luke 5:4-7 and Matthew 14:29.  CPG endeavors toward biblical excellence that is pleasing to God according to Colossians 3:23-24.  We began to see the fruit of this prayer and this faith.  God rendered many blessings through our obedience, faith, and prayer.

Through CPG and this blog birthed P31 Productions.  P31 Productions is an awesome ministry that encourages biblical womanhood through the biblical example of the Virtuous Woman found in Proverbs 31:10-31.  She is the epitome of biblical womanhood.  She brings restoration to our biblical womanly purpose that separated us from God through sin.  She is a prime example of how we should live in order to honor God as women.

P31 Productions then released its first independent documentary; Project 31.  Project 31 is a short documentary that highlights women who are living a proverbial lifestyle.  These women have chosen to exhibit the Godly qualities that allow them to honor God in their womanhood.  Many lives were changed through this project and many women have pledged to live a more biblical lifestyle that honors God.

Through Project 31, P31 Productions is growing tremendously.  Bible studies, devotionals, workshops, and reference materials are being requested from all over the United States.  New projects on the horizon. People are intrigued by the possibility of a life that is pleasing to God.

As things are progressing and growing, I am stretched beyond capacity.  I am grateful to God's many blessings and all that He has done.  I am honored that He chose me as a vessel to bring the message of biblical womanhood to so many women through this gift of writing that He has given me.  I am humbled.

As I am on this journey, it is pertinent to stay focused on God and to be obedient to His will.  Therefore, this blog will be revamped again.  During the break, God has revealed to me that this blog has to change again.  The progression of P31 requires growth in every area, including this blog.  I thank all of you who have continuously followed and read every week.  God has something great in store for all of us.  I ask that you are patient because being led by God is unpredictable and unexpected.  However, its always exciting and definitely a blessing!!! (Jeremiah 29:11)

I hope that you all enjoyed the journey and are intrigued by the prospective of the new one. Please continue to log on and visit project31film.com as things evolve.

I love you all and I am grateful for your continued faithfulness to my ministry, but most of all to God.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers!

Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

All biblical references were extracted from the New King James version of the bible, YouVersion (2014).

Noah's Wife in Review

Hello Everyone,

HE GOT UP!!!  With all power in His hands!!

I pray that you all have had a blessed Resurrection Sunday and a beneficial time this Lent season.  As my family and I rapped up our 40 day lent study, we all reflected on the greater impact this season has head.  I have acknowledged lent since I was ten years old.  That is how long I have been walking in salvation.  Every year I was raised to fast for forty days; only have one meal, and refrain from watching television, newspapers, etc.  I never made it the whole 40 days.

However, this year, had such a greater impact on me.  I did not focus on the fasting. Instead I made a conscious choice to spend even more time in the word of God and in my quiet time to hear from the Lord.   I spent more time studying supportive biblical references instead of magazines and popular news.  I followed the principles of the lent study that myself, my husband, and our son decided to study as a family.  I feel much more enriched than I ever felt.  Good Friday was so much more than the ceremonial traditions that I had been grandfathered into.  This time when Palm Sunday came upon us I was truly sorrowful in reflecting on what the day represented and on Resurrection Sunday I was truly elated that He rose!!!  I experienced a more spiritual connection to the glory of God and the great sacrifice of Jesus.

My prayer is that everyone is steadily progressing in their spiritual walk and growing closer to God. I hope that this study of Noah's wife aided you during your time of consecration in this lent season.  God is calling us to a higher place of praise in Him.  We must answer the call.

This week we will review the lessons of Noah's wife.  I pray that you will have time to go back and review some of the biblical principles we've covered in regards to studying Noah's wife.

Noah's Wife in Review

Lesson 1
Introducing Noah's Wife
Resource:  Genesis 7:7

• The necessity of honoring God's divine order
• God, man, woman
• God, Jesus, Holy Spirit

Lesson 2
The Perfect Match
Resource: Genesis 5:28-29, 32

• God knows and has our perfect match
• Fulfilling the Godly purpose of support as a woman
• Equally yoked for God's glory (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Lesson 3
It is Better to Obey
Resource: Genesis 7:13, 16

• Obedience requires submission
• Submission requires surrendering
• Binding flesh and surrendering to God

Lesson 4
God is Faithful
Resource: Genesis 8:15-18, 9:1-3

• Obedience pleases God
• Submission pleases God
• We were created to please (glorify) Him

Application

This week as you are resting and recovering from the many activities of Ash Wednesday, Lent season, Good Friday, Passover, Palm Sunday, and Resurrection Sunday, let's reflect on Noah's wife in our quiet.  We have truly felt the blessings of this nameless woman in her obedience to God.  There is so much to glean from her silent strength.

Next week we will continue the review of Noah's wife and then reconvene on  May 7th.

Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

References

All biblical verses were extracted from the New King James version of the Bible. YouVersion (2014)

DeMoss, Nancy Leigh & Kassian, Mary (2012). True Woman 101:Divine Design.  Moody Publishers. Chicago, Illinois

James, Kevin (2014).  No Longer a Prisoner to the Past. New Community Bible Fellowship. Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Mears, Henrietta (1999).  What the Bible is All About.  Regal Publishing House.  Ventura, California

Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the WHole Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishing.  Nashville, Tenessee

Wolgemuth, Barbara & Wolgemuth, Robert (2013).  Couples of the Bible Zondervan Publishing House.  Grand Rapids, Michigan

Lesson 4: Noah's Wife - God is Faithful

Hello Everyone,

I pray that everyone is well and is having a blessed week.  I hope that you all have gleaned something from the study of Noah's wife thus far.  Many women expressed that they benefited from writing in their journals this week.  I have maintained the habit of writing in a journal for over 20 years.  Writing in a journal helps me to constantly evaluate myself.  I sometimes read old journals and I thank God for how He brought me out.  It also allows me to see how faithful God has been to me; in all my personal craziness, He is still faithful.

Last Sunday was Palm Sunday and this week is resurrection week.  I wonder what this truly means to all of us.  Is it more than a new dress, shoes, an Easter basket and egg hunts?  My family and I decided to study the meaning of lent for the 40 days from Ash Wednesday leading up to Resurrection Sunday.  There is a scripture text and a devotional application attached to each day of the study.  Many people practice religious rituals of fasting to honor and acknowledge the forty days Jesus fasted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2).  However, this study of the Lent season revealed that the main purpose of lent is to assess and consecrate ourselves for Christ.  It should be a time of reflection, sacrifice, and consecration.  So if we are fasting from food and we are filling that craving with anything other than God, then the sacrifice is in vain (Mark 7:7-10).

As we move toward the end of this study about Noah's wife and resurrection Sunday, I hope that you all are consecrating yourselves and truly reflecting how faithful God is, despite ourselves.

Resource

Genesis 8: 15-18, 9:1-3

15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds and cattle and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth".  18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him.

1 So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you.  I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.

Lesson

Noah's wife was by his side, every step of the way.  God designed her to be his perfect match.  She was designed to support Noah through his journey of his life (Genesis 2:18).  The fact that God made man and woman is a mere implication that Noah would not have been able to complete this journey without his wife.  He would not have had his son's.  He needed a helper to bare his sons and help him along the way.  Noah and his wife honors God divine design of order (Genesis 1:27).

Through Noah's wife practicing obedience, she gained the favor of God.  She was one of the only women to board the ark and survive the flood.  God chose her offspring to repopulate the earth (Genesis 1:28, 9:1-3).  Noah's blessing was her blessing.

God is faithful.  He gave Noah the knowledge, ingenuity and strength to build an ark that kept every being safe in order to repopulate the earth.  He also gave Noah a submissive and obedient wife with a heart to obey God and an honor her husband.

We are quick to lose sight of the point of our purpose.  We were created for His purpose (Ephesians 2:10).  Noah's wife submitted to the plan God had for her life (Jeremiah 29:11).

As Easter Sunday rapidly approaches, I pray that we all are truly consecrating ourselves to be more like Christ.  I hope that we are surrendering to God's will for our lives.  I pray that we are practicing submission and obedience to the will of the Lord.  Our connection to Him requires us to live in the full faith of God (PKJ 2014).  God is truly faithful and capable of doing exceedingly and abundantly above all (Ephesians 3:20).  We must trust His will for our lives.


Application

This week we should truly consecrate ourselves to Christ.  The Pastor of our church has asked us to fast at least one day this week in order to acknowledge the sacrifice that was made for us by Christ.  In this time, he has requested that we read God's word, pray, and praise the Lord for His power.  If we hold His precepts, practice obedience to His word and live in His principles, we will definitely see the glory of God.

I am going to make that same request of you this week.  Pick one day and fast for the Lord.  Spend extra time reading His word, sitting quietly to hear from Him, and praise Him.   We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37).

Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

All bible verses are extracted from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible. YouVersion 2014.

James, Pastor Kevin (2014). No Longer a Prisoner to the Past. New Community Bible Fellowship. Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Nelson, Thomas (1997).  Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.  Thomas Nelson Publishing.  Nashville, Tennessee

Lesson 3: Noah's Wife - It Is Better to Obey

Hello Everyone,

Hallelujah!!! God's promises are yay and amen!!  He is so faithful!!!  The overwhelming responses given by the effectiveness of the quiet time blessed me.  I pray that we all will continue to make time for God!!!  He longs to commune with us.  Communing with God is an honor in itself.

That was a powerful lesson last week!  I was so severely challenged and blessed by it at the same time. This passed weekend we moved into a new home.  Moving puts stress on any relationship; friendships, family, associates, co-workers, and especially marriage.  It is an event that heightens anxiety and certain pressures within anyone.  I was most challenged in my submissiveness during this process.  It is very easy for me to practice submission in the obvious areas; cooking, cleaning, maintaining our home, allowing my husband to lead.  I am still learning and growing in those quiet areas; silence, meekness, attitude, willingness, accepting my role as a God designed woman, etc.  Realizing how submissive Noah's wife had to be in order to be as supportive as God designed her to be to Noah has impacted my approach towards my own battle with submission.  I am my husband's God designed perfect match and God is in control; not my husband and especially not me.  I cannot profess that God is in control of everything, confess that I trust God and then try to practice disobedience in the mist of any trial or small discomfort.  Studying and preparing for this lesson is definitely evidence of God's perfect timing.  I am challenged and stretched to grow even more, in the area of trusting God's divine order (God, man, woman) and practicing biblical submissiveness over my own perspective of submissiveness.  Submissiveness is not contingent on the other person's behavior.  It is based on your obedience to God.  You are indirectly submitting to the person who has authority over you in that moment.  You are directly submitting to God.  You are binding your flesh and surrendering to your spirit man.  Your true submission is to God.  I thank God for these lessons for they truly bless my life.  Most people would say that the blessing is the new home, which yes, I am very grateful.  However, the true blessing was the opportunity to see myself and have my sin exposed so God could convict me and I could grow in Him.  The more I grow in Christ Jesus, the closer I am to God.  I am a humble servant and grateful that I get to experience these lessons with all of you.

This week we are going to discuss obedience.  When God gave me this lesson, I thought to myself, "Again Lord?!?!?"  We have talked about obedience with almost every woman of the bible that we have discussed so far.  However, it is a definite point of contention when walking with Christ.  As we war with our flesh daily, we are succumbing to disobedience more times than we should (Romans 7:14-17).

We will discuss the wife of Noah and her practice of obedience.

Resource

Genesis 7:13, 16

13 On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark.

16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded; and the Lord shut them in

Submit - Yielding to another; refer to another person for decision and/or judgement

Surrender - Agree to forgo the power or possession; relinquish control

obedience - dutifully submissive behavior with respect to another person; being willing

disobedience - a trait of being unwilling; failure to practice obedience

Lesson

I would like us to focus on the definitions listed above.  When an interaction is occurring that requires obedience, better yet, submission, are we conscious of what this really means?

I facilitated a weekly bible study this last week at my church and we discussed the importance of awareness and choice.  In order to really conquer sin daily, we must have an awareness of sin, our sinful nature, and what triggers us to sin.   Additionally, we must be aware of the choice we are making to engage or indulge that sin. This same awareness is necessary when operating in submission and obedience.  We have to make a conscious choice to submit and obey.  You cannot practice obedience without submission which takes awareness and choice.

Noah's wife needed to exhibit all of these qualities in order to support her husband Noah in the biggest decision of his life.  We can only imagine the intense emotion that this situation may have invoked based on the severity of its nature.  What would the reaction be today if a person that has authority over us told us that the world was going to end at God's hand, very shortly and that we need to prepare a place of refuge during this time.   I am curious to know how many of us would submit to that authority and obey.  How many of us would have a willing attitude to build the refuge?

Noah's wife behavior of submission and obedience spanned beyond herself.  It also affected her children and each generation to follow.  Shem, the eldest son of Noah and his wife, went on to lead many blessed nations.  We can conclude that this is because he witnessed the leadership of his father, serving God, and the obedience of his mother, submitting to her husband. A lineage of obedience.

Think of all the times in your life when you chose to be obedient.  When I think of the times that I have chosen to be obedient, God's radiant love shines upon me.  Sometimes it is not immediate, but the rewards are always there.  It seems that we sometimes confuse our expected outcome with God's intended outcome. We are disappointed because things did not follow our plan. However, things always operate according to His plan. His plan gives Him glory, not us. We are here to glorify Him.

As I discussed above, we have a habit of disobedience when we have to submit.  God has called us to submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21).  This requires obedience.  

APPLICATION

As we progress throughout the week, let's take time to practice:

• conscious awareness

• biblical choices

• biblical submission 

• obedience

Take some time to journal about your experiences this week and assess yourself.  Ask God to help you through each task.

Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

All bible verses are extracted from the Holy Bible King New King James Version.

M-W.com (2013). Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web Version. Retrieved from App Store

Mears, Henrietta (1999). What the Bibles is All About. Regal Publishing House. Ventura, California

Nelson, Thomas (1997). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tenessee

Lesson 2: Noah's Wife - The Perfect Match

Hello Everyone,

I pray that everyone is well today.  I hope that you all enjoyed getting to know Noah's wife a little bit last week. I received so many responses about praying the prayer of Psalms 19:14 and how helpful it was.  I try to keep that scripture very close to my heart.  God's word is truly an ever present help.

I recently viewed the newest production of Noah.  I have mixed emotions about the bible being literally translated onto film. I often wonder will the depictions appear accurate according to God's word and the Holy Spirit.  Additionally, I have an appreciation for taking some creative liberties, as I am a creative person myself and a faith based filmmaker.  I enjoyed the film to some degree because it was, at least, entertaining. However, it may have been more effective if the creative licenses were more aligned with the biblical principles that are streamed throughout the bible.  Nevertheless, I did have an appreciation for how Noah's wife was depicted.  For the majority of the film, she was submissive and honored the God divine order of God, man, woman.  She followed Noah and when she had questions she approached him in an honorable and respectful manner.  She was soft and loving, yet strong in her disposition and beliefs. She nurtured her family during one of the most difficult times in the bible.  She did it all while honoring God's divine order.  My hope is that this film will inspire its viewers to read the true story of Noah found in the Holy Bible (Genesis 5:25-9:29)

Today we will discuss Noah's wife in regards to being Noah's perfect match.  God has a purpose and a plan for everyone (Jeremiah 29:11).  We are all chosen, purposefully designed, and perfectly matched according to God's will.  When we choose our own match or become selfish with our God designed mate, that is when things fall apart.  We must trust God.

Resource

Genesis 5:28-29, 32

28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed."
32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Lesson

Based on verse 29 of Genesis 5, Noah had a calling on his life.  After Cain and Abel, sin filled the Earth.  Men began to take more than one wife and spread wickedness throughout the land (Genesis 6:5).  There needed to be a restoration of the communion of God and man.  The hope was in Noah.

With such a great expectation of Noah's life, he needed a mate that would suit such a destiny.  God's perfect plan was Noah's wife.  As stated in last week's lesson, her name is never mentioned in the bible.  However, according to Jewish custom in combination with the genealogy of the bible found in Genesis 4:19-24, her name would be Naamah; sister of Tubal-Cain (bibleinfo.com 2014).  However, based on Abrahamic religions, her name would be Emzara.  No one, in current existence, has full knowledge of what her name truly was.  However, God knew because he knew that she was Noah's perfect match (Matthew 10:30).

God was the first matchmaker; when He created woman, He created her to be the perfect mate (DeMoss & Kassian 2012). Therefore, Noah's wife was the perfect mate to Noah; her name is irrelevant.  Sometimes the most prominent presence is exemplified by the nameless faces.  Noah's wife was indeed that.

They survived the flood that covered the earth (Wolgemuth 2013).  How could Noah survive the ridicule during the building of the ark and then the flood without a great help mate given to him by God.  The purpose of woman helping man isn't about exalting the man; the help contributes to the both of them achieving a greater, nobler eternal purpose that is far bigger and more significant than their own existence (DeMoss & Kassian 2012).  Noah needed to repopulate the Earth and bring redemption to man in God's eyes.  He needed a mate suitable for such a journey.

His wife consoled him, giving his hand a squeeze for assurance (Wolgemuth 2013).  Only a God designed mate can generate such a connection and infiltrate the male conscious enough to evoke confidence to press forward on a God designed journey.  Together, they expand the family of God, thus bringing glory to the Father (DeMoss & Kassian 2012).  We are not mated for our own pleasure, we are mated to glorify God.  Nameless, Noah's wife exudes this objective.

Application

This week we will focus on quiet time and meditation.  In order to fulfill our purpose and surrender to God's perfect match for ourselves, we must quiet our spirits and have an ear to listen.  Today, in our current society, we busy ourselves with multitudes of white noise.  We are so engaged with business that we miss the soul purpose of our being.  God has a higher calling for all of us.  We must quiet our minds, surrender our hearts, and seek His face.

I challenge you this week to have some quiet time with God.  Set aside 30 minutes to sit in silence and receive from God.  He is waiting for your undivided attention.

Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

All scriptures are extracted from the New King James version of the Holy Bible. YouVersion 2014

DeMoss, Nancy Leigh & Kassian, Mary (2012). True Woman 101: Divine Design. Moody Publishers. Chicago, Illinois

Wolgemuth, Barbara & Wolgemuth, Robert (2013).  Couples of the Bible.  Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Lesson 1: Introducing Noah's Wife

Hello Everyone,

I pray that all is well with everyone.  I hope that you all enjoyed the short break and the journey with Eve.  The journey through Eve was definitely eye opening for me.  The discussion around the original sin in combination with my normal check-up with wise spiritual counsel definitely put a bulls-eye on my own personal struggle with true Godly submission.  Honoring God's divine order of; God, man, woman, is easy when its obvious.  The more quiet and delicate moments that appear invisible to the naked eye are more evident and apparent to the Holy Spirit.   Submission is an intricate behavior necessary by all of us.  The Holy Spirit is submissive to Jesus Christ as Christ is submissive to God.  God's divine design of man is a true reflection of that; woman is submissive to man as man is submissive to God.  We are all called to submit. We are called to submit to certain situations in our lives, especially ones we have no control over.  We are charged to submit to people, jobs, crisis, illness, even our children, sometimes.  Additionally, we all struggle with submitting in submission.  Even Jesus prayed to God as He struggled to submit to His fate on Calvary (Luke 22:42).

Nevertheless, we are strengthened in Christ Jesus to walk in God's divine order of things (Luke 22:43).  If we could maneuver through the struggle of submissiveness within our own will, then we would not be called to pray to Him for help or worship Him for triumph.  Although, we should all worship Him because of who He is, and that should be enough, we have a tendency to worship and pray to Him because of what He does.

These thoughts and behaviors lead us straight to where God wants us to be: from Eve to the wife of Noah.

Resource

Genesis 7:7

"So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood."

Lesson

It is a known fact that Noah's wife is never officially named in the bible.  Though she is not named, her presence is ever prevalent in the journey of Noah. He was a man of integrity who walked righteously and though he was mocked, she followed him and supported his call (Wolgemuth 2013).  As a woman of God, she was charged to support her husband.  Could you imagine supporting your husband as people laughed and gawked at him? What would your response be to the taunters?

We as women are designed to be helpers (Genesis 2:18).  We are helpers to our husbands, bosses, co-workers, children, family members, friends, and associates.   We have an innate nature to help.  Our help is the fundamental foundation of support.  We are the mortar that holds the bricks in place.

My husband recently expressed his gratitude for my availability.  He had been ministering to a colleague who's wife works and travels a lot.  My husband eluded to the idea that this colleague was exhibiting certain behaviors because his wife was so absent.  He exclaimed how men need that barrier so they are not left to their vices.  I responded with, "Could you imagine who you and most of your married friends would be if we did not have each other?"  I am not trying to imply that men cannot exist without a woman, I am merely translating into layman terms what the bible, God's word, has expressed (Genesis 2:18).  We need each other equally.  A building is just a pile of bricks without the mortar and the mortar is just a lump of concrete without the bricks; neither can make a building alone.

Noah's wife was the mortar in supporting his decision to walk with Christ. They sought to live holy lives in a corrupt society (Wolgemuth 2013).  Her support not only pleased Noah, but it also pleased God.  After God surveyed the Earth, He found no one worthy of saving but Noah, his WIFE, and his family; Noah was deemed righteous by God (Genesis 7:1).Noah's wife was included in the benefits of her husband, through her obedience to God's divine order and her support to her husband.

Application

Are you practicing the characteristics that exhibit your innate design of helping?  We, as women, have a tendency to hinder more than we help.  We can succumb to the behaviors of Eve in the Garden of Eden that introduces sin in our lives.  This week, let's practice more of a strong silent supportive presence like Noah's wife.  Make a conscious effort to help over hindering.  Pray the prayer of Psalms 19:14 to help you be a helper.


Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

Reference

All scriptures are extracted from the New King James version of the Holy Bible. YouVersion (2014)

Wolgemuth, Barbara & Wolgemuth, Robert (2013).  Couples of the Bible. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan

Eve in Review

Hello Everyone,

God has been so gracious in my life over this study of Eve.  He has covered me when I have fallen short and definitely exposed areas of improvement through Eve's journey.  However, just like the Father that He is, He has also rewarded me for my times of obedience and moments triumph.  He is faithful; more faithful to me than I will probably ever be to Him.  He remembers to put breath in lungs everyday.  If I was in charge, I would surely forget!

I pray that you all have had a blessed week and have received something from this journey with Eve.  God certainly lead the bible to be written for a purpose.  Therefore, Eve's journey is ever relevant in our lives today.  We must resolve on the importance and the necessity of it in our lives.  Eve, the first woman has so much to offer in her brokenness and triumph.  We are Eve.  As Eve toiled in the garden with the serpent, so we toil over sin every day as we live our lives.  We can learn so much from her pitfalls and victories.

Thank God for Eve!!!

Next we will study Noah's wife.  However, here is a review of the Study of Eve:

REVIEW

Eve in Review

Lesson 1: Thee Firstlady
Resource: Genesis 2:21-25
Woman - female person...
Companion - support...

• importance of being a woman
• purposeful womanhood
• God's divine plan in woman

Lesson 2: The First Bride
Resource: Genesis 2:23-25
Bride - a married woman..
Wife - man's partner

• Reflecting the Holy Trinity
• honoring God's divine order
• Oneness

Lesson 3: The First Sin (Disobedience)
Resource: Genesis 3:1-13
Sin - estrangement from God
Disobedience - failure to obey
Pride - unreasonable self-esteem

• delayed obedience is disobedience
• Practicing humility over pride
• Trusting God's word

Lesson 4: Separation (Divorce)
Resource: Genesis 3:14-24
Separation - detached...

• lacking unity with God
• undermining God's word and promises
• availing ourselves to God through vulnerability

Lesson 5 - Mother of all Mothers
Resource: Genesis 3:16a, 4:1-2, 4:25a, 5:4
Mother - to nurture...

• nurturing others
• nurturing relationship with God
• sustaining through God's grace

Lesson 6 - A Time of Mourning
Resource - Genesis 4:1-8
Mourning - bereaved; sorrowful

• even Jesus wept
• finding God's glory in mourning
• suffering in Christ Jesus

Lesson 7 - Trusting God's Plan
Resource - Genesis 4:9-24

• God knows you
• God's plan is better than our plan
• faith - trusting God

Lesson 8 - God's Mercy
Resource - Genesis 4:25
Mercy - leniency; alleviation of distress

• God is gracious even in our sin
• God's redemption/restoration
• There is hope in Christ Jesus

 If you missed any of these points, please go back and review the lesson in your quiet time with God.  God's word is so revealing to our own lives.  The answers to all our questions are in the word of God.

Again, we will move on to Noah's wife next study.  Therefore take some time to get to know her prior to the study.  Her story begins in Genesis 6.

I look forward to continuing this journey with all of you!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

All Scripture verses were extracted from the New King James version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013).

M-W.com (2013).  Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web Version.  Retrieved from App Store

Lesson 8: Eve - God's Mercy

Hello Everyone,

I pray that you all have had a blessed week.  I am overwhelmed by the power of God this morning.  He is so awesome and so faithful despite our sins.  I have shared so many of my own pitfalls, disappointments, and mishaps with you through this blog.  So, when I consider all the times He has saved me from myself, all I can do is worship Him.  All I have to offer is my praise and that isn't enough! (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

As we come towards the end of our journey with Eve, I am excited to know that God is merciful.  I could not imagine what my personal life would be like if I received what I truly deserved for my sins.  We look at Eve with such condemnation, but we are Eve.  We are daily, walking in our blessings, our Garden of Eden and yet sinning.  If we praise God for no other reason, we should at least praise Him because He is a just God and His mercies are new every morning! (Psalms 25:8-14)

We left off with Eve trusting God's plan despite the obvious appearance of circumstances.  As I shared before, I empathize with Eve, because I have lost so many children myself.  However, while Eve lost Abel to death, she lost Cain to sin.  My own personal complication with these events is the possibility of losing my teenage son to sin.  The repercussions of sin are lasting.  We can see that through Cain's legacy.  Nevertheless, they are all according to God's plan (Ephesians 1:11, Romans 8:28).  How would we know the wages of sin if not for the examples of those who experienced it before us.  Additionally, these experiences undoubtedly bring us closer to our Savior.   The great part about it all is that God's grace is sufficient to sustain us through it all (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Resources

Genesis 4:25

25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed."  26 And as for Seth, to him also as son was born; and he named him E'nosh.  Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.

mercy - leniency and compassion shown; a disposition to be kind and forgiving; alleviation of distress

Lesson

In preparing for this lesson, I was really stricken by the definition of mercy.  I normally review definitions of words when preparing a lesson, but this definition was different.  The definition of mercy was lengthy and very descriptive.  I shortened it to convey the most poignant points.  The most obvious descriptive points of mercy are exclaimed in the first part, to be lenient and compassionate.  However, the alleviation of distress is what is most pertinent.  God not only is lenient and compassionate, He alleviates the distress through redemption.

I can only imagine Eve's state of destitution towards the end of this portion of the journey.  She disobeys God, encourages her husband to disobey God, she is then cursed by God, evicted out of her home, and then her son kills his brother and is banished by God.  That is a lot to absorb.

This is relative to us on so many levels.  We have experienced hardship, pitfalls, struggles, and despair all in one time period.  Even if it is as simple as losing your car keys, forgetting your umbrella on a rainy day, breaking the heel of your shoe, getting a flat tire, and being reamed by your boss all in one day.  We have all been there in some form or fashion.  But God!  God is able to keep us (Jude 1:24-25).

God is a god of redemption and restoration.  Eve had once tasted paradise, but God promised her that her offspring would eventually destroy her enemy (Spangler & Syswerda 2006).  Though we all fall short of the glory of God, we are redeemed in Him (Romans 3:23).  Our redeemer lives in Christ Jesus!

With rest of hope, Eve remembers the voice of God and the promises He gave to her (Spangler & Syswerda 2006).  God is always with us, even through the pitfalls.  He keeps His promises (Deuteronomy 7:9).  He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Within the tragic denouement of this story lay one tiny ray of hope for Eve (Mathews 1990).  The ray of hope is in Jesus Christ which God exclaims in Genesis 3:15.  The language is a bit ambiguous, but God promises to put enmity between the woman and the enemy of our souls through a seed (Allen, House, & Radmacher 1999).  God promises hope in Christ, Jesus, the seed.  This Seed of the woman is the Promised Messiah of Israel (Allen, House, & Radmacher 1999).

God doesn't write tragedies, He promised the defeat of Satan and his power over the world (Mathews 1990).  Eve's life is not a tragedy.  Our lives are not tragedies.  These stories are stories of redemption in Christ Jesus (Isaiah 47:4)!

Application

In your quiet time with God this week, meditate on Psalms 19:14; post it on your wall, tape it to your rear view mirror, save it on your monitor at work, or hang it on your cubicle wall, etc.  Think of all the times Christ has redeemed you in your life.  Remember that your story is not a tragedy.  Remember that God's mercies are a gateway to Christ's redemption.  We are restored in Christ Jesus!  Our redeemer lives!

I pray that you all have been influenced and affected by the journey of Eve.  She has so much to offer us in our own walks with Christ.  Be encouraged!

Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

References

All bible verses were extracted from the New King James version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013).

Allen Th.D., Ronald B., House Th.D., J.D., H. Wayne, & Radmacher, Th. D., Earl D. (1999).  Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee

Mathews, Alice (1990). A Woman God Can Use.  Discovery House Publishing. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Spangler, Ann & Syswerda, Jean (2006).  Women of the Bible.  Zondervan Publishing. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Lesson 7: Eve - Trusting God's Plan

Hello Everyone,

I pray that you all have had a blessed week.  God is truly doing a work in the lives of many!  So many of us were blessed through last week's post regarding mourning.  God has given us all the dynamics of each emotion.  He just requires us to sin not and honor Him with those emotions (Ephesians 4:26).  We were made to glorify Him in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

God has truly been calling me to a higher level of prayer in Him.  I am part of a leadership team for a midday bible study.  Instead of having normal class this week, we spent the entire time in cooperate prayer.  It was such an awesome time in the Lord.  The Holy Spirit was present and we had a high time in prayer.  We must keep the lines of communication open.  In order to maintain any relationship communication is required.  Prayer is key in communicating with God (Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Could you imagine Eve's prayers to God regarding her son's Cain and Abel?  We have been on quite the journey with Eve.  The past two weeks have brought light to Eve's struggle as a mother.  I would imagine that her prayer life increased tremendously as she experienced life outside of the Garden of Eden.

This week we will further discuss Eve's journey.  When we seek the Lord, we must trust God's plan for us, especially when His plan looks different from ours.

Resource

Genesis 4:9-24

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?"  He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 And He said, "What have you done?" The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth." 13 And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me." 15 And the Lord said to him, "Therefore, whoever kills Cain, venegeance shall be taken on him sevenfold ." And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him. 16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irod begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech. 19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one Adah, and the name of the second Zillah. 20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who play the harp and flute. 22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. 23 Then Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.

Lesson

At this present stage of Eve's life, she is mourning the lives of two sons; the death of Abel and the casting out of Cain.  One of Eve's greatest sorrows was that her first son was a murderer and her second son his victim (Spangler & Syswerda 2006).  As a mother, Eve toiled over the fate of her two sons.  Cain slew Abel, his own mother's son (Henry 1997).  She had to have felt the guilt of her own sin in regards to the act of Cain and God's punishment for his actions. Disobedience to God broke the vertical relationship between us and God and the horizontal relationships between man and woman, parent and child, and human relationships of all kind (Matthews 1990).

I am a mother of a teenage son and I have concerns about the possible conditions and decisions of his life.  I reflect on my sins and how they affect him and how they will effect his future.  In a previous post I spoke about my decisions to divorce.  That sin has lasting effects (Romans 5:12). There are so many parables in the bible that speak about the sin of generations and the impact of those sins on future generations (Numbers 35:29). The Israelites were in slavery in Egypt for generations and then in the wilderness for generations (Deuteronomy).  Therefore, I have great concerns about my son and how the lasting effects of my sins and my generations' sins will impact his life.  My prayer is that the Godly principles that I have tried to impart will out way and overcome the effects of the sin.

There are so many factors in motherhood and parenting.  We must consider our own contributions to who our children become.  Parents need to cast a vision for their children (Savage 2013).   God has charged us to do so (Habakkuk 2:2).  I am sure Eve had a vision for her children that did not involve Cain killing Abel and then God banishing Cain.  Eve may have looked to her children for redemption of her sins.  Maybe she thought that Cain and Abel could aid in the rebuilding of the broken relationship with God. The vision we implement must include God, for He knows the plan for us all (Jeremiah 29:11).  Therefore, we must trust in God's plan for not only ourselves, but for our children (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Application

Planning consumes so much of our lives.  We plan our meals, educational route, career, spouses, friendships, travel, etc. This is part of the vision planning that God has charged us to complete.  However, are we making room for God's addendum to these plans?  And when an addendum occurs, are we open to it?  Do we trust God through it?

Eve experienced great loss through her own sin and the sins of Cain.  However, she must have been seeking God throughout, because as we discussed in a previous post, God blessed her womb again and again.  She gave birth to Seth who's legacy help to restore the relationship with God (Genesis 4:25-26).

This week as you are doing your normal planning, take some time to pray first and seek God's plan for you.  We can start with something as simple as grocery shopping or what to have for dinner.  God wants us to consider Him even in the most minute things.  Once we have conquered submitting to His will in the small things, it gives way to submission in the larger plans of life.

I pray that you all will have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

All bible verses were extracted from the New King James Bible Version.  YouVersion (2013).

Henry, Matthew (1997).  Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishing.  Nashville, Tennessee

Matthews, Alice (1990).  A Woman God Can Use. Discovery House Publishing. Grand Rapids, Michigan

Savage, Jill (2013).  No More Perfect Moms; Learn to Love Your Real Life. Moody Publishers. Chicago, Illinois

Spangler, Ann & Syswerda, Jean E. (2006).  Women of the Bible. Zondervan Publishing. Grand Rapids, Michigan

Lesson 6: Eve - A Time for Mourning

Hello Everyone,

I pray that all things are well with everyone.  We just celebrated a holiday of love.  I hope that you all felt loved by someone and extended love to someone on Valentine's Day.  So many people have reservations about celebrating Valentine's Day, stating that it is just a holiday that greeting card companies made to make more money.  However, even if that is true, what is so wrong about spreading some extra love at least once a year.  After all, God is love (1 John 4:8).

Last week we discussed Eve becoming a mother and God's grace in motherhood.  I pray that everyone practiced extending grace this week and reflected on all the times that God has already extended grace to you.  In the past seven days I have heard the story of the prodigal son from two different speakers, one being my own Pastor (Luke 15:11-24).  Both messages touched on God's acceptance of us through His grace.  We must extend that same type of grace to each other (John 15:13, Romans 12:20).  Extending grace is a part of loving one another with a Godly love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).  We also must acknowledge and appreciate how gracious God is to us (Psalms 103:8 & 145:8).

Now, we have studied the many layers of Eve.  Today we will discuss Eve's mourning.

Resources

Genesis 4:1- 8

1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel.  Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.  And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering.  And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.  6 So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door.  And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Mourning - a state of sorrow over a loss or depreciation; grieving; grief-stricken; bereaved; bereft;
                    sorrowful

Lesson

When we read the story of Cain and Abel, our most immediate reaction is the shock of Cain killing his own brother.  However, what about Eve?  The mother of these two children.  Could you imagine what she may have felt as a mother to lose her sons?  And one at the hand of the other?

I have had this experience to some degree.  I have been pregnant nine times and I only have one living child. Through 7 miscarriages and 1 stillborn (Grayson), I have earned an appreciation for a time of mourning. When a child dies, it is an indescribable experience.  I'm not sure which is more disruptive, losing them before you know them, or losing them after you know them.  When I look back on it, I can only remember 3 of them, Jailey, Grayson, and Carson.  Jailey was the first, she was with us for four months, I miscarried in the Summer of 2007.  Grayson was born and died December 6, 2010.  My husband and I saw him smiling and kicking on so many ultrasounds, then held his tiny little body in our arms when he died.  Carson was the last. Carson never made it past month 1.  I still grieve today.  Just writing this brings up a lot of emotions. However, I know that God's grace is sufficient for me and I know that His plans for me are greater than my losses (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 & Jeremiah 29:11).

How could Eve continue to express the same love for Cain after killing his brother Abel?  How could Eve dutifully mourn Abel without having anger towards Cain?  God has equipped us with a love that surpasses all understanding (Ephesians 3:19, Philippians 4:7).

In researching this lesson, I could not find any commentaries that addressed the emotions of Eve as a mother in this situation.  However, as I studied, the Lord took me to John 11:35 in the bible.  Even our Lord and Savior mourned the death of His good friend Lazarus (John 11:1-45).

Many of you may not have experienced motherhood, but you have experienced loss in some way.  If you have not lost a loved-one or a friend, you may have lost a home, a job, or even your inner peace to confusion and strife.

God has allotted a time to mourn.  However, Jesus did not stay there and mourn.  He went to the grave where Lazarus was laid and raised him up from the dead.  The most pertinent part is in verse 40 of John the 11th chapter when Jesus says, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"  Now God, will never resurrect Abel, or my loss children, but He will show His glory through the loss!  Hallelujah!  His glory is always a blessing because that is our soul purpose, to glorify Him (Genesis 1:27).

God's promises are beyond our mourning (2 Corinthians 1:20).  Death is the inevitable.  We are born to die.  Nevertheless, God's glory remains!  It is consistent and never changes (Hebrews 13:8). Therefore, we may experience loss, but the work and praises of the Lord must go on (Habakkuk 3:17-19).

Application

We mourn so many things.  I know people who mourn their younger selves regularly by saying things like, "I wish I was as skinny as I was then" or "Man, back when I was young".  We also mourn material things like homes, cars, or favorite shoes, etc; then, the ultimate mourning of a relationship and/or loved ones.  God has called us to mourn and move on.  His glory is so much bigger than our mourning.

This week think about things, people, or situations that you have been mourning.  Then consider what you have been missing out on because you have been mourning for so long.  New things, experiences, memories, loves, and relationships can be explored when we mourn according to God's idea of mourning.

If I had spent so much time mourning the death of my other children, I could never truly appreciate the wonderful 16 years that God has given me with my only living son.

Ask God to give you the strength to move on, live in the present, and have true excitement towards the future.

Have a blessed week!!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

All scriptures were extracted from the New King James Version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013).

James, Pastor Kevin (2014). Fully Accepted by God's Grace. New Community Bible Fellowship. Cleveland Heights, OH

Meyers, Joyce (2014). Enjoying Everyday Life. The Word Network. Retrieved from Dish Network

Lesson 5: Eve - Mother of all Mothers

Hello Everyone,

I pray that you are all well today.  I am excited to announce that we are in over 11 countries with over 2500 readers!!!!  Hallelujah!!!  God is awesome!!!  His word is glorious!!! God has blessed us to see another day, another week, another month, and another year.  He has extended our earthly time one more year, so lets make the best of it!

My husband and I were recently discussing the importance of maximizing our time here on Earth.  He had attended a funeral which caused him to reflect.  We both agreed that our sole purpose on this Earth is for God's glory and that all of the rest of it is fleshly pleasure (Genesis 1:27).  We are to be fighting the war on sin, drawing soles to Christ, and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1-2).  That is our soul purpose for His glory.  We were made in His image for His glory, not our own.  I created you to display My glory by lifting up the best in each other (Wolgemuth 2013).  I personally expressed my concern for when I stand before God.  I do not want to hear God say, "I gave you so much time, what were you doing?"

What did Eve do with her time here on Earth?  We have seen Eve as a woman, the first female, as a wife, the first firtlady, and as a sinner, succumbing to her flesh.  Now we will discuss Eve as a mother.  The first mother ever.

Resource

Genesis 3:16a

16 To the woman He said:  "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children;

Genesis 4:1--2

1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel.  Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Genesis 4:25a

25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth,

Genesis 5:4

4 After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters.

mother - (n) a woman who has given birth to a child; to make children and nurture them  (v) care for like a mother; to nurture

Lesson

As I searched for the definition of mother when preparing for this week's post, there were so many variations.  The scientific definition of mother describe it as a slimy stringy substance that works as a base for vinegar.  Vinegar is very bitter.  To find that the root of such a bitter substance is "mother", was disturbing to me.  However, it lodged for deeper discussion with the Lord upon preparation for today.  The stringy slimy substance called mother that is the base of such a sour liquid as vinegar is just a metaphor for the sourness of the sin that plagued the beautiful experience of childbirth.

When I was pregnant, I was determined to give birth naturally; I wanted the full experience.  Additionally, I did not want my baby to enter the world filled with medication.  I wanted my baby's first breath to be pure.  I organized my birth plan to reflect those thoughts.  However, God had another plan (Jeremiah 29:11).  I am asthmatic, so my oxygen levels began to drop.  They then placed me on oxygen and told me that I needed medication to regulate my contractions and to put my body in a more relaxed state. So my son was born and we both were a little medicated at the time of the birth.

Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters (Nelson 1997). Can you picture Eve giving birth to all those children without any of the comforts today?  There were no physical doctors, nurses, hospitals, comfortable beds, etc.  Just Adam and Eve. No one else.   The woman's joy in conceiving and bearing children will be saddened by the pain of it (Allen, House, & Radmacher 1999). She was the first mother that bore hardship for her children.  She endured that first experience on our behalf.

Additionally, Eve did not have all these reference books on mothering that we have to refer today.  God gave them His own presence and fellowship (Mears 1999).  Eve relied on her husband and most importantly, her relationship with God to mother her children.

Though they were sinners, nay, though they felt the humiliation and sorrow of penitents, they did not write themselves comfortless, having the promise of a Savior to support themselves with (Nelson 1997).  We have removed ourselves so far from the God that will not leave us comfortless, even in mothering.  It is through the grace of God that Eve bore these children in sorrow and mothered them to bore many nations themselves (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).  Our weakness highlights God's glory even more!

We do not have to focus on the slimy stringy stuff that serves as a base for a more sour substance.  We can concentrate on the glory of God and how we are made perfect in Him (1 John 4:17).  There is peace, hope, and expectancy in a perfect God (Savage 2013).

So Eve endured, so can we.  So Eve was redeemed, so are we.  So Eve is made perfect in Christ Jesus, SO ARE WE!!!

Application

I pray that you have gleaned from this lesson, even if you have not given birth yet.  The point is, we have been saved by His grace.

This week we will reflect on own personal journeys in Christ.  Where and when has His grace sustained you?

Let's also practice extending grace as God has extended grace to us.

Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

All scripture notations were extracted from New King James Version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013).

Allen, Ronald B., House, H. Wayne, & Radmacher, Earl (1999). The Illustrated Bible Dictionary.  Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee.

Mears, Henrietta (1999). What the Bibles is All About.  Regal Publishing House.  Ventura, California

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.  Thomas Nelson Publishing.  Nashville, Tennessee.

Savage, Jill ( 2013).  No More Perfect Moms. Moody Publishing. Chicago, Illinois

Wolgemuth, Barbara & Wolgemuth, Robert (2013).  Couples of the Bible.  Zondervan Publishing. Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Lesson 4: Eve - Separation (Divorce)

Hello Everyone,

I want to welcome the United Kingdom to the list of readers who log on every week.  God's word is spreading more and more each time we come together to study.  It is truly an honor to study God's word with all of you.  I am so blessed by your emails and text messages each week.  I especially want to acknowledge those of you who post on the blog and share your testimony and thoughts.  I assure you that it is a blessing to all of us when you do so.  Our testimonies definitely bless each other.  It is a privilege to be on this journey with all of you.

So far we have discussed the womanhood, vulnerability, and sin of Eve.  Now, we will discuss the separation that this sin has caused.  We will also venture into the notion that this separation was not necessarily God's original plan.  What causes separation between us and God is sin.

RESOURCE

Genesis 3:13-24

13 And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this You ar cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, \And you shall bruise His heel." 16 To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."  17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it All the days of your life. 18  Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." 20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out this hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the eat of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Separation - lacking unity; detached; where division or parting occurs

LESSON

Over 45% of marriages end in divorce within the first 10 years of marriage (NCHS 2002).  This number has actually decreased over time.  However, the impact of its results is immeasurable.  This number may appear small, but when you think of it in relation to the billions of people in the world, that means billions of people have experienced divorce.  I have.  I have personally experienced divorce 3 times in my life.  I am child of a divorced home and I have been divorced twice myself.  I have to admit and own my sin that attributed to the demise of my failed marriages.  While I was not the sole factor, I was a contributor.  Through those experiences I have learned what not to do, and how necessary it is to seek God and follow His statutes.  Just like many men and women of the bible, including Eve, I surrendered to my flesh and disappointed God.  However, again, just like those men and women I am redeemed through the grace of Christ Jesus.

Divorce is separation.  We divorced God in the garden that day, by no choice of our own,  Eve made the choice for us.  Just like my parents made the choice for me and I then made the choice for my son.  Sin perpetuates itself.  Do you see the long-term effects of sin?

He(the serpent) knew he could not destroy, but had to draw our parents(Adam & Eve) to sin and SEPARATE them and their God (Nelson 1997).  We, as His bride, have been divorced from God through the exchange of the serpent and Eve that day.  Being made aware of our fleshly nature, it formed a wedge between us and our God.  The knowledge of the difference in being breaks the original intimacy God intended towards us.  As this separation polluted the Garden of Eden, it now pollutes our relationship with God through sin.

In undermining the correlation between God's command and man's own best interest, the serpent portrays a false view of sin as something beneficial to man (Asbury 1992).  This initial separation has caused us to deceive ourselves time and time again.  We deceive ourselves daily.  We convince ourselves, with our finite minds, to believe the fleshly acts we commit, in our daily thinking and behaviors, are beneficial to us.  We are led by our own self.  These thoughts and behaviors are temporary fleshly gratification that are mere band-aids to bullet wombs.  We are basically soothing ourselves like babies with pacifiers when they really want their parents.  We really want out Father, God!

God has given us and continues to give us opportunities to reconcile (Romans 5:1-3).  Everyday breeds a new opportunity of reconciliation to God through the Holy Spirit and Christ Jesus.  Everyday we must be committed to reunite with our God through obedience to His word and fulfilling our Godly purpose. We are offer renewed encounter with God (Asbury 1992). He offers renewed encounters with Him daily.  We are destined to reunite(remarry) our God when He returns for us (Matthew 25:6, 1 Thessolonians 4:17).

Eve is no different from us.  We desire much more than our finite minds can conceive.  We make choices that affect generations without considering God (Psalms 145:5).  Nonetheless, we have an opportunity to have choices of blessings and not sinful curses to ourselves and those generations (Genesis 22:8, Luke 1:50, Psalms 100:5).

The word "generations" appears in the bible over 132 times.  Do you think God was trying to make a point?  We not only have an obligation to ourselves to follow Christ, be obedient to His word, and strive for reconciliation with Him for ourselves, but for every generation that lies ahead (Proverbs 4:10-27).

APPLICATION

We have been on an interesting journey with Eve.  Eve has challenged us to be more vulnerable in Christ and to look at ourselves more closely.  This week as we gain a better understanding of Eve, we will focus in on ourselves again.  Ask yourself, what sins of yours have caused separation between you and God?  Are your sins the same as Eves's? Pride, Selfishness, Disobedience?

Review these scriptures as you reflect on these thoughts?

Psalms 59:12
2 Chronicles 26:16
Proverbs 11:2
Isaiah 3:8
Joshua 5:6
Deuteronomy 28:15
Ephesians 5:6

It is such an occasion as this to right the wrong and reconcile with God.

Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

REFERENCES

All scripture notations were extracted from New King James Version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013).

Carpenter, Eugene E. & McCown, Wayne (1992).  Asbury Bible Commentary. Zondervan Publishing House.  Grand Rapids, Michigan.

M-W.com (2013).  Merriam-Webster Dictionary Web Version.  Retrieved from: App Store

NCHS/CDC Public Affairs (2002).  Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage Trends in the United States. National Center for Health Statistics.  Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs

Nelson Thomas (1997).  Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.  Thomas Nelson Publishing.  Nashville, Tennessee.

Lesson 3: Eve - The First Sin (Disobedience)

Hello Everyone,

I pray that you all have had a blessed week. I would like to welcome the readers from Sweden.  It is so awesome that God is continuing to reach the masses across countries through this blog. His work is everlasting to everlasting.

I hope that you all spent this week truly committing to practicing vulnerability in Christ.  His grace is sufficient to sustain us through every vulnerable moment (2 Corinthians 12:9).  So many women emailed and texted about the power and blessings of vulnerability this week.  This is true evidence that God is at work through His divine design of womanhood of Eve.

This week we will tackle the sin that caused us such deep separation from God.  We acknowledge and take responsibility for the consistent sin that plagues us. We will also obtain knowledge and skills to better equip ourselves in the battle against sin.

RESOURCE

Genisis 3:1-13

1Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which theLord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 

Sin -  (n) Estrangement from God; (v) To violate a law of God or a moral law

Disobedience - (n) failure to obey and/or comply; (v) to disobey or dutifully disregard 
                               commands and/or instructions of those in authority

Pride - (n) A ballooned amount of satisfaction in oneself and one's own achievements; (v) to
               display unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem; superbia 

LESSON

The most obvious sin displayed initially is disobedience.  When the Holy Spirit that abides within us is warring with our flesh and we succumb to our flesh, we are practicing disobedience. If there was obedience, then warring wouldn't occur.  God requires immediate obedience because delayed obedience is still disobedience.  Warring also implies delayed obedience.

Eve's clear and visible sin is disobedience to God's command. However, the quiet sin that we often ignore in this scenario is her pride.  Eve yielded to her own pride when she doubted God's instructions not to eat.   She, through her own pride, believed that she was better equipped to decide for herself whether she could or could not eat from the tree of life.  God had already commanded her not to do so. Eve's pride (flesh) told her to do it anyway.

Then there is the sin of blame shifting which is a descendant of pride through lies.  Adam shifted the blame to Eve and Eve shifted the blame to the serpent.  We are too proud to admit when we are wrong and have done wrong.  True repentance requires remission of sin and taking responsibility; taking the blame.

After studying this portion of the bible, it is very apparent that the blame shifting is currently a major part of this incident.  It was the devil in the likeness of a serpent that beguiled and tempted Eve (Nelson 1997).  The majority of the commentaries are synonymous in stating that the serpent was to blame for the sin.  They yielded to the temptation and failed in the test (Mears 1999).  However, while the serpent provided the opportunity, Eve made the choice.  Adam then made the same choice in regards to Eve.  They both chose to sin.

God gave them His own presence and fellowship (Mears 1999).  Eve could have paused while the serpent was tempting her and called out to God.  She could have asked God herself about the serpent's words.  She had the opportunity, she was there in the garden with God.  Contrary to common belief, we have that same opportunity when we are tempted by sin.  We have the Holy Spirit that abides within us and we also can call out to God through prayer (Romans 8:26).  God has equipped us with the tools to fight against sin (John 14:26). 

God created people in His own image to have fellowship with Himself (Mears 1999).  We were created to honor and glorify God's image.  We are not fulfilling our general purpose when we are submitting to sin and ruining God's reputation.

APPLICATION

Consider Eve and the word definitions listed above; sin, disobedience, & pride.  Are you exhibiting any of the characteristics and/or behaviors explained through the definitions of these words?  Are you regularly tempted like Eve?  And do you succumb to the temptation as Eve did?

We need to take a closer look at ourselves and live moment by moment for Christ.  It is in the small quiet moments that we are losing the battle to sin, just like Eve.  Let's practice more self-control and self-discipline in serving God's general purpose for us.  We must deny our flesh, resist our prideful (sinful) nature, and practice obedience to God's word in order to protect God's reputation.  We are a direct representation of Him.  We are in His image.

This week we will look at the definitions listed above and assess ourselves.   In your daily prayer time ask God to reveal the areas in which you could possibly be exhibiting these behaviors.  Then ask Him to help you overcome them.  Also, continue to practice vulnerability.  These things will help us all draw nigh to God.

I pray that you all will have a blessed week!!!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

REFERENCES

All scripture notations were extracted from the New King James Version of the Bible. YouVersion (2013)

Mears, Henrietta (1999).  What the Bible is All About.  Regal Publishing.  Ventura, California

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. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee

Lesson 2: Eve - The First Bride

Hello Everyone,

Are you discovering more about yourselves?  We have covered a lot of foundation information regarding Eve and biblical womanhood last week.  I hope that you were not overwhelmed by it.  I pray that you were enlightened and that it brought you a little closer to your divine purpose as a woman or man of God.

It isn't possible to understand the Bible's teaching on men and women without first understanding God's purpose in creating them (DeMoss & Kassian 2012).  Now that we have a better understanding of what God's intentions are for us as men and women, we can move forward to discover His specific roles for us.

To successfully live in today's society as a Godly man or woman, we must live counter-culturally to represent the true intentions of the Creator towards Adam and Eve.  This week will dissect that purpose and learn how to exhibit and practice those characteristics.

RESOURCE

Genesis 2:23-25

23 And Adam said:  "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man." 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.  25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

bride - a female (woman) participate in her own marriage ceremony; a woman recently married

wife - a man's partner in marriage

LESSON

Adam and Eve are the first example of marriage that we can draw from.  They were the first couple. They never had a chance to date, court, and/or be engaged.  God made them and they knew each other.  Verse 25 of Genesis suggests that they knew each other in the most intense case of vulnerability.  Their marriage and their relationship with the Creator represented God's original blueprint for both (Wolgemuth 2013).

This divine design exemplifies the Holy Trinity of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.  They are three entities in one.  Through the earthly trinity of marriage; Christ, man, & woman, we learn how to better understand the Holy Trinity.  Each part is relational as the sum of its parts.  In marriage man and woman are a "we," not just a "me and you" (Allen, House, Radmacher 1999).  To dismiss or deny God's purposeful design of man and woman in marriage is to denounce the Creator and His divine plan. Anytime we fail to consult the Designer (Creator) and fail to follow the directions He has provided, we're going to end up with a mess (DeMoss & Kassian 2012).

One flesh suggests both a physical, sexual bonding and a lifelong relationship; meaning unity with diversity (Allen, House, & Radmacher 1999).  We are physically different, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually the same; both made in God's image (Genesis 1:27).

Eve was the first wife ever.  She did not have all of the examples that we currently have to guide us in honoring God in our womanhood and wifely responsibilities.  She had to lean directly on the Creator to exemplify His purpose in design her.  Eve had to practice complete vulnerability with Adam and God in order to successfully live in the Creator's design for her; for us.

We must diligently seek to rekindle the illustrious fire that God created in the Garden of Eden.  The fire that unites us with the oneness He originally intended.  We must read His word for direction, seek His face for strength, and kneel before Him for His help.  Single woman, this does not exclude you, for we are all the bride for God! (Revelations 19:7-9)

APPLICATION

I pray that we all have a better understanding of God's intentions towards oneness, marriage, and the overall responsibilities of  being the bride of Christ.  The Creator's design of oneness requires completely vulnerability (nakedness) as metaphorically implied in Genesis 2:25.

We must become naked before God again and naked before our spouse to truly exhibit the earthly trinity as a reflection of the Holy Trinity.  God has purposed us all in His image for that reason.  When we do as God has intended we glorify Him.

This week we will choose to be vulnerable and trust God to guard and protect our hearts through it.  God did not promise a life without pain.  He did promise to keep us (2 Thessalonians 3:3).  Vulnerability does not imply pain, as we associate it.  Vulnerability actually creates a window for God's divinity to shine and bless.  When we close ourselves off, we are operating in our own might.  When we practice vulnerability, we are walking in His.

Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter


REFERENCES

All scripture notations were extracted from the New King James Version of the Bible.  YouVersion (2013).

Allen Th.D., Ronald B., House Th.D., J.D., H. Wayne, & Radmacher Th.D., Earl D. (1999).  Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishers.  Nashville, Tennessee

DeMoss, NancyLeigh & Kassian, Mary (2012). True Woman 101: Divine Design. Moody Publishers. Chicago, Illinois

Wolgemuth, Barbara J., & Wolgemuth, Robert D. (2013).  Couples of the Bible.  Zondervan Publishing.  Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Lesson 1: Eve - Thee Firstlady

Hello Everyone,

I pray that all is well with everyone.  I am so thankful for your faithfulness in reading my blog. Your consistency increases my hope for the lost world that we reside in.  Also, I would remiss if I did not acknowledge our international readers and their commitment to plug-in every week as well. 

I hope that you all enjoyed the sneak peek of Eve last week.  Additionally, I hope that you spent some time in the scriptures getting to know Eve.  Spending the time to get to know Eve allows us time to get to know ourselves.

This lesson will lay the foundation for the purpose of Eve and womanhood.  There is a sizable amount of resource and text to work through, but stay with me.  I assure you that all this information will give us a better understanding of Eve, womanhood, and our purpose as women.  We must lay a sturdy foundation in order to build this assured house of womanhood. 

So, let's dive right in!

RESOURCE

Genesis 2:21-25

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Woman - a female person who has a significant role in life, particularly the life of a man; the glory of creation; a female person

Companion - an accompaniment, support, benefit to another; familiar person

LESSON

In current church culture there is an order of leadership.  Sometimes there is a Pastor, who is the earthly head of the physical church.  His wife would be considered the "Firstlady".  Well Eve is "Thee Firstlady", literally.  She is the firstlady of all firstladies because she is the first lady, woman.

Eve, being the first lady, establishes the significance and importance of being a woman. Gender matters (DeMoss & Kassian 2012)!

In chapter 2 of the book of Genesis we see God toil over His creations.  The garden was perfectly prepared for man to tend and keep; even biblical paradise required work (Allen, House, & Radmacher 1999).   As God travailed over His creations He decided to make man to tend, experience, and appreciate His creations.  God created man in His own image to have fellowship with Himself (Mears 1997).  God made man for His companionship and woman for man's companionship.  Knowing that God created man for companionship and that because He is the all knowing powerful God that He is, why this dynamic?  God could have created two men and not one man and one woman.  

Womanhood is not a biological accident; it is an intentional design by God (DeMoss & Kassian 2012).  God was purposeful in His design of creating woman as a companion to man (Genesis 2:23).  

Woman is described above as a female who has a specific role.  Man needed a helper comparable to him; he needed a companion (Allen, House, & Radmacher 1999).  That role is depicted as a companion.  We see that a companion is a supporter and a help (Genesis 2:18).   God's design of woman is of equal footing to man, just in a different form. She is his companion, just like him, not a servant, as we serve unto God, but having intelligence, personality, ethical and moral sensitivity, and spirituality (Allen, House & Radmacher 1999).  She was taken from his side to signify one flesh, but also to denote equality; not from his head lest she rule over him and not from his feet lest he tyrannize her, but a species of equality that subsist in the state of marriage (Easton 1894).  God's woman is designed both strong and vulnerable; powerful yet tender; capable, but willing to yield; equal in worth, secure in her God given role (Shirer 2011).

The magnitude of God's earnest design towards woman.  God performing the first surgery, in His kindness administered an anesthetic to Adam, removed his rib and made Eve; the first evidence of DNA and support of the molecular structure (Allen, House, & Radmacher 1999).   Ladies, can you see how important and necessary we are to God's design!!!  We must honor and operate in His purpose for us in order to give credence to His plan!  The Bible teaches us that it's not up to us to decide what womanhood is all about; God created male and female for a vital, specific purpose, His design is not arbitrary, unimportant, or expendable (DeMoss & Kassian 2012).

After reading and studying this overload of information about womanhood, I AM EXCITED!!!  I feel very blessed to be a woman.  A God designed woman!!  His glory is shown through His design, woman!!!  I am empowered by the Godly design of woman, not the world's depiction that emasculates my man and denounces God's plan.  I am empowered by being God's woman; romantically designed in His image for His glory!

APPLICATION

We have covered a lot of information today.  I pray that it isn't too overwhelming.  However, I urge you to dig deep into the word of God and develop a better understanding of God's purpose for women and you as a woman.

This week we will choose one area in our lives where we struggle to honor God's design of woman.  In your quiet time and/or prayer time ask God to reveal to you an area where you need the most work.  Seek the Lord for His specified design for you as a woman. Refer to the bible for specific descriptions or areas of womanhood that honors God; scriptures on what to do and what not to do.  I will list some verses to get us started.

Genesis 2:18

Genesis 2:24

Genesis 3:16

Proverbs 11:22

Proverbs 14:1

Proverbs 19:14

Proverbs 31:10-31

1 Corinthians 11:3

Ephesians 5:22-24

Philippians 4:4-9

Titus 2:3-5

These are just a few to get you started.

I pray that God will reveal to us all our purposeful design of womanhood in His glory.

Have a blessed week!

Be blessed,

T. Carter

REFERENCES

All scripture notations were extracted from the New King James Version of the bible. YouVersion (2013)

Allen Th.D, Ronald B., House Th.D. J.D., H. Wayne, Radmacher Th.D., Earl D. (1999). New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee

DeMoss, Nancy Leigh & Kassian, Mary A. (2012). True Woman 101; Divine Design. Moody Publishers. Chicago, Illinois

Easton, Matthew George (1897).  Easton Bible Dictionary. Thomas Nelson Publishing

Mears, Henrietta (1999). What the Bible is All About. Regal Books Publishing. Ventura, CA

Shirer, Priscilla (2011). The Resolution for Women. B&H Publishing. Nashville, Tennessee